Thoko Banda is a poet and global social commentator who retired early from diplomacy to spend more time on advocating for a more just world, switching the privileges of high level diplomacy for the power, of the pen and spoken word, to move minds. He has lived and worked on four continents, in our distinct cultures, over four decades. Thoko’s life has had the hidden blessing of experiencing a vast array of social statuses, having been internally exiled as a child in the land of his birth, having been an underground democracy activist, a refugee in the free world , a senior diplomat to major capitals and multilateral institutions, a passionate public speaker, and a devoted father. Thoko devotes his time consulting on trade and political cooperation, and his speaking on personal empowerment and global governance issues has moved audiences all over the world. Thoko Banda recently completed the upcoming inspirational book “Seven Wisdoms: the legend of the lotus” which is due for publication by the summer. He can be booked via wisdomworld@hotmail.de or www.thokobanda.com and is skypeable on ‘thokobanda’. Thoko espouses the belief that “when minds can feel and hearts learn to think, what a wiser world we will live in”. He currently lives in Germany with his daughter.