A New Way to Effectively Teach Cultural Competency by Having Fun While Showcasing Unique African Talents

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Myra Maimoh has a great idea for making boardroom diversity and inclusive training slide presentations more effective.

Her company, Motherland Cultural Connections has been teaching exciting and relaxing diversity and inclusive cultural competency training workshops for organizations around the globe with overwhelming positive feedback from participants.

The company also has group and private events. These events are also creating a longer lasting positive memory of that culture.

"We have lots of people planning to come back," said Motherland Cultural Connections president Myra Maimoh. "Some people have attended classes on the subject somewhere else, but they say it was nothing like this."

It's not just sitting, trying to learn and then it's done. It's about creating lasting positive memories about a culture and having fun. The majority of her customers are businesses and human resources departments looking to add to their diversity training.

"Businesses are always surprised how much their staff has learned and how much fun it was because nobody has ever done anything like this. When her business started, they made live presentation but COVID put a damper on that, so everything is done online for now," said Maimoh.

Her company also pairs cooking classes with storytelling and music through Motherland Cooking Experience, and provides live music, art, poetry and storytelling from artists with different cultural backgrounds through Motherland House Concerts.

Groups can experience African culture though dayaways, holiday parties, Black History Month activities, team-building experiences, kids' African cooking Camps, bachelorette parties, fundraising and book club activities. There are also private date night cooking experiences for groups and couples.

Schools and universities also use the company's services through Elimu Experience and pairs social studies with African drumming and dance workshops.

Her company has created an African cultural immersive experience so people can learn to accept differences and find commonality. Many events start with a cooking experience. Prior to these online events, food preparations kits are sent to participants so they can join online chefs preparing African dishes.

"We pair it with live music, dancing and storytelling. It's not just a cooking or diversity and inclusive class. It's a deep immersion into another culture. You learn about the ingredients, how to cook, the cultural significance of the food and the people in that country," said Maimoh.

The chefs and musicians always come from the country where the main dish was prepared. It's a unique take on cultural competency, diversity and inclusion that you won't find in a boardroom slide presentation, she adds.

Their goal is to offer a safe place where people can ask any question without being criticized, while having fun learning a lot about other cultures. It doesn't matter what you ask as long as you're willing to learn.

"You get to cook with people from different cultures. Every event has three musicians to teach diversity through music. You will hear authentic stories and music from people from different African countries along with their struggles in the U.S," said Maimoh.

Participants learn in a fun way how African culture is different from North American society. For example, people in the U.S. lead individualistic lifestyles, but in Africa everything revolves around the community.

There's no need for daycare because you can leave your kids with the neighbors and they'll treat them like their own. The concept of time is also different over there. If you have an event that starts at 3 p.m. make sure you tell everyone that it starts at noon.

"These are the cultural differences we're trying to convey so people understand these people and how they do things. You can't look and judge someone through your cultural lens without understanding their background and culture."

Besides being a chef and running Motherland Cultural Connections, Myra Maimoh is a singer and song writer. Originally from Cameroon in Africa and now living in Michigan, she just released a new single called On Va Danser, which can be previewed on YouTube and available for sale on iTunes.

"I love the idea of bringing communities together, so we don't have people sitting in their silos making stereotypes," said Maimoh.

Most events are done online now, but as things open up, more will be done on location. To book your next business, group or private event, see the Motherland Cultural Connections website.

For further information or to schedule an interview contact Myra Maimoh at (616) 644-5527 or [email protected].

Contact:
Myra Maimoh
Motherland Cultural Connections
Grand Rapids, Mich.
[email protected]
(616) 644-5527

SOURCE Motherland Cultural Connections