Introducing: The '16' Journal Series

Okay, so writing is one thing that I adore (evidemment). But at different points in my life, it has meant different things. At one point in time, it was for anger management. Yes anger management. This was especially the case when I was in junior high (JSS) and one of my classmates or another would annoy me. You know how adolescents are: They're already confused and their homonal imblanaces go and confuse them some more. Anyway, when someone tried to anger or annoy me, I would just pick up a pen/pencil and scribble away. And it worked wonders many times.

Eventually, I started compiling all those "Calm yourself down" notes to myself and thought about how difficult being a teenager or adolescent is. Thus came another era in my experience as a writer. I wanted to do something that was beneficial not only to myself, but most likely to other young people who were undoubtedly going through similar issues as myself. I got that opportunity when I worked as an Administrative Assistant and Editor at a newly formed publishing company in Accra, Piper Editions. Thus came the concept of "The '16' Journal".

Basically, "The 16 Journal" is an interactive self-help book that is a compilation of journal entries by 4 teenagers - Tungtaeya, Bolade, Afi and Mash. The teenagers talk about their lives, impressions about life, lessons learned etc under 5 categories: Family, Relationships with Girls, Relationships with Boys, Work/School and Miscellaneous (various topics of interest). The aim of the book was to showcase the realities of teenage life in Ghana, highlight the pressures that teenagers undergo, and outline some of the lessons or realizations that can be made from the respective experiences.

I co-authored this book with two great writers Akua Afi Asare-Anim and Masahoud Codjoe - we were all between the ages of 17-19. Unfortunately, although we finished writing and edited the entire manuscript, and even have a compiled hardcopy, we never actually got to publishing it due to various reasons. But guess what?! You guys get to read the entire manuscript right here on Circumspect!! I will post a number of chapters of the book online each week until the entire book is on here. It will also be under the label "The '16' Journal so you can access the entire thing easily.

I hope that someone out there might be able to relate to one or more of the stories, and learn something from it. You can also try to guess which teenagers I wrote (There are two of them, a boy and a girl), but I doubt you'll be able to solve that mystery cos my writing back them is sooo different from how I write right now. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this, and like always, sharing is caring so feel free to direct people who might be interested to the blog. [All the entries are copyrighted though so please, no plagiarizing!!!!] First preview coming up!

Disclaimer: Like I stated earlier, the 16 journal was written by teenagers who were as confused about their lives as only teenagers/adolescents can be. If some of the entries sound a bit naive or idealistic, remember that its a glimpse into the young minds of Ghanaian teenagers in 2004.lol

World Water Day: Water - Ghana's "Forgotten Oil"

NB: This post is part of a GhanaBlogging event to commemorate World Water Day (March 22) -- The word floating around in Ghanaian circles these days is oil. Since 'the great find' the hopes of numerous Ghanaians have been buoyed and politicians are having quite the field day using the 'expected oil revenues' as bargaining chips for one thing or the other. I don't share in that optimism, hence my delay in writing about Ghana's "oil miracle". Instead, I'm focused on another precious resource, one that has unfortunately become more of a commodity than a right. Water. Science tells us that water and oil don't mesh together. They just don't. But if what the analysts are saying is correct, the two might have more in common than we think. At the rate things are going, water is becoming increasingly scarce. So much to the point where it's expected that water could be the next oil : a precious element in the hands of few. Unless Ghana realign...

Lifestylz GH Interview: Sangu Delle

As part of Lifestylz GH’s interview series, we bring you our premier interview with Sangu Delle. Profile: Sangu Delle Sangu Delle is a senior at Harvard University. He was born and raised in Ghana, and is the youngest of five children in a bi-religious family (his father is Catholic while his mum is Muslim). He attended Christ the King Catholic School (CTK) and went on to study at the Ghana International School (GIS) until his O-Levels when he transferred to the Peddie School (a college preparatory school in NJ) on scholarship. His areas of concentration in academics are Economics and African studies, with a particular focus on development. Aspirations To be involved in the development of Ghana and Africa at large in some capacity. In the past, he was more involved in non-profit and development work, but has increasingly become active in entrepreneurial and business ventures; a testament to his belief that there should be “less foundations and more entrepreneurs” in Africa. In his own ...

Circum-Alert: Taking Accra By Storm, Chale Wote Style!

A free urban arts festival, the Chale Wote Street Art Festival could soon be the in-thing on the GH street arts scene. Co-sponsored by ACCRA [dot] ALT , The French Embassy (in Ghana) and Institut Francais, the first edition of the soon-to-be annual international festival will take place on July 16, 2011 in the Jamestown community of downtown Accra from 10am till 10pm. The event is the brainchild of Mantse Aryeequaye (an independent filmmaker) and Dr. Sionne Neely (a researcher and writer); both coordinators of ACCRA [dot] ALT. In the words of the organizers, its purpose is “to promote the exhibition of alternative art in Ghana and to nurture an appreciation for different kinds of art among Ghanaians.” The first time I read about the Chale Wote Street Art Festival, I thought: interesting name. The second time around during GhanaBlogging ’s July meetup over the weekend, I got a peek at the schedule of events and thought, interesting concept/project! Now, after some m...

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