gpvansat

builders

Wandering w/ Purpose is a journalistic investigation into Africa; sharing stories on personal, poetic, and observational findings. Bitcoin, in the African context, is researched, discussed, and invested into grassroots initiatives along the way.

The Wandering w/ Purpose journey is documented via a free Substack newsletter publication, and on Stacker News. Subscribers enjoy the latest highlights and commentary, and are the first to receive updates on our current and upcoming projects.

## Links

To support us, [have a look at our geyser fund.](https://geyser.fund/project/wanderingwpurpose)

[Become a free subscriber to Wandering w/ Purpose](https://wanderingwpurpose.substack.com/)

[Wandering w/ Purpose on Stacker News](https://stacker.news/gpvansat/posts)

Bitcoin contributions to Wandering w/ Purpose serve to sustain our journey and fund our Bitcoin-related projects.

Thus far, our projects include [Bitcoin Nakawa](https://wanderingwpurpose.substack.com/s/bitcoin-nakawa), a Bitcoin circular economy initiative, and the [Afrika Ascending Podcast](https://wanderingwpurpose.substack.com/s/afrika-ascending), a collection of interviews with inspiring individuals we meet on our way.

For a Bitcoin contribution equivalent to USD $49.99, [we offer a 1-year Afrika Ascending membership](https://geyser.fund/project/wanderingwpurpose/rewards) to accompany your free experience with Wandering w/ Purpose.

## Where to start

We recommend starting with our original announcements of our journey through Africa:

Substack: [A solo moto journey through Africa](https://wanderingwpurpose.substack.com/p/a-solo-moto-journey-through-africa)

Stacker News: [A bitcoin journey through Africa](https://stacker.news/items/24587)

Popular posts:

Substack:
[How African Mythology Taught Me to Think Differently](https://wanderingwpurpose.substack.com/p/how-african-mythology-taught-me-to)
[Self-reflection amongst Africa's Smoke and Mirrors](https://wanderingwpurpose.substack.com/p/self-reflection-amongst-africas-smoke)
[Nakawa - "The cow whose milk never ends"](https://wanderingwpurpose.substack.com/p/nakawa-the-cow-whose-milk-never-ends)

Stacker News:
[Wandering w/ Purpose: An interview with a Bitcoin merchant in Mozambique](https://stacker.news/items/734012)
[A bitcoin journey through Africa: Outlining adoption for each country visited](https://stacker.news/items/698518)

Wandering w/ Purpose is ultimately an initiative to study African issues, document Bitcoin adoption on the continent, and propagate prosperity with our projects. Join our community as we test the hypothesis that Bitcoin will bring major change to Africa.

#### About the Author

Gerrit is a technology/travel writer and entrepreneur documenting his investigation into digital nomadism, rural economic development, and lasting change. Wander with him and feel inspired.

Wandering w/ Purpose: Announcing our geyser fund

BooksAndArticles

Wandering w/ Purpose: Introducing the Afrika Ascending Podcast

Bullocks.
This is the intended link: https://wanderingwpurpose.substack.com/s/afrika-ascending

Thanks for the heads up!

It has been a busy time for the Wandering w/ Purpose publication. [The recent launch of our crowd-funding campaign](https://stacker.news/items/682979) for [the Bitcoin Nakawa project](https://geyser.fund/project/bitcoinnakawa) ignited a promising new chapter on our journey. I'm currently writing to you from Mozambique, but eagerly await soon making the trip to reconnect with the Nakawa family in Zambia.

More Bitcoin Nakawa project updates and Wandering w/ Purpose stories and articles are soon to come. We sincerely hope you've been enjoying our content! Be sure to [follow our activity on Stacker News.](https://stacker.news/gpvansat/posts)

### Announcing another Wandering w/ Purpose project

As enthusiastic as we are about Bitcoin Nakawa, we have even more news to share with you.

We love writing to you about our adventures on the road through Africa. We've received incredible feedback, and want to do everything we can to bring you along for the ride.

This is why we are introducing an audio component to the Wandering w/ Purpose community. Sometimes you just can't replace hearing directly from the voices of the inspiring individuals we tend to meet. We want you to experience what we hear and feel. We want you to wander with us and feel inspired, too.

So, without further ado, allow me to introduce Wandering w/ Purpose's newest project, [the Afrika Ascending Podcast.]()

# [This is Afrika Ascending](https://wanderingwpurpose.substack.com/s/afrika-ascending)

I was drawn to Africa for a few reasons. I'm overflowing with gratitude because it wasn't long ago that I felt like this was a far away dream. Today, I spent the day hiking barefoot through villages and mangrove forests along an estuary here in Mozambique. I'm blessed.

Nature is definitely a part of why I was drawn to Africa. I'm also exploring family roots and researching the state of money and technology on the continent. If it weren't for learning how to write online, I wouldn't have been able to blend these themes of my life into one grand adventure. To have the opportunity to explore Africa on my own terms has been a gift.

### A key lesson

**After almost two years, I'm learning a key new lesson: to trust the flow and learn from the people around me.**

Africa has it's own rhythm. If you don't roll with the punches, you're going to exhaust yourself very quickly. Its a challenging place. Many people struggle, but many have learned how to live a beautiful life here. I started wanting to find the people who have learned to flourish in Africa, and share what I learn from them.

I've been leading my own adventure here. The motorcycle gave me the autonomy and practical means to explore across the expanses of Southern Africa. I needed to go rogue for a while. I needed to go "bush" to connect a part of myself with the land. Those days on the road are precious to me. It didn't matter if I connected with anyone during that time. Despite this, the road has always been a consistent source of colourful characters.

Now I feel the drive to connect with people. Now I think I can spread some valuable knowledge and experiences. When we learn from each other, then we compound our ability to collaborate and build community. As a community, I think we can help a lot of people.

This is why I started [Wandering w/ Purpose,](https://wanderingwpurpose.substack.com/) and this is why we started the Afrika Ascending Podcast. I'm just one among many who have a vision for how life can flourish in Africa. I typically meet visionary people out of serendipity, teaching me a lot about myself and about how I can improve my skills for life in this world. I think our conversations can be of interest to you.

**There's also one question I like to ask my guests. What is the most important thing Africa needs to succeed?**

You might be surprised by what people say...

Sometimes Africa can make me feel like abundance is 1000 years away, but some days I feel like it's just around the corner. Living day by day is the name of the game in Africa, but I can't help but overflow with optimism at times. The inspiring people on our podcast keep my optimism topped up. I hope they can do the same for you.

Earlier this week I sent the [first episode of the Afrika Ascending Podcast](https://wanderingwpurpose.substack.com/p/revolutionary-beginnings-in-mozambique) to all our free Wandering w/ Purpose subscribers. I hope everyone received it fine and was able to have a listen. All free subscribers get one free preview of the podcast, but please consider upgrading your subscription for access to our full collection of conversations.

On that note, we will soon be announcing a special new offer, and our free subscribers are going to be the first to hear about it. We want to do what we can to get you involved, so we hope you like what we come up with ;)

We hope to have you along on our adventure and invite you to wander with us and feel inspired.

This is Wandering w/ Purpose, this is Afrika Ascending.

G

P.s. I'm not a big fan of subscriptions so I would rather offer one up-front payment (discount if paid in Bitcoin) for lifetime access to our content. Any comments on this would be highly appreciated.

Wandering w/ Purpose: An interview with a Bitcoin merchant in Mozambique

Thanks! I don't believe they have come so far to address Bitcoin or any other digital assets in their regulations.

I recently had the opportunity to interview someone special. His name is George, and what George is doing is becoming a regular occurrence in beach towns around the world. What isn't so regular is that what George is doing has lead to revolutionary beginnings in other countries.

Link to full article and podcast:
https://wanderingwpurpose.substack.com/p/revolutionary-beginnings-in-mozambique

I have been in Mozambique for about a month now. It has taken some time to get accustomed to the way of life here, but I'm more settled now. Now the logistics of withdrawing cash, finding transportation, and knowing where to shop have become an afterthought. I enjoy hitch-hiking, 20 Meticais "chiappa" rides, and playing with all the different forms of payments here (cash, MPesa, EMola, and Bitcoin).

We may be close neighbours to the relative luxuries of South Africa, but Mozambique feels quite isolated. The long stagnant economy and warm coastal lifestyle translates into a rather basic existence. Now that the irksome necessities have been ironed out, I get to focus on the pleasures of local life and new friends in the community.

Which community? Tofo. Tofo is a small village with plenty of seafood, great surf, and enough shops and entertainment to absorb anyone into cosy beach life. I traveled here by invitation from friends I worked alongside at Afrika Burn earlier this year. One of them is a Tofo local and was kind enough to offer their home during my stay.

## Finding George

Aside from enjoying local life, I'm always on the lookout for people using creative ways to make a living. It wasn't long before I noticed a "Bitcoin accepted here" sign posted to a shopkeeper's pole at the market. I could see his colourful clothing for sale but, after two days of looking, I still hadn't met the shop owner.

It wasn't until I was recently scrolling through Twitter (X) that I happened to pinpoint the owner. A friend at Bitcoin Ekasi posted that it was their friend's birthday in Tofo, and was encouraging everyone to send him sats. That friend happened to be the shopkeeper I was looking for. I walked over the next day and finally met George.

George and I quickly jumped into lively conversation. I asked him about Bitcoin and how he knew my friend. It turns out they've known each other for years, discussing Bitcoin as they went and how it can be used to improve their lives. George was already quite excited, but his face lit up completely when I wished him happy birthday.

Bitcoin Ekasi's birthday post for George ended up providing up to USD $300 in Bitcoin donations straight into his wallet. Understandably, he started expressing overflowing gratitude for all the Bitcoiners around the world who sent him some sats for his birthday. I was also impressed at how much funding came his way.

In case you're curious and unaware, Bitcoin Lightning addresses are structured the same as email addresses. For example, George's Lightning address is georgetofo@blink.sv. "Blink" is the name of the custodial wallet provider for George's particular Lightning wallet. I also have a Blink Lightning wallet: gpvansat@blink.sv. I also have other wallets for different purposes. Another one is: g@getalby.com. Anyone with a lightning wallet and some sats can send money to any one of these addresses.

What is Lightning? It's a network much like the Bitcoin main network, also known as the Bitcoin "Mainnet", except with some tradeoffs. Without sacrificing too much of the security provided by the mainnet, the Lightning network allows for instantaneous Bitcoin payments for a fraction of a cent. While the Bitcoin mainnet is ideal for long-term storage and security, Lightning is ideal as a payments network.

## Recording revolutionary beginnings

George had stories upon stories to share, so I invited him to join me for a podcast recording. Aside from wanting to hear more of his stories, I was thrilled to capture his story on audio and write about it so I can share it with you, and so I can look back on it in the future. I expect to see Bitcoin spread far beyond Tofo, and I like the thought of being able to look back at a special meeting during the early days.

I make this presumption because this is exactly the story line that played out in El Salvador. George is acting out the same plot that started in the beach town of El Zonte, now known as the beginning of what lead to Bitcoin being adopted as legal tender in El Salvador.

Essentially, Bitcoin eliminates state control over money. El Salvador is using (and succeeding) at using Bitcoin to pay off their USD-denominated debt, liberating themselves from chronic debt-based inflation and the whims of the IMF.

For a nation stuck in 50 years of stagnation at the hands corrupt authorities, Mozambique has a lot to gain by following in El Salvador's footsteps. Mozambique's currency, the Metacais, has dropped to a third of its value in 10 years, according to George. The banking system is also incompetent and in perpetual flux, making access to cash a constant headache amid electricity blackouts, service outages, and inconsistent VISA/Mastercard accessibility.

One thing I've noticed is that scarce cash means that merchants are constantly struggling to have enough change available to settle transactions with their customers. On a daily basis, I will pay a merchant and then wait while they run around the corner with my money so they can find a friend with the cash they need to settle our transaction. This theme of market friction is constant throughout the country, posing a real barrier to trade and prosperity.

Bitcoin is a technology that can unshackle Mozambique's people from the sludge of their country's disgraceful politics, unlocking the wealth stuck behind this country's broken financial infrastructure. Working with MPesa and EMola is not much different than working with Bitcoin Lightning. Therefore, Mozambique's people are more prepared to adopt a better future than they may think.

Thank you for being a part of Wandering w/ Purpose's first episode of the Afrika Ascending Podcast.

P.s. When George needs cash, he simply uses the Bitrefill app to buy Airtime on his phone using Bitcoin. He then sells the airtime to his friends to receive cash. I thought this was an excellent solution to a common problem. This is called a Bitcoin "off-ramp" (converting Bitcoin to cash). A Bitcoin "on-ramp" goes in the opposite direction. There are companies out there investing millions into building on/off ramps, whereas George has found an easy solution with existing resources.

culture

## When your back is up against the wall.

And the territory is unfamiliar.

When inaction isn't an option.

And opportunity is calling you from uncertainty.

What are you like when your back is up against the wall?

I take a moment to float. I'm buying time. I need to think.

### When writing is just writing

Is it just a question?

Is it a report?

What tone and theme do I choose for my life?

If I don't write, then what am I doing?

Art.

Absurdity.

Excellence.

I didn't take that path. I took a path with an extra entendre. Not entirely simplified. Decisions have consequences. Be conscious of the decisions you are making.

If you were given the opportunity...for the sake of what? I have a life that's destined for me.

#### One thing at a time.

Wait...
What I'm after is well-being and impact. Love and self-actualisation.

You have privileges disguised as desires. Your potentiality is evident, but you can't shoot yourself in the foot and expect to run. You're exactly where you need to be. Look forward and act from the seat of your consciousness. Your brain-mind is simply a tool at your disposal. Take care of your tools.

Taking care of my body is a must. While doing so, I lean into the core of the problem at hand. I dismantle the situation by tapping into my reserve. I've been craving a challenge. I feel important decisions and determination at hand.

How are you when your back is up against the wall?

When your back is up against the wall

aliens_and_UFOs

The  "Grabby Alien" hypothesis posits that as alien civilisations grow technologically and expand their reach, they gradually draw nearer to Earth and other civilisations, converging across vast distances in space. This idea suggests that over time, the likelihood of encountering such civilisations increases, potentially leading to a higher chance of extraterrestrial sightings on Earth.

Within this theory, so-called "loud" aliens expand their sphere of influence in a highly detectable way, and "quiet" aliens are hard or impossible to detect. "Grabby" aliens are loud aliens that inhibit the development of other technological civilisations within their sphere of influence.

The hypothesis begs two questions: (1) what are the chances that alien civilisation(s) have grown to converge on Earth and (2) what are the chances we would be able to detect them?

Approximating the likelihood of contemporary alien sightings being genuine extraterrestrial contact requires balancing advancements in our understanding of space, technological convergence of far-away civilisations, and the limits of human perception.The Grabby Alien hypothesis provides a reference frame from which to start narrowing down the likelihood of contemporary alien sightings.



Quiet and loud aliens: the "Grabby Alien" hypothesis

Education

How do you create a new territory on Stacker News?

Good to know, thanks! Interesting to see what you're up to.

Wandering w/ Purpose: A vehicle for growth in Africa

It's great to hear about your experience, thank you. I agree that people in Africa need to understand self-sovereignty through money in order for Bitcoin to grow. This is an educational issue, which I've been thinking about a lot. Many people in Africa are afraid of Bitcoin due to scams, so there is a barrier to educating people properly.

I'd like to create a new territory of discussion topics on Stacker News. Any help? Thanks.

For Marco Polo, trade was simple. Limited only by the amount of goods he could carry, everything could be bartered and Gold was readily accepted everywhere. Born from a family of merchants, his life as a trader, explorer, and writer took him across the Silk Road, a historical trade route connecting Europe to Asia where he would establish a rich network of relationships over his lifetime. His writings gave Europe its first glimpse of the East and inspired subsequent explorers to imagine a vibrant future filled with culture, diversity, trade, and prosperity.

Marco Polo would love Bitcoin. No longer limited by physical belongings, today he would be free to transact across borders with wealth stored only in his mind. Marco Polo was ahead of his time. His success in the fiat world would be likely, and it wouldn't take long for him to comprehend the failings of the fiat system. If Marco Polo were alive today, how would he explore the world, how would he utilise his Bitcoin, and how would his writing inspire a bright new future?

Wandering w/ Purpose

I've mentioned Wandering w/ Purpose here on Stacker News before, but I haven't shared a proper introduction. In short, it started as a Substack publication inspired largely by Africa, Bitcoin, and the life of Marco Polo.

https://wanderingwpurpose.substack.com/

Wandering w/ Purpose is where I share my experiences and, after almost two years, it is evolving into a vehicle for growth in Africa.

Wandering w/ Purpose on SN:

A bitcoin journey through Africa https://stacker.news/items/24587
Self-reflection amongst Africa's smoke and mirrors https://stacker.news/items/667609
A bitcoin journey through Africa: Outlining adoption for each country visited https://stacker.news/items/698518

I can't say how Marco Polo would have lived his life today, but I can learn from what made him successful. He was sharp and leveraged his family's experience as merchant explorers, yes, but it was the time spent fostering his relationships on the Silk Road that grew him and his legacy.

I believe Africa's Silk Road is lying dormant. Its abundance of resources are evident, but free flow of goods, people, and ideas within the continent are tediously restricted. Bitcoin provides an opportunity to bypass systemic African issues, forcing people and their politics to confront the archaic artificial barriers preventing the continent from moving forward.

With a low time preference, and by investing in our relationships like Marco Polo, Wandering w/ Purpose is fostering our own Bitcoin Silk Road in Africa. This publication is a vehicle by which to share stories and explore new opportunities in Africa while investing in the growth of those we meet along the way.

I've shared two posts on SN regarding Wandering w/ Purpose's first partnership, Bitcoin Nakawa:

Bitcoin Nakawa - a community initiative in Zambia https://stacker.news/items/682979
Bitcoin Nakawa Porject Update #1: Our first funding! https://stacker.news/items/692768

Whether by sheer enthusiasm, subscriptions to Wandering w/ Purpose, or contributions to Bitcoin Nakawa, I'd like to thank everyone who has supported us thus far. We intend to make quick progress with our immediate goals so we can expand the Wandering w/ Purpose vision to help many others.

Please share any ideas, questions, or criticisms!

Wandering w/ Purpose - https://wanderingwpurpose.substack.com/
Bitcoin Nakawa geyser fund - https://geyser.fund/project/bitcoinnakawa


gaming

Have you built a game on the lightning network?

> https://lightning-fun.com/
Very interesting! The potential for micropayments in the gaming industry is tantalising.

Books And Articles Newsletter, Issue 34

siggy47

A bitcoin journey through Africa: Outlining adoption for each country visited

You can send me a DM through Twitter - @gpvansat 