Circumspecte

Every year the Mount Holyoke African and Caribbean Students Association (MHACASA) has an event called African-Caribbean Day (AC Day) which is used to sensitise the college community and general public on African and Caribbean culture, issues, etc. These are videos that were shown at AC Day 2006 and 2007 respectively. The main topic covered in the first video: explaining the phenomenon of African and Caribbean women's hair. The second video deals with the fact that Africa is a CONTINENT, not a country, and also some variations in communication through the English language.

Bonsoir! Or should I say Bonjour since its already 12:33am. So on Saturday night, my roommate and I had a special Eid Soiree to mark the end of Ramadan which was actually last weekend. We decided to host it this weekend because 1)My roommate and a couple of the potential guests were off to Barcelona (which is only 3 hours away from Montpellier) for the weekend for birthday celebrations--I couldn't go cos I had a phone interview, and I didn't want to take the chance of holding it while on a train in God-knows-where-- 2) We hadn't really given much enough notice to all the invitees, and 3) Well, lets just say that weekend just wasn't the right one...I didn't really feel up to anything. So, the soiree turned out pretty well. Me and Nana Yaa woke up around 9:30am..actually, I woke up at 9:30am and woke her up and hour later cos she had a late night...and yes, 9:30am is early for us considering we don't always go to bed early...don't ask what we stay up doing, co...

Hi all, Its been a while since i've spent a considerable amount of time on here and honestly, I feel so overwhelmed when I get on cos there are sooo many changes and what nots that I know absolutely nothing aba. lol Simply put, i feel lost on facebook. lol. Anyways. France/Montpellier is heavenly. I'm definitely having a good time and taking in the culture and all of that... oh yea, and still dabbling around with my french. Mais c'est normal.lol. So, i finally got a chance to actually sit at a computer and do something else other than just checking and replying emails, and that feeling of being lost on facebook just multiplied itself by a thousand. I now understand how easy it is to stay in one lil corner of the world and have life pass you by without knowing. I decided to see whats been happening in Gh on myjoyonline.com only to find theres an ethnic feud in the North? Seriously, one has to wonder. I cant go into detail on my thoughts on that right now, but soon as my inte...

Since ancient times, poverty and starvation have been blots of ink on the seemingly well-written manuscript of human society. Although many organizations and societies work hard to eradicate poverty and ensure that everybody enjoys their right to the basic necessities of life, the dream of a well-fed, poverty-free society is yet to be realized. Day-in and day-out, children see the sun rise and set without a crumb of bread gracing their tongues. Parents have no choice but to stand by and watch while their families are torn apart for want of enough food in the household. Friends become enemies when all reason is lost and the basic instinct for survival takes over. In the midst of all the confusion and injustice, a silent storm brews. Every year the world over, people of different cultures, different races and different realities stand together and pay homage to the poor and needy in society, who in most cases, have to live in starvation daily through no fault of theirs. The holy month of...

Like many who set off on a new journey in life, I looked forward to my year in France with many hopes, a couple of doubts, and a determination to make the most of my year abroad. Having travelled a thousand or so miles to the United States from Ghana, the plane ride from the US to France held more of a sentiment of returning home than of leaving home. For one thing, France is just two hours ahead of Ghana in comparison to the four hours time difference between Ghana and the United States. The knowledge that I could count on saying ‘bonjour’ to Monsieur Soleil at least 300 days of the year was also enough to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. What I didn’t expect however, was that the culture I considered alien and novel would actually be closer to home than I thought. Paris. For many, that name imbibes romance, art, more romance and maybe a dash of history here and there. On the surface, there is absolutely nothing in common between Ghana and Paris. That is, until my roommate, my ...

Women’s Human Rights in Africa. Do they even exist? One would be tempted to ask this very question given the large number of human rights abuse cases in African countries. Well, the answer to this question is…. Silence. Let’s just say that you cannot really qualify it as a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. There’s no fine line here. What can be said about it though is the fact that there is a greater level of appreciation for women’s human rights in Africa now than before. In recent times, human rights abuse watch organizations such as Amnesty International have succeeded in pushing for the recognition of basic human rights in many African countries. Unfortunately, due to numerous factors, there are millions of African women who have neither the choice nor the chance to so much as speak in the presence of their male counterparts. As you can imagine, the voice of women which is barely above a whisper does nothing to alleviate the problems arising from potentially harmful practices such as female genital...

“If today, as we speak, I see a boat going, I would be among the volunteers, let alone tomorrow,” said Malick Sall, a young electrician in his mid-twenties. “If most of us are trying to leave this country, it's because we have no opportunities here,” he said, blaming the “government for not helping the youth at all.” The sentiments of this young man were featured in a BBC online article dated November 6th, 2006 along with numerous other stories concerning the increasing number of casualties and crack-downs on illegal immigrants heading for the Canary Islands from Senegal and other West African countries. Who in their ‘right’ mind would cross the Atlantic Ocean in a tiny fishing boat? Most likely someone who has virtually nothing to lose except his or her life. According to Samori Sy, a native of Senegal and a current junior at the University of Maryland, illegal immigration has been a common practice in Senegal for many years. However, in recent times, the situation has escalated b...

Democracy in Africa is kin to a newly hatched egg that needs to be protected and kept warm in order to ensure its full development. The slightest disturbance and that egg could fall, break and literally shatter into a thousand pieces. The mother hen might not be too happy about losing her baby, but what is even more distressing is the fact that a golden opportunity, an element of hope, would have disappeared into absolute nothingness in the twinkle of an eye. Such is the fragility of democracy and the electoral process in most African countries. From tampering with ballots to leaders reluctant to relinquish power at the end of their term, the electoral process in Africa is not one without its issues. But even in the midst of all the anxiety surrounding elections in many African nations, some countries have made significant progress in ensuring free and fair elections. The successful transition of power to the first female African Head-of-State, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberi...

Imagine a plot of land, dry and wasted. In the distance, a woman and her two children sort through the ground, looking for remnants of what used to be their farmland. Nearby, construction is underway for a cigarette factory. Even before the factory is completed, the devastating effects this 'investment' will have on the cultural, social and economic norms of this community are far beyond imaginable. This scenario is all too familiar in many African nations. Every day international organizations and developed nations come forth with proposals to 'improve' the economic and social conditions in African nations. Every day, rural communities are displaced, natural habitats destroyed and the environment plagued by the symbols of economic and social development. More often than not, these 'well-to-do' organisations have their own interests at heart. The result: exploitation of African nations struggling to overcome economic and social problems. Philip Morris Internat...

It's just one of those days...one of those weeks...one of those months... Its like a constant swirl...a constant circle...a constant cycle... Do we ever really actually eventually get to where we're going? Or do we just walk the high mile and come back to the start Just a little bit stronger...a little bit wiser...a little bit more sure of ourselves... How many times does one have to tell oneself "I'm not going to do this again" and then a second later...a minute later...an hour later...on a good day, a year later.. You realize "Oh, I dun walked down this same old dusty road before" And then...well, then you just gotta keep going I guess. You walk that same road again, only this time around, maybe its not so dusty And maybe, there is some life in it after all... I mean, this time around, there is a patch of grass growing right on the sideway Or maybe, it all seems very logical that you tripped and fell and perhaps scarred your knee a bit here and there.....

Helplessness Helplessness. That's what there is to feel. To Know there is a time bomb being planted right at your doorstep and there's nothing you can do about it. What more can you do? To know a gang of thieves is being let in under the guise of friends yet we just stand there and accept them is almost unbearable. To know a glimmer of hope could potentially be extinguished in a mere second is more than heartbreaking. But then again, I guess this is the price to pay for knowing. For being aware. Sometimes ignorance is a cloak that protects us from our sad realities.

Ramblings Of My Heart Once in a while you encounter situations, people, things that make you realize that somethings you just say, or think or do are really inconsequential relative to what other people are going through. I'm not one who usually sets new year resolutions on january 1st. Why? Because my actual new year is july 20th and also because making resolutions and reaffirming them should not be constrained to one particular day or time. All the same I guess I can officially label 2006 my year of Revolutions. What kind of revolutions you might ask? Revolutions about who I am, who I was, who I might become, and more especially revolutions about where I come from. I have always been a proud Ghanaian/African, but in recent times, I'm even more proud of where I'm from. The irony of it all though is that I had to leave Ghana, and come all the way here to the US before I actually saw things I knew all along or thought I knew all along. You see, every country has its own prob...

Circumstances Coincidental? Destined? I dunno, you tell me Exciting? Interesting? Pure Waste of Time? Beats me! Confusing? Mind Boggling? Mysterious? You bet. Okay, so as always, I dunno half about what I wanna write. Just feel like scribbling...but int tht jus a circumstance? Coincidental or destined? Yes. So thats the bottomline. Regardless of whatever adjectives or adverbs or other descriptive words we decide to use to describe our situations (circumstances), they essentially at core remain in their natural element: Circumstances. You can choose to go all optimistic. You can choose to go all drab and pessimistic. You can choose not to choose (Too late, you still chose) or you can be realistic. Take what comes your way, make it work. Not every "unfortunate" occurence has to be so. Or does it? Only if you allow it. Maybe our destinies are already outlined for us. Maybe not. Eitherways, we will all get to where we are supposed to be. That doesn't mean that if you're n...

First come the winds, strong as a lioness pursuing her prey, Then comes the drizzle, sharp as pin-needles, fast as the gazette, Soon enough the lightning strikes, blazing its glory across the evening sky, All too quickly the storm takes over. Trees are hurled, pulled up by their roots; the foundation of their lives Lost birds in flight try to navigate, but all in vain, for against the current, their direction is nought Children hold onto their mothers, clinging in fear, yet gripped with anticipation And just as it began, with the eerie calm of the evening time, so does it suddenly stop She surveys the disaster; every single twig broken, leaf torn, bird lost Across the horizon, a myriad of carcasses lie; the remnants of the inhabitants that once roamed free As her eyes take in the destruction, her eyes fill with tears As her lips tremble, the evidence of the silent scream she controls does show As the world looks down at her in pity,her soul keeps on Keeps on listening to the silent rhy...