Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the moral duty to remember: 80 years later, the work of peace remains

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On August 6, 1945, and again three days later on August 9th, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki became silent witnesses to the darkest potential of human invention, and the world changed forever. Two bombs. Over 200,000 lives lost. And with them, the illusion that humanity could wield absolute power without consequence.

The threat of nuclear conflict is no longer a distant memory

Eighty years have passed since those harrowing days, and the scars are still visible. On landscapes, bodies, and collective memory. But remembrance alone is not enough.

In 2025, the threat of nuclear conflict is no longer a distant memory but a terrifying possibility. Global powers are modernizing their arsenals. Nuclear weapons echo in war rhetoric. Missiles are being tested. Wars in Gaza, Sudan, or Ukraine remind us how quickly violence escalates, how human life becomes collateral. Hiroshima is not ancient history. It is a mirror held up to today.

That’s why the Community of Sant’Egidio alongside the Archdiocese of Nagasaki is organizing a  Vigil for Peace from August 5 to 8, 2025. Two symbolic chapels: the Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary in New York, and the Chapel of Our Lady of Nagasaki in Japan  will remain open day and night, as spiritual beacons of memory and hope.

It is not just a commemorative gesture; it is an act of resistance. For 75 continuous hours, people of different faiths and backgrounds will gather to pray, to reflect, and to recommit to peace. The vigil will stretch across time zones, linking the Basilica of Urakami ground zero of the second atomic bombing to cathedrals and community spaces across the globe.

The work of peace is not naïve. It is disciplined.

The Community of Sant’Egidio is not new to the work of peace. From brokering the 1992 peace accords in Mozambique, to interreligious dialogues in Sudan, Ukraine, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, their legacy proves that peace is not a naïve dream but a courageous discipline. Their presence at the site of unspeakable suffering is a reminder: the work of healing does not belong only to history, it belongs to us.

What began with a prophecy of annihilation must now evolve into a promise of solidarity. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are not just cautionary tales. They are the result of power unchecked, of grief unspoken, of silence turned into complicity. But they are also stories of survival, resilience, and the sacred urgency of saying “never again.”

Let us not forget that the statue of Our Lady of Nagasaki, charred and cracked from the blast, now stands as a symbol of hope and intercession. From her scorched hands to ours, the torch of peace must be carried forward.

On this anniversary, remembrance is not passive. It is a moral stance. A commitment to choose peace where others choose force. To defend life where others gamble with death. To speak truth where silence is more convenient.

80 years later, Hiroshima still asks the same question:
Will we remember enough to ensure it never happens again?

Katanga in Newark: A Burkinabè Masterpiece on Power, Tragedy, and the Fall of Tyrants

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On Saturday, August 2, 2025, Citiplex 12 in Newark, New Jersey, hosted a special screening of Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions, in the presence of several prominent members of the Burkinabè and African diaspora. Among them was the Consul General of Burkina Faso in New York, Mrs. Estelle Segda/Gando, as well as community leaders, association presidents, and cultural figures committed to promoting African cinema abroad.

The event was organized by Yennega Movies, under the leadership of young Burkinabè filmmaker Boukary Tiemtoré. Already known for bringing Bienvenue à Kikideni to audiences in the United States, and for directing films such as Le Rêve Américain de Malika and Le Regret Fatal, Tiemtoré has positioned himself as an important cultural bridge for Burkinabè cinema in America. His work is not only about showing films. It is about creating spaces where African stories can travel, meet their diaspora, and claim their rightful place in international cultural conversations.

A Political Tragedy Rooted in Shakespeare and Burkinabè Imagination

Directed by Dani Kouyaté, Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions won the prestigious Étalon d’or de Yennenga at FESPACO 2025. Freely inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the film transposes the tragedy of ambition, betrayal, and moral collapse into an African political universe. Shot in black and white and performed in Mooré, the film unfolds in the fictional kingdom of Ganzurgu, where power is sacred, fragile, and dangerous.

After a failed conspiracy, King Pazouknaam appoints his cousin Katanga as head of the army. But under the influence of his wife Pougnéré, played with remarkable force by Hafissata Coulibaly, Katanga assassinates the king and seizes the throne. What follows is not simply the story of a man becoming king. It is the slow descent of a soul into paranoia, brutality, and spiritual isolation.

The film explores universal themes with striking intensity: the hunger for power, betrayal, guilt, fear, and the silence that grows around tyrants. Katanga’s tragedy is not only that he kills to rule. It is that, in eliminating those still brave enough to tell him the truth, he gradually loses contact with reality and with his own humanity. By the time his wife dies, he has become so hollowed out by power that he envies those still capable of crying.

The Prophecy: Destiny or Temptation?

At the heart of the film lies a disturbing prophecy: “You will be king, or you will die.” Spoken by the diviner, those words enter Katanga’s mind like a spark that will soon become a fire. The prophecy gives no date, no condition, no moral instruction. It simply places him between two extremes: power or death.

This is where the film becomes more than a political drama. It becomes a philosophical meditation. Is Katanga a man trapped by destiny, merely fulfilling what had already been written? Or is he a man who chooses evil and later hides behind fate to escape responsibility? The film leaves that tension alive, and that is part of its strength.

If the prophecy was truly the expression of a legitimate destiny, then why do the guardians of tradition, the sacred masks descending from the forest, eventually rise against him? Why do they speak of usurpation if he was only walking a path already traced by the invisible world? Perhaps the prophecy was not a sentence, but a mirror. Perhaps it did not create Katanga’s downfall. It simply revealed what was already inside him. He was not destroyed by destiny alone. He was destroyed by thirst, by ambition, and by the belief that power could be seized without consequence.

Women at the Center of Power and Resistance

One of the most powerful dimensions of Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions is the central role given to women. They are not decorative figures in the background of a male tragedy. They are at the heart of the drama, the temptation of power, and the moral resistance that eventually rises against tyranny.

Pougnéré is the first force that changes the course of the kingdom. Manipulative, cynical, and fiercely ambitious, she embodies the seduction of absolute power. Through her, the film shows how ambition can become detached from compassion, from loyalty, and from the human cost of political conquest. She does not simply push Katanga toward the throne. She pushes him toward the abyss.

Katanga, la danse des scorpions de Dani Kouyaté : Au cœur des intrigues et complots politiques | Infos Sciences Culture

Image source: Infos Sciences Culture

But the film does not reduce women to manipulation or ambition. Other female figures carry a completely different moral power. One mother refuses exile and refuses to kneel before the tyrant. Her dignity is non-negotiable. She chooses death over submission, and in doing so, she becomes one of the film’s most haunting figures of courage.

Then come the women of the people, led by Soubila, the widow of Bougoum, Katanga’s former brother-in-arms and intimate friend, who is murdered with chilling cruelty. Armed with brooms, the women take to the streets to symbolically sweep away evil. Their gesture is simple, almost domestic, yet deeply political. They awaken consciences. They open the path to revolt. They prepare the fall of the regime.

 

When the authorities order soldiers to shoot, the soldiers hesitate. In front of them are not abstract protesters. They see their mothers, their aunts, their grandmothers, the women who gave life and who now stand as the last moral barrier against death. The soldiers disobey. They choose humanity over blind obedience.

In that moment, one is reminded of the words of Captain Thomas Sankara: “A soldier without political and ideological training is a potential criminal.” In Katanga, that moral training does not come through a classroom or a military doctrine. It comes through the gaze of women, through the courage of mothers, and through the memory of a people who still know the difference between authority and tyranny.

A Cinema of Beauty, Memory, and Political Warning

Beyond the strength of its story, Katanga is visually fascinating. The artistic direction is carefully crafted, blending tradition and modernity with intelligence and restraint. The black-and-white cinematography gives the film a timeless quality, as if the tragedy could belong to the past, the present, or any society where power becomes intoxicated with itself.

The costumes, hairstyles, lighting, and symbolic settings all contribute to a world that feels both deeply Burkinabè and universally readable. The film carries the soul of Burkinabè cinema: theatrical, spiritual, political, and rooted in oral tradition. It also benefits from a remarkable cast, with performances marked by precision, intensity, and emotional discipline. Even in the middle of such a grave subject, moments of humor appear, reminding us of Dani Kouyaté’s artistic intelligence and his understanding of life’s complexity.

Katanga is not simply a tragedy brought to the screen. It is a mirror held up to Africa, to humanity, and to power itself. It asks what happens when leaders confuse authority with ownership, loyalty with silence, and destiny with entitlement. It reminds us that tyranny does not begin only with violence. It often begins with the inability to hear the truth.

Why This Screening Mattered

The Newark screening mattered because it was more than a cultural event. It was an act of transmission. For the Burkinabè diaspora, seeing such a film on American soil was a reminder that our stories do not have to remain confined to our borders. They can travel. They can speak to the world. They can enter international spaces without losing their language, their symbols, or their soul.

In bringing Katanga to audiences in the United States, Yennega Movies helped create a bridge between homeland and diaspora, between African cinema and global spectatorship, between cultural memory and contemporary political reflection. This kind of initiative is necessary because African cinema is not secondary cinema. It is not cinema waiting for permission. It is cinema with its own intelligence, its own rhythm, and its own power to disturb, educate, and elevate.

Dani Kouyaté has given us a dense, beautiful, and necessary film. A work rooted in Burkinabè culture but open to the world. A film about power, but also about conscience. A film about tragedy, but also about resistance. A film that reminds us that the fall of tyrants is not always triggered by armies or speeches. Sometimes, it begins when the people, and especially the women, refuse to keep kneeling.

Thanks to Yennega Movies for offering this cinematic journey on American soil. Initiatives like this remind us that Burkinabè cinema has not said its last word. It watches. It remembers. It speaks. And sometimes, it confronts us.

La Nuit de l’Entrepreneur : la diaspora Burkinabé à l’honneur à New York

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New York, 25 juillet 2025 – À l’occasion de la cinquième édition de la Foire Entrepreneuriale de la Diaspora, l’Union de la Diaspora Burkinabè-USA (UDB-USA) a tenu La Nuit de l’Entrepreneur, une soirée de gala à l’honneur les femmes et les hommes de la diaspora qui œuvrent, à travers l’entrepreneuriat, pour leur autonomisation et le développement de leurs communautés, des deux côtés de l’Atlantique.

La cérémonie a débuté dans une atmosphère solennelle avec l’hymne national du Burkina Faso, un moment empreint d’émotion et de fierté pour les nombreux invités présents. Dans son mot d’ouverture, le Secrétaire Général de l’UDB, Monsieur Hilaire Yaméogo, a salué la présence des autorités consulaires, des partenaires et des membres de la communauté. Il est revenu sur la genèse de l’Union, créée en 2018, et en a rappelé les objectifs : promouvoir l’entrepreneuriat au sein de la diaspora, créer un espace de mise en réseau et d’échange, le tout dans une dynamique apolitique et à but non lucratif.

La marraine de la soirée, Madame Blandine de Dieu, a pris la parole pour exprimer sa gratitude face à l’honneur qui lui était fait. Elle a salué l’initiative et encouragé les organisateurs à poursuivre cette mission noble de valorisation des compétences et des réussites issues de la diaspora.

Son Excellence Madame Estelle Pélagie Segda/Gando, Consule Générale du Burkina Faso à New York, est ensuite intervenue. Elle a ouvert son allocution par une minute de silence en hommage aux Forces de Défense et de Sécurité (FDS) et aux Volontaires pour la Défense de la Patrie (VDP) tombés au Burkina Faso. Dans un message empreint de dignité et d’engagement, elle a salué la dynamique portée par l’UDB et réaffirmé le soutien du consulat à toute initiative visant à structurer l’action de la diaspora.

Un moment fort de la soirée a été la remise de distinctions à plusieurs membres et soutiens historiques de l’UDB. Monsieur Daouda Zeguime, membre de l’équipe organisatrice, a remercié les anciens présidents ainsi que les figures de la communauté qui ont accompagné l’initiative depuis ses débuts. Parmi les personnalités mises à l’honneur figuraient notamment Gouem Abdoul, Boukary Zagré, Line Bassinga, Mouna Gouem et Jacob Nitiema. Un hommage appuyé a également été rendu aux sponsors, grâce à qui l’organisation de cette soirée et de l’ensemble des activités de la Foire a été rendue possible. Dans son intervention, Daouda Zeguime a tenu à rappeler que l’UDB œuvre à la fois pour l’insertion professionnelle des Burkinabè aux États-Unis, mais aussi pour leur réinsertion économique et sociale au Burkina Faso à travers des projets structurants.


La seconde partie de la soirée s’est déroulée dans une ambiance festive et chaleureuse. Plusieurs artistes vivant aux États-Unis et d’autres venus pour l’occasion ont offert des prestations remarquées, parmi lesquels Ivano, Manaja Confirmé, Lino 46, Fandy la Marraine et Queen Tifa. Le public a également eu droit à un élégant défilé de mode présenté par la styliste Caroline Nanéma, mettant en valeur des tenues en Faso Dan Fani, tissu emblématique de l’identité burkinabè. Entre musique, gastronomie et échanges conviviaux, les invités ont aussi pu assister à des partages d’expériences d’entrepreneurs de la diaspora, venus livrer leurs parcours et inspirer les générations présentes.

La Nuit de l’Entrepreneur a ainsi permis de célébrer la réussite dans toutes ses dimensions : économique, culturelle et communautaire. Plus qu’un gala, cet événement a réaffirmé la capacité de la diaspora burkinabè à se rassembler, à transmettre et à construire des ponts durables entre les réalités d’ici et les aspirations de là-bas.

Félicitations au comité d’organisation pour la qualité de l’événement, et sens de l’engagement. Rendez-vous est donné à toutes et à tous ce dimanche 28 juillet pour la suite des festivités, avec la grande foire, exposition et rue marchande, point d’orgue de cette 5e édition placée sous le signe de l’entrepreneuriat féminin et du rayonnement de la diaspora.

The Power of Posture: How Gabon’s President Turned an Awkward Trump Meeting into a Strategic Moment

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The recent meeting between Donald Trump and several African heads of state has generated plenty of commentary. Much of the attention focused on the awkwardness of the scene, the diplomatic missteps, and the symbolic imbalance of African leaders appearing in a room where the hierarchy seemed already established before anyone even spoke. Yes, there were uncomfortable moments. But reducing the whole meeting to a sterile controversy over a photo or a few embarrassing exchanges misses the deeper political lesson.

The scene itself was undeniably awkward. Heads of state were asked to introduce themselves. Trump complimented the president of Liberia, an English-speaking country, on his command of English. Several remarks were filled with excessive flattery, and the conversation around the Nobel Peace Prize only added another layer of discomfort. It was a moment that revealed, once again, the strange theater of international diplomacy when power is unevenly distributed and protocol becomes a performance.

But in the middle of that clumsy theater, one man understood how to use the room instead of being swallowed by it. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, the president of Gabon, did not come across as a leader begging for favors or waiting for validation. He did not spend his moment denouncing the imbalance, even though the imbalance was obvious. He did something more strategic. He entered the logic of the room, read the psychology of the man in front of him, and spoke in a language Donald Trump understands: power, business, pragmatism, national interest, jobs, and leverage.

That is where the political intelligence of the moment lies. In certain arenas, dignity is not always defended through protest. Sometimes, it is defended through posture. Nguema understood that appearing wounded, offended, or dependent would not shift the dynamic. It would only reinforce it. Instead, he positioned himself as a leader with something to offer, not someone asking to be rescued. That distinction matters deeply in diplomacy, because the person who appears desperate weakens his own position before the negotiation even begins.

Robert Greene once wrote: “Never appear as the one who is asking. Offer, propose, but never submit.” Whether consciously or instinctively, Nguema seemed to apply that principle with remarkable precision. He did not present Gabon as a poor country waiting for American generosity. He presented Gabon as a country of opportunity, a country with resources, a country with options, and a country ready to do business with those who understand the value of showing up early.

What made his intervention effective was his use of the mirror. He reflected Trump’s own political language back to him, but used it to advance Gabon’s priorities. Trump likes pragmatism, so Nguema emphasized that he, too, is a pragmatic man. Trump speaks constantly about bringing production home and defending national industry, so Nguema spoke about Gabon’s desire to transform its raw materials locally instead of exporting them without added value. Trump talks about jobs and immigration, so Nguema connected local industrial development to youth employment and the reduction of forced migration.

This was not a sentimental appeal. It was strategic framing. Nguema was essentially saying that young Africans do not risk their lives at sea because they enjoy leaving home, family, culture, and dignity behind. They leave because opportunities are absent or insufficient where they are. If the West truly wants fewer migration crises, then it must take seriously the creation of economic value inside African countries. In that sense, investing in African industrialization is not charity. It is also a way of serving Western interests before the crisis reaches Western borders.

The strongest moment came when he made it clear that Gabon’s market was open, but not waiting indefinitely. “If you do not come, others will.” That sentence was simple, but strategically powerful, because it quietly reversed the relationship. Africa was no longer being framed as the continent chasing investors, approval, and attention. Instead, Gabon was presented as an opportunity that the United States could either seize or lose to others.

This is especially important in today’s multipolar world. The United States is no longer the only center of influence. China, Russia, Turkey, the Gulf states, India, and other powers are all competing for access, resources, markets, and partnerships across Africa. African countries may not always negotiate from a position of perfect strength, but they are no longer without alternatives. The leaders who understand this reality can stop performing dependency and start practicing leverage.

That is what made Nguema stand out. He did not deny the imbalance of the room, but he refused to be defined by it. He did not respond with arrogance, but he did not submit either. He spoke as a partner, not as a subordinate. He understood that Trump is not primarily moved by moral lectures or diplomatic poetry. Trump responds to strength, transactions, and people who appear to know what they want. So Nguema did not ask for pity. He presented a deal.

There is a broader lesson here, beyond Gabon and beyond that meeting. In politics, business, diplomacy, and even personal life, power often belongs to those who understand the room faster than others. It belongs to those who can enter an imperfect setting without losing their composure, their message, or their sense of value. Sometimes, the smartest move is not to reject the stage, but to step onto it with enough self-control to change the meaning of your presence.

The meeting may have been awkward. It may even have exposed once again the uncomfortable asymmetry that still shapes many encounters between African leaders and Western power. But within that imbalance, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema managed to carve out a moment of strategic dignity. He turned discomfort into positioning. He turned a protocol imbalance into a business argument. He turned a scene many perceived as humiliating into an opportunity to project confidence, clarity, and leverage.

That does not mean one speech changes the structure of global power. It does not erase the deeper questions surrounding governance, legitimacy, democracy, or the future of Gabon. But in that specific moment, Nguema understood something many leaders forget: respect is rarely given to those who simply demand it. It is often earned by those who know how to stand, how to speak, and how to make others understand that they are not coming empty-handed.

In a room shaped by power, he chose not to appear small. And that, in itself, was a silent but meaningful victory.

Leadership lessons from Emmanuel Debuyck on talent, ambition, trust, and long-term vision

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In a world where career paths are often judged by titles, degrees, and linear progression, Emmanuel Debuyck offers a different way of thinking about talent. In this episode of Atypical Journey, the CEO of Adwanted Group shares a leadership philosophy built on energy, trust, instinct, and the courage to bet on people before the rest of the world sees their full potential.

The conversation goes beyond recruitment or corporate success. It opens a deeper reflection on what makes someone valuable inside an organization, how leaders should identify potential, and why ambition should not be feared when it is rooted in discipline, curiosity, and the desire to grow.

What Resumes Do Not Reveal

One of the strongest ideas Emmanuel Debuyck shares is simple but powerful: a degree is almost secondary to energy. In a corporate world that often relies heavily on credentials, polished resumes, and predictable profiles, this statement challenges one of the most persistent assumptions about professional success.

For him, talent is not only measured by what appears on paper. A resume can list schools, titles, and past responsibilities, but it rarely captures hunger, adaptability, courage, instinct, or the ability to move a project forward when there is no perfect roadmap. Those qualities often matter just as much as technical expertise, especially in fast-moving companies where people must learn quickly, take ownership, and grow with the business.

This does not mean that skills or education are irrelevant. It means that the right mindset can transform a profile that may not look perfect on paper into a powerful asset. Emmanuel gives examples of people with unconventional backgrounds who were trusted with major leadership roles, including CEO and COO positions, because they had the energy, attitude, and judgment required to rise to the challenge.

Promoting from Within: A Real Leadership Philosophy

A major theme of the conversation is Emmanuel’s belief in growing talent internally. Rather than seeing people only through the limits of their current job descriptions, he looks for signs of potential: initiative, curiosity, reliability, emotional intelligence, and the capacity to take on more responsibility over time.

One example he shares is the appointment of a team member to the position of CEO USA. On paper, her background was primarily in sales management, and the move may not have seemed obvious to everyone. But Emmanuel saw the human and cultural fit. More importantly, he did not simply promote her and leave her to figure it out alone. He created the conditions for her success by providing tailored support, including external mentorship.

That distinction is essential. A real leader does not only demand performance. A real leader builds the environment where performance becomes possible. Promotion is not just a title change. It requires guidance, trust, structure, and the willingness to invest in someone’s growth before they have fully proven themselves in the new role.

This is one of the most valuable insights from the episode: leadership is not only about identifying talent. It is also about taking responsibility for developing it.

Ambition as a Strength, Not a Problem

The conversation also challenges the way ambition is often perceived in professional spaces. Many people, especially those with unconventional backgrounds, learn to tone themselves down. They are told to be patient, to stay in their lane, to wait for permission, or to avoid appearing “too eager.” But Emmanuel’s perspective suggests that healthy ambition should not be suppressed. It should be recognized, guided, and put to work.

Ambition becomes dangerous only when it is disconnected from humility, learning, and accountability. But when ambition is paired with discipline and curiosity, it becomes one of the strongest indicators of future growth. People who want to learn, contribute, and move beyond the narrow limits of their job description can become major assets if they are placed in the right environment.

This is where leadership makes a decisive difference. Some managers feel threatened by ambition. Others know how to channel it. Emmanuel’s approach shows that when leaders are secure enough to welcome initiative, they create organizations where people do not simply execute tasks. They expand, innovate, and become more valuable with time.

Entrepreneurship and the Discipline of Long-Term Vision

Beyond leadership and recruitment, Emmanuel Debuyck also offers a clear and grounded vision of entrepreneurship. He pushes back against the idea that a project must succeed quickly in order to be legitimate. In an age of instant visibility and short-term validation, this is an important reminder.

Many people abandon their ideas too early, not necessarily because the ideas were bad, but because they listened to the wrong voices. Emmanuel explains that people are often right in the short term. They may correctly point out the obstacles, the risks, the uncertainty, or the lack of immediate results. But what they often fail to understand is the power of long-term persistence.

Entrepreneurship requires the ability to think beyond the first difficulty. It requires calculated risk, patience, and the capacity to imagine where a project could be in two, three, or five years. The early stages of a business rarely provide full proof. Often, what carries the entrepreneur forward is a mix of instinct, strategy, and the discipline to keep building when results are still incomplete.

That is one of the most important lessons of the episode: do not allow people to project their own limitations onto your vision. Advice can be useful, but not all advice is wisdom. Sometimes, what sounds like realism is simply fear wearing the mask of experience.

Trust, Instinct, and the Courage to Bet on People

What emerges from this conversation is a portrait of leadership based on trust. Not blind trust, but thoughtful trust. Emmanuel’s approach shows that leadership is not only about controlling outcomes. It is also about creating space for people to surprise themselves.

Betting on someone is always a risk. Promoting an unconventional profile is a risk. Supporting a project before it is fully validated is a risk. But organizations that never take these risks often become stagnant. They protect themselves from failure, but they also protect themselves from innovation.

The best leaders understand that people do not always arrive fully formed. Sometimes, they become exceptional because someone gave them a chance, challenged them, supported them, and expected more from them than they expected from themselves. That kind of leadership does not simply manage talent. It multiplies it.

What This Conversation Teaches

This episode is valuable for managers, entrepreneurs, young professionals, and anyone trying to build an ambitious career. It reminds us that talent is not always obvious at first glance. It may be hidden behind an unconventional resume, a nonlinear path, or a profile that does not fit the traditional mold.

It also reminds leaders that their role is not only to evaluate people, but to elevate them. A strong organization is not built by hiring perfect people. It is built by recognizing potential, giving responsibility, providing support, and creating a culture where ambition is not punished but refined.

Above all, the conversation with Emmanuel Debuyck offers a powerful lesson for anyone who wants to grow: your value is not limited to what your resume says today. It is also found in your energy, your willingness to learn, your courage to take responsibility, and your ability to keep going long enough for your vision to become visible to others.

The episode is available on YouTube.

At Terminal 5, Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez frame NYC Primary as a generational turning point

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June 14 — New York

The line stretched down the block long before the doors opened. By early evening, Terminal 5 was packed wall to wall, balconies filled, supporters pressed shoulder to shoulder, and a live band playing from above as chants echoed through the venue. Even outside, the energy was electric.

On the first day of early voting in the June 24 Democratic primary, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani rallied alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in what felt less like a routine campaign stop and more like a moment charged with national implications.

More than 2,500 people filled the West Side concert hall. Community leaders, labor organizers, elected officials and grassroots volunteers were present. The crowd skewed young but was diverse in age, race and borough representation. Many described themselves as working-class New Yorkers struggling with rent, childcare, transit costs and healthcare.

Ocasio-Cortez framed the mayoral race as a broader referendum on the direction of the Democratic Party. Without mincing words, she argued that the choice before voters represents a generational shift. She criticized what she called entrenched leadership and urged supporters not to rank former Gov. Andrew Cuomo on their ballots, positioning the contest as an opportunity to “turn the page” politically.

When Mamdani took the stage, the reception was thunderous. His speech was disciplined but emotionally resonant, centered on affordability, housing, labor rights and what he repeatedly called “the everyday New Yorker.” He leaned into his identity as a Muslim immigrant and democratic socialist, presenting it not as a liability but as evidence of a changing city.

“We are building a movement that money cannot buy,” he said, referencing the influx of outside spending and recent endorsements for Cuomo from major business figures, including former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Mamdani urged attendees to volunteer and counter negative messaging in the final stretch before primary day. Speakers throughout the night echoed similar themes, including leaders from the Working Families Party and labor unions, who emphasized coalition politics and working-class solidarity.

What stood out in the room was not just applause lines, but conviction. The atmosphere felt organized, not chaotic. Strategic, not symbolic. There was choreography to the messaging and discipline in the turnout.

Whether that energy translates into votes remains to be seen. But on June 14, inside Terminal 5, it was clear that this mayoral primary has become more than a local contest. For many in that room, it felt like a statement about the future of power in New York — and perhaps within the Democratic Party itself.

The soulless ChatGPT posts: have we gone too far?

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“As technology advances, it reverses the characteristics of every situation again and again. The age of automation is going to be the age of ‘do it yourself.’” Marshall McLuhan

I’ve been thinking about this quote I studied back in undergrad. And the more I think of ChatGPT, the more it resonates.

It’s amazing how powerful AI has become. It saves time, enhances creativity, and every day I’m learning new things it can do: interior design, generating content and images, coding, building business strategies, designing logos, writing scripts, creating outlines, drafting contracts… and the list keeps growing.

But if anyone can produce work instantly, if anyone can write posts and sound like an expert on any topic, then what becomes of the value of human work? Of human thought? What becomes of the importance of a job, or the depth that comes with lived experience?

Has generative AI created conformity and slowly killed human value?

Well you see, McLuhan’s quote reflects his broader idea: technological change isn’t linear, it’s dialectical. He believed that every medium or technology, when pushed far enough, eventually reverses its effects. This is part of his concept called “the tetrad of media effects,” where every technology:

• Enhances something,
• Obsoletes something,
• Retrieves something from the past,
• And reverses into its opposite when overextended.

So yes AI is a gift. But it won’t and shouldn’t prevent us from using our brains. For those who are already thoughtful, it does the things that consume time so we can focus on what really matters, what we’re best at.

What I call a soulless ChatGPT post is easy to spot:

  • It’s grammatically correct.
  • It flows well.
  • It has good ideas.
  • Polished but robotic.
  • No soul. No real voice. Just… bland.
  • All the titles sound the same. The sentence structure is the same.
  • Sounds like a Wikipedia article with plenty of stock emojis: ✨💼📈🔥🙌📊✅

Don’t get me wrong ChatGPT is a powerful tool. But you have to be smart with it. Joanna Maciejewska said:

“I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my laundry and dishes.”

Sounds a bit extreme and unrealistic,  but maybe she has a point. We can think about it differently: all of the things that take more time but aren’t central to the originality of your thought or the uniqueness of your perspective or creativity, have ChatGPT do it. Consider those things “the dishes”and now focus on adding the great stuff that makes you a unique voice.

For the love of God, stop giving one vague sentence to ChatGPT and letting it write your whole post.

We can tell can tell it’s a Chat GPT post. It doesn’t bring any value because not only we see the same posts everywhere but we can literally do the same thing you did. Head over to Chat GPT and tell him to “Write a post about X,Y,Z”

Use better prompts. ChatGPT isn’t magic.
Stop being lazy with your prompts. Stop typing lazy stuff like “Write a post about leadership.” One vague sentence will get you a vague post. You want something good? Give context, tone, structure, even examples. Feed it as you would a collaborator, not a vending machine.

Use AI to expand and facilitate your work.
Use it for research, for outlines, to organize your ideas. Use it for things you already care about deeply, have knowledge and perspective on. That way, ChatGPT becomes an addition to the burning fire inside you. That’s how you go from “meh” to “this actually sounds like me.”

Don’t fake what you don’t know.
If you’re clueless about a topic, don’t use AI to bluff your way through. If you want to speak on a subject you’re not familiar with, do your research. Learn the complexities and nuances of the topic. Gain some experience, read the experts, and reflect on it. It’s fine that ChatGPT helped you write it, but it will make a huge difference when the post has a fresh and singular outlook.
Because nothing screams “I copied this” louder than a confident-sounding post that says… nothing new.

And finally: if it doesn’t sound like you, it’s not good.
Copying and pasting the first draft ChatGPT gives you is like serving a frozen meal at a dinner party. The first draft is rarely the best. If the tone, the examples, the vocabulary don’t reflect how you think or express yourself, that’s your sign it’s not ready. Read it out loud. If it feels stiff, generic, or like anyone could’ve written it, rewrite it. Ask it to rephrase. Change the angle. Push back. Good writing is rewriting, even with AI.

Technology is amazing because it allows us to focus on what really matters. But don’t forget: the soul of your work should still come from you.

And by the way, ChatGPT lies a lot. Make sure to always fact-check and don’t embarrass yourself. 😉 If you’re citing studies, quotes, or numbers, verify them. ChatGPT is smart, but it hallucinates confidently.

You don’t need to know the whole plan to begin

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So many people stay stuck waiting for clarity. Waiting for a sign, a map, a guarantee. But purpose rarely arrives fully formed. It unfolds in motion — not in stillness.

You don’t need to see the full staircase to take the first step. You need to trust your inner pull. Begin with what you know, with what you feel, with what’s burning quietly inside you. The rest will reveal itself in the doing.

Every guest on Parcours Atypique started somewhere unsure. They launched projects, made decisions, left comfort zones — not because they were certain, but because they were called.

The secret is not knowing. The secret is starting anyway.

🎧 If you need permission to take that next step, listen to someone who already did. You’ll find them on Parcours Atypique.

What makes a voice worth listening To?

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In a world where everyone can talk, post, and share instantly, we’re flooded with noise. But not every voice carries weight. Some voices don’t just speak, they resonate. They shift something in us. They stay.

What makes the difference? It’s not always credentials or visibility. Often, it’s courage. Integrity. A hard-earned perspective. A voice worth listening to comes from someone who has lived, questioned, fallen, and risen. Someone who doesn’t perform but reveals.

At Parcours Atypique, we seek out those voices. The ones shaped by fire, silence, and depth. The ones that don’t scream to be heard, but whisper what matters.

🎧 Discover these rare voices in every episode of Parcours Atypique. They don’t seek attention, they offer reflection.

How to ask better questions — lessons from behind the mic

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Hosting a podcast has changed how I speak  and more importantly, how I listen. I’ve learned that a good question isn’t about showing what you know. It’s about opening a space where the other person can reveal what they know or who they are.

So much of today’s conversation is performance. But when someone feels safe, seen, and respected, they go deeper. The real story comes out. And the magic happens in the follow-up: the pause, the curiosity, the willingness to explore the uncomfortable.

Whether you’re a podcast host, a leader, a friend, or simply someone trying to connect, better questions can change your relationships. Ask with intention. Listen without agenda. Follow the thread.

The people I interview on Parcours Atypique often tell me, “I’ve never said this out loud before.” That’s the power of holding space and of learning to ask questions that matter.

🎧 Want to hear what happens when people feel free to speak their truth? Tune into the latest episodes of Parcours Atypique.