Three years on from the inaugural Teakisi Woman Talk, Teakisi as the organiser prepares yet again for its annual conference as the 2021 speakers are announced.

This conference celebrates the culture and heritage of Africa, minoritised communities, people of African descent and the entire community. This #BlackHistoryMonth conference also gives the opportunity to attendees to ask questions and contribute to the discussion with a hope of tackling the issues that we all face. Community organisations and members of the public will be heading to The Common Room on 16th of October 2021 to join us on a much needed discussion on Community and Connectivity: Bridging The Digital Divide, which is this year’s theme.

Designed to highlight the issues that are affecting us as a people and community, ‘Teakisi Woman Talk’ continues to bring you leaders in the community who want to see change happen. Amongst those speaking this year are people among us who work tirelessly to combat injustice and discrimination in their very different roles.

Steph Edusei is the Chief Executive of St Oswald’s Hospice, a large specialist hospice for children and adults based in Newcastle. She is a strong supporter of her local community having been a leader with Girlguiding UK for over 30 years and a school governor, and is a trustee with The Angelou Centre, a black-led women’s charity based in Newcastle which offers training, counselling and refugee support. She has a passion for involving the public and patients in healthcare and is a strong advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion.

Dr. Sameena Hassan is a GP Partner in Chopwell Primary Health Care Centre in Gateshead since 2015 which is a small ex-mining village. Dr. Hassan has been the Clinical Director of Gateshead Outer West Primary Care Network since 2019, which is a group of 7 practices working in a mixed area of deprivation and affluence. In addition to this she is the co-clinical lead for Deep End GP network across North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System.  This is a network of practices who work in areas of blanket deprivation, in particular the top 10% of the most deprived areas in the North East.

Cllr Habib Rahman is the city of Newcastle’s first ever British Bangladeshi Lord Mayor. As a city councillor, he became Newcastle’s first Black, Asian, minority ethnic (BAME) cabinet member in 2018 and then Sheriff and Deputy Lord Mayor in 2019. In these positions he has championed equality and community cohesion and campaigned for anti-racism and anti-hate charities.

Bridget Eichie is the Director and Business Consultant at Bridget Peters Marketing. The mum of 2 has a degree in Microbiology, and a second degree from the university of Sunderland in Public Health. Bridget’s passion is to change the mindset and life trajectory of every day people like herself through digital marketing, by opening minds to a world of possibilities different from the ‘norm’ in order to create a lasting legacy for generations to come.

Last and by no means least, is Abdul-Aziz Kouamé, this year’s masters of ceremonies. As the MC, Abdul-Aziz will set the tone for the event and works with all the guests – in other words, he will be the one guiding us through the experience.  Abdul-Aziz is an Erasmus Mundus Double Degree Master graduate in Euroculture whose Masters thesis analysed the Berlin Conference of 1884 in order to understand its implication in the partition of the African continent. A champion for Community Empowerment, Abdul-Aziz has various endeavours that include being a Freelance Linguist, a Community Consultant, a Football Referee, an Entrepreneur, a Tutor and Mentor. He also works full-time for the NHS.

Teakisi Woman Talk 2021, will take place from 2:30-5pm on the 16th of October at The Common Room, Neville Hall, Westgate Road, NE1 1SE. Attendees of this event, will be empowered through informative speeches, learn from and network with other guests, plus browse stalls which will be set within the Wood Hall, right next to The Digging Deep exhibition which reveal personal narratives, memories and creative representations of former coal miners of Black/African-Caribbean heritage and other diverse groups within UK mining history, including the North East.

Thanks to social media, insights into what will be talked about on the day can be accessed by everyone via the twitter hashtag #TeakisiTalk21.

Due to Covid-19, there is a cap on the number of people who can attend this years’ event, so if you want to join us or book a stall, please do so as soon as possible by clicking here!

We hope you enjoy the event!