Monday 31 October 2011

Appeal For Funds

Uh-oh!! it's raining again!! HEAVILY! we can't afford to lose more lives because of rain.
President Mills says he's going to source for funds to construct  storm drains. So please whichever coutry it is that we're begging from, pay up fast!! We need the money ASAP!!

my heart goes out to all those who have no roofs over their heads :(
heaven shelter them
It won't be pretty in the morning *sigh* but we can only pray...and complain, and curse....and forget when the sun comes out again...

Do you wanna be a star????

I don't watch a lot of TV, it's usually quite depressing or boring and I can find most of it on the internet anyway. Anyway, I happened to see a snippet of some programme on some channel (forgive the vagueness). The presenter was asking a young man, who I cannot identify, if he knew and had what it took to make it as a musician.
I also have a few non-Ghanaian (and some older Ghanaians) asking what "the azonto" is all about. I will now  proceed to kill two birds with one stone.
I have done some careful research and I have the answer to the interviewer's question. Take notes, in case anyone else wants to make it big in that field. I am proving my hypothesis with video clips (yes,any excuse will do)


  • Sunglasses!!

You need shades! The more the merrier. This is also especially helpful if you're not very good looking, your expensive, designer [looking] shades will dazzle the masses. But if you wear them as visual appeal enhancers please remember not to take them off for interviews etc after you make it big.





  •  The Azonto beat and/or Azonto moves

Please note that this is what is currently hot, so jump on the bandwagon Now or engineer The Next Big Thing.
The Urban Dictionary defines it as: An original Ghanaian dance in which involves rigorous hip movement and silly facial expressions.
I must add: It may also involve mock punching motions, kicks, jerky neck motions among others. Thrives on embellishment, so "feel free"
Illustration:


for further practice, any of these will do:












  •  Be as cute as a button, it helps. 






For some of you it is too late as your gene pool may have already conspired against you. Don't panic, refer to step 1.
It might also help if you get a trendy hairstyle and make friends with musically-inclined athletes.

  • The tune must be danceable!! WE WANT TO DANCE!!! we don't care what you're saying. 



  • If you don't av a signature move get a Catch phrase or a killer chorus!  that might just do the trick
Catch phrases: Sarkodie: obidip)nbidi * Richie: you know the name right * Kwaw kese: abodam *repeated while mock-smashing your fist against the side of your head*

Killer choruses:
Ajeii - R2Bees
Bossu Kena! - Five5
Dance like a butterfly - Xigi

The point of this is that the rest of the song becomes...well, irrelevant to a large extent. They'll chime in at the chorus eg




                                                 *scrolls at the bottom on the screen*
We are sorry we have come to the end of transmission for today. GTV, station of the Nation

Sunday 30 October 2011

a page from "Living with the Natives" by Dr. V. Settled and Mr. J.J.C Smith

                                                      CHAPTER 3: DRIVING

Super fast reflexes and lightning fast reactions.


Sensitive hearing.


Intuition...you must think for and anticipate every move of the others.


Pilot-grade eyesight.


Ability to think on your feet.


Must be cool, calm and collected.
Must have stamina.

These are not the attributes listed on an ad for a superhero or secret agent.
Far from it.
These are skills you must possess to be able to drive in Accra or Kumasi. ( I'm pretty sure these skills are transferable). The natives drive in a manner only they understand. The roads signs and markings are for beautification of the city and are apparently not in actual use.

When you set off from home you need your sensitive ears to decipher what the honking horns are saying: "get out of the way, you idiot!" or "I want passengers". Do not be alarmed.
You need to think for the other morons road users, especially trotro and taxi drivers. These people seem to be very well trained in the art and science of infuriatingly artful stupidity on the road. Most of the razor sharp reflexes and responses will be employed to fend off their lunges and crossings.
Alternatively submit to them, a few scratches or near  accidents may occur plus longer journeys.

You need stamina to survive the mind numbing traffic. Manual or automatic, porshe cayenne, Bentley or nissan bluebird '(A' registration) "obiara ny3 obiara", (as the natives say). We all stand still and fume, literally and figuratively. The old trotro to your left will provide thick black smoke from its exhaust that you will smell through air conditioning and tightly shut windows.
You need to be cool, calm and collected or you might develop a heart condition at worst, very high BP at best, if you're a regular commuter-driver. Failing this you may morph into the Hulk (green tint not included with humans with melanin) when road rage takes over. Let me add that without the green hue your brilliance may not be recognised and you may resemble a screaming idiot.
The excellent eyesight is needed to spot potential nonsense before it happens. You probably need xray vision but failing this having your wits about you will suffice. More often than not there is only a split second indication of what the driver is about to do. Your xray vision must spot this from metres or centimetres away so you can respond accordingly. (Used in conjunction with super fast reflexes)

The ability to think on your feet is two-pronged. There is no chapter on walking/pedestrians because i do not advice or recommend it. The life of a pedestrian is fraught with danger and maybe short; the end maybe brutish. When you find yourself on your feet,THINK and get into a car. At least the surrounding metal will protect you better than your own skin. If you must walk be quick&careful, especially when crossing roads. Remember that the Zebra crossing may be one for beautification and not in actual use

                                                                                                                                                         45

Friday 28 October 2011

Movies I should see but can't: The Dead

I hear there's a lovely Nb. i'm using this word very, very loosely, film out called The Dead, with Prince David Osei and good old David Dontoh, among others. It's an international movie, though low budget, but it's great to see not one but two Ghanaian actors in it. I hope they don't ham it up too much and say anything cringe-worthy. I am not a fan of horror films (Dear Michael [Jackson] had to die before I got over my fear of Thriller. That cackle sends me diving for cover *shudders*
Hopefully a film like this will inspire the local horror (literally) film industry to try a little harder and look beyond their usual witches and deities for inspiration...,ok, maybe that's asking too much for now,  perhaps better special effects would be nice. (Even I can watch those movies)



Synopsis:
When the last evacuation flight out of war-torn Africa crashes off the coast, American Air Force Engineer Lieutenant Brian Murphy (ROB FREEMAN) emerges as the sole survivor in a land where the dead are returning to life and attacking the living.

On the run in a hostile and inhospitable parched landscape, where sudden death lurks around every sun-burnished corner, Murphy has to use his wits and ingenuity if he is to get home alive to his family.

When Murphys path clashes with that of Sergeant Daniel Dembele (PRINCE DAVID OSEI), whose village has been torn apart by the reanimated dead, they join forces. The two desperate men from two very different cultures fight side by side to survive across the incredible vistas of Africa as the world succumbs to the deadliest of viruses.

In the first zombie road movie set against the spectacular vistas of Africa, the Dark Continent becomes a dead zone. A stunningly shot horror fantasy announcing the arrival of the Ford Brothers on the global genre scene, THE DEAD is as much an emotional journey through terror terrain as it is a physically demanding and beautiful-looking one. Shot in life-threatening, never-before-seen locations in Burkina Faso, French-speaking West Africa, and Ghana, including the Sahara Desert, on 35mm film by the award-winning Ford Brothers, THE DEAD is one of the most unique zombie movies of all time.

Taken from: thedeaduk.webeden.co.uk/#/synopsis/4554841749

So far it's receiving pretty good reviews, unfortunately I am a wuss, so I will not be watching it. Such a big one, in fact, that I couldn't bear to embed the trailer, lest I see some of it while I was at it. 
Just the sight of the zombie's face on the movie poster sent such a chill down my spine that I will say my prayers fervently, cover my head with pillows and sleep with the lights on. 
For those of you who enjoy crapping in your pants and that sort of thing, happy viewing!! 
Prince David Osei
David Dontoh

Niggling questions :)



Androgynous is defined as having the characteristics or nature of both male and female or
                          neither specifically feminine nor masculine or suitable to or 
                          for either sex for eg. androgynous clothing.

Ever so often I like wearing suits and a tie or bow tie or braces and brogues to experiment androgynous looks. Nothing special about that. 
We've all met at least one person whose gender we immediately couldn't decipher, right? But it usually becomes apparent pretty soon - as in the cases of very pretty boys and extremely boyish girls.

This is different. And Special!

The first time I saw Andrej Pejic I was completely blown away. I could NOT and still CANNOT believe he is a man! His waist is probably smaller than mine and I'm pretty small!
He's pictured here (for Brazilian label Auslander's Spring 2012 campaign
I need to know: Where are his....u know...bits??!?
He looks extra girly beside Rico the Zombie


I still can't believe it and do a double take every time..


every single time..

smh.
It's not even fair.
Ps. Is there a picture of his bits anywhere??? ...he has...bits..right?? 
o_0
right??
pps. Any black men this androgynous?? just curious 

Wednesday 26 October 2011

Surprise!!!

Surprise!!! I usually don't like surprises (unless it's a surprise birthday party, hint hint hint)
Neither does Ghana, apparently. Especially surprise rainfall!
Oops. No one told the rains that...truth is expected or unexpected: the value is the same!
see : http://alawyerinheelsandanapron.blogspot.com/2009/06/vultures-and-other-relatives.html (wrote that in 2009, 2 years later : ta-daaa!!)
People shared these with me, so I'm sharing with you.
Should I bet that next year, maybe sooner, I'll have some more?? (and the year after that..and after..and after) ...I'm just saying...

http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201110/75420.php





This picture was rightly titled "y3 b3wu nti y3nda? - they're already in trouble but there's nothing they can do about it so they might as well have a pint,lol


Vultures and our other Relatives
Update (Friday, 28th October 2011):
Ironically, while I thought we were safe and sound from all flood water and damage high up on the 2nd floor -3rd,if you count the ground floor as 1-  my dad's Benz which had gone to the garage/mechanic to be sprayed or something was completely filled up with water. Who knew it had a second purpose as a cup!? smh.
Now begins the process of dismantling it, well movable parts, so it can dry out; draining it of all oils and water and then calling an electronics expert. Apparently the same fate befell Rana Motors and the other car people on that road: brand new cars all submerged *sigh*
(does that mean they'll sell them for cheap???)

As as today 11 people have lost their lives, well that's the figure that was reported (http://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2011/10/28/eleven-deaths-recorded-in-accra-floods-%E2%80%93-nadmo/). I don't have any figures for the damage to property, doubt that anyone does.
So here in Accra, as hot as it is, we're hoping for no more rain.

Celebrating deaths








I was almost determined not to write about Brother Gaddafi, there are too many fires raging already...but my mind is endlessly debating the matter and won't let me sleep.

It's 12.15am now and I see no end in sight. I have a 12hour school day ahead so I'm humouring myself so I can get some rest. Pardon me for this looong post and if my thoughts are all jumbled, I'm sleepy.
I just read Gaddafi's last speech (and commented on it, see above) and I cannot believe that I feel so much sympathy for someone who was probably one of the worst tyrants of our time. I have no doubt in my mind that he had his country's interests at heart and was working towards them. I went as far as wishing some of our politicians could take a cue from his focus. His personal excesses are another matter altogether but now, most of what I have are questions. Hence this boxing match in my mind that's keeping me up right now.


I can't help but think of Nkrumah and Gaddafi, Ghana and Libya and draw parallels. We also had a visionary who had the dream of uniting Africa and turned rogue too. I can't help but think: What if it has been Ghana in Libya's position? We have oil (and a couple of other things) too. If we were supposedly being 'terrorised' by a visionary despot would the world rush to our aid and intervene? Would the level of development that Nkrumah would have probably achieved be enough to keep us happy? Would we have rebelled at all, instead of being Ghanaian and grumbling in our bedrooms and smiling outside them? Would we have literally stuck a stick up his ***e in the end?? :(

I can't help but see the irony of the Libyan situation:

Gaddafi got to power by removing a monarch and then proceeded to establish his own by grooming his son(s) for the hot seat and ruling for over 40 years.

Gaddafi was relentless against his enemies, some were tortured, killed, some disappeared others fled. The result of absolute power is absolute corruption, so are we surprised? In the end he was pursued by NATO and its allies in a similar fashion: relentlessly.

Gaddafi hated foreign intervention and yet he has meddled in the destinies of many African countries, helping many leaders to and out of power. Yet he yelped the loudest about the foreign invasion in his own country. Or because his interventionist tendencies were towards Africans it doesn't count?

But who has helped his people (and other Africans) immensely? In Libya electricity was free. There was no interest on loans, banks in Libya are state-owned and loans given to all its citizens at 0% interest by law. A home considered a human right in Libya –Gaddafi vowed that his parents would not get a house until everyone in Libya had a home and he lived in a tent for most of the time. All newly weds in Libya receive $60,000 Dinar (US$50,000) by the government to buy their first apartment so to help start up the family. Education and medical treatments are free in Libya. Before Gaddafi only 25% of Libyans were literate. Today the figure is 83%. Libyans who want to take up farming career,would receive farming land, a farming house, equipments, seeds and livestock to kick-start their farms –all for free. If Libyans cannot find the education or medical facilities they need in Libya, the government funds them to go abroad for it – not only free but they get US$2,300/mth accommodation and car allowance. If a Libyan buys a car, the government subsidized  the price by 50%. The price of petrol in Libya is $0.14 per litre, the cheapest in the world. Libya has no external debt and its reserves amount to $150 billion – now frozen globally. If a Libyan is unable to get employment after graduation the state would pay the average salary of the profession as if he or she is employed until employment is found. A portion of Libyan oil sale is, credited directly to the bank accounts of all Libyan citizens. A mother who gave birth to a child receive US$5,000. Gaddafi carried out the world’s largest irrigation project, known as the Great Man-Made River project, to make water readily available throughout the desert country
The same Gaddafi. hmmmm.


The Worst West hail freedom and democracy but no single state in the West has been able to take care of their people to the extent that Libya could. In fact, aren't they all facing financial meltdowns of various proportions or recovering from them? All I see are pots calling the kettle black. At least Gaddafi was balsy enough to do his dirty work himself. The West does theirs with diplomacy and legalised wars. But who are they really accountable to? The UN and ICJ?? They have very flexible precedents, making it hard to predict...actually, rather easier to predict outcomes: if you're 'against' them you will lose.


And what about Somalia, Ethiopia and Rwanda? and other problem spots on our continent? Hasn't the UN seen them? Hasn't the US and France seen them?? Or must they dye and pour all their cooking oil into a hole before they can get the world's attention?

What is the AU doing?? what do they even do??


Ghanaians hail Nkrumah as a hero now, there's even a holiday in his honour now. But if I understood the historical accounts correctly we drove him away amidst celebrations. So now we have managed to separate the visionary from the (potential) despot, haven't we? Can't this be done for Qaddafi? There seem to be as many sides of Qaddafi as there are spellings of his name. So could there have been no good in him?? Why do I forsee Bra Qaddafi being hailed (universally) as (more of a) hero in the future?



What exactly is freedom??

Is it the right to say and write what you damn well like and damn the consequences? Do as you please with no repercussions?

Would you consider responsibilities a freedom?

More of a burden than wings,no?

Which would you rather be: an uneducated man making his way through life, as free as a bird.

Or an educated-for-free, housed man with access to free healthcare, a well paying job, unemployment benefits, etc in a gilded cage?

Can humans really be pleased?

Or ever satisfied?

It seems as if the more that is done the more we realised we lack.

All I have are questions.



Gaddafi was obviously not a perfect man but who is? He was a brutal man, but don't judge so quickly, do you know what potential you have to be cruel? Be careful not to judge too harshly. In primary school if you were ever allowed to write names of talkatives in class didn't you slyly eye that boy in your class who, the day before, shoved you from behind, sending you sprawling into the sand. As you remembered your humiliation and the sand grinding between your teeth, the thought that you could punish him with your new found power must have been very,very satisfying. Wouldn't you have written that name down? Now multiply that power by a million, visualise your enemies and tormentors and tell me you don't have the potential to be a despot.
You see..it's not that straightforward is it?


I subscribe to the view that Africans need benevolent dictators as leaders. (do not start picketing yet, wait and listen)
Not the kind who will murders us in our beds and keep us cowering but the ones who will crack the whip to keep us in check. Make the hard decisions needed to move us forward. So democracy may not be the best vehicle for political activity in Africa, where many societies are not yet solidly united for a common purpose. We're still polarised; divided along ethnic and tribal lines. The levels of literacy alone will make if difficult for the least amongst us to understand why we're tightening our belts. All that man knows is that he must eat. And come election time out the leader goes. So what's the way forward? Think about it. What other system could possibly work? But with the kind of politicians we have there seems to be no other safeguard except get rid of them when they oppress us. But what is oppression? and who defines it? not having enough to eat or wear is oppressive, no? *sigh*
All I have are questions.

The world is a very scary place as far as I am concerned right now. All I have is questions and every answer can be argued a hundred ways, raising a hundred other questions along the way. There is something to be said about people who celebrate the deaths of others, I just don't know what it is, but I know it's not good. There must be a reason why ill should not be spoken of the dead, has their judgement not come to them?

All I want to do now is sleep and hope intervening thoughts and similar nightmares will vanish.




Muammar bin Mohammad bin Abdussalam bi Humayd bin Abu Manyar bin Humayd bin Nayil al Fuhsi Gaddafi enigma, despot to some, redeemer to others, undeniably the driver of development in Libya, relentless pursuer of his enemies, 'mediator'/meddler in affiars of African countries, pushed to the wall and murdered in the worst fashion...perhaps not dissimilar to treatment meted out to enemies, but undeserved nonetheless. RIP

Wednesday 19 October 2011

Room to Let, apply with character references

I have been house...um, more like room..ok, apartment hunting. I don't have to or want to explain why I want to move out of my cosy matchbox home but I do #thatisall.
Anyway,I have realized a few things as I have been searching, let's call it Househunting 101.
Ps. I am a student and I am at that (self-imposed) age where I think I have burdened my parents enough, so I'm trying to 'get this myself'. If you have a blank cheque as your budget or your parents are happily (operative word: happily. Not grudgingly, reluctantly or why-the-hell-are-you-doing-this-ly) paying for this move for you, by all means do the opposite of what I suggest or disregard this entirely.
 If fact, don't read it at all.
Go away right now.
Now!
thank you.


House-hunting 101


1. Wipe that image from your mind. This is not a search for your dream house. It is a search for a place to lay your bones without a leaky roof, rodents and mouldy walls or overly-dodgy looking sockets. #thatisall. Lower your standards:

2.Your time will be wasted. Patience is the best virtue to cultivate. Devote an entire day to viewings if you have to. Scheduling anything else on this day may lead to disaster. The agent might have something important to do...like take a bath...because he feels hot and grubby...while you wait, getting hot and grubby. -_____-

3. Respect yourself and your pocket. If they had a flashy advertisement in the newspaper or on the internet you probably cannot afford them. Don't bother calling.
If you are stubborn do call, the better the spoken English the higher the chances that you cannot afford it.  If you hear accented, 'borga' or foreigner's English just Cut the line.
Find the local 'move' man in the neighbourhood and let him know, it will triple your chances. *EL's One Ghana for your pocket plays in the background* E.L – One Ghana (For Your Pocket) | Ghana Mixtapes

4. In Ghana the official currency is the dollar. If you didn't know, educate yourself. 'S3b3' the dirtiest looking urchin will quote his rates in dollars. You might even wonder if he has seen a dollar note before. But for all you know he's 'chopped' more dollars in rent that you have ever spent.

5.The further away you get from the place you want to be, the more affordable it is.  practical examples: Don't ask about Osu, ask about South La Estates. Forget Labone choose Apapa. What is Cantonments?? Wirelss is the place for you. Don't bother with Asylum Down, try Adabraka or Circle. East Legon sounds good doesn't it? Move along further to Adringanor or  Maajor. Did u ask about Dzoworlu? you're not listening....

6.Get used to disappointment and expect the worst. Agents will disappoint you. Home-owners will make unrealistic demands (for example: one said he has to "see my character" before he could rent out his place to me. Unfortunately I did not have a photo of it on hand.

6a. Take a photo of your character along.

7.You will probably go over your budget to get something close to what you can accept (not want, or fall in love with but simply Accept ).

8. Dress appropriately. The better you look, the greater the resistance to reductions and compromises. So it is not the time to deck yourself out in your Sunday best. Save it for Christmas.

9. The more you see the better. Contact as many people as possible, so you can shop around. Ask at church, at work, at your salon/barbering shop. Ask everyone.

2 b.This should have been higher up on the list but never mind. You will meet many characters on this journey to find a home. Some of the people you will meet will smell better than others.
Do not flinch.
Do not comment. Just don't make the mistake of sitting in an air-conditioned car with the..umm, less sweet-smelling ones.

2.c. If you drive and have a functional AC please put off your AC before picking up an agent to avoid nasal seizures. These may be accompanied/characterised by nose wrinkling, rapid eye blinking, heavy sighing etc. Better to sweat and be able to breathe than cool and gasping for air.

10. Plenty of patience is needed.
(Yes, I know that i've said that already. You need a reminder).

Still searching...can't wait for the day development will come and affordable housing will be a reality in Ghana.

Monday 17 October 2011

Sakawa boy or iCEO??

I read a post by a friend at http://poetkowah.blogspot.com/2011/10/if-steve-jobs-was-ghanaian.html so what if Steve Jobs had been Ghanaian? It really got me thinking. Very Hard. I belong/belonged to a group called Candles-n-Hope and we used to offer kids at a nearby school extra help in school on Saturdays. I very soon realized that I did not have the patience to teach so I became the facilitator. I delivered chalk and other supplies to the 'teachers'; gave out pens and books to the students and got to sit in the classes. There I could sit back and see understanding dawn on impressionable young minds, or catch the naughty ones pinching their friends and pulling other peoples' books. One of them struck me the most. He seemed really smart and wanted to study both engineering and medicine at university...if he made it there. How difficult would it be for these kids to rise out of their circumstances without a lot of will and a great deal of help and support? too difficult. Close to impossible. The school was a short distance from my university, and these were in no way the most deprived of children... so what if Steve Jobs had been an average Ghanaian?...what if he had been one of those kids??....he would probably have been aborted to save his parents all the trouble in the first place. Simple. Ethnic issues are considered very serious and his mother might not have wanted to incur more of her father's or her family/society's wrath by keeping the pregnancy. Giving him up for adoption wouldn't really have been one of the options available to his her. Alternatively, she could have abandoned him at a hospital or orphanage and run away very fast. Or perhaps they might have had him and he would have attended a regular, local school. But the standard of education he would have received might have placed him in no position, perhaps even at a disadvantage, to be making phone calls to important people. There are many high school graduates who cannot speak good English. To top it all off Steve Jobs dropped out of school!! This would have definitely been the K.O. in Ghana, where the drop outs are usually hawking on the streets. I could go on, but the odds are that the highest height he may have risen to would have been an internet cafe attendant...where he may have tried his hands at Sakawa (lol). Prettykay sums it into 5 questions at: http://poetkowah.blogspot.com/2011/10/if-steve-jobs-was-ghanaian.html My answers to the questions of behalf of Steve-Ghana Jobs painted a bleak picture. Worst case scenario he wouldn't have been born at all but forced out way before he could survive. But maybe an indomitable will such as his might have survived through it all and still come out tops. I don't doubt it, I am just sceptical, lol. What are your own odds? Answer the questions, looking at your own circumstances. Would you have made it??

Sunday 16 October 2011

SugarHiGh

This holiday I rediscovered my love for baking! simply because I found some of my cake tins. I love baking, trouble is that I usually can't get the people who live in my house to eat what I bake. Don't get me wrong, they taste great (even if I say so myself) but they are all on one diet or another so it makes things a bit difficult...so rather than waste things I was given an idea: sell the rest. That's how SugarHiGh (pronounced Sugar high) just to differentiate it from SugarHighs in other places eg.http://www.sugarhigh.ca or http://sugarhighllc.com. So I make orders so 1.I can 'practice' and get better and 2. they get cake #winning!! Well technically, I experiment first and then people order stuff they're assured taste good,lol. I'm teaching myself how to do a lot of things (until December at least *fingers crossed* when I take an icing course). Thank God for my patient cake addicts who don't stress me out. I am a perfectionist so I give myself enough pressure without any from external sources. have a Facebook album of some of my exploits: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150818914890313.728730.698070312&type=1&l=b159fa05eb If you're too lazy here's a few:
hope to be baking things like this soon:
I'm hoping to make my own birthday cake this year, not sure exactly what I want yet though...a pair of heels is high on the list but if you have any suggestions pretty please let me know...

Thursday 13 October 2011

the Matter of Confidence Tricksters and others

I'm so, so upset right now. why? my confidence trickster tailor has disappointed me. What's annoying me even more is that I'm not getting much sympathy, "Aren't you used to it?" "this is Ghana oo" (accompanied by a dismissive wave of the hand) are the high ranking responses I got when i complained. I'm sure even you mtseww-ed when you read the first line. but..AH!! Ma bre!!!! Adzzzzeeenennn???? Tailors are soooo disappointing!!! and yet we're promoting Friday wear and locally made fabrics with all our might and breath. The Clothing line-people usually charge enough to buy slaves, so unless you are rolling in it you probably can't wear their stuff ever single weekend of the week. So you will surely go to a seamstress/tailor who will "poke your eye" (translate to twi). When you're fortunate enough for him/her, to have made the item of clothing (don't rejoice yet) there will probably be something wrong with it. Ahba! if it's not the hem, it'll be the sleeves or it will be too big or too small. But do you know the worst part, you will still be grateful, albeit secretly, while complaining bitterly out loud. Unfortunately there is a 50% chance that it will not look like your style at allllll. Tears shall flow, how will you find something to wear for that special event tonight or tomorrow morning, how???? Fire and brimstone will be threatened, words exchanged. An ever apologetic artisan willl try to calm you down but it won't work. You will stomp home threatening never to come back.... but another will do the saaaaaaaame thing to you and to add insult to the injury, probably charge you more. Then you will crawl back to your old love and pretend that you are simply feeling sorry for him/her or that a fellow customer begged on his/her behalf. Classic Ghanaian moment. hmmmmm. As if clothes were not bad enough, we decided to get a dresser for my room sometime back. My mum suggested one of the furniture shops on the Spintex road but laziness, as well as a feeling of dread of the deadly spintex traffic caused me to procrastinate until she simply bought one on her way home from the carpenters at Switchback road, near Flair. I have known no peace since this dresser came! There is always something wrong with it. Meaning a carpenter must be brought in to fix it: the drawers wont open...they wont close properly...one is falling in at the back! Meaning my clothes are always homeless and my room looks awful. The very reason why we got the dresser in the first place, so I could organise my clothes. Objective defeated. My mum originally wanted one too but with all this wahala she changed her mind, quick. ei!!! made in Ghana!!! ma bre mo! I really wish i could take it back but our mantra in Ghana is "goods sold out are not returnable". There is a pharmacy at Osu I stalked for about 3 weeks hoping to meet an elusive manager who would authorise the sales people to accept my returned item. I was sooo determined but after 3 weeks my tenacity and determination fled and I gave up, swearing to get them back somehow. One day when i have time, i will sue a shop for that to set an example. Of course the shop wont take it back, because they know the crap (is that a bad word? sorry if it is) they're selling to us consumers! Buying a made in Ghana drink? you must be a devout worshipper and pray it's not rancid. or hope that the seller hasn't kept it longer than it should have been kept or you will have a terrible experience. I'm soo annoyed and no one can be bothered, why? "saa na womu te" This fa-ma-Nyame attitude is killing us oo. I wish I could say I wouldn't buy anything made in Ghana but the tailors and seamstresses will eventually get me; then the drink and plantain chips manufacturers, others will follow. I might even forget about all these confidence tricksters parading as manufacturers, designers, artisans etc, till another bad experience jolts my memory. still sad about my dress. does nothing work in Ghana??? :(

Thursday 6 October 2011

a Movie I have to see: The Help

Our Rotting Apple

I woke up this morning to hear about the death of Steve Jobs. The only Apple item I own is my iPod Touch (and I intend to own a Mac in the near future) so while I didn't gnash my teeth and throw myself to the ground in an expression of grief, I was sad to hear about his passing but my reasons are slightly different from the average Apple user's. (Ghana's) Development agenda or lack of it has been on my mind lately. I look around at all aspects of our daily lives and it is immediately apparent that there's no cohesion or continuity in many things: no specific plan, no VISION. Even in the law, we have a many, many laws that affect the same subject matter but there's not much consolidation or a holistic approach. We simply take things as they come and address them piecemeal, so our 'big picture' is very fragmented, if visible at all. In education, there's no national 'plan', we sing to the tune of political manifestos, playing cheerfully with children's lives and manage to be righteously indignant when the system fails them . Even the traffic situation in big cities across the country is a manifestation of our lack of vision. We are allowing our apple to rot while others built magnificent legacies based on vision. Steve Jobs is credited with being a visionary, so I'm mourning his death for that reason. His vision, his approach and inventions revolutionized technology, perhaps even the world. ( I say perhaps because despite his wide reach, my old grandmother will only associate a Apple out of which a bite has been taken with a dustbin. Many in our world are only concerned with real fruits...for consumption...anyway..) His background wasn't exactly the prototype for a springboard to success but he had his vision. He started small and was consistent with his ideals, working towards their accomplishment. Now apple could probably charge $300 for a 32mb pendrive and it would sell out. That's a lesson we can all learn. Work hard to make your own impact in the world around you through excellence. The world needs more visionaries, we're too focused on today, on Now, forgetting that most of us, by God's Grace, will live on till Tomorrow.

Wednesday 5 October 2011

Labels i'm loving: AfroChic

why am i loving Afrochic?? because their stuff is affordable AND they deliver!!! #winning!! their tagline is catchy too: "get compliments" who doesn't like being complimented?? It takes just "6 simple steps" : http://afrochiconline.blogspot.com/2011/04/11-outfit-you-love-is-always-6-simple.html
they do stuff for guys too, so add something to your fave guy's wardrobe. check them out: http://www.afrochiconline.com/index.php?route=common/home

WATCH THIS!

The Unwrapped gift from Filmaking FILMAKER! on Vimeo.

If this is the future of film in Ghana, then there is HOPE!! @ReEl_San_Te on twitter is responsible for this vid. ps.(kinda unrelated) Don't you just hate the term Ghallywood??? I DO! couldnt we have come up with something more original?? and whenever I hear it words like ghastly, golliwog, gag etc come to mind....

LOUIS VUITTON spring/summer 2012 show

Watching this show (from the comfort of my swivel chair, rather than at the front row *sigh*) made me feel like a big-little girl. It was a twinkly, pretty affair and the laser cut effect gave the dresses 'something'. I'm not a fashion critic, I just enjoyed the show. Not in love with the shoes though. The carousel was a lovely touch and most of the designs are sweet and interesting ( to me anyway). Waiting for ASOS and co to come up with cheaper, more wearable versions. Love this bag! ;)