Circumspecte

…And at the end of the day, when all is said and done, you inhale, and then exhale. Alhamdulilahi (Thanks be to God)My 21st year has been simply exceptional. It was a year of so many blessings - in circumstances, realisations, people, places, ideas, notions...gosh, a myriad of shapes and sizes! It was also a year of so many lessons and a year of growth - both mentally, spiritually, emotionally, psychologically and physically. Most importantly, it was a year where I realized so many dreams and aspirations...and I think its the enormity of the latter that has me literally blown away. " And now that I am in at another crucial point in my life, I ask myself whether the realization that I could do and be anything I wanted to was actually a blessing or a curse in disguise. It’s potential as a curse being that I wouldn’t know what exactly my ultimate goal in life would be." These words were written by me in a college application essay in 2004. And about 4 years later, I can attest...

Okay, so I have been back on the continent (by the continent I mean Africa) for about 2 weeks, and I have finally been re inducted into the genetic makeup. And by 're-inducted into the genetic makeup I don't mean that there was an official welcoming ceremony where I was the guest of honor...or maybe that was actually the case. Basically, I was down with malaria for a while, but I'm doing pretty well now. Why on earth would this girl choose to focus on something as serious and scary as malaria? Well basically because where I'm concerned, anything is open to analysis. First off, I did get an official welcoming party -- hosted by the mosquitoes. So I guess now this means I should be off limits to all mosquitoes? (fingers crossed). Secondly, it just re-emphasized a lot of the things that I learnt during my first week here - regardless of marked differences, we are all the same. I am as susceptible to malaria, HIV/AIDS, discrimination etc as any one of you are. There still e...

Sometimes ignorance is a cloak that protects us from our sad realities. The G8 summit is currently underway in Tokyo, Japan and world leaders are addressing issues related to international trade, the current energy and food crises as well as Africa’s development. Honestly speaking, it’s time to quit all the formalities and cut right to the chase. It won’t take a psychic to predict the outcome of the turn of events. There will be talk, some feet shuffling when the uncomfortable and blatant human rights abuse issues come up, and after that some more talk, and then…as it always happens, silence. How can I be so certain about all of this? Because as history would have it, that has been the case too many times to count. Our supposed ‘world leaders’ will sit together in Tokyo, wear their neatly pressed Italian suits, sip Kenyan coffee, and talk about issues related to Africa and other developing communities. Afterwards, they will get into their luxurious vehicles, hop onto their private jet...

Reminders. So far I have been in Senegal for about a week and every nook and cranny seems to echo strong reminders – reminders of who I am, where I come from, what the real-life, on the ground, living conditions are, and most importantly, why I am undertaking the educational journey that I am. It is very easy to get lost in the midst of things happening around us, to try to remain cognizant of occurrences, but miss the essentialities altogether. And, as much as I have tried to maintain the connection to my roots, while abroad, what was once a strong concentrate is quickening towards a dilute. We often criticize our governments of not keeping the promises they make during election campaigns, but now I can understand why that can be and is possible. As much as I continue to advocate on issues that plague Ghana and other African countries, I am in a sense removed from those conditions – in this case physically, emotionally and psychologically – and as such, like the politician who und...