Tamara Makoni is an Inclusion and Culture Specialist based in Brussels, and serves as Chair of SPARK DEI Community at Foundation ENAR.
What are your favourite things about your background?
My background is very cross-cultural, which has taught me how to be flexible, understand diverse points of view and adapt to different contexts. I've come to see it as something unique and special, and extremely helpful in a global business context.
Another thing is music: I play violin and piano and love both the mental and physical challenge of performance as well as the social aspect of playing with other people in ensembles. Playing music is a great way to unwind and de-stress after a busy day.
How did you end up at ENAR Foundation as SPARK DEI Chair?
A very happy accident! In 2022 I was speaking about inclusion at an event that Kim (Director at Foundation ENAR) and Izabela (Programmes Officer at Foundation ENAR) attended. We exchanged details and met up soon after to discuss an idea that we collectively grew into SPARK.
That summer I started researching and developing the programme, then became Chair of Spark DEI when it launched in January of 2023. Watching SPARK expand from just SPARK DEI to SPARK Teachers and SPARK Academia, and flourish, has been incredibly rewarding.
You’re an advisor for EU for a day. What change would you recommend here and now? Why?
I'd outlaw manels (aka all-male panels) in policy debates. And, more broadly, speaker panels without diverse representation. Policy decisions impact all of us in the EU, so the needs and views of diverse social groups must be heard and considered in decision-making.
What book did you enjoy lately and would want to see more people reading it?
"We Need To Talk About Money" by Otegha Uwagba. Not only is the book humourous, it brilliantly captures the reality of intersectionality (gender, race, and class) in 21st century Britain. There's plenty of food for thought and inspiration about how we can do things differently for future generations.
