Circumspect

Guest Contributor 'Mr. B': I Dreamed a Dream (Poetry/Prose)

2010-03-09T10:53:00.000-05:00

Have you ever woken up from a dream, a dream about someone special, and wondered whether they had dreamed the same dream?

Have you ever woken up from a dream, and patiently, but excitedly, waited to see them, only to see if they had dreamed the same dream?

Have you ever gazed into their eyes, hoping, waiting, for the same glint in their eyes, the look that needed no words to say, I dreamed a dream….

Have you ever casually said hello, waiting, ever so patiently, with bated breath, for them to speak the words before you do, that last night, I dreamed a dream…

Have you ever had the pleasure, of confirming what you knew certainly the moment you awoke, the pleasure of telling your beloved, I too, dreamed the same dream….

Have you ever set your eyes on them, and knew, the moment you looked into theirs, that surely they had not, but you still hoped, that they had dreamed the same dream?

Have you ever spent time with your beloved, danced with them, laughed and cried with them, hoping that they would one day realize, though they never did, that you had dreamed a dream?

Have you ever thought that you were awake, and then realized that you were still sleeping, dreaming of what could be, but what is not, what may forever be, but what will never be?

One who dreams is never sure if they are awake, One who is awake is always sure they are not dreaming. If you are not sure if you are awake, then you must be dreaming.

Awake, arise from your slumber, and dare to dream, but only if your beloved dares to dream with you.

Check out Mr. B's blog >> http://bambostic.blogspot.com/

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Ghana @ 53: Enough about Nkrumah, Let's Talk About YOU

2010-03-06T10:56:00.004-05:00

Yes, I just went there. I dared say that it's time to tuck away our beloved Kwame Nkrumah, the Big Six, and all those other valiant Ghanaian men and women who have done more than their part in Ghana's development. We've lauded their deserving work for over 50 years. But guess what? It's a new decade, and whether or not we have things to celebrate in Ghana's future now depends on us. YOU and I. Each one of US. So yes, I went there. And guess what? I'm only getting started on the "ridiculousness".

Why Ghana?

Have you ever stopped to think, why Ghana? And I'm not talking about why Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country to gain independence, or why our Black Stars were the first African football team to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Like I said, this is about you. Why did you end up Ghanaian or in Ghana? Why do you have these ties to a relatively small West African country, instead of the big shots like the US, UK, France, China, India and so on? On the flip side, why aren't you part of the mass populations struggling for basic peace of mind in Sudan, Haiti, Congo, Iraq and so on? Really, why Ghana? I have asked myself that too many times than I care to count.

The Soul's Reckoning: What Are YOU Waiting For?

In J.S.S., during Religious & Moral Education (RME), I remember learning about the perceptions of Ghana's different ethnic groups concerning the soul or how human beings enter the physical world. I cannot remember which Southern group exactly, but one of them believes that God calls a soul before him and tells it about all its strengths, weaknesses, talents, faults and everything it will do - its ultimate aim - once it gets to the physical world. The soul then has the option of accepting the package and joining the physical world (being born) or not.

If I'm going by this traditional Ghanaian theory, each one of us who are Ghanaians or who have strong links to Ghana, "chose" this nationality. If that statement is too outward for some of you, how about this:

God, the universe - whatever/whoever you believe in - is not an entity of mere coincidence. The very formation of the universe shows that there is a plan, some meaning, to everything. I like to think that my being a Ghanaian/African, Dagomba, Muslim Woman is not by mere coincidence, but by God's design. And the very set of skills, weaknesses, family, experiences and so on, that I have, are in order to allow me make the largest contribution to humanity as I possibly can.

Still a little out there? How about this:

"Judge not the karmic path walked by another. Envy not success, nor pity failure, for you know not what is success or failure in the soul’s reckoning." - Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God

Allow me to break it down for you:

- You are what (Ghanaian) or where (Ghana) you are, because you have a purpose you need to fulfill.

- Each one of us has a different contribution to make to Ghana. And while on the surface it might seem impossible - eg, you're poor, no family support, you're differently-abled, you don't have 'connections' etc - you have been handed your set of skills, situations, etc, because you CAN fulfill that mission. Your soul determined the level of difficulty for this particular course a long time ago, and God will never give you more than you can handle anyway.

- While you might occasionally be impressed or overwhelmed by another's progress or state of affairs, you shouldn't use them as a yardstick for determining your own progress.

Wake Up Call

So, it's time. Time to quit resting on past laurels and time to chart our own courses. Time to call upon the talents that God has given each one of us. Yes, you too! Not to be cliche, but for real, in this day and age, many of the excuses we use to supplant our reluctance or pure laziness and negligence no longer count. Obama is president, get that? He did this with a single mother. He wasn't the richest kid out there. Just hardworking, hopeful and willing to learn.

Put Obama aside. Nkrumah. And I know I said to forget about Nkrumah too. But what I meant by that was, let's not make Independence Day solely about Nkrumah and the Big Six. It's about all of us. Most of us young ones probably cannot imagine what it was like living during colonial times. But this man rose to the occasion and did what he could for his country. Am I missing something here, or wasn't he as human as any of us are? And he probably faced more challenges than we currently do. Please, no more excuses.

Ok, big shots aside. Ghanaians are amazing people. The wealth of knowledge and talent out there is simply staggering. I feel so blessed to have encountered and interacted with so many Ghanaians - or people interested in Ghana - who are doing amazing things!!! Many have been featured right here on Circumspect. To all of you Ghanaians trying to not only make a living, but make a difference, I salute you! Your work might not be recognized, but you're part of the wind of change helping put Ghana on the right track

From my work as a journalist, I have realized that many of today's leaders started out like you and I, without a penny to their name (unless they had a trust fund bequeathed to them). Take the Ecobank CEO for instance. I recently interviewed him for work and it's just amazing how this success story came out. They set up a private bank when havoc was being wrecked by the structural adjustment programs- meaning high levels of poverty - and when the industry was dominated by government and foreign banks. [Read interview here] So please, no more excuses.

Where's The Love?

I don't know about you guys, but I absolutely love Ghana. Whether we're scoring goals or not, I wouldn't miss a heartbeat to declare that love. Sure, I'm critical of our policies and of things going on in the country, but it's only because I care and because I believe we have so much more potential than we're making use of.

Now, what saddens me, is when I try to demonstrate that love and it's like "Wow, you're all about Ghana aren't you?" From a Ghanaian. Yes, I love my country and so should you. If - God forbid - a war were to break out across the globe, the only country that would accept you is your motherland Ghana. Real talk.

We can try to copy the Americans, British, French etc, but think about this: When natural disasters or wars break out and those governments are airlifting people from danger zones, they airlift their citizens, not people who are aspiring to look, talk or dress like them. It's about time we redirected our efforts towards growing our country's potential. Nobody else will do it!

Reigniting Patriotism

I think there needs to be an infusion of patriotism back into Ghana. There's too much ethnocentrism and not enough Ghanaian. So, as we go about celebrating Ghana's 53, and remembering Nkrumah and the Big Six, please spare a thought for yourself.

What are you doing to advance Ghana? Why won't you accept that National Service post outside of Accra or Kumasi? Why won't you return home to help the motherland? Why won't you pick up that rubbish on the street?

Who should if you won't?

Let's reignite that love. I believe in Ghana so much and regardless of how tough it gets, we are Ghanaians for a purpose.

Here's my adaptation of Pastor Martin Niemoller's poem "First they came..."

First they came for the poor Ghanaians

and I did not speak out -

because I was not poor.

Then they came for the illiterate Ghanaians

and I did not speak out-

because I was not uneducated.

Then they came for the marginalized Ghanaian populations

and I did not speak out-

because I was part of the ruling class

Finally, they came for me-

And there was no other Ghanaian left to speak out for me.

We're all in this thing together. And unless we all play our part, we're going nowhere fast. Happy Independence Day and God Bless Ghana!

Photo Sources: Photo 1, Photo 2 , Photo 3 , Photo 4 , Photo 5

Guest Contributor Benjamin Anyan: How Much Are You Worth?

2010-02-24T23:42:00.000-05:00

How much are you worth?

Won’t it be a very funny thing if you were worth just as much as the amount of cash in your pocket right now? Well that’s if you –like me- have just GHC1 and some change in your pocket. But if it was even a cheque significant enough to pay a month’s salary of a 100 Ghanaian policemen (no disrespect intended) i.e. Ghc15,000 (10 laptops only!), still it won’t be anything worth boiling an egg over. O and it will be even funnier if you’re a ‘credit carder’, because the way I see it, the credit card is just another way of letting you know how much in debt you are allowed to be whilst spending other people’s money till you can do small susu to be able to pay back.

Fortunately however, our worth isn’t so much in how many zeroes we have on our bank statements as it is in how we perceive ourselves to be and how much respect we accord our own selves. Now this should have meant that we’d all have a 13-digit number on our ‘worth tags’ (since its us who determine our worth anyways), but I find it unfortunately funny that when it comes to really according ourselves the prestige and worth we deserve…we fumble and fall-short of the task. Because I’ve seen a million dollar lady allow herself to be treated like something from a penny store. Several several people take trash from everywhere because they’re afraid to even think they deserve more….afraid to join the school of aim highs, afraid to be what they reeeeaaalllllyyy are supposed to be; HEIRS! Such fear is equal to being afraid to say your name out loud, I can’t even imagine how little meaning there’ll be to life if I couldn’t tell you -or anyone else for that matter- that my name’s Anyan.

It’s unfortunate that so many people think that their candles would shine brighter if the other guy’s candle was off, that they’ll be richer if the other guy’s broke, that by suppressing another person and making him/or her dependent we assert our power and authority. But like my pastor said in church one fine Sunday morning; “there’s too much space in the sky for two birds to collide as they fly.” i.e. You can be whatever you wanted to be, make as many millions as you’ll like, attain the greatest heights known to mankind without being A PAIN IN SOMEONE’S NECK, seriously!!!!

When we come to terms with the fact that we aren’t defined by the comments or impressions of the human beings who we go out of our way to unnecessarily impress, we become liberated from the 1 main factor that makes us veerry vulnerable and usually unfulfilled. For verily verily I say unto you, (lol, I just couldn’t resist the urge to use that phrase that paints a learned-rabbi picture of me in your mind) if two men walk, one with a million $ in his pocket, but a low self esteem within, and the other with GHC 1 in his pocket but with such an infectious positive attitude and high self esteem, the latter will be less prone to suicide and will in fact be WEALTHIER than the former.

I don’t know rocket science, and if we had a conversation about quantum physics, you’ll find it’s like speaking English to a middle-aged Chinese entrepreneur (enthusiastic, but ABSOLUTELY incapable of comprehension), but I know a couple approaches that can help you feel better about yourself.
Have a beautiful picture of a tomorrow you earnestly desire in your mind…and live like it was now! Walk like you were wearing a size 8, sing like you had your own record label, talk like the whole world needed your opinion first (make sure to sound same), make and pursue your corporate goals and ambitions like global security and advancement depends on it, refuse every negative thought…unless it’s a constructive criticism. Treat yourself like you desire a banker to treat your bank statement 10 years from now, find something that magnifies your strengths and virtues to be passionate about. And try, try earnestly to improve every facet of your being…that’s the key to being indispensible, because in this world we live in THERE’S AALLWWAAYYSS ROOM FOR AN ASSET!

What’s the worst that’s gonna happen right now if you decide to turn and walk away…from that thought that you don’t deserve more…from that habit that degrades you from within…from that person, OOOHH that PEERRSSOONN who treats u in such a way that even dirt seems more prestigious!

What will it cost you if you decide -based on some realistic plan- to loss that extra weight if its departure will return some self-confidence?

So for the last time dearest friend, take a good look at that degrading mentality, at that extra flabby weight, at that progress-retarding ‘friend’…and walk away. Leave a note if you may, but don’t stay! And the shortest cut I know about is a prayer away.

P. Picasso said once; "When I was a child my mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier, you'll be a general. If you become a monk, you'll be the pope.' Instead I became a painter and wound up as Picasso." — Pablo Picasso

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Circum-Alert: Introducing Benjamin Anyan

2010-02-24T23:39:00.003-05:00

Howdy people!

Yea, I'm in cowgirl mode. (Honestly dunno where that one came from). Anyways. It's been, what a week, since I wrote here, and just thought I'd check in with y'all - especially those of you who are getting worried. No fretting, I'm not going anywhere. In fact, I am extremely excited to introduce our latest - and soon-to-be frequent - guest contributor!!! His name is Benjamin Anyan, he's from Ghana, and his writing is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! It's the kind of thing you look forward to reading. Not because it talks about heavy stuff or anything, but rather it is really fresh, simple, clean, yet carries such profound messages. And boy, is it entertaining. I really hope you peeps enjoy his writing as I have. Alors, his first Circumspect post is coming right up. You can find all these on his blog and if you're his friend on facebook, you've probably come across some of his posts. What can I say, he's just that good. His words speak for themselves. Now for the self-introduction. Drum roll please...

The Untold Stories of Ghana's Kayayo (Market Girls)

2010-02-15T14:59:00.001-05:00

Thought I was done blogging for the day -- until I came across this BBC photo feature on Ghana's market girls or "kayayo". When I was back in Ghana, I would occasionally go to the Madina market in Accra with my mum and I remember seeing them every time. I often wondered why they weren't in school, why they were doing what they do and why they didn't bargain how much money was paid them. My mum would lament about their situations and each time she patronized their service she would ask them how come they were doing what they did. Unlike my mum, most patrons of the Kayayo's services are not as considerate and don't think twice about having them carry things twice their weight! This is a very sensitive topic to me, because the way I see it, a twist of fate, and I could have been one. I've been meaning to blog on this issue, but somehow it escaped me. Not about to let that opportunity slip by again. Alors, voila.

Here's a youtube slideshow (by the same photographer - Peter DiCampo (a Pullitzer Grant Winner) - as in the BBC feature) depicting the life of Kayayo:

Who exactly are the Kayayo?
Typically, kayayo are young girls and women - generally from the Northern section of Ghana - who migrate to the southern part of Ghana to work in cities like Accra and Kumasi. They tend to work in major markets where they help carry produce or shopping done by market patrons. These loads are usually very heavy - imagine shopping for a family of five or six for an entire week. Include stuff like heavy yams, bottles of palm oil, I guess you get the picture - and when it comes down to age dynamics, some of these girls are barely teenagers.

Why this trade?
Most of these women and girls do not move south just because they feel like it, but rather because of dire economic situations up north. Given the fact that most of Northern Ghana is focused on subsistence farming and agriculture, issues like climate change and the ever impending Sahara have limited the economic and financial base of most northern families, who still face costs of living. Factor in the fact that government pays relatively little attention to Northern Ghana, and the prospects for future economic opportunities are slim. As in most African countries, families pull together when it comes to finances. In order to help out, some families might elect that their young women and girls go south in search of better work opportunities. In other cases, these young women and girls choose to do so themselves; partly in order to earn their keep, but also because of notions of "greener pastures" down south.

There's also the element of societal pressure. For instance, if one Kayayo woman in Accra succeeds in sending some items or money back home, other women and girls living with their families might be regarded as "selfish" or "lazy" for not going south to do the same. Many women also want to start preparing for marriage by buying necessities like kitchen equipment, cloths, etc, while others need things to start businesses in hairdressing, retail, dressmaking and so on. In order to do so, they need the money. There have been instances where some Kayayo have been "tricked" into the trade, by unscrupulous individuals who promise gifts, wealth and what-not. In other cases, some women and girls run away from their villages and homes in order to participate in the trade.

What's the danger?
Women and girls are generally vulnerable in "ordinary" situations. In comparison to their male counterparts, most women lack the physical strength or endurance necessary for escaping dangerous situations. Add the fact that some men think it amusing to exploit women sexually, and you have that entire conundrum as well. But let's not even get into all that complex stuff. Let's look at the basics.

In most cases, prospective kayayo might not know anyone in the city they are migrating to. They might know one girl or another who's supposedly working in that city, but they usually don't have someone who would be willing to put them up, feed and clothe them. So where do they end up? In kiosks, in shacks, in the slums, sometimes in abandoned buildings and cars. At the end of the day, they tend to be homeless or slum dwellers.

Now market places are beehives of activity. And that also means there's a lot of vice. From pickpockets to full-blown thieves, to swindlers, you name it, they are all there. When you have young women and girls living, working, bathing, eating and doing practically everything else in the open market, they tend to fall victim to social vice. Robberies, gender violence, rape etc are some of the things these women have to endure.

Mind you, this is usually after carrying heavy things the entire day without even being certain they have enough money for food - from what I remember, Kayayo didn't have a price they charged for carrying items but would say "give me whatever you can afford". Some people end up not paying them anything!! - and then, not even being guaranteed security at night. Needless to say, many Kayayo turn out pregnant, have the babies (when they can barely feed themselves) and of course, the fathers are nowhere to be found. Let's not forget the obligations they have to their families back home. Aside the strain on their bodies from carrying heavy things, count in malaria (from sleeping in the open air and in the reach of mosquitoes), HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases and it worsens the situation. Some supposedly "well-meaning" families or middle/upper class women might offer a kayayo the opportunity to work as a house help, but all too often, they end up being mistreated. Being a Kayayo is not only a risky venture, but also a life-threatening one!

How to salvage the situation
I believe there is more knowledge about the kayayo situation than there has been in the past. And even the kayayos have formed networks that they use to inform and protect themselves. Some kayayo wisely set the price before carrying items or will decline carrying really heavy things. But the danger is still present. I'm not sure if this exists or not, but some sort of "Kayayo Trade Association" would greatly help improve the situation.

It would also help if some NGOs or non-profits set up a technical/vocational skills training structure for them to ensure that they gradually leave the trade. It would be more appropriate for the government to handle something like this, but I think the government should be more concerned with dealing with the root of the problem: lack of development initiatives in Northern Ghana. Once employment opportunities are made available up north, the tendency for girls and women to move south will be reduced. And even if they do, it would be more out of personal choice or to pursue career and educational opportunities than out of dire need.

Found a feature film via youtube on the issue. Hope it helps you understand the cultural, economic and social dynamics better:

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Photo Credit: Peter DiCampo, Photo Source

Circum-Flash: What To Look Out For

2010-02-15T13:05:00.003-05:00

Hi Everyone!

Hope you're all doing well. Can you believe February is just about over?! So far, 2010 is going great for me, hope it's the same with you guys. Anyways, this is a mini update.

Circum-Vlog "How To Blog" Series:
It's been a minute since I posted a new video. And it's not like I want to leave all you new bloggers hanging. Not at all. My computer is having problems and I don't want to risk doing any high-memory stuff (like editing and publishing videos) so for now that is on hiatus. I'm waiting on some accessories which I hope will be here within the next couple of days, and depending on how that affects my laptop's performance, I'll get right back to that. In the meantime keep sending your questions or if you need an immediate response, email me: j.abdulai@circumspecte.com.

The Water Chronicles:So some of you might have seen Part I and Part II of "Calabash Tears". Part III is on it's way, I assure you LOL. I just wanted to explain the concept behind The Water Chronicles. Basically, water access is a huge development problem and many seem to be unaware of the fact. Yes, even those of us who live in Ghana and other African/developing countries and have to go on water searches. Why? Because that's all we know and have been used to. This series is geared at shedding light on some of the challenges around water access. Analysts project that water will be the next oil in the course of a few years. It's becoming scarcer and it's such an important commodity that some mind has to be paid to it. So this is my contribution in that vein. The Water Chronicles will feature a series of short stories around the central team of water access. Hope you enjoy and please, do share your own experiences.

Upcoming Interviews:
As always, people are forever doing exciting things!! Some stuff to look out for:

- Interview with iStandAbove
- Interview with "Rocky" of Bronx Princess
- Interview with DreamOval [For you techy peeps ;)]

We are Africans!
There's a lot going on in the world and so much to share. So, Circumspect is extending the interview series to Africans in general. Alors, if you know about (an) amazing African(s) doing amazing stuff to fuel development, pray do tell. I think I should be able to handle Francophone interviews as well, so send along. We'd be happy to interview + feature them. And in the Circumspect sense, the individuals don't necessarily have to be Africans themselves. Just pro-Africa youth undertaking innovative ventures on the continent. Just thought I'd clarify :)

Look forward to your suggestions, opinions, questions etc and thanks for being part of the Circumspect experience!

Best,
Jemila

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Photo Source

The Letter-Writing Project: To My Valentine, With Love

2010-02-13T20:50:00.005-05:00

Dear Valentine,

"Should I blog on Val's day or should I not?" This question has been tossed back and forth numerous times in my mind. I've wondered: what could I possibly have to say about Val's Day that isn't already out there? Heck, there's an entire movie dedicated to the day. But finally, the story found me. Just as it always does.

My "Gnashing" History
In primary school, I gnashed. In JSS, I gnashed. In SSS, I gnashed. Right now, well, I've obliterated the word "gnash" from my vocabulary, so let's just say "I...". But wait. That leaves it open to interpretation, doesn't it?

I'm sure many of you who went to high school in Ghana know all too well what "gnash" means; even if you claim to have never experienced it yourself. For those foreign to the word, hmm, how do I explain this? It's kind of like getting stood up? Or having an important occasion go unnoticed? Well anyway, I'll admit that I did. If you're talking about gifts, sweets, cards, teddy bears and what have you from boyfriends and significant others, then yes. I gnashed. For one thing, I'd told myself I didn't want or need a boyfriend because I didn't want or need that distraction in my life. Honestly though, I didn't want to find out my parents' reaction at learning I had a boyfriend. And yes, I believe I would have told them.

The "Unpopular" Valentine
But the fact that I had no boyfriend to "spread" (pamper) me on Val's Day didn't mean I gnashed in other areas. Not at all! The "suppression, oppression and depression" affected me occasionally, but certainly not all the time. I'd receive cute lil' surprises from supposed admirers; I once received a little red book entitled "On Love"! I know right, how appropriate! And boy, did I fill my head with those love quotes. And then, there were the little expressions of love from my girls. - For those who don't know what "a-girling" is, it's basically the Wesley Girls' version of the "school mother - school daughter" relationship. - So my girls always made Val's Day a memorable occasion. With Amansh for instance, we wrote notes to each other on a daily basis. On Val's Day or even Novi (November) Rush, we went the extra mile...literally. She'd find a wad-of-cash-looking note all rolled up on her nicely decorated bed, and once she unrolled it, there wasn't any way she wouldn't notice. So, I must say that while I haven't had many valentines in the "popular" sense, I have had valentines; spontaneous ones which always succeeded in warming my heart.

My Pre-Valentine
This year, my Valentine's Day started early. I met up with a wonderful woman and friend, Arame Tall, after work on Friday, and she took me out on a date. We went to dinner at another friend's place - Sali - where we had a sumptuous meal, talked about Africa's economic integration and development - which, by the way, we ended up calling "The Cause" - and she bought Sali and I roses! Now how sweet is that?! Afterwards, we headed to the theater to watch Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, author of my favorite book/movie, The Notebook. I adored it. Sparks seems to have a thing for letters, just like I do. Like his characters, I save my letters (and birthday cards and sweet memorabilia). Needless to say, I'm a grade one romantic. We left the theater around midnight and then spent at least an hour trudging ten blocks in the snow, slush and freezing cold. I was convinced I was getting frostbite. Talk about not feeling the love! Eventually, a taxi did stop for us - thanks to Sali's persistence - and then I was awakened to the fact that despite my consideration of blacks and whites as equals, others would still deny a consumer service because of the color of their skin. Mind you, some of those cab drivers who ignored us were black themselves! Anyway, our lovely cab driver - bless his heart - eventually got Sali and I home. I was so thankful when I arrived that I gave him one of my roses in addition to a generous tip. I guess he counts as one of my valentines?

To Val's Day or not to Val's Day?
Now I've seen and heard some people say that Val's Day is overrated. That it's too commercialized, that it shouldn't be celebrated. In fact, it should be scrapped altogether. I beg to differ. First, I don't believe Val's day should be so burdensome to the point where some guys would pretend to be sick just to avoid the cost! Quite the contrary. I believe Val's Day should be a simple affair with the respective parties chipping in. It doesn't always have to be dinner for two at an expensive restaurant; it can be dinner at home trying out a new recipe, messing up badly and settling for leftovers from the night before while reminiscing about how far you've come together. Nor does it have to be "chinchinaa" (by force) you have to get me something or else...It can be "how about I get you something this time, just for the heck of it?" And finally, Val's Day doesn't have to be commercialized. It should be whatever you make it to be. Instead of spending money, what about spending time? - We're in a recession, abi? -How about you sing (or try to sing) me my favorite song, write her a poem or offer to take him out for a walk?

Love Is The Message, and the Message Is Love!
Yea, I'm definitely against scrapping Val's Day. True we should show the love each and every chance (day) we have, but Val's Day is also for those people who need an opportunity to hope, love, dream again and give themselves up to the romantic notions that daily living sometimes seeks to rob us of. At the end of the day, love is all there is. [I must say, I have spoken like a true romantic!] So, if you think you're gnashing this Val's Day, think again. Happy Valentine's Day! Will you be my Valentine? ;)

Now & Always,
J

Circum-Alert: Google Buzz Takes on Twitter, Facebook

2010-02-10T14:13:00.002-05:00

So. I normally don't write posts on all these social media tools and networks, because I can barely keep up. But Google has just unveiled it's latest competitor to Twitter and Facebook: Google Buzz!

Been trying it out, and I like it. One thing about Google is they always seem to look at convenience. Put chat in email, and everyone's signing up. Come up with your own version of twitter and put it in email ... and what? Everyone's signing up. I don't know what happened with Google Wave, but everything else seems to catch on.

I've been saying this for a long time, and I will say it again. Google is taking over. Now with Buzz, here are some things I'm wondering about:

- How will it affect Twitter...and to a lesser degree Facebook?
- What will employers think about Google Buzz? More distraction for workers?
- Will the productivity level of employees soar or reduce?
- What about misdirected information...you know how you send an email to everyone in your department when it's meant for one person

If anything, I think Google will come up with a Corporate version of Buzz and convince companies that it's worth their while to utilize it. Heck, they've pretty much sold all their other products.

Now I wish we could come up with some information database thing like this in African countries!!!

But let's be real. Some people are skeptical about Google. And yes, we do have to question what Google's motives are. I read somewhere recently that the CIA is looking to improve upon it's information base. Well, if they partnered up with Google, that would be deadly. Why? Google has all the information. Unless you decide not to go on the internet EVER!

The way I see it, Google is the new world order. And at some point, we're gonna have to come on board or jump ship. At the end of the day, it's a plus for information access. And as we all know, knowledge is power. Check out fellow Ghana blogger, Emmanuel Bensah's post on Google domination.

Anyway, this is not supposed to be a long post. And I should probably be careful what I post, seeing that Google controls my blog platform too. LOL. Back to work.

In Google Bliss,
J

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Photo Source: 09_google_k.jpg

The Water Chronicles: Calabash Tears (Part 2)

2010-02-06T20:32:00.006-05:00

[Haven't read part 1? Do so here]

"This is all your fault!"someone hissed.

Jostled from her reverie, Amsatou looked up in confusion. She glanced at her young cousin to her left, who stared blankly back at her. Realizing that it was her other cousin who had spoken, Amsatou sighed deeply and looked to her right.

Leila's face had an accusatory air to it, and she was wearing her usual black top with the words "I Love N.Y." proudly displayed in red. Leila was a good five years older than Amsatou, but at 23, her smooth face and soft voice made her look as though she had just stopped suckling at her mother's breast.

"What are you talking about?" Amsatou replied, feigning ignorance.

She hooked her arm securely around her bucket's handle and quickened her already fast pace. Auntie Adiza was a good distance ahead of the girls, and was still muttering incoherently to herself.

Amsatou glanced down at her aunt's small feet; ordinarily chocolate brown in complexion, they had taken on a reddish tinge from walking in the orange clay soil that was characteristic of new communities like Adenta.

Feeling a nudge at her side, Amsatou turned and looked down at ten -year old Selma, the youngest of her aunt's five children and the prettiest.

"She's talking about Mr. Adjaklu," Selma offered, before breaking into a fit of giggles. Amsatou opened her mouth to respond.

"What are you girls doing way back there? Have you seen the time?" Auntie Adiza was standing a few houses away from them, arms akimbo, and she didn't look too amused.

"It's already six o'clock, we haven't even found water for tonight's meal, and you three are busy modeling? Do you think this is a catwalk? Hurry up, will you!" As abruptly as she'd stopped to address them, Auntie Adiza turned on her heel and walked off.

Amsatou transferred her empty bucket to her right arm, and reached down with her left to grab Selma's free hand. Staring straight ahead, she walked quickly. Selma struggled to keep up.

Amsatou didn't need to look to her right to know that Leila was glaring angrily at her. She could feel it.

Auntie Adiza might have rescued her from Leila's confrontation, but she knew it would come up again. A wave of heat spread across Amsatou's face. There it was again, the guilt that was slowly eating away at her insides.

After the default tuo-zaafi and green soup that night, Amsatou helped Selma with her homework, while Leila cleaned up. It was ten o'clock.

The group had returned from their water expedition just as the call to the final prayer for the day was being made. After filling the kettle-like containers with rain water collected two night earlier, Leila performed ablution and joined the others in saying their prayers. All three of them: Asr, Maghrib and Isha.

Islamic tradition dictated that the five daily prayers be said at their appointed times. But surely, Allah would be understanding and forgive their tardiness.

They had been in search of water since 2pm that afternoon. At 6:45pm, they'd trailed exhaustedly into the open compound of their 3-bedroom bungalow without a single drop of water to show for all their toil.

Fortunately, Auntie Adiza's husband, Baba, had succeeded in filling two of the jerry cans he had taken to work, and Auntie Adiza had used some of that water to prepare the evening meal.

Amsatou wondered why they couldn't just fetch water from the school where Baba taught mathematics. Afterall, they were already paying for taps that didn't flow. Would it hurt to get the water elsewhere?

Ghanaian politicans always promised to ensure that the taps ran, because "water is life, and of course, nobody should be denied the right to such an essential commodity." Then, they went and used their flamboyant expressions on so-called investors, who had no qualms about charging double the actual price in order to secure high profit margins for their non-Ghanaian companies.

However, the politicians weren't the worst.

In Amsatou's book, it was men like Mr. Adjaklu who were the real perpetrators.

"Amsatou, I'm finished. Can I go and sleep now?" Selma rubbed her drowsy eyes with the back of her hand.

Reaching across the mahogany coffee table for her young cousin's exercise book, Amsatou smiled tiredly.

"Let me look it over , so you make corrections okay?"

Selma's lower lip quivered, "But I'm tired," she whined.

Amsatou looked over her shoulder towards her aunt's bedroom, which was cracked slightly open. Her aunt was probably counting the money she'd made from selling her popular rice and beans at the market.

"Okay, go and sleep. I'll finish it for you."

She watched as Selma got up and walked towards the room the three girls shared. She got to the door, and as if remembering something important, stopped, turned around, cocked her head to the side and said, 'Thank you, okay?" before disappearing into the warm confines of their bedroom.

Amsatou remained seated on the green plastic mat that served as makeshift furniture when the family had guests. Selma never ceased to amaze her. She was one of the most considerate, intelligent and mature ten-year olds Amsatou knew. Her perceptiveness always left people scratching their heads in confusion. Even old folk with bald or graying heads. Some suggested that Auntie Adiza's deceased mother had come back as Selma.

Grandmother's spirit or not, Amsatou was glad to have Selma in her life. They interacted more as sisters who were close in age, than as cousins with eight years between them. Ever since Selma was born, Amsatou had taken a special liking to her. Maybe it was because she had no siblings of her own.

No, that couldn't be it. Her relationship with Leila was nowhere close to what she shared with Selma.

Amsatou had helped take care of her aunt's youngest daughter after she was born. While everyone slept at night, the then eight-year old Amsatou would keep an ear open for Selma's soft wail, and once she heard it, she would hurry over to her cousin's side and offer her little finger, which baby Selma grabbed onto almost immediately.

The two were inseparable, and people often mistook Amsatou for Selma's big sister.

Initially, Amsatou would explain, "I'm actually not her big sister. Leila is. I'm her cousin."

Each time, the inquirer would respond, "Cousin? Ah-ah, do we even have cousins in Ghana? That's Western talk. She's your sister, have you heard?"

The idea of having her very own sister had grown on her, and each time someone asked, Amsatou would respond with a huge smile on her face, "Yes, I'm her big sister."

"Doing her homework for her again, are we?"

As if to remind Amsatou of the fact that Selma had a blood sister, Leila appeared from the kitchen. Grabbing a wooden stool from the corner of the room, she sat down. Amsatou ignored her. She'd taken to ignoring her a lot these days.

Leila watched as Amsatou signed her name right below Selma's neat handwriting, and then said: "You know, if you keep doing her homework for her, she'll never learn anything. All those fees Mma struggles to pay will go to waste."

Amsatou pretended not to have heard. She closed the exercise book and reached for Selma's book bag. She knew exactly where Leila was headed with this. Almost on cue, Leila stretched out her legs, and reached for a tuft of her hair, which she proceeded to braid.

"Come to think of it, if you just did what Mr. Adjaklu wanted, we wouldn't have to spend ages water-hunting, and Selma would be able to concentrate on her school work."

Grinding her teeth together silently, she fastened the buttons on the green book-bag.

Leila laughed dryly. "You could save us from this struggle, but because of your selfish pride, you won't. Or is it that you think you're so much better than the rest of us?"

Still, Amsatou ignored her. She got up, placed Selma's book bag against the wall and retreated into the bedroom.

A couple of minutes later, she felt the mattress sink in as her cousin joined her on the queen-sized bed.

"I know you're intentionally ignoring me, but think about what I said," Leila muttered before turning to face the wall.

And that's all Amsatou did that night. Think.

This piece was written by Jemila Abdulai

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Guest Contributor Mash: A Poem For Haiti

2010-02-06T13:22:00.007-05:00

A tune of devastation plays over the land
Time is trying to heal yet still no one understands
A lifetime of work all buried under endless rubble
And all over the land people gather in a huddle
In search of an explanation that for now remains a mystery
Mourning the many thousands, their eyes unleashing their misery
Through disobedient tears
And the debris of disaster does little to diminish their fears
Dark clouds continue to hover ominously above
Seemingly relegating all hope to some dark inaccessible enclave

Forlorn faces now adorn the streets with much murkiness
Shattered dreams scattered around with great sullenness
The battle for survival rages on unabated
While the shrill cries for help are constantly reverberated
Across the globe with one simple plea, “Help Us”
Gloomy images are beamed live on our TV screens
Of mothers earnestly in search of their children
And men so palpably grief-stricken
That they can’t help but break down and cry
As their whole life’s work evaporates before their very eyes

I know I can’t comprehend your pain
But I can offer you a prayer to make things change
Because no matter how difficult your burdens may appear
I know in due time God wipes away every tear
Just continue to hang on to hope
And he’ll surely help you cope
Haiti this is a poem I wrote from my heart
Urging you to stand tall despite your hurt
And to believe you will overcome this strain
Yes Haiti, from your ashes you will rise again
God bless and strengthen you, Amen

This poem was written by Masahoud Codjoe

--
Photo Source: Haiti photo

Poetry/Prose: Lyrics

2010-02-05T22:16:00.005-05:00

Another double (multiple?) entendre piece. Enjoy!

I'm in that mode again. You know, the one that only I can savor and others find irritating.

I'm not trying to be anti-so[cial]. Far from it. I'm totally engrossed. In. YOU.

Try as I might, I keep coming back to this place. If only to hear you utter one more line.

And even when you fail to switch it up, and it's the same thing on replay

I'm too hooked to notice. Or rather, I'm too hooked not to notice...YOU!

People say "her ears dey sweet her". I don't care. Let them blabber. All I'm listening to is you.

Some figure it should be a quick act - a hit it and quit it.

But me? No way. I want to savor every delicious bit.

You hear that? Every. Delicious. Bit.

Now, I'm not saying that I overanalyze..

But the things you say, I simply can't resist. I have to comply.

When you say sway slightly, my hips react on their own

And you talk about beautiful smiles, my lips curve in reply

My ears twitch to hear more. And my heart's a-racing in anticipation.

They say I pay them no heed. But in truth, I've lost my mind and I gotta find it.

There, I said it. You drive me crazy.

And the best moments. Goodness gracious. They're the ones of just you and I.

Sure, we could be surrounded by dozens. Or be seated in a clattering train.

But all I'm focused on is YOU. Hanging on to your every word. Your every move.

I can have my eyes closed. And still anticipate that change in tempo.

Because our very beings are in tune. You are to me as I am to you.

With the nightfall comes even better times.

Somber moments of reflection gazing upon thine eyes.

You keep me spellbound. It's inconsequential to say.

Now we both know: others might chance upon you.

But when all is said and done, honey, you know your way home.

And then its butterflies and thumping hearts all over again.

Just like the very first day. When you were you, and I was I.

And we became us.

And like old folk, we begin to think, look and sound alike.

Where do you think I got these "ronning" skills from?
Lyrics!
;)

Photo Source: music.jpg

Poetry/Prose - The Takeover

2010-02-03T17:21:00.004-05:00

Pitch dark. Either way you look at it, that's all it is. Black, dark, uninteresting, uninspired.
You move your head to the right and you might as well stay in your initial position, nothing's changed.

How ever did you come upon the depths of the Mariana trench?

Professor A. certainly wasn't kidding when he said it was the lowest point of the earth.

But even he hadn't the slightest idea of just how low it gets.

Battered and torn. Tattered and forlorn. A misguided grin creeps upon your face.

It wasn't always like this.

Far from it. At one point, you were riding high, soaring to the skies.

Believed you'd landed among the stars.

And then, like all the others, you never saw it coming. Scorn reinstated.

And oh, what the downthrow it was.

Out flew the self-respect, in seeped the conceit

To hell with the morals, who's even thinking values?

In that vacuum greed and self-satisfaction took seed

And boy, what a party they threw!

Eventually, it appeared on the surface, in plain day light for all to see

Neglect, insecurity, dishonesty - that trio wrecked havoc

Soon, the dollars, euros, eco- all the currency drained away

They say: "You will never lose women chasing money, but you will lose money chasing women"

Then why the hell had Ms. L. - who'd been there regardless of account balance - left?

The cronies were next. Damn it! You'd stuck your neck out for some of them!

Finally, the people who should have stuck around - your own flesh and blood - even they left

They didn't leave, you did

Who said that?

I did. You did. We did.

So this is where delusion sets in.

You're not delusional...confused maybe, but all your faculties are top-notch

Then why am I talking to myself? That's it! I've lost it.

If that's how you want to see it.

Look here me, myself and I - whichever one you are. Quit your nonsense!

If that's what you want.

That's what I'm...wait, you listened. Nobody's listened in a while.

Of course I listened. I've always listened. Can't say the same for you though.

I'll ignore that. Heavens, I'm talking to myself!

About time. It's taken you long enough.

So...you are?

I'm whoever you choose to be.

Okay, right this moment?

I'm hope, faith, love. A few hours ago I was fear, despondence, and hate.

Wow. You're deep.

Thank you. You too.

So if you're those three, what are you doing in the depths of nothingness?

Question is: What are YOU doing here?

Me? I don't know, I guess I got off track. Beats me.

Un-huh

Hey. You know, right? C'mon tell me.

Not with that tone, I won't.

Please.

How can I be sure you'll listen?

Do I look like I'm going anywhere else?

You have a point. You're exactly where you need to be.

So...

So?

Aren't you going to tell me?

Tell you what?

How I ended up such a failure. How I lost it all. How... *Sobs*

I just did.

When was that?

A few seconds ago

I don't think so...wait, you said I'm where I need to be. Are you mocking me?

Now why would I do that?

Because, because..

Yes?

I don't know.

Now you're ready to hear the truth

I am?

Yes. If you'll let me finish

Sorry. Go on.

Admitting your weaknesses is the first step toward empowering yourself

Listening to yourself is the first step toward knowing and loving yourself

With love, you shall always strive to sponsor the action of love

Bearing in mind that what you do unto another, you do unto yourself

Like I said, you're deep. But what has this got to do with me?

Everything.

I don't understand. I was rich, now I'm poor. I had friends, now I'm alone. I had love, now...

Go on...

I still have love.

At the top of the world, I thought I was unstoppable.

I stopped working myself, stopped improving myself. I became satisfied in and within myself.

Then I neglected myself. And once that top was sent a-spinning, it didn't stop.

I became confused. Forgot about loving my fellow humans, for how can I do for them what I neglected to do for myself?

And then. Then, I became bitter because nobody's reciprocated...Or so I thought.

What you do unto another, you do unto yourself

Exactly!

I hated myself, to the very depth and core. And then. Then I became scared that everyone else would find out.

So I covered it up with things. To make it seem like I was ok. But all along, I was screaming for attention.

My family and friends called my selfishness to my attention. I told myself they were jealous of my successes, the leeches that they were.

By the time I knew it, they'd left. Only, they had not deserted me as I assumed, but rather granted me space: space to refocus.

And now we're here.

Yes. Where's here?

Another chance

But, but...

Hold your tongue. Words are powerful. Besides, we've already determined love still remains. For that alone, you are deserving.

Yes I am. Quick question.

Yes?

How did love remain? After all that happened. All I did.

You know the answer. But I'll remind you.

Love is all there is. God is all there is. He is never changing, unwavering, ever constant.

Even in the worst-case scenario, He is right there with you.

He's the fluttering in your heart that produces hope. He is the song of your soul that sponsors joy.

And in the depths of darkness, He is the light to your lamp that sees you through.

Wow.

I know right. He's amazing.

So, why all this trouble, if He was there all along?

Because you - we - forgot. And to remind us, we had to take the long way home.

We had to sit in silence, because that's when the memories of who we had been and could be resurfaced

Once again, we saw our weaknesses, and the desire to be the best we could be was reignited.

But most importantly, we saw the blessings He lay upon our path and re-realized that we are worth it.

And that's when we opened our eyes and saw love staring back.

Wow.

You're amazing.

So are you.
I really do love you.
I know you do.

:D I'm ready now.

Let's do this.

Hand in hand, you pick yourself up and look upon a crack of light shining through.
There was a door all along!

Still disheveled, still winking in pain, you stumble over.
Your current state matters not. What matters is where you're heading.
With hope, love and faith, open the door to another chance. Go on.
Now all you have to do is take over the reigns, and sail on through.

[When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.

- Alexander Graham Bell]

Written by Jemila Abdulai

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Poetry/Prose: Back To When

2010-02-01T22:59:00.002-05:00

To days when yes was yes, and no was no, and maybe made sense even when the month wasn't May and there were no bees to be found.

To the final run of teeth through school girl hair in anticipation of seven o'clock when cartoon network assumed its rightful place on GTV.

To afternoons watching "Hindi Movie" while munching on rice and beans, with salad, spagetti, gari and everything in between.

To vacation classes that had less to do with science and math and more to do with mingling with boys-boys, girls-girls and a cross-section of the two.

To waiting in restless anticipation for the weekend in order to escape school. And then waiting in anticipation for Monday to return to school.

To kingsbite chocolate, nkate boga, and coke; worthy prizes for good behavior, hardwork, and treats from visiting family and friends.

To times when internal rivers gushed over things like who got to sit at which dining table chair and who got to be (claim) which power ranger

To moments when it was perfectly normal for siblings to fight like cats and dogs and immediately resume collaborative mischief against everyone else

To the morning rush to call shot-gun, sit up front and decide who could read the Daily Graphic, Junior Graphic and Spectator first

Back to when.

When the simple things counted.
When life was all play and tears were momentary lapses.
When being troublesome was the norm, and being "good" the exception
When mistakes were okay and ego barely known
When laughter and smiles were abundant regardless of strife
When kids could be kids - acting grown-up, without actually being it.

Back to... when?

Yea. Sure seems like a distant memory, doesn't it?

--
Photo 1 Photo 2

The Water Chronicles: Calabash Tears (Part 1)

2010-01-28T22:12:00.013-05:00

[Something I've been working on. I intended to use it for something else, but I feel like I'd rather share it with you guys! Everything in it's own time. Dedicated to YOWLI 08ers! Thoughts appreciated. Enjoy!!]

Amsatou detested it. Not the weight of the aluminum bucket on her head after it was filled, or the fact that they’d been walking for hours in search of water. No. Those she could handle. Those were part of life.

What she could not tolerate was the feeling of guilt that nibbled at her conscience every time they reached a station, only to be told there was no water available for sale that day. And here it was playing itself out again.

Amsatou loosened her orange and blue tie-dye cloth from her waist, grabbed a corner of it, and raised it to her sweaty, round face.

“Oh, uncle. Even this small bucket? Won’t you give us water for this small one? Me pa wo kyew.”

Amsatou looked up towards the partly blue, party grey metal gate with peeling oil paint where her aunt was begging a stout, dark man. Like most of the middle-aged men in Accra, the beginnings of a pot belly was protruding beneath his oversized t-shirt.

“Madam, I said we have no water to sell! Are you deaf?” The man shouted over the low gate. “The small water we have too, you people want to take away. Instead of going to work to connect your house to the water system, you lazy, good for nothing…”

He didn’t get a chance to finish.

“Hey! Hey!” Auntie Adiza snapped.

Dropping her wide rimmed basin onto the ground, she advanced towards the gate and began to clap her hands loudly.

“I didn’t come here for you to insult me oo! I’m not your size, do you hear me? If you won’t give us the water, just say so! But don’t you dare call me lazy, have you heard! Mchew!”

With that, she adjusted her faded Dutch print cloth across her chest, picked up the basin that was twice her size, and said, “Let’s go! Nkwasiasem kwa kwa!”

Amsatou and her cousins trudged behind Auntie Adiza’s retreating back. Auntie Adiza was right about one thing. She was not his size. For someone with such a small structure, Auntie Adiza’s voice and demeanor were quite overbearing. And those eyes; large, round, and expressive. Those eyes could throw daggers at a person when she was especially mad. Like right now.

“Can you imagine him calling me lazy? Ah! The impudence!” Auntie Adiza muttered as they walked past houses with high cement walls topped with multi-colored pieces of glass from broken coke, sprite and fanta bottles.

Amsatou found it amusing how easily Auntie Adiza had taken personal offense to the man’s words even though he’d referred to all four of them. But then again, that was Auntie Adiza for you. She took personal offense to anything that implicated any member of her family. It was her fierce protectiveness that had blinded Amsatou to the fact that this Napoleon character of a woman wasn’t actually her real mother.

Like many other children across Ghana, Amsatou had been brought to Accra for grooming by her aunt; a successful trader at the Medina market. Never mind the fact that Auntie Adiza had her own children to look after, or that the meager wages she made from selling waakye was barely enough. So long as she was living in the capital city and not the village, she was successful.

As for Amsatou’s own mother, she'd had no say in the matter. What could a mother say when family members, both far and near, insisted that it was time for her only child to earn her keep and contribute to the family's income?

When the land hardened itself against the hoes and machetes it was all-too familiar with; a silent rebellion against all the years it had been denied the opportunity to fallow and regain its nutrients?

When the old-school black and white TV set that Amsatou's father owned showed the apparent wealth and opulence of people living in Accra through Ghanaian films like Beyonce: The President's Daughter and Perfect Picture.

When, by all indications, it was certain that the grass had to be greener on the other side.

She'd resisted sending her daughter for two years. She'd used Amsatou's lithe and frail body as an excuse for why the child was unwell and too sick to be subjected to the hard labor her peers had already been introduced to. And for two years that excuse had worked.

Until last season's harvest.

The village women had gathered around the large cotton tree in the wee hours of the morning as they normally did on harvest day. They'd chattered amongst themselves about who's husband was about to take on their second, third, or fourth wife, and how the junior wives of the time had no respect, absolutely none, for the first wives.

Laughing and chattering, arguing and shouting, a thick silence had befallen them when they arrived at the village farm. It was as if doomsday had finally descended upon humanity.

The leaves of the tomato plants, the corn ears, everything, had a deathly look to it. It was as if someone had decided to take the chilo or khol that the women used to adorn their eyes and spray it all over the farm.

Black, rotten produce. That's what that harvest day had brought. And even as she joined the other women in salvaging what they could of the deathly farm, Amsatou's mother had known that she would lose her only child.

The morning of Amsatou's departure was a beautiful one with the sun peering playfully over the horizon. For Amsatou's mother, the weather had rubbed in the cruel reality of her situation.

She'd put on a stoic face and fought the urge to cry as her husband carted their daughter away from the collection of grass-thatched huts they called home. Every step seven-year old Amsatou took in her brand new blue bird chale wotes was like a death grip on her mother's soul; a tightening of iron chains that threatened to squeeze the very life out of her.

As for Amsatou, she couldn't have been happier. Not because she was going to the big city where everyone had a job and wore western clothes shipped straight from America, but because the blue flip-flops she was wearing had been bought especially for this occasion.

Because they were her very first.

[Continue to part 2]

This piece was written by Jemila Abdulai

Poetry/Prose: Novelty

2010-01-28T21:36:00.003-05:00

Sweat trickling down her brow

Skin pulsating as blood rushes through her veins

Fluorescent light overhead; blinding, but all she can do is stare

Somewhere in the distance, voices chattering

"Is she okay?" "Breathe" "It won't be long now"

This is what death must feel like.

Seconds later, in impressions of eternity

The pain slashes at her heart and her very core

That portion of her that none but few hath the pleasure of knowing

Angel of Death, pray come take me and end this misery

Nothing.

Huffing and puffing, if only she could blow that house down!

"Almost there" "Keep going" "Almost there"

Ah! If almost there, wouldn't she have arrived by now

A scream retches the air. Hers. From whence it came, she knoweth not

Blood rushing, skin pulsating and then searing pain

Correction, this is what HELL must feel like.

Plastic touching her brow, cold wet cloth offering little respite

Earth shattering. The very core of her hurled back and forth

In resistance to? Or rather in tune with?

Why me? What have I done to deserve this? You know I was ever faithful Lord.

Nothing

Okay fine, maybe a white lie here and there, but this?

"Keep going" "Almost there" "Breathe"

"Shut up!!"

Silence

Thank you.

As suddenly, it all stops

Blood stream flowing lazily, breathing no longer labored

Calm, eerie calm.

Ah, this is what heaven must feel like

Another scream.

Guess I spoke too soon

From whence cometh that...that...sound!

"You did it" "Beautiful" "Absolute Perfection"

Eyes open slightly as tired sigh escapes parched lips

Sudden weight in arms, head motions forward

Brown eyes barely open, pouting mouth twitching

The spitting image of his dad

Good Lord, this is what love must feel like.

Photo Source: Photo

First Aid Your Laptop: No Use Crying Over Spilled Milk

2010-01-17T20:05:00.002-05:00

Oh the joys of motherhood. My baby Blanche de Castille (hp dv 6000 laptop) is ill and even as I type this, I might be pushing it. But hopefully, "safe mode" is exactly what it says it is. Safe. So a couple of weeks ago, someone accidentally spilled some liquid on Blanche, and like any true baby who's exposed to the elements, Blanche has gone through a series of ailments. First her keys were sticky and the quickplay buttons wouldn't work. I didn't really mind that, don't really use them much anyway --except for the mute button.

Then the mousepad was acting iffy. To rectify that, I switched the primary mouse from the left to the right. Thing is, whenever I switch her on, it alternates between the two. So I can never tell which my primary mouse is, unless I remember what it was the last time. Sigh. That I could handle as well.

Next, the battery wouldn't charge. It got up to 1% battery power left, and anytime I accidentally unplugged the power cord, everything would shut down. Which, you can imagine, can be VERY annoying. Anyway, I figured that so long as it was just the battery, and not the motherboard and all that, I could handle it.

Until. Until Blanche started freezing up. I'd be working on something, and she'd just freeze up. The mouse would move, but nothing was "clickable". Frustrating! Each time, I'd have to restart her - which I doubt, could be very good for her. Talk about having the flu with chills and the fever!

Finally, I decided to go see the Geek Squad at the local Best Buy. Now tell me how this girl, or rather, her battery, decides to work perfectly once the attendant plugs her in. He didn't do anything special, I ran him through everything I'd done, but it turns out she just wanted some geek guy to hold her. I mean, how? Isn't that the ultimate betrayal? Anyway, since her senses are obviously not in the right place, I've forgiven her. Her fan is working alright, that's supposed to be a good sign.

So I come home, thinking everything will be fine. But it's the same old drill. Turn Blanche on. Work for 5-10 minutes. Screen freezes. Restart. Over and over again. Sigh. I'm a patient person, but not THAT patient. I ran a diagnostics test, which told me her memory was fine. I checked to see if any drivers needed updating. All in top-notch working order -- or so it says. Finally, I decided to just restore her to before all these dire symptoms started.

Lucky me, my dad is a computer scientist. So desperate daughter shoots daddy dearest an email about how sick Blanche is, and my dad tells me to use CCleaner, which I've done. So far, so good. Maybe if I just work in safe mode it'll be ok? Thing is, not everything works in safe mode. Like my itunes isn't working cos the audio hardware is disabled. Sigh. I really hope Blanche gets well soon and that it was just an annoying plug-in or virus that was making her act up. Else I'm gonna have to start a get-jemi-a-laptop fund.

But Alhamdulilahi. I'm not as worked up as I'd normally be. I figured, everything has it's time and place. And with Haiti going on, who am I to complain about a sick laptop? There are other important things to deal with. Besides, I need to get on studying for the GRE anyway.

In this digital world, things like this creep up all the time. So here are some pointers for you, if you ever have a liquid spill.

1 - Turn off your computer and disconnect the power. According to the geek squad attendant, the computer shouldn't be used for a good number of days after a liquid spill. I didn't get that memo early enough.

2 - Back up all your important documents. Use a jump drive, external hard drive, CD, whatever. I couldn't run a proper back up so I just copied and pasted onto Ebony-Noire (my external hard drive)

3 - Run a virus check. If you already have virus software like McAfee installed, use that. Otherwise, try CCleaner.

4 - If your computer is under warranty, contact the maker -- Hp, Dell etc. You might qualify for a free diagnostics or servicing.

5 - Research or contact your tech savvy friends. The geek squad guy told me the diagnostics would cost about $170. After a little research, I figured out how to do it on my own. Check computer forums, youtube etc.

6 - Sometimes, it has nothing to do with the spill (or hardware) but rather your software. Check to make sure all the key drivers have been updated. If so, check to see what your latest updates were. Maybe one of them is causing your computer to malfunction. Restore your computer to just before the update and see what happens. If your computer doesn't allow you to do this in normal mode, switch to Safe Mode. If you need to get online, use Safe Mode with networking.

7- Reinstall the operating system. If all else fails, you might need to reinstall your OS. Bear in mind that this would mean losing EVERYTHING. Make sure you've backed up what you need. Also, make sure you have the necessary software (CDs) to reinstall. Especially if you have Microsoft Office and so on installed. They will be wiped out with the system restore.

8 - Keep the faith. I believe that the personal connection I have with Blanche, helps determine the outcome of many things. I'm sending positive vibes to her right now so she gets well soon. And what would you know? I just worked on an entire blog entry; must be working :)

Besides...there's no use crying over spilled milk.

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Photo Source: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3

Circum-Alert: Haiti Deserves a Break. How You Can Help.

2010-01-14T07:43:00.006-05:00

When will Haiti get a break? In the midst of extreme poverty from tsunamis to floods to earthquakes, these people have endured more than some of us can ever imagine. My heart breaks for Haiti. Not because it's poor, but rather because these people's efforts at rebuilding their lives are continuously thwarted. Some people don't understand what the fuss about Haiti is. After all, earthquakes are nothing new. A so-called evangelist, Pat Robertson - who apparently ran for the U.S. Presidency?! - went as far as saying that the earthquake is a result of a "pact" Haiti made with Satan. Seriously, give Haiti a break.

Haiti Profile

I heard about the earthquake during a Young Professionals in Foreign Policy event I was covering for work Tuesday night, when the Brazilian representative mentioned it. Brazil and many other countries have a strong presence in the Caribbean nation as they strive to help it get on its feet. This country which was once a beacon of hope for the Diaspora - being the first Latin American nation to gain independence and the first post-colonial independent black-led nation in the world, the result of successful slave rebellion - has fallen far into the depths of extreme poverty. Some people even refer to it as a "fourth world" country. Contrast this with the levels of opulence found next door in some places like the U.S. and it just doesn't make sense. But I guess it never does.

Gone in Seconds

For some reason, Haiti's unfortunate events have rattled me to the core. I don't know why. I wondered about an aid worker who I interviewed late last year. She's currently in Pakistan or Afghanistan I believe. During the interview she mentioned that her first relief assignment was in Haiti with a local NGO and right there, she knew she'd found her calling in life. I can only imagine how she must feel hearing this news. And now, according to CNN, about 100,000 people are feared dead - possibly more. Don't get a sense of the enormity of the situation? How many people do you know? 100,000 give or take? Well, imagine all of those people gone, just like that, in mere SECONDS.

It's just very disheartening to think that this poor nation's capital, Port-au-Prince, along with its administrative, health, governance, and diplomatic faculties have been rendered incapable in mere seconds. To make matters worse, the majority of the foreigners based in Haiti - relief and aid workers - have also suffered numerous losses with the UN reporting damages to its properties and possible staff deaths in the hundreds. It doesn't make sense, but Allah knows best.

If nothing at all, this event is a reminder that humanity is at the mercy of Almighty Allah. We humans really are very fragile, yet we tend to forget. A mere parasite, changes in temperature, or tectonic plates turning in their beds, and the fragility of humans is evident. Natural disasters and circumstances unify us, where man-made situations separate us. This could happen to any country, at any time.

How You Can Help Give Haiti A Break

With the extent of the damage, aid organizations are requesting monetary donations for now. For God's sake and for whatever you hold dear, kindly do one of the following. Even if all you have left is $10, please send $5 along. You will still have $5; many Haitians will not only have $0, they would have also lost their loved ones or shared in national grief.

> Text "YELE" to 501501 to donate $5 to Haitian national, Wyclef Jean's NGO Yele. Your donation amount will be charged to your phone bill. You can donate via the same cell number six times, I believe. For larger donations, kindly visit http://www.yele.org.

> Text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross; also charged to your phone bill. For non-US/Canada donations please contact your local Red Cross/Red Crescent.

You can also send your donations through other NGOs. But in order to ensure you're not being scammed, here are two lists of reputable NGOs with operations in Haiti:

- *Devex List (Development Executive Group)

- * CNN List

For those of us who cannot contribute in cash, prayers will do nicely. Also, once the alert is given for donations in kind - clothes, food items, etc - kindly make an effort to contribute.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is LOVE.” [1 Corinthians 13:13]

May the victims of this disaster RIP. God bless Haiti, and God protect us all.

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Photo Sources: Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3

Circum-Vlog: How To Blog (Part 2)

2010-01-10T17:24:00.001-05:00

I'd suggest watching the video full screen, especially for the demo part. Also, please note, the address is www.blogger.com -- made a typo in the recap section.

The Letter-Writing Project : Earth 2100 (150th Post!)

2010-01-09T20:47:00.005-05:00

Dear Descendant,

If my projections are accurate, you should be reading this letter in the year 2100; by which time I have probably become part of Mother Earth --or what's left of her. The present year is 2010, on the ninth day of January. The time is approximately 7:53pm ET and the location is Washington, D.C. Why all these details? I don't know. I just thought that maybe some of these details would interest you -- especially considering your world must be very different from what mine is. And given the fact that humanity must be on the verge of extinction.

Extinction?!
Humanity on the verge of extinction in 2100? I fervently hope that projection is inaccurate. Even writing it feels ridiculous. I mean how? The most advanced of all of Earth's species extinct? Mais, c'est pas possible! Well, according to Lucy's story on Earth 2100, it is very probable. Especially if we don't wake up and act soon. And what's worse, it's our own negligent actions that will do us in. Yep, like all the other great civilizations before ours - the Mayans, the Romans, and God knows who else.

Earth 2100
What's this Earth 2100? Well. I just found out about it myself. It's a History Channel documentary that covers climate change and the turn of events following humanity's negligence of Mother Earth and the natural balance. Just in case this letter is intercepted before the year 2100, I would suggest checking local listings or youtube and watching Earth 2100. It definitely woke me up.

Climate Change
Already, things seem to be going downhill. Evidence of climate change is all around us. Apparently, the heat in Ghana and other African countries is unbearable. It is expected that sea levels will rise rapidly over the coming years, and given the fact that most "modern" and advanced settlements are coastal, the physical manifestations of our "success" might soon be wiped out. As many expected, the Coppenhagen Talks failed. Some are saying that the 2015 talks might be better, but environmentalists and other scientists are telling us that waiting till 2015 is cutting it close. According to Lucy and Earth 2100's 'worst case scenario', the 2015 talks fail as well and humanity spirals down into nothingness.

Ripple Effect...For the Worst
It's quite a delicate web we live in, this thing called life. Some people think it philosophical nonsense when others say 'we are all connected.' To those people, I suggest watching Avatar. To you, dear descendant, Avatar must seem like child's play when it comes to top notch movie technology. But in this day and age, it's the happening thing. Especially in 3-D. Yea, so back to the intricate web of connectedness. Essentially, what happens with climate change -- or what has already been set in gear -- is that our insatiable demand for natural resources - wood, oil, and what-have-you, leads to an outright rebellion by Mother Earth.

Since we no longer allow trees the necessary time to grow, they stop growing altogether. Nations continue to fight for oil, especially countries like the one I'm currently in, where the dependence on oil is on catalytic proportions. With all the feuding going on, the inequality gap continues to increase, and where starvation and poverty were only associated with Africa and some parts of Asia - even though every country has its own nooks and crannies of utmost poverty - it has become the global norm.

Global Warming
Global warming reaches new highs and with it, the melting of the Earth's ice regions and glaciers. This further destabilizes the water cycle and leads to reduced food production, more starvation, more fights, more poverty. If we humans are already panicking, you can imagine what other species are doing. Everyone and everything is scrambling for what little is left. Even those species we consider "pests". Hence, the little food we have is besieged with disease and attacked before they even grow their full term. Life is hard. But according to Lucy, it only gets worse.

Sure, there are efforts made and in some places, New York, apparently, innovations in wind and solar energy afford the people living there more time. Turns out it's only borrowed time. Once they realize the gravity of the situation, desperate measures are taken -- measures which only worsen events. And so, dear descendant, according to Lucy, in the year 2100 she is one of the few humans left and one of the oldest at that. What she was able to experience - breathing in clean air, feeling the brush of the wind on her cheek, watching birds fly from tree to tree - she can only tell you about, and you in turn, can only imagine.

The Fight Against?
The only things that are timeless are the simple things in life. The memories, the feelings, the connections. And even those, we risk losing for all our greed. I sincerely hope that when you read this, dear descendant, that it turns out to be quite a hilarity. Not because someone like me thought this letter would make it to 2100, but because all that Lucy talked about in Earth 2100 came to naught. Because we made the necessary corrections to our systems before it was too late. Because we finally gave the respect due to Mother Earth, and realized that we all really are connected.

Maybe there is hope yet. If more people ponder the arguments put forth by Earth 2100. If more people watch the youtube videos below and forward them on to their family, friends, acquaintances. If humanity comes together, as we have always done in the midst of crisis, to make the necessary changes.

With hope for humanity's future,
Your great-great-great-great-great grandmother

P.S. This happens to be my 150th post! It's crazy how much ground has been covered in 2.5 years! To many more!

Earth 2100 Part 1 [Please go to Youtube to watch the remaining parts]

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Photo Source: http://www.freemoviestheatre.com/media/images/Earth2100(2009).jpg

Ask Me Anything Q&A Session: African Leadership & Donor Conditionalities

2010-01-09T16:03:00.001-05:00

Salut Tout le Monde,

Here are my responses to the "Ask Me Anything: Q&A session". Interestingly enough, most of the questions and suggestions I got are development based. And frankly, I think it's time I got back on development anyhow. So, keep an eye out for more blogs on development-related issues (corruption, education, investment etc).

The question below came from Mash via Facebook. He sent me some very relevant questions, which deserve an entire post each, so instead of a short answer, I'm going to go in depth with each response. I'm interested in seeing what you peeps think about what he asks, whether you agree with me, or disagree and all of that. Do leave your own opinions and thoughts after reading.

Q: What in your opinion is the greater impediment to development in Africa? Poor leadership or harsh conditionalities by donor organizations?

A: Both poor leadership and harsh conditionalities make navigating the development trail hard for African countries. But in my opinion, one takes precedence over the other. Poor leadership is without a doubt, the greater impediment. Especially since it's the lack of the necessary leadership that gives birth to some of these "harsh conditionalities".

I understand that being a leader is not an easy task. It takes a deep understanding of not only one's country or charge, but also the political, socio-economic and global climate. However, those should not be an excuse for slacking on one's responsibilities as a leader. African leaders' obligation is - and should be- to their people first and foremost, because it's the people who entrust them with their resources, lives, hopes and dreams.

Many leaders today feel entitled to the positions they occupy. And maybe, it's true to some degree. They might have made great strides in education and professionally, with degrees and accolades to show for their work. But when it comes to representing one's people or a cause, I believe it's important not to rest on one's laurels and just assume that things will come easy. Nothing worthwhile comes easy.

The Well of Poverty
I often make the comparison between African leaders and "a well of poverty", a spin-off of the cycle of poverty. Most Africans are stuck in that well and just about every one is trying to climb out of it. Some will step on their fellow Africans in order to get closer to the opening, while others sit sunken-eyed in a corner of the well and submit themselves to their fate. Others still discuss plans for escaping the well, but alas, when they attempt to put the plan together by building a 'human ladder' of sorts, those who refused to partake in the plan, simply thwart their efforts by pushing them aside.

Once in a while, someone is able to escape that well of poverty; usually by making promises to some of the well's inhabitants, who then contribute what little resources they have so as to see this person emerge as their "leader". In some instances, these leaders succeed in pulling some of their counterparts out of the well -- usually within the first couple of years of holding the position as minister, president or what-have-you. In most cases however, the "leader" gets out of the well, looks down at the beseeching eyes of his supporters and spits on them, wondering to him or herself how he/she ever associated with such scum. After all those years in the well, it's his/her time to live in luxury and enjoy the comforts of life. That's when the feeling of entitlement starts, and it just goes downhill from there.

Donor Conditionalities
For those of us who don't really understand what donor conditionalities are, I'll try to explain. Take a regular bank. People go there for loans and most of those loans have terms of application or conditions. The borrower usually requires some form of collateral in order to issue the loan. At the end of the day, it's an agreement between two parties and any deviations from the agreement incur some penalties.

It's the same thing with developing or African countries and big shot loaners like the World Bank, IMF, developed countries like the U.S. etc. Only a tad more complex. African countries seek to pursue certain development projects - say, providing water to their citizens. They don't have the capital base, so they go to these institutions which they are members of. The institution agrees to provide the capital on condition that...It's usually a long list of conditions. In some instances it might be said that the African country has to appoint American or British nationals as project managers (for instance). Or that they have to use tools and resources from the West. Or that they have to institute particular policies in order to receive the loan. What makes these conditions "harsh" is the fact that they limit the "policy space" of African leaders. It's like giving someone a list of 10 options with 7 of the options crossed out. Also, it ends up worsening the debt situations of many African countries since the premiums paid on the loans tend to be very high.

Now initially, I was very biased against donor conditionalities. Until recently. Having done a lot of research on donors - particularly U.S. and European - I've gotten a glimpse at their side of the story. Don't get me wrong, I haven't jumped ship. I've just opened my mind to understanding their point of view. Many of these donors regard their loans as investments. Investments are generally risky, but where African countries are concerned - especially in weak democracies like war-torn African countries - they are especially risky. In order to "protect" their investments (and their interests) these donor countries rely on the conditions they place on loans and what-nots. At the end of the day, the West is protecting it's interests. What are we doing to protect ours? That's the question Africans should be asking.

A Question of Interest and Responsibility
More and more, I've come to realize that development work these days is more of business and less of philanthropy. Like any business agency, development organizations invest in ventures that they consider profitable - whether in the long-run or the short run. Hence U.S. and other western agencies protecting their interests.

Now this is where many African leaders have failed to show true leadership. Sure, you might have to take loans from multi-lateral institutions like the World Bank and IMF, and yes, they will impose certain conditions - like insisting that you use resources from a particular country or organization, that you pay a certain premium on a loan etc - BUT your duty is to negotiate the best possible deal for your people.

Many African leaders today are not willing to take the necessary risks or do the necessary work to negotiate the best deals for their constituencies. Why? Because they fear the ire of their western counterparts. At this point, I guess its fair to say that more often than not, the loyalties of many African leaders change - they forget why they're in those positions in the first place. Some of them might argue that they are "just playing the game." But the longer that game is played, the less obligation they feel to their people. Once this happens, it is easier for donors to lay on ridiculous conditions. And seriously, it's not their fault. It's because African leaders let it happen - by not doing their research, by neglecting their duties, and by just falling on the fact that conditions are "harsh".

A Glimmer of Hope
I will say that I am more optimistic about African leadership than I have been in the past. There seems to be a wave of change going around - and I think it has to do with the current generation, and also with technological advancement. With easier access to information, many Africans are seizing opportunities that were closed to them before. And on the international negotiation front, a lot is being done.

With the WTO negotiations for instance, last I checked, there has been somewhat of a forestall because African leaders have (finally) realized that they can use what they have (agriculture) to make the best possible negotiation for their people in other areas. The recent climate talks is another area where African leaders are stepping up to their responsibilities. Sure, it may cause some confusion, but I believe it's making stakeholders think twice when dealing with Africans. Now, they expect a fight and therefore bring somewhat better options to the table.

I believe that African leaders have a lot to offer. And now is a great time to do our homework and strive for the interest of Africans. Donors will always have conditions. But the "harshness" of those conditions are dependent on our leaders' willingness to fight in the interest of their people. Until the necessary signatures are placed on the document, there is still an opportunity to strive for the best deal possible.

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Photo Source: Photo 2, Photo 3, Photo 4, Photo 5

Interview: Myne Whitman - Writer/Blogger & Author of "A Heart To Mend"

2010-01-04T12:41:00.004-05:00

I am so excited to present Myne Whitman to you guys! Not only is she a fellow blogger, she's an active Circumspector! Plus, she just came out with her debut novel A Heart to Mend, which she self-published! Yep, that's right! Self-published! So if you're interested in finding out how to get involved in her interactive blogsville or what the 411 on how to self-publish, go right ahead and read the amazing interview with Myne!

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Circumspect: Tell us a bit about yourself. Who is Myne Whitman?
Myne Whitman (M.W.): I am a Nigerian writer/blogger. Myne Whitman is a name I coined myself when I began to write seriously while in secondary school. The pseudonym is a play on the transliterated words of my maiden name, Nkem Okotcha. Most of the books I read were in English, and since I was writing in English too, I decided my name would be the same.

Personality-wise, I am quiet and laid-back, but do like a good, loud debate sometimes. In three words, I will describe myself as friendly, caring and fun-loving. I have been a teacher, NGO consultant, banker, skate-hire attendant, researcher and Scottish government worker. After a postgraduate degree and a few years in Edinburgh, Scotland, I now live in the United States with my husband.

Circumspect: Did you ever envision yourself as an author/writer/blogger? Where did the interest come from?
M.W.: I have been writing for a very long time, ever since I was a child and always dreamed of holding a book in my hands with my name on the cover as the author. I decided to start the Myne Whitman Writes blog because of several factors. Some of the members of my writing group had blogs where they shared excerpts of their work. They advised that I could start one to get more feedback on the story I was writing then, and to know when it's ready for the market. I also got great feedback from readers of my poetry blog on my favorite online forum (Nigeria Village Square).

When it came time for me to go for a larger audience I was motivated by two Nigerian writing bloggers - Favoured girl and Flourishing Florida. Their blogs gave me an idea of what I wanted to do. Blogging has been amazing especially in my chosen niche and I got overwhelming response to the Gladys and Edward story - which is now A Heart To Mend- which added to my decision to self publish. I'm happy I have been able to establish my blog as a story and writing site and have opened it up to other budding writers. I want to also salute all blogsville members especially those who have stood the test of time and made it the community it is.

Circumspect: About your debut novel - A Heart to Mend - where did the concept come from?
M.W.: I have always wanted to write an engrossing story and from when I was old enough to think about love, the concept of it being unconditional has interested me. The book is about two people, Edward and Gladys, who meet and are [in love] almost immediately, but have difficulty in resolving their feelings for each other, especially because of Edward’s past. Just when they have finally got around to declaring their love for each other, a crisis arises that tests that love to its limits. I also felt that there were not enough romance novels set in contemporary Nigeria, and that I could do something to redress that. That was how A Heart to Mend was born.

Circumspect: How did you come up with the title?
M.W.: It was an iterative process. I wanted something which reflected one of the main themes of the book - in this case, that they surmounted the obstacles to their love. The manuscript therefore started out as "Not the End of the Road" but as the story progressed and Edward emerged as the focal character, the final title framed his difficulty in committing to a relationship. I still wanted something positive and I felt that “A Heart to Mend” satisfied all counts.

Circumspect: As someone who self-published, can you tell us about the process? Was it hard? What resources did you use?
M.W.: A Heart to Mend is a genre novel or category romance in the suspense line; some may call it romantic fiction. I decided to self publish because I heard some good stories about the process and how it can be successful if you apply yourself. I also decided on the route since I had my full time to dedicate to it and wasn't out purely for commercial success.

To prepare, I took some free online courses and workshops for Creative Writing and Fiction from the University of Utah, MIT, Open University UK and Suite 101. I'm still taking these trainings and they're an on-going project. I also became a member of a writing meet up group in my area which includes traditionally and self published authors and gifted writers and editors. The members were a great help in the course of writing A Heart to Mend.

Finally my blogger page and the NVS forum where I shared excerpts helped a lot. One particular blogger did a good job as a critic, and I had several bloggers act as [a] focal group for the story. Most important though is my husband who is a talented writer too; he helped edit and proof-read the manuscript before we went to the publishers. Author House has several good things about them and that's why I chose them and they have met those so far.

Circumspect: How would you describe your writing style and how do you find the inspiration to write?
M.W.: I would describe it as direct and simple. I prefer using short sentences and lots of dialogue to tell a story. I like to think that this style is tailored to the situations I'm writing about and will carry my audience on the fluid journey of reading my books. I find inspiration from my life, people around me and stories you read in the news or books. It could be just a sentence in a newspaper or a line in a movie and my imagination just feeds on it.

Circumspect: Who are your key literary influences? Any favorite authors?
M.W.: I look up to almost all authors and writers because I know how much work goes into writing. I have also read very widely, but some authors that come to mind are Barbara Cartland, Francine Rivers, Sidney Sheldon, Flora Nwapa, Buchi Emecheta, Cyprian Ekwensi, and more recently Chimamanda Adichie and Jude Dibia. Of all them I identify most strongly with Buchi Emecheta’s books and characters.

Circumspect: What's your opinion on Africans "taking back their voice" through literature and art?
M.W.: I think it is a very welcome development and can only be positive. It limits the “dangers of a single story” like Chimamanda Adichie pointed out in one of her talks. The more we tell our stories the more versatile Africa is seen to be and the fuller and truer the picture of what our contemporary life is like. Somehow related to this is the surge in the number of African bloggers over the past few years. I think this expands the young African's scope of writing and offers phenomenal scope for us. Writers can see more writing by other Africans that we can relate to, and it also provides a platform to receive constructive criticism that improves our writing.

Circumspect: As a Nigerian living in the U.S. what is your hope for the development of Nigeria and the African continent as a whole?
M.W.: Like most Africans living outside the continent, I hope that my country will become a better place. A country, a continent where things like healthcare, education, and basic amenities like clean water and sanitation are available and accessible to the majority of people right there within the country. Sometimes I think hope is the wrong word, I KNOW we have the capability and resources to achieve these things and so maybe that's a better word. And also, though there seem to be negative reports every day, there is corresponding good news that makes me think this development may come sooner rather than later.

Circumspect: Now that A Heart to Mend is published, what's next?
M.W.: I definitely plan on writing more books. A sequel is not on the books right now but who knows what will happen? LOL. I am currently working on another romantic suspense manuscript and a couple of short stories, one of which I hope will be published before the end of the coming year.
At the end of all this, I wish to still remain in the midst of my readers and fans. Coordinating the Blogsville Interactive Story has shown me so much talent and given me some ideas. I'm still playing with those thoughts for now and will broach them with the necessary people in due time.

Circumspect: Any words of advice for up and coming African writers, bloggers, and authors?
M.W.: I will say that they should keep at it. It was Petina Gappah who said on her blog “A writer is a person who writes...You, at your computer or with your notebook, writing, and writing, revising and writing, and revising again.” A writer thus has to persevere, have a story they want to share and push till it's in a form others can understand and appreciate. I wish everyone the best.

For more information about Myne and her book, check out her website and her blog. Connect with her via facebook and twitter. Read a sample of A Heart To Mend. Like what you see? Get copies of her first novel in paperback and e-format!

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Photo Credit: Myne Whitman

Circum-Flash: Happy New Year, Sister Style

2009-12-31T20:11:00.003-05:00

Welcome to A New DECADE!
Happy New Year!!! I know, I know, I've been saying "happy new year" for the past two weeks or so, but isn't it just amazing?! Despite the struggles, the dark hours, the stress, and everything, we made it! Not only to a new year, but to a new decade!! If tonight is anything to go by, my 2010 will be spontaneous. There, I've declared it into existence. Growth, change and spontaneity, inshAllah!

Hmm, What To Do For The Countdown?
So I'd been making plans to be in N.Y. for a while, and then made other plans to be in D.C. instead, which ended up falling through. So I was like, really, what am I going to do for new year's? Anywho. I went on a limb, got online, and got a ticket to N.Y. So right this moment, I'm on the Bolt Bus, blogging away and chugging along to spend new year's with some of the most amazing people I know. And no, the ball drop is not on my agenda. Did that last year and ended up on some random street shouting "happy new year" in the freezing cold. This year I want to be warm, thank you very much. LOL.

Sisterly Tradition at Its Best
When I was in Ghana my sister Annatu and I had a special new year's tradition. Practically everyone in the house would fall asleep, but we always stayed up. We'd save up in the run-up to new year's, and the night before we'd go out with our stash of gold and buy soft drinks - usually coke, sprite, or fanta cocktail - and some cookies. We'd put the drinks in the fridge to freeze a bit, and then we'd stay up watching the late night movie and talk about the past year, "do you remember this-eh I can't believe they did that" kinda thing. Afterwards, we'd talk about our resolutions - standing outside on the porch and gazing at the stars. And I'd always wonder what would happen that year and if I'd ever look at the stars from another part of the world.

Well, tonight I'm in another part of the world, but I'm not looking at any stars since I'm on the bus. And surprisingly, skype wasn't as reliant as it usually is. So my sister and I are on facebook chatting away, just like old times. And I suppose virtually everyone else in the house is asleep lol. Although I'm miles away, my heart was right there in Ghana counting down with her, and I feel so blessed to have her, my family and friends.

My New Year Wish For You Wonderful Peeps!
So for 2010, I wish you all the very best! All the blessings and opportunities to make you become the grandest versions of yourselves. All the patience, strength and perseverance to overcome the trials that 2010 might bring. And above all, I pray that in every action and decision, you choose the action that is sponsored by love, instead of that instigated by fear. Happy New Year people!

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Photo Source: http://gipscorp.com/blog/2008/12/22/focus-is-everything/

Interview: Andrew Garza on Titagya Schools & Early Education in Ghana

2009-12-30T22:02:00.010-05:00

I stumbled across this great initiative on early education in Ghana through good ol' facebook. Titagya Schools is a new project started by Fatawu Abukari, Andrew Garza, and Habib Manzah and aims to provide high quality early education for children in Northern Ghana. What's interesting about this project is the fact that it's a partnership between Ghanaians and an American who never thought they'd be working on early education. As someone who's from northern Ghana and who believes that Ghana's educational system needs some fresh ideas, this was quite a happy find. Hope you guys are as inspired by Titagya (pronounced Ti-tahi-ya).

Circumspect: Tell us about yourself.

Andrew Garza (A.G.): I graduated from Haverford College in 2008, majoring in sociology and minoring in economics. After that I worked for another organization that consults with small and medium enterprises in Ghana. Throughout college I’d done a number of internships with similar organizations that promote private sector development in Latin America, the U.S. and also in Ghana. So, about eight months after graduation I worked with some people that I had been in touch with since my internship in Ghana in 2006 and together we started Titagya schools.

[Photo: (R-L)Andrew Garza, Abdul-Fatawu Abukari, Manzah Iddi Habib - co-founders of Titagya schools]

Circumspect: How come you decided on Ghana specifically? Where did that interest come from? Was there a particular experience that made you want to start it?

A.G.: The initial reason why I went to Ghana in 2006 was because the previous summer I had read a book by Jeffery Sachs called The End of Poverty talking about how there are these clusters, there are these poverty traps essentially. And the region that had been slowest to eliminate extreme poverty had been sub-Saharan Africa. So that just got me interested in learning more in the region, and the next summer I wanted to go do an internship in some country in Africa. I had researched different possibilities and Ghana seemed like the best choice for a number of reasons. One, it was English-speaking. Two, it seemed like there was a lot of need. Three it is pretty stable politically , so there weren’t any concerns - it’s fairly peaceful - so no security concerns essentially. I guess lastly, it seemed like there were some organizations doing very interesting work there. So that’s why I originally went to Ghana. So I worked in northern Ghana for two months, and just stayed in touch with a couple of colleagues from that and we decided that northern Ghana would be a great place to start our organization since the income in northern Ghana is half to a third of that in southern Ghana. And literacy rates are far less than half that in southern Ghana, so we thought the need was really there to start our work there.

Circumspect: What made you think of schools? Were you always interested in early education? Was that something you always thought you would do?

A.G.: It’s interesting because I think our focus on schools really arose fairly organically. I have two co-founders; one of them is named Fatawu [Abukari] and one of them is named Habib [Manzah]. So Fatawu, for a number of years, about four years, has been working for an educational radio station based in the village where Titagya is also based; it’s a village called Dalun . So his radio station had done kind of an informal study in the nearest town with a good early education facility. So they were interviewing teachers at the secondary school there, and found that students in secondary school who had gone to kindergarten performed much better than those who didn’t, according to the teachers. So I think that is part of what spurred the initial interest. And at the same time, the community in Dalun - for a long time - had wanted to have a place for young children to go. And it was important culturally too, to them, so older girls in particular wouldn’t have to watch their younger siblings. That would free up the older girls also, to go to school. For these various reasons we saw a need for early education.

Fatawu contacted me after that summer I worked in Ghana, saying that he wanted to start a day-care center in Dalun. So, I suggested that we research a little bit more [on] the importance of early education. And we did that. We saw that there are so many positive effects to early education. We saw that it helps develop social skills, motor skills; it prepares children academically with basic language skills – just how important it was. I think in a sense, I’ve always been interested in education, but I’ve kind of been a convert myself to the importance of early education. It’s not something I’ve always known I would be interested in, but kind of through a process of research and just seeing how effective it’s been in other areas, I’ve been a convert to that cause. And I think, it’s the same for Fatawu and Habib. That’s kind of how the idea started.
[Photo: A Titagya school facility in Dalun, northern Ghana]

Circumspect: How did you go about setting it up; with regards funding, staff, building the school structures and so on?

A.G.: In terms of raising money, we just recently opened our first pre-school for 50 students. And our model is going to be in villages throughout northern Ghana. We’re specifically focusing on villages rather than towns since that seems to be where the need is greater. We’re planning to start these clusters of schools; a cluster will entail one pre-school, one kindergarten and then a shared administrative center and computer center between the two. So the children are exposed to that kind of technology at a fairly young age. That’s kind of what we’re trying to pursue. We went about raising money mainly by reaching out to personal contacts; initially people in our networks. So Fatawu reaching out to people that he’d worked with in Denmark; he’s gone to Denmark a couple of times for training programs. Then I reached out to my network, and we got funding from a small non-profit called Hands on the World Global.

We started small, and it’s really around now that we reaching the point where there’s really this increasing pressure to scale up, and we’re writing larger grants. For instance we recently submitted a grant application for $90,000. So yeah, I think that’s kind of part of the process so far. And it’s really been Habib and Fatawu managing the process on the ground in Ghana, and then I’ve been doing a lot of the institutional work here in the U.S. in terms of raising money. In the summer we got incorporated in New York State, and managing interns in the U.S., so those are some of the areas that I focus on.

Circumspect: Where did you go to find the information you needed to decide whether to set up or not. And how did that process go?

A.G.: It’s interesting. I would say, Dr. Google, and then - the most important source – I think we relied a lot on Google Scholars to find different reports that focused on the importance of an early education. And we found some great ones; we found a couple of reports by the U.N., we found a report by the Government of Ghana - I believe from 2003 or 2005 - that laid out a vision of how the government wanted to expand its early education program and have almost every primary school in the country have a kindergarten attached to it by 2015. So we thought that was very interesting, that the government was already trying to pursue some of that work. And then, we just found a variety of other studies; a key one that was supported by the University of Sussex in the U.K. So, we tried to look at a variety of sources and it seemed like there was just this general consensus that early education was strongly needed, that many times – and this is throughout a lot of the country in Ghana – that a lot of times children would arrive at primary school and secondary school, not really adequately prepared for the work.They might not be studying effectively because they were not ready for the educational level that they were in at the time. It was just a fascinating, eye-opening process for us. Yeah, there were some nights when I had a hard time going to sleep because it was just amazing reading all of these different reports.

Circumspect: What has the community’s reception of the school been? Do you get support from local agencies or the government?

A.G.: In terms of the local community, the reception has been extremely positive in Dalun. I think the opening of the school has been the buzz of the town for quite a while before the opening. At the opening itself, which took place in November [2009] we had more than 120 people come, and the Chief of Dalun came, and he strongly endorsed our strategy and was telling the community that they had a responsibility to help us keep up the school, that parents have to work closely with us, so that we can really offer a very effective education. So we had his strong personal support and that of local politicians, other officials, local head masters as well from other schools, community leadership as well. Most of our parents were there with the students and other community members. It seemed that most people were very excited to have this high quality option for their children. So that’s in Dalun.

In terms of working with the government; we’re collaborating fairly closely with the government; the government will be paying for three teachers at our school. Naturally, it’s an important part of our strategy. That really forces you to scale up what you’re doing more effectively, whereas if, I think, non-profits just work on their own in isolation in a country like Ghana - where you do have a fairly reasonable government that you can work with - I think that’s an ineffective strategy because you’re not really sharing your lessons learned as much as you could be, or gaining from the government’s experience in learning about what’s worked well in the area and what hasn't.

[Photo: Fatawu showing the Chief of Dalun (yellow gown) some of the books for the school during the opening ceremony of Titagya Schools.]

Circumspect: How many staff do you have and what are their focus areas?

A.G.: We have two administrative staff in Ghana and we have three teachers. In the U.S., I’m the main full-time person and we have a number of people who have been advising us, volunteering for us, helping with fundraising, designing the website, designing marketing material, so really helping in all areas of the organization. So we’re fairly reliant on volunteers and their amazing work. I guess that’s part of our model.

Circumspect: What’s the financial commitment for individuals whose wards attend Titagya schools?

A.G.: We have a policy where 20 percent of our students don’t pay anything; and the 20 percent of students are people in the community whose families don’t have much money and otherwise would have a very difficult time affording an education at our school. For the other 80 percent, people pay approximately 5 Ghana cedis a month; right now that’s about $3.50 a month. We set that rate because it’s similar to a couple of other kindergartens in other towns that we enquired about. We thought it was at a level where the money would significantly help us with our operational costs, but it wouldn’t be overly burdensome to the families.

Circumspect: What’s an average day at Titagya like?

A.G: My average day would probably include some kind of meeting with Fatawu. Until recently we’ve been using phone cards. But that’s quite expensive so we’re trying to shift over to Skype, and there’s been a little bit of a challenge with that because the reception isn’t that clear yet. But, we’re trying a couple of different things to make that work better. So it would include a meeting with Fatawu and likely, some kind of fundraising meeting during the day or in the evening. Meeting with a potential funder or meeting with someone who might be interested in helping us to raise money. At the moment one of our key priorities is to get our 501(c)(3) status. So it involves, right now, a fair amount of research into what we need to do, and working on the paperwork for that. Also getting our financial statements into the form that they need to be with to submit properly for 501(c)(3).

In Ghana, the focus recently has been on making sure our first school runs very well. I think that’s our top priority. Yeah, the quality has to be very high and I think with any new organization, when you’re establishing a model you have to anticipate that there are going to be challenges and be kind of be open to troubleshooting them. So we’re really trying to keep our eyes wide open and make sure the quality is very high. So Fatawu spends a lot of time at the school right now in making sure things are going very well. In the near future we’re going to be looking at other villages where it would make sense to expand our program in the future. So that’s also going to take a fair amount of his time.

Circumspect: Have you had any challenges? Culturally- related to the people you work it? Do speak Dagbani? How does that go?

A.G.: I think that’s been one of the most interesting parts of the experience so far. There has been – I don’t know if challenge would be the right word – I think certainly that adds an interesting layer to what we do; that there is this element of cross-cultural communication between Habib, Fatawu and I, and others. But it’s really been an enriching process for, most importantly, for the school. Because I think when you come from different countries you question one another’s assumptions. So there might be, for instance, a certain policy that I think we should have in the school. But Fatawu would say, ‘Wow, I don’t know if that would work there. Gee, I don’t know if that would be culturally appropriate.’ There might be other areas where there’s something that I suggest we might do, that’s not necessarily the norm in the educational system in Ghana - which works well in other areas - and might work well there too. For instance, I think with a number of schools in Ghana – and a couple that we visited – the education, even at an early level, is fairly top-down and almost based on a university style lecture model in some sense; even if it’s very young children who can’t learn most effectively that way. So part of our model is going to be having a very interactive classroom experience, where there are lots of stories and role-playing games and small group activities to really get the children thinking and excited, and developing their different thinking capabilities. I think that’s an instance where it’s helpful having people from different areas working on this project because it really helps to germinate new ideas.

[Photo: Andrew Garza giving a speech - with a translator- during the opening of Titagya Schools.]

I speak a few words of Dagbani. And I’ve asked Fatawu to send me a list of more words so that I can become more proficient in Dagbani. So I speak a little bit, but I think it’s important that I learn more.

Circumspect: Can you tell me about one experience that resonated deeply with you?

A.G.: One experience that was especially strong for me was at the opening of the school when we had most of our first 50 children actually sitting in chairs with their parents, in their uniforms, excited, smiling, running around before the ceremony started. I think that really hit it home for me; how amazing it is that we’re starting this up and that this is going to be starting soon at that point. How real it is. A lot of my personal work has taken place from the U.S.; getting ideas for the curriculum, incorporating that with the town’s curriculum, raising money, marketing and all of these things. But I think being on the ground and meeting some of the children and seeing them in their uniforms; that was pretty impactful for me.

[Photo: School pupils, parents, and Dalun community members at the opening ceremony.]

Circumspect: What exactly does “Titagya” mean? Where did that name come from?

A.G.: “Titagya” means “we have changed” in Dagbani. It was Fatawu’s idea to take that name. It’s interesting because I think in Dagbani it has slightly different connotations than in English. In Dagbani it has very positive connotations, more along the lines of “we have grown”. We thought that was a great name to talk about how education can really transform someone’s life opportunities.

Circumspect: Where do you see Titagya in the next five to ten years?

A.G.: With Titagya, I see us expanding fairly progressively throughout northern Ghana. I think initially in the northern region and the total Kumbungu district; but eventually in many other areas. I expect, within five years, to have schools in a number of parts in Northern Ghana. We’re planning to have three schools in 2010; three more schools. In addition to that, we are planning to start a scholarship program for children who need assistance to pay their school fees and buy their books for primary and secondary school. And a third component of what we’re doing , that we’re weighing at the moment – kind of a strategic decision - is deciding how we’re going to ensure that children who go to our school and finish well and have this great head start, how we continue that momentum.

I think the direction that we’re leaning with that is to have a program where we work with other local primary and secondary schools to help refurbish the physical structures. For instance, in schools where they need help to put things like fans so children can focus better in the very hot dry season. So items like that. And also helping in areas where it’s desired, to incorporate more interactive exercises in the curricula; to really strengthen the academic foundation of the children going forward. Lastly, just partnering with the government; especially to get their feedback on what we’re doing and see suggestions they might have for improvement. And where appropriate, offering our suggestions on ways that public schools might be strengthened based on our experience.

Circumspect: What about Ghana’s educational system?

A.G: I think what we’re really hoping to be a part of – we’ve seen that spending on schools had increased towards the final years of the Kuffour administration in northern Ghana, certainly continues under the new administration, although it’s not clear to us exactly how much. We’re hoping to be an important partner with the government as it tries to scale up early education and the government has already identified that as a priority early. Yeah, we’re hoping to be a useful partner in that area. I’m certainly hoping and expecting that Ghana will have success in instituting a greater quantity of very high quality early education facilities.
[Photo: Fatawu speaking during the opening ceremony. Chief of Dalun (yellow) and head of Ghanaian Danish Community Program (blue) were among some of the dignitaries present.]

Circumspect: What words of advice do you have for young people who are interested in pursuing projects like yours?

A.G.: If people are still in college - or high school even - I would certainly suggest taking relevant classes. Taking classes in a variety of areas: economics, sociology, political science. I think they come to mind for just being, kind of, an institutional sense of how change happens. And then, things like writing classes, English classes, other languages – they’re also important for how you can convey your ideas. And I would say, even technical classes like accounting, corporate finance, statistics; I think those could be very useful for some of the nuts and bolts activities of running an organization. I guess I would suggest taking a variety of classes in the areas that people are interested in. Also, going out of their comfort area a little bit to take some of these other classes. Meet speakers; reach out to alumni in areas that people are interested in. That’s kind of in an academic and networking sense.

[Photo: Some of Titagya's students at Dalun]
Aside from that, I would also definitely suggest trying to get some great relevant internship experience in a variety of fields, especially concentrating on areas that the person is interested in. Maybe one or two summers where it’s something that’s a different experience that you think you’ll be interested in. So for instance if you’re planning to go into healthcare and do that from the non-profit sector, maybe spending one sector working in the private sector so you have that experience as well. Yes, I think I would definitely suggest taking advantage of the internships for all that you can.

Photo Credit: Andrew Garza

Circum-Alert: Featured on Live Unchained

2009-12-30T16:06:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone,

I was recently contacted by Kathryn Buford, one of the creators of Live Unchained. She and her co-creator Miriam Moore have set up a virtual community and are developing a multi-media anthology for and by black women across the African Diaspora.

I feel so honored and humbled to be profiled alongside some of the most phenomenal women on their site like Nigerian author and professor Nnedi Okorafor and would like to share my interview and Live Unchained's amazing project with you guys!

You can access my interview with Live Unchained here. And you can check out other interesting profiles and works on the Live Unchained Blog. I hope you guys find their project as amazing as I have, and please share with interested individuals!

Much love,
Jemila

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Photo Source: Live Unchained Website

Interview: Maame Sampah, Emmanuel Lamptey, REACH Ghana

2009-12-29T14:38:00.008-05:00

Circumspect interviews Maame Sampah and Emmanuel Lamptey, Executive Board Members of the Representatives for Equal Access to Community Healthcare (REACH) Ghana to find out how they got started, what projects they're currently working on, and what they're looking forward to.

Circumspect: Tell us about yourselves.

Maame Sampah (M.S.): I’m currently a graduate student. I’m with an HIV group right now, and so I basically do HIV research. Before then, I did undergrad in biochemistry and French at Grinnell College. I’m doing grad school at [Johns] Hopkins now. I went through the Ghana education system - Wesley Girls, Bishop Bowers before then. I can give you the name of my nursery school. And yeah, so here I am. I’m going to be in school for a while, and basically I’m going to end up in a career in clinical and research medicine. I have a huge family, I have four siblings. My parents both live in Ghana. My siblings however are kind of scattered in the U.K and here [U.S.] and in Ghana. And, I guess my interest in healthcare probably came from my mum who is a nurse. I grew up playing with medicine at home. I don’t know how it happened. I mean I actually didn’t set out; I went to college thinking physics major, chemistry. It was always something “sciencish” but I didn’t really head out towards healthcare until I did some college internships in hospitals and I loved them.

Emmanuel Lamptey (E.L.): My name is Emmanuel Lamptey, I’m also a graduate student right now. I have a masters already in diplomacy and international relations; specialization in global health and human security. So that’s my interest. Specifically my research areas have been in OVCs (Orphans and Vulnerable Children) and HIV/AIDS. Right now I work for a non-profit in D.C. in the programs department on a USAID funded project. I was born and raised in Ghana, came to the US for my undergrad and grad school. I have two younger brothers and my parents are both in Ghana. My interest in health, and I think that’s what I want to do, I see myself with a career in public health and global health. My interest peaked – because when I was younger I was more interested in international relations and politics. But in grad school, my thinking and my formative ideas about what I wanted to do with health started with the breakout of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. For me it was linking health with politics and the politics of health. So that’s what spread my thinking, so that’s why I’ve been interested in health stuff.

[Photo Insert: REACH Board Members Emmanuel Lamptey & Martha Sampah]

Circumspect: Where did the idea for REACH come from?

M.S.: The idea for REACH came from BarCamp. We basically went for BarCamp [July 2009]. I had actually attempted to go to BarCamp in Ghana before; it didn’t work out. But we went to BarCamp not really sure what to expect, and we went and basically started a breakout session on healthcare in Ghana. And it turned out a lot of people were interested in that. We spent about an hour or maybe a little bit over an hour bashing the healthcare system in Ghana hardcore. And yeah, there was a lot that people had to say about what was going wrong, but people also noted there are all these improvements being made. In the end what it came to was everybody chipped in at the end about what we could do specifically to help. I mean there was a long list of suggestions about specific things that we could do at our stage to help somehow. After BarCamp, a couple people who had been in the discussion got to emailing back and forth. We also had other contacts that we knew were very interested in the cause, and that ended up with a group of nine of us who have since then been planning this from the get-go.

Circumspect: Can you tell me a bit about REACH – what your aims are, where you see yourself within the next two to five years?

E.L.: Well, there are several things. I think our overarching goal is to be a part of the discussion and be a part of the solution. So, our idea is to influence, contribute and assist in the Ghana government’s effort to improve access to healthcare and quality of healthcare for Ghanaians. So we work through various engines. One of them is being a forum for networking of ideas and programs, of organizations that are interested in health projects. That’s one thing that we do. Education is another part, and not just focusing on the macro level; from the micro level to linking individual students - here in the U.S. and in Ghana - to network and bridge and bring ideas together.

Thirdly, it’s through programs and initiatives; be it a book drive, be it an HIV/AIDS project, be it research opportunities. So people, professionals who have ideas about how to improve the healthcare system, if they have ideas about how to do research, the government of Ghana wants to implement a research opportunity or research into a specific area. Being able to be a source or an organization that can either help facilitate that process or take part in that process. To actually do that research, so that we can bring out sustainable results. That’s our big thing. Our big thing is working with individuals, working with governments, and creating sustainable projects that lead to our overall access to care and improved access to care.

M.S.: You mentioned in two years, where do we see ourselves? I guess, part of the whole premise of REACH was really to bring people together. I mean, I can’t believe how much we’ve gotten done in the past six months just by virtue of the fact that there was a bunch of us who were working towards the same thing. None of us individually could have accomplished any of this on our own. That’s the point, you know, to create all of these opportunities. Basically what we see in two years, hopefully, will be that REACH will be a place where people interested in healthcare and doing a project in Ghana, will come, you know, just to get other people to help them on those projects. Be it in the planning, finding funding, the execution, program assessment, and whatever it is that they need. Basically, the point is, we’re pulling together all these resources so you can go to one place and not have to be running all over the place.

Another thing that we talked about is the fact that volunteerism is such a big thing in the U.S. That’s what we’ve all learned from being here. Going to a liberal arts college, Emmanuel and I both went to liberal arts college, it’s just such a big thing; public service. Everybody does it. It doesn’t happen in Ghana. I mean, the only thing that I can think about is National service, which is almost mandatory, you have to do it. People only do it because, well, I don’t know what people’s individual motives are, but it’s almost as if everybody does it because you have to do it. Here’s the case where people from the time you’re in middle school, high school, you know [about] service. That’s what we’re trying to encourage as well.

E.L.: Yes, creating service-oriented communities.

M.S.: So that at the end of the day, a high school based in Cape Coast is taking care of the Cape Coast community. We’re hoping that’s what’s going to happen. That REACH is going to be an organization that’s really run mostly by volunteers. We understand that there are going to have to be paid people to facilitate the whole process, but really, mostly run by volunteers. Be it volunteers from Ghana or study abroad kids from the U.S., whatever it takes; just people who are willing to put in something. And that’s how we’re planning on cutting costs.

E.L.: One of the things that we [the executive board of REACH] actually talked about when it came to our programs is building communities to be sustainable in giving them the capacity-building skills and techniques to be sustainable. A lot of the commentary on health care, not just in Ghana, but in developing countries is, what can the government do? What is the government doing? What about – what are the communities doing? And what kind of skills can the communities have so they can be sustainable so it’s not the government of Ghana building a university or a hospital in Swedru, but organizations in that community having the skills, the know-how, to raise money to build that hospital. A lot of the hospitals in the U.S. are not controlled by the government. They’re hospitals that were built to feed the need of the communities and are thriving based on the income tax, the kind of money you raise. So we’re trying to create the self-help part of it. So every program that we do, or will do, has a capacity-building sustainability part of it that is integral to our mission.

M.S.: Yeah. Actually an example is right in my own backyard. Hopkins, where I go to school, is purely the product, and it’s easily ranked one of the best hospitals in America. It was the product of one merchant. I mean it came from somebody’s foundation. But it was basically somebody in the Baltimore community who started Hopkins. There was a hospital that was built for African-American kids who didn’t have access to regular hospitals, and that’s kind of how it started. And then, after that, more funds were donated. But then it was people in the community who really, pretty much built it up. I understand, you do need a huge funding source for such a large scale project, but at the end of the day, I haven’t seen it in Ghana. I haven’t seen an individual or a group of people come together. Korle-Bu is government-owned, from Kwame Nkrumah’s time. And that’s what everybody depends on. Okomfo Anokye, same thing. All the major hospitals in Ghana, somehow, are just the result of the government. I mean, the point is that it’s time for us to step up and do something for ourselves.

[Photo Insert: Martha and fellow board member Aida Nana Ama Manu with REACH Advisory Board Member Dr. Ana Hitri.]

E.L: There are not enough Nyaho clinics; there should be more Nyaho clinics, more individuals. And it’s not so much that people don’t have the skill set or the money to do it, it’s sometimes, they don’t have the vision or there’s not the right atmosphere and maybe infrastructure, legal rights and privileges that are given by the government. Those are some of the things that REACH is more interested in as well. We’re not just talking about building those projects, but also advising and creating opportunities, and encouraging the government to provide the legal framework for people to be innovative.

Circumspect: Where did the name REACH come from?

M.S.: Oh, REACH. Ha! Brainstorming. Hardcore brainstorming. It was hard. We thought about it. We knew we wanted some kind of an acronym. We wanted something that people could remember easily. And, I guess it ended up being, we knew it was going to be REACH almost, just the whole concept of reaching out, which is what it’s all about. And then, we were thinking letters, and we were thinking community, healthcare, advocacy, excellence, excellent healthcare. I mean, we were thinking all kinds of words. And somehow it just kind of came together. You know, this is what we are: representatives of this cause that we’re committed towards. It just strung together, and it was just, ah, perfect, that’s what it was meant to be from the beginning. Yeah, we were really excited about that when we figured it out. The whole concept of reaching out and it standing for essentially what we are and what we represent.

E.L.: And reaching out from both ends. That was the big thing. It was not just us reaching out to communities in Ghana, but communities in Ghana also reaching out back to us and to themselves. The idea was creating an area for connection, where people with like-minds or visions can come together.

Circumspect: Would you like to give an update on what you’ve done so far?

M.S.: Okay, so far we’ve filed an article of incorporation which is just to say we’re an organization that exists in [Washington] D.C. and we’re in the process of applying for NGO status in D.C. and in Ghana. So that’s basically what allows us to take grants and donations, and it being tax-exempt. So we’ve been basically getting out organization together, trying to recruit members, trying to set up little committees, getting our first couple of projects going. December is the month that we chose for our launch. We started out with an HIV/AIDS project mostly because that was a common interest a lot of us on the board had. We were also in touch with Benedicata [Osafo-Darko ] who comes from an HIV background who was very excited about doing an HIV project. So that’s what we started with. We chose December for our launch because that’s when we felt we were about ready to start the nitty-gritty of getting things done. And that coincided with World AIDS Day on Dec. 1^st, and we thought, perfect, let’s do that. So far, we have two projects going, that is mostly being run by the executive board. We’re looking for people. So far we have members who have expressed interest in starting their own projects. Yeah, as many projects as is within our control, we’re ready to take on at this point. And hopefully our launch this whole month over here, and in Ghana and the U.K. will bring some results where we should have a couple more going. As of now, REACH has its executive board of nine, an advisory board of eight members - all this information is on our website - and we have a general membership of approximately 35 to 40, right about now. That was before tonight [Dec. 11], and tonight has been really great. Good stuff.

E.L.: And we have a book drive project. The books have actually been sent to Ghana. It was work by a couple of our executive board members, who already had this plan going before we officially formed REACH. So the idea was, they were able to get donations, and raised money to get textbooks to send to the medical school in Ghana.

M.S.: There are some books that are already in Ghana, we’re still soliciting for more. The point is there are certain books that you just can’t do without. Reference books for example, you can’t have reference books be outdated. And that’s what you see in a couple of the universities in Ghana. It’s not that they’re no good if they haven’t been updated, but if a book is ten years old, there’s so much information, I mean, just coming from a research background, you find out so much in a year in one field, that in ten years you’re missing so much. We thought that that would be an easy contribution.

E.L.: Yea, adding to the catalogue of materials that we already have. We’re not saying that Ghana doesn’t have any books; we’re saying that the more access, the larger access and a wider range of access to textbooks and research is better. More is better, that’s the idea.

M.S.: Related to this book drive project is also a web portal project that we’re planning, where it’s going to be basically a portal where health students and professionals in Ghana and over here, will have access to different kinds of information. So for example, students in Ghana should be able to access, you know, all the basic scientific journals and databases available. If somebody is a medical student in America and has a question about a tropical disease such as malaria, that is not known about as much, they can easily send a message to this portal, and a student in Legon [University of Ghana] should be able to pick that up and say, hey, this is what we know about malaria here. Same here, if there is a question about rheumatoid arthritis, which people might not know much about in Ghana, then they’ll do that. We’re thinking that should apply to not just medicine, nursing, psychology, public policy, whatever it is, basically making use of technology to make the exchange of information that much easier.

[Photo Insert: REACH prospective member holding the REACH membership Form.]

Circumspect: What do you think Ghana’s key health issues are, and what recommendations or hopes do you have for overcoming them?

M.S.: Ooh, that is a hard question. I mean I can tell you what some of the key health issues are, but recommendations; that would take a textbook. Okay, malaria is still a serious issue, which is sad almost. Because, I mean, people can’t even afford malaria medication, or if they have malaria, if you’re in a really rural area, you don’t even know what it is you have. You can’t even go to a hospital because there is no hospital right there. Yeah, malaria is one of the big killers in Ghana. And it’s getting more complicated because the more this problem goes on, there are strains of malaria that are becoming more resistant to the medications that are available. So, the more people are getting infected by malaria that can’t be treated, the more of a killer it’s becoming. HIV is another problem, I mean; it’s not as bad in Ghana as other areas in Africa.

E.L.: But that has been because there’s been a saturation of, and an influx of money, sponsors and donors in education on HIV/AIDS. So that’s a success area of showing that if you have the infrastructure, the commitment, the money and the education, you can have success. Those four things are very important. If you generalize that to the Ghanaian healthcare system, I think that’s the big issue: commitment, the money, the education, and competent people running the system.

M.S.: I agree.

E.L.: You should be fine, because you’re providing the groundwork for people to be innovative. Healthcare should not just be a top-down approach, it can also be a bottom-up approach, but if there’s no infrastructure to allow that to happen, there’s no money to allow that to happen, there’s no competency for that to happen, and there’s no commitment for that to happen, it’s just a recipe for disaster.

M.S.: Yeah. And I mean, of course, that’s part of the reason for REACH. We’re still trying to put our heads together to think. There are models that have worked in other parts of the world, but what’s going to happen is that we’re going to have to come up with our own way for how healthcare is going to work in Ghana. And that’s why we’re together; we’re all still learning from each other, learning from our older advisory board people, whoever it is. It’s good, it’s a learning process for all of us, and hopefully we come up with something great in the end.

E.L.: We’re definitely not claiming to be the know-all, be-all of everything. What we’re doing is presenting our self as an instrument for use for contact and an instrument where people with like-minded ideas and visions can come together.
[Photo Insert: REACH executives and members at the organization's happy hour networking event on Dec. 11.]

M.S.: We’re basically saying, everybody come. Let’s brainstorm, let’s figure this thing out, let’s get it down.

Circumspect: Any last words?

M.S.: Join REACH. And it doesn’t matter; you don’t have to be from a healthcare background. Actually on this executive board, there are only some of us that have healthcare backgrounds. Obviously you need technology, like we said we’re trying to make all of these projects sustainable. You need marketing tools, you need all kinds of different things. I mean, I can’t think of what discipline I can say is not relevant to what we’re doing. Bennie is a sociologist, that’s part of what we’re doing on this HIV project; trying to figure out what the social premise behind higher HIV prevalence in Agomanya is.

E.L: What are some of socio-cultural characteristics that affect or influence whether a program can be successful in this area as opposed to another area.

M.S.: So don’t be turned off just by thinking, oh healthcare. No, that’s not what it is. We need everybody on board.

E.L.: Some organizations have been successful in linking social marketing and profit making to healthcare. Some organizations have been able to link already profitable programs to healthcare. For example, the Grameen Bank. Known for small-scale finance, but now they’ve realized that they’re working in countries that have healthcare issues, and they’ve been able to tailor their programs to fit the need. So there’s room for everybody at the table, and people need to realize that. My parting message is join REACH, but also realize that there’s room for everybody. It’s just a question of getting involved. Building that spirit of volunteerism, spirit of innovation, and just realizing that it’s all about coming together, working together as a group; because unity is very important.

[Photo Insert: Participant at REACH's Bukom Happy Hour in D.C. signing up as a REACH member.]

I think that, there’s a quote, I can’t remember, about what Kwame Nkrumah said when he was addressing parliament, less than a year after coming into power. He basically said, that we will be judged as a country by how our healthcare, our education, our children, - are they able to wake up in the morning and eat? Are they able to go to school? Those are the things that a country and a government should be judged on. I think that’s very important. Mandela has another quote that says that the measurement of a society is how they treat the children, and we’re thinking about the future. So I think that the mark of Ghana should be how we help each other out, and how our country progresses, for better healthcare, and even to other things. Healthcare is just one aspect of development.

M.S.: There are people who have said, oh, why Ghana? People in America are struggling with access to healthcare as well. Well, Ghana because there are people who have to travel two hours just to get to a basic healthcare centre. It’s not the same in America. You have an emergency, you can call 911 and someone will get to you in five minutes; in most areas of America. I mean, it’s a different question altogether, it’s not even about who can pay to go, it’s about is it even there. And it’s not there in Ghana, most of the time.

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Photo Source: REACH Ghana Facebook Page and Website