Devoting her time and energy into bringing back the talents and skills of African people back to Africa, Angel Jones mirrors the love and enthusiasm Nelson Mandela epitomized in uniting all Africans on African soil.
Angel grew up in the old South Africa not being proud of her skin colour nor her flag and always felt that something was innately wrong in her homeland. She ‘talks the talk’ and ‘walks the walk’. Homecoming Revolution was a non-profit organization and is now a pan-African Recruitment Firm, bringing skills back to a vibrant continent loaded with potential. Here, Angel reflects on her intrinsic qualities that also reflects the love of a devoted South African:
My Life Mission | To bring skilled global Africans back home – inspiring South Africans, Nigerians, Kenyans abroad to return to their home countries
I Am Driven By | Pan African camaraderie, Pan African integration. The idea of Africans working together. Lots more cross border travel, trade and integration.
My Highlights | Winning the Women of the Year for Media and Communications in 2004. Both my children and marrying my husband. Being invited by Thabo Mbeki to be 1 of 4 people onto the stage to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of ‘I Am An African’ and the launch of the Constitution. Hearing Mandela say that “I love you all so much I want to put you in my pocket and take you home” when in London during the late 1990s. Watching Mandela being released when I was at UCT was also a special moment for me.
The Magic in me Originates From | The stories of people that have chosen to return home and when you hear how excited they are once they have returned back. Hearing them say that they feel so welcomed and that they can do so much and create such significance simply by being back home on the continent.
A Key Talent | Storytelling and communication. Being able to weave stories that inspire people together to find trends in different outcomes and use them to persuade people to come back. For example, positioning South Africa as a rollercoaster ride where you will love it and hate it at the same time and that’s the thrill of being alive. Communication really.
Lessons I Have Learnt |
1. It’s more of a risk not to take a risk
2. Get on with the job that can’t be done, get on with the job and do it
3. Whether you believe it can be done or it can’t be done, either way you are right.
Dealing With Doubt | I think it has got easier. I love the idea of ‘fail fast’. So, if we think we want to do something, let’s test it .. 8 times out of 10 it’s going to fail but at least let’s find that it’s going to fail sooner than later. So the idea of celebrating failure.
The Best Advice I’ve Received | I can’t remember where I heard it but it is around the idea that everyone has their own lens for this “Movie of Life”. Everyone is sitting in their own director’s chair looking out, directing their own movie, not yours. You are in charge of your own movie whether you put a sad soundtrack or a happy soundtrack, a drama or an action. Everyone is just trying to do their best. Everyone has their own different perspective. They are looking at the world through their own lens and so if you expect people to think like you, you need to be empathetic to the fact that they may not be sitting in your director’s chair.
