What is the best thing that I love about my work? What is love about my work at the European Union is the intercultural environment. It is extremely exciting to exchange with colleagues coming from all the corners of Europe. The exchange of diverse ideas is creating synergies therefore leading to innovative thinking that is key for Europe’s competitivness. I am indeed thrilled by the anthem of the European Union “Unity in diversity”.
What is my idea of happiness? I believe that happiness should not be written with a big H. It is the sum of very simple and small moments of our daily life. It is as simple as having a nice conversation with a friend around a cup of coffee, walking observing the beauty of nature, hugging my children and seeing them smiling when they come back from school, listening to a nice music on a terrace.
What is my greatest fear? My greatest fear is that the new generation will live in a world in crisis, where hate will have won against love. I am afraid that the current trend of being only with people thinking the same way, acting the same way, eating the same way will prevail against the will to discover the world and be attracted by what is different, mysterious and unknown.
What is the trait that I most deplore in myself? What I most deplore of myself is that I still pay too much attention on what is being said about me. I am still too sensitive when I receive some attacks from others. I would like to be more detached from what people are thinking about me.
Which living persons in my profession do i most admire? I very much admire women that are helping women in their quest for affirmation and self confidence. And I would like to pay tribute to one of them, which helped me tremendously in my journey. I am sure she will recognise her.
What is my greatest extravagance? One of my greatest extravagances was to convince the security that I was a famous musician to avoid waiting at the entrance of a concert. It was so much fun !
On what occasion would I lie? I would lie to protect my loved ones, especially my children against any unfair oppression, where their lives would be in danger, and where their physical or mental health would be at threat.
What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work? I am grateful for the job I have. At the same time, what I deplore is that sometimes I forgot to spend quality time with my loved ones because of my interest for what I am doing.
When and where was I the happiest, in my work? I was the happiest in my work when I started to work at the directorate International partnerships of the European Union. I was young, coming from Dole, a small city in the Eastern part of France. Arriving at the European Union was extremely exciting, as I had this feeling that everything was possible. I am grateful that I was given the chance to work on Africa-EU relations. It was an honour as a French and Ghanaian.
If I could, what would I change about myself? If I could, I would increase my capacity not to be afraid of conflicts to achieve my objectives and lead processes.
What is my greatest achievement in work? My greatest achievement in work has been the capacity to transform what was considered an obstacle into an added value : my double culture since I am French and Ghanaian. I brought my contribution to the Africa EU strategic dialogue, building bridges among my two beloved continents. To achieve this, I was involved in the set up of a Panafrican instrument of almost 1 bilion Euro, and in EU peace and security programmes in Africa based on the principles of partnership and ownership.
Where would I most like to live? Even though I regret my life as an Attaché at the EU Representation in Addis Abeba, the place where I most like to live at present is Brussels. It corresponds to my inner personnality. You can navigate from one world to the other by crossing a street, from Matonge l, Ixelles, Scharbeek, Anderlecht, florished by some afro and arabic shops to the EU quarter, the flamish and the bobo places in the city center and in Saint Gilles. Brussels is a mixed city, and I feel connected to this beautiful city where you can meet amazing people coming from all the places of the globe.
What is my most treasured possession? What I cherish the most is the humanist values that I inherited from my parents. The values of respect and dignity of every human in all their differences, being cultural, social and financial. The respect of the differences of opinions. The values of democracy of freedom, equality and brotherhood. The values of sharing, community and resilience.
What is my most marked characteristic? I am a fighter. I never give up once I have an objective, most likely because of what I have been going through. I fight for my rights, for my place in the world as an Afropean woman. I fight for myself respect. I destroy doors that are closed and when I don’t have my seat at a table I bring mine, as an afrofeminist said. I am fighting to have the right to continue to be a free woman, on top of being a mother. And I fight for a better world for my children.
What is my most inspirational location, in my city? The most inspirational location in my city is place Polaert, where we can have a stunning view of Brussels. There, my imagination is is at height, and I make up stories on what the life of Brusselers strolling in different streets look like.
What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city? That’s a difficult question ! I love La Signare, in Matonge, the perfect place to drink a Bissap juice or eat a Mafé. It is a central place in Matonge, where you can meet some very interesting people, all with different stories.
What books influenced my life and how? “The art of war” of Sun Tsu strongly contributed to my capacity to think strategically. One essential book that helped to discover new social and cultural horizons is “Les Héritiers” of Pierre Bourdieu, essential in understanding the mechanisms of social reproduction.
You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day? The music I would listen to on my last day would be “What a wonderful world”, from Louis Amstrong.
Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? Daenerys Targaryen. She sounds so angelic with her blond curly hair. At the same time, she manages to reunite the 5 kingdoms and to access the the iron throne.
Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? My mother, like many mothers in the world who fight for their children, for their communities. As she said, since we give birth, we know the value of life, we protect it and we create links. I pay tribute to my mother, who made me understand the real essence of life, in all simplicity, beyond money and power. The beauty of nature and the curiosity to discover the world.
Which movie would I recommend to see once in a lifetime? La Mome, on Edith Piaf’s life. The play of Marion Cottiard is brilliant. The life of Edith Piaf, a famous French singer coming from the working class is captivating. I was very much touched by her story, and loved the scenes taking place in France in the fifties.
What role play stories in my life and world? My mother was a very good storyteller. And it really stimulated my imagination in my childhood. I am convinced that beautiful stories are essential in building a better world and better humn beings. And that’s why I like to imagine that Afropeans will enhance in the future their role in building bridges between Africa and Europe, accelerating reconciliation, in a multipolar world, with a stable Africa, leading to more regulated and free mobility.
What do the words ‘You are the storyteller of your own life’ to me? It means to me that once you know who you are, know what you want, accept and love yourself with your strengths and your weaknesses, nobody can dictate your story and write it instead of you. And you become the one writing your own story. This is why writing a book about my story wss so important as a mixed person.
Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime? My children. I am thrilled by the love they give me everyday. And I am extremely grateful for their kind words. It is such a blessing. My love for them is infinite.
Which people or companies would I like to work with ? I am very lucky because I am satisfied of my job at the European Reserch Executive Agency. I had the chance to do some amazing jobs at the European and African Unions, the Council of Europe and the French Embassy in Burkina Faso. At the same time, one of my dreams is to own a big company to have a real impact in the society and in the life of people. A company that would correspond to my ideal and where there would be people from different background and different cultures. It would be a company with work/ life balance and with a crech. A company that respects social and economical rights as well as the environment. Of course a successful company that makes huge profit, with a view to support projects of people with less opportunities, a company that could buy forests to protect them and help disadvantaged teenagers to fulfil their dreams ! As a friend told me, we cannot make the red cross with no money!
Another dream job that I have not done yet would be to work for France 24, TV5 monde as a TV presenter to spread positivity, love, hope and trust.
What project am I looking forward to work on? I would love to work on a project with disadvantaged communities that would be based on increasing their competences rather than in assisting them. A project that would also promote the technics of non violence in fighting for their rights !
Where can you see me or my work? You can follow me on social media. I also did a few interviews on the radio as well as on TV that are available online. (BX1, La Trois, La première, BX Fm, Radio Air Libre).
What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? It means that when you stop dreaming, when you don’t have hope anymore and when the fire that burns inside you is not there anymore, the life become meaning less.
Which creative professionals should Peter invite to tell their story? I would suggest Mr Lulu Converset, Ms Rachel Lamy, Mr François d’Adesky, Ms Cecile Moupiga and Ms Antoinette Uwokonda.
How can you contact me? You can contact me through the social media’s, facebook, Elikem Dzokto Instagram, elikem81, LinkedIn, Nancy DZOKOTO-POMENYA, or tiktok, elikem 2.0.