“She is a Poet”
“She is a Writer ”
She is a Presenter
Patrice Juah is on a mission, a soul mission. A universal calling to support young women leaders. A Mandela Washington fellow of (YALI), President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative, Patrice Juah is dedicated to shining the light on marvels of Liberia. She is the crown of #CreatePreneurAfrica! A poetic narrative documentary ‘LONESTAR Gem of Unimaginable Proportions is currently in development based on the publication “#UnderDucorSkies”
Meet #CreatepreneurAfrica, Patrice Juah: The shining light of Liberia
Tell us what drives you? What is your true passion in life?
I’m driven by creativity, purposeful living, my love for my country and continent, and the desire to make a difference.
My true passion in life is to use the many gifts I’ve been blessed with, to impact lives, and leave behind an inspiring legacy for generations after me.
How did you find your passion and how old were you?
I found my passion at a very young age. As a child, I always enjoyed writing, public speaking and engaging with my community, hence my choosing to study Broadcast Journalism, and continuing to write today.
I spoke before an audience for the first time when I was about three years old and made my broadcasting debut at age 13 or 14. I also started writing at a very young age and won a national poetry competition when I was 16 years old.
Those two passions helped set the tone for the work I currently do.
And although there were times, when I somewhat deviated from them, I always found my way back.
What about your passion appeals to you the most?
What appeals to me the most about my passion is how writing, speaking, and all my other talents enable me to connect, inspire and share my experiences with people.
What drove you to make money from your passions?
I’m currently investing in my passion and making some money along the way. Earning money from my passions enables me to sustain them, and encourages me to keep pursuing my purpose. I’m consumed by my passion, and doing other things always felt draining.
As the saying goes “If you do what you love, you never have to work a day in your life.” Hence, I seek to disrupt the “struggling artist” narrative and inspire creatives to know that we too can lead financially successful and
fulfilling lives.
The journey is long and arduous, but with building and investing in my projects consistently, the fruits will be remarkable someday.
When was the first time you were paid for your passion?
During my freshman year in college. It was an exhilarating experience. When I was younger, people would always tell me that the path I’d chosen would lead to a broke life; that writers, journalists and creatives, don’t make money. Doing my first commercial for a major GSM company and getting paid for it was reassuring.
What kept you going when you thought about giving up?
Giving up has never been an option for me. I stop, rest, or even cry, but the thought of giving up never crosses my mind. When I experience challenges, my faith in God, passion for what I do, support from my family and loved ones always keep me going.
Having a solid support system and people who believe in me, is empowering. Also, seeing the impact we’ve had on the girls we work with, through our educational initiatives (Martha Juah Educational Foundation and Sexy Like A Book), drives me to keep pushing.
What motivates you every day to be even more successful?
I believe many people’s destinies are tied to mine, so if I succeed, they too will. If I fail, they will as well. In order to amplify my work and help my people and country, being successful is paramount.
What do you have to say to all of the people who doubted you?
I’m so focused on my own journey to care about doubters; they’re all distractions. If I’d say anything at all, it’d be to focus their energies on their own lives and work on elevating themselves.
What advice do you give to an aspiring creatives who looks up to you?
Be authentic, bold, and convicted in pursuit of your passions. Follow them wholeheartedly and tune out distractions along the stairway to your dreams
“I aim to stand by organizations in their quest to enlighten women on pertinent everyday issues like teenage pregnancies HIV/AIDs, education and development in the workforce” More about Patrice!
Founder and Creative Director of Moie, a social enterprise media platform specializing in public relations, content development, events planning and retail management.’
A columnist for UK’s Vital Woman Magazine’s, Girl Empowerment section, her writings have featured on PBS news hour, African feminist forum, Liberian observer “Conversations on Liberia” as well as the “Sea
Breeze Journal of Contemporary Liberian Writings.”
The Pan African conquest of solidarity reached a solid impact for Patrice when she met Rosie Motene, South African founder of the Waka agency, at an audition of ‘Tinsel’ in Ghana. She signed up for the audition.
Although she did not make the cut, the impression left was an empowering journey that led to her immediately taken onto the Waka Agency database of exceptional talent in Africa.
” I feel truly blessed to have crossed paths with Rosie Motene. She’s an exceptional woman and a true gift to Africa and the world”
UNFPA invited her to present her poem” Fitsula, “I Have Conquered You” in 2013. It was written to honor the survivors of Fistula at the 1st International Day to End Obstetric Fistula.
Patrice is the founder and chairperson of the Miss Education Africa Pageant, Africa’s first Pan African education pageant, which promotes and advocates for girls’ education on the continent. She’s the founder and editor of “Sexy Like A Book”, an academic initiative designed to inspire young women and girls to improve their perspective on reading, literacy, and education.
She’s a regular contributor to the United Nations’ Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) radio, now ECOWAS Radio show, Girl Power, that promotes self-esteem, confidence, and the importance of leadership in local
She’s a member of UN Women’s Civil Society Advisory Group on Liberia and sits on the board of the Liberia Literary Society.
She recently served as a keynote speaker at the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Week in Geneva, Switzerland as a guest of the U.S government.
She founded the Martha Juah Educational Foundation, named in honor of her mother, a retired primary school teacher of 50 years, to advocate for scholarships for young girls in rural Liberia.
Patrice holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and Political Science, an advanced certificate in Fashion Design, and a Certificate in Business & Entrepreneurship.
She was invited by former U.S FirstLady, Michelle Obama, in July 2014, for a roundtable discussion on Girls’ Education in Africa, and served as an advisory committee member for the 2015 African Creative
During the West African Ebola outbreak, she launched the “Ebola Is Not My Identity” campaign along with other artists to combat the problem of stigmatization.
“The goal of the campaign was to showcase creative works of art that reflected hope for Liberia on her path to recovery, other than the images of despair shown on the news wires at the time.”
In 2015, she was featured in Amina Magazine, as one of the new female faces of the African Creative Economy, and was also spotlighted by Brand Woman Africa in the same year as one of the women whose efforts are positively changing Africa one community at a time.
“This young, driven and vivacious woman believes that for Africa to succeed, Africans must make education a powerful driver and the strongest instrument in the reduction of poverty, improving health, gender equality, peace and stability.”