Ainasia Mbowe

What inspired you to choose USW?

My two brothers studied at USW – one in Law, the other in Accounting and Finance – and they are now both excelling in their careers. They’d had such good experiences here that I was inspired to look into the Law degrees on offer.

I have always been interested in Law and the justice system in general, especially from watching TV shows such as Family Law with Judge Penny. And my parents and teachers would often say that I had a talent for debates; standing up for what is right, and portraying arguments in an effective way, so that helped influence my decision.

I liked the fact that at USW, you can study Law as a general subject and then specialise later on, once you have gained the wider knowledge of the profession.

October is Black History Month. What does Black History Month mean to you?

To me, Black History Month is a celebration of our black brothers and black sisters who have paved the way for younger generations to feel proud, brave, bold; to push ourselves to be better people.

We have such great role models and Black History Month is a celebration for me, as a black woman, to aspire to be a role model to someone.

My family are members of the Chagga tribe – one of the most well-known tribes in Tanzania. Chagga people are known for being successful in business, and for always reaching further to achieve more.

To be part of that community is a great thing for me especially being a young black woman pursuing a higher education, elevates the status from being not just people of business but also people of academia. The Chagga tribe has been modernised over the generations, and now has around 2million members, while continuing to grow and succeed.

To understand how other people feel, their culture, language needs, and choice so we can interact with them.

Can you recommend any books or films that people can use to inspire and inform themselves?

Self Made is a fantastic Netflix series that I recommend, based on the true story of Madam CJ Walker, an African American washerwoman who rises from poverty to build a beauty empire and become the first female self-made millionaire. It’s inspirational because there’s misconceptions and myths around how black women are supposed to be – especially in a country like Tanzania, where some women are still not given the opportunity to pursue an education. Young black girls and women today are thriving and are more aware of their worth and potential. Self Made really shows how this woman just wanted to start a business and no-one allowed her to do it, but she chose to ignore the disapproval of men and went on to become very successful.

I also love Hidden Figures, a film that tells the true story of the three female mathematicians – Katherine Goble Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – who all began their careers at NASA as part of the West Computers, a segregated group of African American women hired to process aeronautic data in the Space Race era. They were vital to the success of NASA’s early spaceflights, yet not many people seem to know about the impact their work made, so this film is a great way to raise awareness of them.

The theme of ‘Saluting our Sisters’ highlights the crucial role that black women have played in shaping history, inspiring change, and building communities. Are there any black women that have inspired you?

There are also so many women such as Angie Brooks, Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama, who I’ve always looked up to, inspire me as I hope to become a great leader and role model someday. But my biggest inspiration has always been my mum. She is a confident woman who has always told me to push myself and achieve the best, just like she did, especially in education and work. She encouraged me to do a PhD because she could see me making a difference in the legal field.

My PhD is around money laundering, and the anti-money laundering laws which relate to mobile money and digital currency. I’m researching the impact these laws have had, and whether they now need to be changed or developed in light of new technologies and innovations.