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Creativity in Captivity: Lessons in creativity from an Al Qaeda hostage
With nothing but the clothes on his back, his creativity, and a positive attitude, Stephen McGown managed to survive six years of captivity as a hostage of of Al-Qaeda in the Sahara desert.
In celebration of World Creativity & Innovation Week, we had the privilege of interviewing Stephen and finding out more about what kept him going all those years. He explained how creativity helped him to overcome the physical challenges of living in the harsh environment of the Sahara, as well as the mental challenges of living as a hostage. Here are some excerpts from our interview.
(For the full story, get your hands on Stephen's fascinating book, Six years with Al Qaeda, which can be ordered on his website.)
Taken hostage by Al-Qaeda
Stephen McGown shortly before being kidnapped in Timbuktu, Mali
From a young age Stephen dreamed of riding a motorcycle across Africa. Though he grew up in Johannesburg, his holidays were spent on a farm where he...
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Nina Pearse
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Nina Pearse is a creative educator with a vision to transform business and society by helping people tap into their creativity. She believes that all humans are inherently creative. As co-founder of Creativity Wake-Up, her passion and purpose is to inspire and equip people to imagine, and bring into being, creative solutions to challenges, opportunities and everyday life.
