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Hi All, Just a quick heads up that a video of the YAP -Chimamanda Adichie event at the Center for Global Development in Washington, D.C. last year is online, courtesy of Kobina Aidoo [who's quite an amazing person, if I say so myself! Check out his website  ]  Find the vids below.   You can also read my summary of the event . Enjoy! Photo Source

[Originally written and published on July 11, 2009.]  So, I was walking by this morning, and a single feather floated right before my face>> leading to this lil short story, or as I call it, a "rhyming tale". For me, it just means using what talents, skills, resources etc we have at any given time...and being willing to take a chance. Enjoy!  -------------------------- -------------------------- ----- Once upon a time, there lived a single feather A simple single feather, on the back of an ordinary hen But while this single feather looked no different from the next It was this single feather that showed what it meant to be blessed When landlady hen went a-peckin', single feather soon learned That there was something called motion, and the wind could be his friend He went round a-asking, about how he could connect But all the other feathers told him not to be inept "All you are good for, is to stay on with landlady hen" Yet simple single feat

When you first arrived in town, you'd asked, "Where are all the pretty lassies of this land?" Many names were delivered, but only two had stuck out: Avril and Soleil. "That Soleil is quite a feisty one, she is!" one guy said. "Pretty hot and tempting. No doubt, she's definitely phat," another added. "She would make you forget your own name," someone else ventured. All the men agreed as they tended their usual business of the day: discussing women. "What about Avril?" you enquired. "Is she really the belle of the ball?" "Ah. That one. Y'better watch out for her, mysterious lil' thang that she is!" "She has such a sweet demeanor, bound to knock your socks right off." Hmm . You thought to yourself. A lil' mystery never hurt . "But," a booming voice cut in, "You'll have to wait in line. All the menfolk are after her. Including me." Turning to look at the speaker,

"My Wish" I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow, And each road leads you where you want to go, And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose, I hope you choose the one that means the most to you. And if one door opens to another door closed, I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window, If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile, But more than anything, more than anything, My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to, Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small, You never need to carry more than you can hold, And while you're out there getting where you're getting to, I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too, Yeah, this, is my wish. I hope you never look back, but ya never forget, All the ones who love you, in the place you left, I hope you always forgive, and you never regret, And you help somebody every chance you get, Oh, you find God&

[Inspired by a fascination for accents, language, dual/multi interpretations and hoping that others can make sense of my sometimes bizarre free writing] "Life. Hmm." Wonder how many times that statement has been made, and what it's been followed by Maybe hours pondering this and that, whys and why nots.  When you think about it , the only relevant why is "Why the hell are you pondering life when the Good Book has already told you it's meaningless?"  But then again, you never did listen. Did you? Oh, what's that? You wanna show me some att-itude, now? Talking about "I'm a grown-ass person, I can do what I want" Mmm-Hmm, that's what I thought.  Every single time you said that you ended up right back here.  Hot charcoal pot to the side, fresh soot decorating its ears.  And you. Looking at me with beseeching eyes.  Here we are again. I mean really. It's pretty simple. What you put in, you get out.  You ain't no c

It's amazing the kinds of things you find on the net. Especially when you're not looking. Devex recently published an interview I did with the president & CEO of the Global Fund for Women, Kavita Ramdas - a phenomenal woman (and Mount Holyoke alum) by the way - and as I was doing some quick fact checking on their site, I stumbled upon this: the Global Women's Water Initiative . Global Women's Water Initiative GWWI is a program that is sponsored by three international organizations dedicated to the issue of water access and other development concerns - A Single Drop , Crabgrass and Women's Earth Alliance . As most of you probably know, water access is one of my key development concerns , so I was so excited to find that, not only does GWWI provide information and advocacy tools to African women on the issue of water access, they actually train them to test water and construct things like pipelines, bore holes etc. Amazing! Anyway, I just had to share th

This is how it ends. You. Stuck underground with a hundred or so unsuspecting victims. Only, you’re not in the warm embrace of the earth. You’re in a train, and the conductor hasn’t said a word in the last 20 or so minutes. Segments of recent news reports play back in your mind: “And in Moscow…rush hour…tens dead and hundreds injured.” Doesn’t do much to help your current situation, does it? People are getting restless. The group of three – Indian, you suppose – students chatter on, but the continuous fidgeting of a jean clad leg bemoans their growing boredom. The lady next to you squats down; obviously fatigued from standing for the last…30 minutes now. And you. Music still blaring from your ipod, you take out your notepad and jot down observations. Lady next to you is up again, and she’s struck a conversation with the passenger next to her. If the entire world were locked up in a confined space, we wouldn’t have a choice than to become best friends…or worse enemies. Either way,

For Immediate Release Contact: help@museke.com Diaspora: +1 617 818 3102 Southern Africa: +277 9468 1310 East Africa: +254 722407717 West Africa: +233 21 230276 Museke Online Africa Music Awards (MOAMAs) Nominees 2010 Wande Coal, Lizha James, Barbara Kanam, AY, HHP, Bracket, Blu3, Radio & Weasel, Alikiba, Black Coffee, and Cheb Khaled lead the nominees for the Museke Online Africa Music Awards. The MOAMAs will award the best of African music over the last year and put the winners in the spotlight as Africa prepares to host the globe at the World Cup in South Africa. The awards are being organized by Museke.com, home of the African music fan which seeks to unify Africa through its music. The nominees were selected over a 3 month period by an academy made up of African music enthusiasts and fans. Nigeria has the most nominees with 31, followed by South Africa with 22, Kenya with 18, DR Congo with 15, Uganda with 14, Tanzania with 13 and Mozambique with 10. There are 28 categories

Dear Ghanaian Movie Industry, Initially, I was upset because you weren't exploring the depth of your potential. But now, you've done the ultimate and unleashed untold anger upon yourself. And not just from me. By sashaying your hips into the 'soft porn' industry, many Ghanaians - and Africans - are fuming mad! There's even a Facebook group called Ghana Movie Industry, What's Going On? Enough Is Enough . What's that you say? Who am I to dare chastise you? Well, for one thing I'm a concerned Ghanaian who's tired of seeing your tasteless movie trailers. For another, I'm your consumer - the consumer is always right, no? - and even though I'm not a big fan of your products, I have sisters, a brother, family and friends who are exposed to your latest exploit. So, it ends up being my business. And finally, I'm someone who really believes that Ghanaians have a lot to offer and consequently, deserve more than you're giving. Great, now th