Circumspecte

Ladies and gentlemen, Entrepreneurship is IN! Not just because entrepreneurs are some of the coolest peeps ever, but because we Africans have a very real challenge on our hands. The dilemma presented by Africa's youth bulge: to either sink or swim in the face of youth unemployment and other issues. The good news is that there's a growing awareness of just how much of an opportunity or a challenge the youth bulge presents for Africa, and people and organizations like Christabel Ofori and the iHAV (I Have a Vision) Foundation are working on capacity building and employment generation by putting "Vision in ACTion!" with the IHAV Conference. What iHAV Conference: An annual conference "designed to raise a generation of young African entrepreneurs who will work collaboratively to create employment and provide sustainable solutions to Africa's challenge". 2014 Theme : Creating an Agribusiness Revolution with Africa's Youth. Topics: Embrac...

Grand plans. That’s what we had. Of where we’d end up, how we’d end up, when we’d end up. I mean, we said “let’s leave it to Allah, let’s wait and see”. But really, the levers in our mind had long clanked away. Breaking news: I will never be Ghanaian, African [insert whatever label] enough. Trust me, I have tried. To hold on to the vestiges of who I think - we think - I should be To reformulate the   Ghanaianness   in me  Down to the last ei, o, and more recently, the last tweaa I mean, how can you possibly not know how to Azonto It was the fad. Now it’s vintage.  Encoded in our identical histories. Yet it seems you missed that particular memo. “Too American”, “Too White”, “Too Outspoken”, “Too Different” Yeah I know.   You make me aware of the fact daily. With every “It’s not how we do things”, Each “why can’t you be like…” But see - we traded all those possibilities in. The minute I checked in, went throu...

The current wave of African storytelling is largely driven by access to social media and citizen journalists who literally break the news as it happens. But there's still a lot of content yet to be created - especially in Ghana, Africa. BloggingGhana  has been at the forefront of social media and citizen journalism in Ghana since it's inception in 2009 by a group of 8 friends. Now, the organization has hundreds of active members who contribute to news, information on Ghana, Africa, from the ground up. After five years of meeting and working in cafes, auditoriums, schools, and so on, BloGH is finally coming home. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to BloGHome. With the launch of its #MoreStories fundraising drive, BloGH hopes to raise $10,000 to furnish its newly procured office in Accra (see below). Per it's Indiegogo fundraising page , BloGHome will include a training area for training students, civil society, government actors and organizations on using social media ...

Source: Komla Dumor's Facebook Page "There's so much more to tell about Africa than the usual stories about war, famine and disease." Komla Dumor. Son, husband, father, Ghana's "Boss Player", Africa's storyteller, BBC World News broadcaster, inspiration - courage personified. If anyone had told me that Komla Dumor's Black Star would burst out into eternity on January 18, 2014, I would have called them a liar and then some. His 41 years of life might seem "short" to many of us, but from all indications, this amazing soul found it more than enough for doing what he set out to do: to be a journalist of the highest order and to contribute towards telling Africa's stories. His awards, accolades and  accomplishments  are well recorded - perhaps more so after his untimely demise yesterday from a cardiac arrest in London - and numerous people are sharing their condolences and tributes on social media with variations of the hash...

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. The man who best embodies the ideals and principles we cherish; the ideals and principles worth pursuing. Passion. Courage. Perseverance. Forgiveness. Conviction. Love. Humility. Purpose. Faith. Vision. The list is endless. What a soul. He was from us, but not of us. Unlike many, he understood the changing tides of life, the stark contradictions which easily elude us. He was a leader in the truest sense of the word; he sacrificed his personal ambitions for the good of his nation, his people. There are almost no words to capture the essence of this man; his work; his symbol; his legacy. Mandela's very being speaks for itself. "In him, we saw so much of ourselves," South African president Jacob Zuma said during his statement on Mandela's passing. I would add, in him, we see so much of who we could be . And that it especially true for us Africans, for societies where the concept of leadership, human rights, freedom is still a mi...

Source:  The Black Narrator Dear President Mahama, It's me again. The lady who wrote you an  open letter about Ghanaians living in darkness , yeah that one. Once again, I'm writing to you, because although I strongly believe that any real change in Ghana's state of affairs will ultimately have to come from the fabric of our society - we Ghanaians - the fact is that you are our president, our chosen leader for this era of our national existence. And so, for the second time, I'm addressing you, with all due respect. What do I know about politics? Not much besides what I learned in school, hear on the radio, or see from Ghana's politicians. Oh, and of course, from the oh-so-awesome TV show Scandal which captures DC politics. So yeah, I know very little about the political game - which I hear isn't so endearing to begin with - and probably much less about being president of a nation of almost 25million. Point is, what I'm about to say might just sound l...

It's been almost a month since I moved to Tunis, and many folks have been asking about my initial impressions. My response: Tunis and I are still learning each other. And really, that's what it is. For whatever reason, Tunis is hard to decipher. Besides the obvious preference for pink/fuchsia in interior decor (don't ask), the undeniable tea culture, and the fact that most women seem to wear platforms, it's been hard to get a handle on it so far.  In many ways, Tunisia is the most culturally novel and nuanced place I've come across in my travels thus far. Situated on the tip of North Africa, this African/Arab/Mediterranean city has so many influences. Besides the diversity of Africans living here, the French, the Italian pizzas and Roman influences in the city of Carthage which was once the most powerful city in the then-modern world (even more than Rome, definitely on my to-do list!), the most obvious thing about Tunis is the Arab or Islamic influences. Arabi...

Yesterday the Black Stars kicked expectations and skepticism to the curb in what was perceived by many football pundits as being "an uphill challenge" against Egypt's multiple-time WC qualifier The Pharaohs. The words being used to describe what Ghana did to Egypt include "thrashed" , "crushed" and "run a riot" . But to me, this game was one of the most beautiful shows of leg action the Ghanaian National team has exhibited in a long time. It's so beautiful, I had to share. Congrats again to the Black Stars and Coach Kwasi Appiah - who also showed some of his detractors, ha! - and all the best as we chart our course to Brazil 2014 (and avenge the WC finale we were Suarezed out of :P)! You make Ghana proud! After all is said and done, even the Pharaohs looked up to the Stars ;)

Kenya. Who would have thought that one of Africa's brightest would be in the news for other than economic prowess and technological advancements? And yet it happened. On Saturday, September 21, members of the Somali extremist Islamist movement Al-Shabab attacked Nairobi's popular WestGate mall , killing an estimated 62 people and injuring up to 150 others. The victims and injured comprised of both Kenyans and non-Kenyans, with some as young as 2 years. One of Ghana's own - renowned poet and former statesman Kofi Awoonor - was caught in the crossfire as well. The fact that this happened is heartbreaking and still unthinkable; no amount of empathy could make it possible to understand the why behind such an unacceptable act.  That said, anyone who limits this unfortunate incident to an act in the name of religion is sorely missing the point in this recent attack as well as past terrorist acts by known Islamist groups like Boko Haram in Nigeria and Al-Qaeda. Africa...