- 6/4/2025
Katleho Queen Mojakisane on Climate Justice & Youth Leadership | Productive Joy Podcast
In this impactful episode of Productive Joy, Queen Mojakisane breaks down the intersection of clean energy, women's empowerment, and sustainable futures.
Topics covered:
✅ Energy poverty in Africa
✅ Women in climate leadership
✅ Youth-led sustainability
✅ Community-driven innovation
Watch the full episode to learn how Queen is helping build a just, resilient, and sustainable future.
#Tangelic #ProductiveJoy #SustainableFutures #WomenInEnergy #CleanEnergyAfrica #YouthLeadership #EnergyAccess #ClimateJustice #JustTransition #AfricanInnovation #ClimateSolutions #EnergyEquity #CommunityPower
In this impactful episode of Productive Joy, Queen Mojakisane breaks down the intersection of clean energy, women's empowerment, and sustainable futures.
Topics covered:
✅ Energy poverty in Africa
✅ Women in climate leadership
✅ Youth-led sustainability
✅ Community-driven innovation
Watch the full episode to learn how Queen is helping build a just, resilient, and sustainable future.
#Tangelic #ProductiveJoy #SustainableFutures #WomenInEnergy #CleanEnergyAfrica #YouthLeadership #EnergyAccess #ClimateJustice #JustTransition #AfricanInnovation #ClimateSolutions #EnergyEquity #CommunityPower
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LearningTranscript
00:00Okay, so Katleho Queen Mojikisani, I didn't get your last name right.
00:05Say your last name for me.
00:08Mojikisani.
00:09Mojikisani.
00:10I was, yes, I didn't do very good tonight.
00:13But Queen has joined us today.
00:15She is a joy finder.
00:17She's a sustainable futures coordinator.
00:19She's a clean energy creator.
00:21She is an explorer and a traveler who loves to make cultural discoveries and learn more
00:28about people, and she really is excited to see what the world has to offer.
00:32And fun fact, she loves white cats specifically, even though she is the only one in her family
00:39who does.
00:40Queen, welcome to Productive Joy.
00:43Thank you so much.
00:44I'm so grateful to be here and to share my story and a few of my insights.
00:52I'm excited too.
00:54This is going to be fun.
00:55So people are funny, and they only listen for a few minutes before they decide that
01:01this is going to be something worth listening to.
01:03So Queen, if you had to convince people that this is an episode worth listening to, what
01:07would you tell them?
01:10You know, I would just say that they should prepare to be inspired to do more, step out
01:18of their comfort zones, and just to find out more about what young people like me are up
01:26to in other parts of the world that perhaps your audience is from a certain part of the
01:32world.
01:32Just to find out what young people like me are up to, what we're passionate about, what
01:37gives us, you know, what makes us wake up every morning.
01:40So I'll just say, just tune in and prepare to be inspired.
01:49So excited.
01:50I'm ready to be inspired.
01:51So Queen, tell us a little bit about you.
01:53Where in the world are you right now?
01:56And what are you up to?
01:59That's a very interesting question.
02:01I am currently in Lesotho.
02:05This is where I'm from.
02:07This is where my family is from.
02:10However, I stay in Cape Town because I'm a student in Cape Town right now.
02:17But Lesotho is a small country.
02:19Not many people know where Lesotho is from.
02:21Not many people know where Lesotho is.
02:24So Lesotho is a country that is completely landlocked by South Africa.
02:27And so it's like a little province inside South Africa, but it just decided to retain
02:35its own, what is the, it's independent, right?
02:40So I'm from Lesotho.
02:42I stay in Lesotho and I just go to South Africa when I go to school and hopefully maybe even
02:49in the future settle there in Cape Town.
02:53But that's where I'm from.
02:54And the community that I'm from is a community where, you know, it's a developing country.
03:02It's still, there's a lot of inadequacy in a lot of, in terms of service provision, in
03:08terms of what maybe the services that the government is able to offer.
03:13And I'm saying this because this is why we're here today.
03:17This, a lot of inadequacies that I saw, I'm not going to focus much on the negative things
03:23that happen where I come from, but I'm going to focus on the positive things that I did
03:31to address the problems around, because if we focus on the problems, then we might not
03:40find ourselves making any progress.
03:41But as a young person myself, you know, I'm just 22 right now.
03:47I have realized firsthand the impact of many socioeconomical issues that the African continent
03:57currently faces.
03:58And I have been, you know, in some cases, a victim of such socioeconomical issues like
04:06crime, issues like mental health issues that affect the young people because of the economic
04:13issues of where they're from.
04:15It's just like corruption.
04:17It is like unemployment amongst young people.
04:20So it's really a dire situation that we're in.
04:24But I saw that as an avenue to actually create meaningful change in my community, to try to
04:30change the little that I can change in however way that I could.
04:35And I started at a young age pioneering projects to address the issues that I saw.
04:42For instance, I saw that, you know, the government provides a certain level of education that majority
04:48of the people in my country can afford, but such education does not comprise of computer
04:54literacy.
04:55Well, though, that is actually very interesting because you get to find out that when people
05:00grow up, when the citizens of the country grow up, they're very, they're not tech savvy.
05:06They're, they don't have computer literacy and it holds them back in so many ways.
05:11Look at me right now.
05:12I am connecting to you via the internet, but not many people have such skills.
05:18And I was like, okay, I'll start an initiative where I teach young children who go to these
05:25schools, basic computer literacy skills.
05:28I let them know what it's like, what the world of technology is like and what opportunities
05:35can come when they have such avenues or facilities at their disposal.
05:40And that was where my passion for giving back started.
05:44And I saw a lot of other needs in my community.
05:48I organized mentorship sessions.
05:50I organized girl empowerment events, soccer tournaments, you know, to try to deal with a
05:57lot of issues, like I've said.
06:00And, you know, my passion is to give back meaningfully because I am part of this community and I'm trying
06:07to make it better.
06:07And that is how I now came to, you know, discover Tangelic.
06:14So Tangelic is an organization who at its core is to drive meaningful change in communities
06:22by addressing the energy poverty that is evident in many African societies.
06:30So as a young person, it's a great opportunity to be part of Tangelic, to be part of a global
06:38group of people who want to make a difference in the world.
06:43And, you know, I just don't want to speak over you.
06:47No, my gosh, I am so fascinated right now and so excited.
06:50And I know every listener is too.
06:52Now let's back up for a second.
06:54You're 22 years old.
06:55You are our full-time student.
06:58You are also building global empires, essentially, that are changing the lives of your community.
07:06Most people haven't even figured out, like, anything by 22.
07:10So congratulations, Queen, on just being a brilliant, bright light.
07:16I want to know, and we're going to talk about Tangelic and we're going to talk about the great
07:20things that you're doing, but I want to know who taught you that you were capable of making
07:25change at such a young age.
07:27Where did you learn that?
07:30That's such an interesting question because I like the fact that you asked me who taught
07:37me that because my mentality really stems from the environment that I, or the people that
07:45I chose to surround myself with.
07:47So I am part of a community where we, we were believers and we believe in the word of God
07:57and we believe that we are made to be the best that God wants us to be.
08:04We're made to be, you know, representations of his divine excellence.
08:09And that is essentially how I'm taught.
08:13Even at home, my mom always taught me, you should strive to be the best.
08:18You should strive to be the head and not the tail.
08:21You should always do your best.
08:23And that kind of mindset growing up, then it made me confident.
08:28Even when I'm growing up, I was confident to run and cheer for little things in school,
08:33like being in a debate team, you know, and my confidence grew little by little.
08:38But because I always surrounded myself, I always listened to people who inspired me.
08:44I always watched women who inspired me so, so much.
08:49And I always watched talk shows of women who did amazing things in their communities.
08:56And I always told myself that one day I'll be such, I'll be the one day.
09:02And I believe I'm getting there.
09:04Yeah, you are.
09:05Queen.
09:05Wow.
09:06Okay.
09:07So from childhood, you just knew that you were divinely made and your family taught you that.
09:14And then you did something with it.
09:16And so this podcast is called Productive Joy.
09:19And it's for leaders who want to do it differently.
09:22It's for people who are looking at life and saying, you know what?
09:26Why can't fun and action go together?
09:28Why can't we do things that we enjoy?
09:31And you have personified that your whole life.
09:35You've said, you know what?
09:36I see problems, but I'm not going to see them as problems.
09:39I'm going to see them as opportunities.
09:41And I am going to solve some of those opportunities through hard work, dedication, grit, all of the above.
09:49Wow.
09:50I am so impressed and so excited.
09:54And I'm even more excited that you recognize the power of your voice, that you can share it in spaces like this so that people will know that they don't have to wait until they arrive at a certain age to be powerful or to make change.
10:10You're doing it already.
10:12And I'm so impressed.
10:14So wait.
10:15Okay.
10:15I have like 14 questions, but I can only ask one at a time.
10:19What are you studying in school?
10:20Like what you're in school right now.
10:23What are you?
10:24What is that going to do for you?
10:26Okay.
10:28So currently I'm studying a Bachelor of Administration that will allow me to major in international relations.
10:35So as you can tell, I am an international relations person.
10:39I want to learn more about how organizations work, especially in terms of policy, how policy is made, because I have been, I would say, on the receiving end of policies.
10:52But now I want to be on the end that actually makes those policies that affect us as women, as young people, as people from developing countries.
11:04And so I want to take part in those conversations, those dialogues, how countries arrive at certain decisions.
11:13So that's what I'm studying right now.
11:15And that is how it's going to contribute to the larger goal that I have for myself and what I'm passionate about.
11:24So I'm very fortunate, really, to be studying something that I'm passionate about at an institution that is, you know, a good institution.
11:34Because even for me to be where I'm at, it's not just, it's by grace and by obviously the hard work and perseverance.
11:45You know, even where I come from, going to university is not an easy thing.
11:49And for me to have gotten a scholarship to go to university, for me to have gotten a full scholarship is because of the dedication that I've displayed and the exemplary leadership that I've continued to consistently show and to show that I'm worth investing in.
12:08So a lot of things, a lot of things that I've achieved have really been a journey.
12:12Yeah.
12:13But that is my academic, I'd write.
12:18Well done.
12:19Okay.
12:19So you're talking to a bunch of people who are leading others.
12:24And that could be in any form, right?
12:26Like they might be leading others in their homes.
12:28They might be leading others in a business.
12:29What advice would you have from your 22-year-old self to these people who are leading others to make sure that they're not overlooking the talents of your generation?
12:43Yes, I think it's very important to understand that even to just be kept up to date with the fact that young people have the ability to shape the societies that we live in if they're empowered.
12:58Young people dictate the state of being of so many things around us.
13:06And especially when it comes to issues such as mental health, which are, you know, psychosocial issues that are on the rise right now.
13:13A lot of, you know, innovation, a lot of improvement or advancements happening in many societies right now.
13:21They're happening as a result of, you know, the mindset or the capabilities of the young people who are ambitious to, you know, let their imaginations go out.
13:33And when young people are given platforms to show what they can do, when they're given the right resources, the right funding, you know, the right platforms, it actually leads to a better society as a whole, a better, more improved and enhanced society.
13:51And this is why I always advocate for, you know, the empowerment of young people and also marginalized people who may be set aside for various reasons, maybe cultural reasons or social reasons.
14:07And that is what I'd say to the people listening right now.
14:13It's very important that we empower young people.
14:16We listen to what they have to say.
14:18We don't just listen, but we give them the means to implement those ideas that they have.
14:24And that is the only way that things can change.
14:27Improvements happen.
14:29And yeah.
14:31Oh, I love that answer.
14:33That is perfect, Queen.
14:34Absolutely perfect.
14:35And so my own children are 23.
14:38I have twins, a boy and a girl.
14:40And so I'm looking at this both as an employer and as a mother, how proud your mom must be to know that you're making these kinds of changes.
14:50And so I know you do that at Tangelic.
14:52However, before we talk about Tangelic, I want to ask you my favorite question because I think it's going to be fascinating.
14:59So if you had to define productive joy, how would you define it?
15:04What does that mean to you?
15:05I think productive joy to me would mean peace.
15:13Peace in that, you know, there are a lot of things that we try to chase in attempt to satisfy certain needs, goals, or aspirations.
15:26But it's not everything that brings a person peace.
15:31And it's only until you one gets to a certain stage where maybe if they were after certain resources to finance a certain lifestyle, that they understand that there is.
15:45Because I want to term it as a level of saturation point where the amount of resources you have do not equal to the amount of happiness or the amount of joy that you get, right?
16:01And that is where the saturation point is.
16:04But productive joy is, you know, the ability to have peace as you continue chasing, as you continue doing what you're doing, as you continue, you know, setting goals and aspirations.
16:18The ability to have inner peace, peace with yourself, peace with where you're at.
16:22Peace with the fact that you didn't achieve certain things that maybe you wanted to achieve.
16:28Peace with the fact that you're doing just fine.
16:31You're doing okay.
16:31And for me, that would be productive joy.
16:36What a great answer.
16:38I love it.
16:39And what's fun for me is that I don't ever get the same answer twice.
16:43And this is the first time that the word peace has been brought in to the definition.
16:49And I think you've hit the nail on the head.
16:51It is feeling content within yourself so that you can do whatever it is you need to do.
16:56And that is a beautiful, beautiful description.
16:59Well done.
16:59Okay, so tell us a little bit about Tangelic, because this is kind of a cool concept.
17:04And how did you end up there?
17:07Okay, so Tangelic is essentially an award-winning nonprofit organization that is currently registered in the United States.
17:17But it is mainly dedicated to address energy poverty and climate change across Africa.
17:25So it is committed to doing this through community empowerment, gender equity, and sustainable development.
17:33So I know that I've spoken about a lot of terms, but in, you know, English that people who are not in that specific industry would understand.
17:43Essentially, what we're saying is that one of the issues facing Africa is the lack of power, electricity.
17:52There are power cuts everywhere in most, even if it's not everywhere, but in most African countries.
17:58And this causes what we call an energy poverty, right?
18:03So you get to find out that people don't have constant electricity supply.
18:09And this results in, you know, maybe inadequacies in tasks that rely on electricity.
18:14So it's a huge issue because the little thing that might seem inadequate or something such as electricity or something such as Wi-Fi is so important that when you don't have it, so many tasks stop.
18:32And we see this in the African society where a lot of communities are held back from development because of those little elements of development that have not taken place yet.
18:45So we understand that there's an energy crisis in Africa and it needs to be addressed.
18:52And so I came to be part of Tangelic because it's all about empowering communities that otherwise, without our help, wouldn't be empowered.
19:02And this has always been what I'm passionate about, what I like to do.
19:07And essentially, Tangelic also has, you know, how it plans to bridge this gap that I have identified.
19:17And it does, it's going to, we're going to do this by partnering in different projects.
19:22The first project will be the Sunrise Spectrum, where we'll be aiming to empower communities with clean energy access through solar homes, solar home systems, clean cookstoves and community solar microgrid.
19:37And at the core of every implementation of all the projects that we're doing is to ensure that women and, you know, the female gender, women and girls are empowered.
19:50So how will they be empowered?
19:52When you look at the gender roles or the gender norms in many African societies, such as Ghana, because Ghana is where our pilot project will take place, where we're going to do the project first.
20:06And you see that the people that, you know, fetch firewood, because that's what they rely on to get energy, to power or to cook and do other tasks that rely on energy.
20:19It's women who do that because women are the ones who cook women.
20:23So women are the ones who fetch the firewood, burn the fire and everything.
20:26So you get to find out that a lot of respiratory illnesses that result from inhaling that smoke affect the women more.
20:35And you get to find out that the time consumed when fetching the firewood, lighting it up, doing all these activities is actually so much time that is consumed.
20:46So by giving these communities access to clean energy, we're eradicating that problem of the respiratory illnesses that result from firewood usage.
20:57And we're also planning to, you know, start mentorship programs afterwards, where, and in this project will be called the Ghana Clean Energy Entrepreneurship Incubator.
21:09So this is where we'll be fostering the next generation of clean energy leaders by providing training, mentorship and seed fundings to young entrepreneurs.
21:19And there will be a huge representation of women in this initiative as well.
21:24So, okay, we've stopped the women from, we're, you know, given the women a chance to say, okay, you can save your time from, you know, doing these tasks and focus on more productive tasks or tasks that will benefit you economically.
21:42And in the mentorship program that we want to start, there'll also be a huge representation of women from these particular communities that we'll be reaching out to.
21:52So we'll be reaching out, like I've said already, it will be in Ghana and in the rural villages.
21:59One of them is Tamale.
22:00And so we're trying to ensure that in as much as we're empowering these communities, we have a huge emphasis on gender equity as we go about all our projects.
22:11And next we'll have the PACE initiative, which is the Pan-African Climate Exchange, where we'll be driving continent-wide climate action through knowledge sharing, collaboration and innovative financing mechanisms.
22:27So in a nutshell, this is what Tangelic aims to, you know, in the little way that we can, to actually drive economic growth in various ways, to empower women and girls, to improve health and well-being, enhance education.
22:48And then, obviously, the bigger one is to bring light, to bring, to get, to bring, to bridge that energy gap that we see so eminent in the African society.
23:00Wow.
23:01So if I wanted to help and I wanted to do something with Tangelic, how, how would I find you?
23:07How would I find that organization?
23:09Okay, so our website is TangelicLife.org.
23:16That is where you can find all the information, the projects that are coming up, how to donate, and which maybe contact details to reach out to in the event that you want to partner with us.
23:28And I really want to stress the importance of partnering with organizations like this, you know, being part of such an organization where I see people are actually passionate about making a difference in their community, making a difference in the global South or in the African community.
23:46It really makes it worthwhile because I really work with passionate people and I see people that are like-minded like myself.
23:53You know, I've told my story how I came to be in this field of giving back and, you know, so you can quite see how organic our ideas are and how passionate they are.
24:08So I would really encourage anyone who really wants to give back to the community or wants to empower women and girls in any way to essentially just partner with Tangelic and find out how they can do so.
24:23And Tangelic is T-A-N-G-E-L-I-C, right?
24:28Tangelic.org, right?
24:30Okay, well, we will definitely...
24:32Tangelic.org.
24:34Oh, say it again.
24:34Tangelic what?
24:36Tangelic.org.
24:37Life.org.
24:37Life.
24:38Okay, so life after that.
24:40Tangeliclife.org.
24:41Okay, well, definitely hook it up in the show notes and encourage people because the reality is you're changing the world and you're doing so each and every day.
24:51That's really, really incredible.
24:53I'm so, so impressed.
24:54All right, well, I could talk to you all day, but I think it's kind of the middle of the night where you are and you probably have some other things to do.
25:00So I have a couple rapid fire questions for you.
25:03Are you ready?
25:04I am.
25:05Okay, these will be fun.
25:06Speaking of, what is your definition, Queen, of fun?
25:12My definition of fun is no worry.
25:16You know, when you're enjoying your time without worrying about what's to come next, when you're just relaxed.
25:23So, no worries.
25:26Fun equals to no worries.
25:28I love that.
25:29That's, I think that's a good lesson for all of us, right?
25:32Okay, how do you know that you're showing up as your authentic self?
25:37Personally, I just try to, you know, ask myself why I'm doing what I'm doing, if what I'm doing is worth it.
25:46Because a lot of things that I do are really sacrificial.
25:50And so when I ask myself, why did I start, when I remember why I started, and if what I'm doing is in line with the reason, the why, the why, why am I doing what I'm doing?
26:05Then I'm able to assess whether I'm showing up as my authentic self or not.
26:11And that is how I just, I just know if something is not who I am, then I know.
26:18Yeah.
26:19Oh, that's good.
26:20Okay.
26:20How do you channel your best self on your worst days?
26:26I think humility and obedience plays a huge role.
26:33Because sometimes we may be pushed into situations where maybe we feel like we're being, our voices are not being heard at the time.
26:43Or we want to prove that we're right at the time, or we don't want to do something that someone is telling us at the time.
26:52But when you operate from a place of humility, you're able to take a more cool, cool headed stance and actually operate from a place of being calm, a place of calmness.
27:06And when you operate on the principles of obedience, obviously not to be exploited, but there's certain principles that actually hold you back where upon retrospection, you'll see that it was the right decision to not blow off.
27:27You know, so that is how I managed to actually, on my worst days, when I don't feel like it, I remember to stay humble or when I don't feel like speaking to people and I don't feel like doing what someone else's I should do.
27:43But I remember the principles that I live by, which is humility and obedience at all times.
27:50Well, it's pretty impressive that you figured that out at 22.
27:52Some of us have spent our entire lives trying to be more obedient and we are not necessarily doing a great job.
27:59So well done.
27:59All right.
28:00This question is going to be really hard because you have said all kinds of brilliant things, whether it was talking about never underestimate someone by their age or go ahead and do something now because you can or literally giving energy to countries who need it.
28:16And you've said a lot, but people really remember one major thing when they've listened to somebody for about 30 minutes.
28:23So if you could pick one thing, what's the one thing you want people to walk away from this podcast knowing?
28:28I want people to walk away from this podcast knowing that everything is possible.
28:36A young person like me can achieve the things that she has achieved, the things that I achieved.
28:44And essentially with Tangelic, I really want to bring this Tangelic into this.
28:49We are going to light up the rural communities in Ghana and we're going to do it regardless of the circumstances.
29:00We're a relatively new organization.
29:02And I just always try to see that the projects that we're trying to implement, they're possible and they will happen.
29:12And it will be a joy to witness, you know, how an organization helps people genuinely, you know, when you listen to the individual stories of people who are actually impacted by such initiatives, it would give you the motivation to, you know, even if it's just one person that says, I didn't have electricity before.
29:36And now I have electricity, I can study and because of studying, I was able to pass, I was able to improve my life in one or two aspects.
29:46You'd find out that it's worth it and it's possible.
29:49And that is one thing that I want the viewers to walk away from this podcast knowing and bearing in mind.
29:57Beautifully said, Queen.
30:00And thank you so, so much for giving of your time, for giving of your life to make other people's lives better.
30:08There are an awful lot of people on this planet who don't ever think about anybody else and you've dedicated your entire life to just that.
30:14So thank you for sharing your story on productive joy.
30:18Thank you for choosing excellence every single day.
30:21And thank you for changing the lives of people who desperately need your help, even though you probably won't ever meet them.
30:28How great that you are literally changing the trajectory of who they are and what they're doing.
30:34Congratulations.
30:35Well done.
30:36Thank you so much, Dr.
30:38And I'm always, you know, happy to talk on these platforms to connect with people who take time out of their busy schedules to inspire or to share joy.
30:51As positive things happening or positive things that other people are doing, and I'm always willing to connect more, keep in touch.
31:01So I'm always available to whoever might be listening who would want to engage more.
31:07I'm always available to listen to stories, let them know how they can help.
31:13How can I help?
31:14Maybe initiatives that we have in common.
31:17And so I'm really excited.
31:20And I just want to say to the people once again, visit TangelicLife.org and be part of the change that we're making in different communities.
31:30Thank you so, so much for the opportunity to be on this show with you today.
31:35It was perfect, Queen.
31:37And all right, y'all heard her.
31:38Please reach out.
31:39She wants to hear from you and the world needs you.
31:43So we can take action because you guys know every single time we're on this podcast, I always sign off the same way.
31:49And today is certainly no exception.
31:52I need you to take a nugget of wisdom from Queen and figure out a way to turn fun into action.