EP #3: The Afro-Asian Re(Vodu)tionary - Sena Voncujovi - on Voodoo in Africa, connecting Africa and Asia, and his entrepreneurial journey
11/11/20 • 71 min
Sena is the perhaps the most interesting person I've ever met and I'm sure you'll agree after listening to this podcast.
Sena Voncujovi was born in Japan and raised in Ghana. He comes from a family of African traditional healers and is a Bokor, one who has been initiated into the highest spiritual rank of Ifa. As a Davis United World College Scholar, he graduated from Middlebury College in the USA, with a bachelors degree in international politics, economics, and African Studies. He founded ReVodution: Voodoo Education to educate the world about African spiritual traditions and co-founded Jaspora to build a community for the African diaspora in Japan. He's currently a Yenching Scholar at Yenching Academy of Peking University.
I first met Sena in 2012 in Costa Rica. Since then we've shared countless hours of insightful conversation. This podcast is one of the most interesting talks we've ever had. I learned so much about African spirituality, how Sena connects Africa and Asia through his work, as well as the lessons Sena learned as a founder of not one, but two organizations!
In the podcast, we cover:
- Sena's experience as an African spiritual practitioner and his take on why Voodoo is misunderstood by Africans and the West.
- What does it mean to be a "Bokor"?
- How Sena leverages digital media to show the world the truth behind African traditional spirituality
- The story of Sena's multi-cultural upbringing and why his father, Christopher Voncujovi, is the most successful person he knows.
- How Sena's work and life connects Africa and Asia
- The book that influenced Sena's life the most
- The mindset that helped Sena become a clear, independent thinker
- What it was like to attend a Black Lives Matter protest in Japan
- The belief Sena changed in order to achieve his entrepreneurial goals
- Sena's experience at United World College Costa Rica and African Leadership Academy
- How Sena found his natural strengths
Connect with Sena Voncujovi
Learn more and stay up to date at www.avthar.com
Sena is the perhaps the most interesting person I've ever met and I'm sure you'll agree after listening to this podcast.
Sena Voncujovi was born in Japan and raised in Ghana. He comes from a family of African traditional healers and is a Bokor, one who has been initiated into the highest spiritual rank of Ifa. As a Davis United World College Scholar, he graduated from Middlebury College in the USA, with a bachelors degree in international politics, economics, and African Studies. He founded ReVodution: Voodoo Education to educate the world about African spiritual traditions and co-founded Jaspora to build a community for the African diaspora in Japan. He's currently a Yenching Scholar at Yenching Academy of Peking University.
I first met Sena in 2012 in Costa Rica. Since then we've shared countless hours of insightful conversation. This podcast is one of the most interesting talks we've ever had. I learned so much about African spirituality, how Sena connects Africa and Asia through his work, as well as the lessons Sena learned as a founder of not one, but two organizations!
In the podcast, we cover:
- Sena's experience as an African spiritual practitioner and his take on why Voodoo is misunderstood by Africans and the West.
- What does it mean to be a "Bokor"?
- How Sena leverages digital media to show the world the truth behind African traditional spirituality
- The story of Sena's multi-cultural upbringing and why his father, Christopher Voncujovi, is the most successful person he knows.
- How Sena's work and life connects Africa and Asia
- The book that influenced Sena's life the most
- The mindset that helped Sena become a clear, independent thinker
- What it was like to attend a Black Lives Matter protest in Japan
- The belief Sena changed in order to achieve his entrepreneurial goals
- Sena's experience at United World College Costa Rica and African Leadership Academy
- How Sena found his natural strengths
Connect with Sena Voncujovi
Learn more and stay up to date at www.avthar.com
Previous Episode
#2: The Biotech Bro - Agustin Zavala - on biotech investing, starting a podcast, the creator journey
Agustin Zavala (Biotech_Bros) is a healthcare consultant for Bionest Partners. He's the host of the Biotech Bros podcast and managing director of Biosphere Capital Management. Agustin is a graduate of Princeton University, with a degree in molecular biology and is also a jiu-jitsu practitioner and all round awesome person.
In the episode, Avthar and Agustin discuss:
- Agustin's creator's journey and why he started a biotech investing podcast and investment fund
- How he views he's discovered his natural strengths and interests
- How Agustin listens to his audience and acts based on their feedback
- Why being consistent and taking small steps is your best bet to success
- How content killed the resume and the value of being a content creator
- How to find business or project ideas
- The Future of content, side hustles and monetization
Learn more and stay up to date at www.avthar.com
Next Episode
EP #4: The Social Impact Filmmaker - Andrés Bronnimann - on creative life, life lessons and "The Universality of It All"
Learn with Avthar #4: Andrés Bronnimann
I was excited to invite Andrés Bronnimann onto the podcast to celebrate the release of his first feature-length documentary entitled, "The Universality of It All". The film focuses on the topics of human migration, climate change and social inequality.
I was also curious about what he learned from making the film, as well as his creative and entrepreneurial processes he picked up as an independent filmmaker with 30+ productions in 25+ countries.
About Andrés:
Andrés Bronnimann was raised in Costa Rica, by a Swiss father and Mexican mother. He's a graduate of United World College Costa Rica and was a Davis Scholar at Ringling College of Art and Design, in Florida, USA, where he earned a degree in film and business.
Andrés' filmmaking portfolio is as diverse as his personal background, having worked for both social causes and large brands looking for an edgier media profile. His clients have ranged from Red Bull and Land Rover, to Projects for Peace. While pursuing freelance projects for other organizations, he also helped start an independent ad-agency, 'BE Latinoamérica', where he was CEO.
Throughout his film career, he has traveled to more than 30 countries, creating music videos, web series and commercials for numerous brands, artists and organizations. Andrés has worn many hats in the film production pipeline, having been a producer, writer, manager and creative. "The Universality of it All" is his debut film, nearly two years in the making, where he was the only crew member.
In the podcast we cover:
- Andrés' Hero's Journey about how he became a filmmaker
- The tragic backstory and inspiration behind "The Universality of It All"
- How your life is a film, with you as both director and main character
- The importance of patience and perseverance as an independent filmmaker
- The financial and emotional hardships that came with filming, producing, and promoting an independent film
- The business of creative endeavors: How to find your audience and serve unmet needs
- Avoiding the rabbit hole of research
- Connecting macro and micro world issues
- Respecting the ugly side of life
- The intangible value of authenticity and gratitude
- How can we measure the social impact of media?
Connect with Andrés Bronnimann
Learn more and stay up to date at www.avthar.com
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