Circumspecte

“Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.” Oprah Winfrey  said that. She should know, she kept a gratitude journal for sixteen years ! So here's the deal: as part of Circumspecte's " Behind the Seens " project we're inviting you to keep a "Gratitude Journal" this year - beginning Monday February 3 ! Why participate? Well, I don't know about you, but we seem to always be in a state of wanting. I definitely have moments where I finally have something I'd wished or prayed for moments ago...and yet I'm off chasing down another "want" or "need" without appreciating that which I do have. If Oprah's theory is right, you'll see more goodness in your life. If it's wrong, you'll still get to learn something about yourself and life. If you're like a writer like myself - or want to develop your...

The third annual CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival takes place in James Town on September 7 th  and 8 th , 2013. The festival is produced by ACCRA [dot] ALT and a host of collaborators across the city including The Foundation for Contemporary Art – Ghana, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Institut Français, Alliance Française, Dr. Monk, No Limits Charity, Absolut Vodka and The Attukwei Art Foundation. The second edition of the CHALE WOTE Street Art Festival held on April 14th, 2012 was a major success and the collective effort of many young people—ranging from artists, musicians and writers to designers, students and activists—who worked together to produce Accra’s only street art festival. The one-day festival included street painting, sidewalk painting, graffiti murals, live music performances, a fashion circus, extreme sport stunting, experimental theater, spoken word, art workshops and Installations. The festival d rew over 4,000 people last year - loads more people are...

  BarCamp Tamale 2012 is a free networking event bringing people together for a day of discussion, demonstrations and dialogue about Tamale, Northern Ghana and beyond. This follows last year's November 26 event at the Tamale Polytechnic in Tamale, Ghana. This year's edition will be held on July 14 at the Tamale Poytechnic. The theme is “ Accelerating Development: Key Stakeholders & Priorities for Sustainable Change ”. It will build upon local knowledge, expertise and resources in a supportive community for entrepreneurs, change makers, innovators and other leaders in Tamale and the Northern Region. The GhanaThink Foundation has successfully organized 14 BarCamps in Ghana, resulting in a network of Ghanaian doers, entrepreneurs and change makers. Barcamp Tamale 2012 will be organized in conjunction with AfriLead International. This Barcamp will focus on creating more awareness about the uses of technology; build knowledge on how to foster innovation in and around ...

I believe deeply that Ghanaians and Africans can make the necessary changes for development. Yes, there are obstacles. Yes, we have day-to-day responsibilities. Yes, times can be tough. But that's not the entire story. We also have stepping stones, passion, inspiring moments, and above all, we have EACH OTHER. In Ghana's case especially, having each other and keeping the peace is probably the biggest factor in how far we have come so far. Yet, if the events (revolutions) this year are any indication, our peace is not guaranteed , particularly when it is sitting on a minefield of inequalities. Enter Northern Ghana. Northern Ghana has probably been exhausted on here, so I won't take that route. If you want to know what my thoughts are regarding why development in the region is in the best interest of ALL Ghanaians, click here . Instead, I'd like to send you a personal invitation to take a step in helping initiate sustainable change in Northern Ghana for Ghana: BarC...

Hi Folks, So it's about that time of the year in the U.S. where the buds are a-opening and people are slowly discarding their winter gear for less weighty options. Likewise, there's a ton of great events usually planned. How better to spend your first weeks of Spring than at some Africa-inspired events? Here are three of such events to look out for and attend. ~ The 2011 Kellogg Africa Business Conference - Evanston, Illinois - April 2, 2011 Why is this decade one of the most exciting for Africa by way of development and economic prospects? Wondering what ingredients kept Africa "cushioned" from the disastrous effects of the global economic crisis? What's the secret behind 8 of the top 20 fastest growing economies being African? Looking to move back to the continent and wondering about business and investment opportunities? Just tryna get a scope of the landscape and make some valuable connections? The First Annual Kellogg Africa Business Conference at North...

BarCamp Ghana 2010 BarCamp Ghana 2010 , an ad-hoc gathering where attendees meet for discussions, demos and networking, will take place on December 18 2010 at the Ashesi University campus in Accra. The theme is  “Create dreams, work smart and shape the future”. Following the successes of BarCamp Ghana '08 and BarCamp Ghana '09 , regional BarCamp events were organized in Kumasi , Accra and Takoradi and Barcamp Ghana 2010 will crown the year as the national event. BarCamps all over the world have brought together individuals and organizations to collaborate on various projects and businesses. BarCamp Ghana’10 is a FREE event for anyone who is interested in using their skills, talent, and resources to benefit Ghana and Africa as a whole. This year, the focus is on telling stories and discussing ways of how entrepreneurs and businessmen can create wealth in a burgeoning Accra metropolis faced with a myriad of challenges. Unusually, the pivot of this year’s eve...

Just a quick heads up that the travelogue - or in this case should I call it a relocatologue - I mentioned in my coming/going home post is live!! Found a pretty swell template that relays the excitement, disorder, and pure spontaneity of it all. So, if you'd like to hear about my travels (yes, with an 's' -- you need to stay tuned to find out more lol) scoot on over to Tikulma ! For my Ghana peeps, I have some really interesting questions for you peeps cos as it turns out, I'm somewhat clueless on a lot of things going on in the GH right now. There, I said it. I'm out of touch. But inshallah not for much longer. :)

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...

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 c...

So. I normally don't write posts on all these social media tools and networks, because I can barely keep up. But Google has just unveiled it's latest competitor to Twitter and Facebook: Google Buzz ! Been trying it out, and I like it. One thing about Google is they always seem to look at convenience. Put chat in email, and everyone's signing up. Come up with your own version of twitter and put it in email ... and what? Everyone's signing up. I don't know what happened with Google Wave , but everything else seems to catch on. I've been saying this for a long time, and I will say it again. Google is taking over. Now with Buzz, here are some things I'm wondering about: - How will it affect Twitter...and to a lesser degree Facebook? - What will employers think about Google Buzz? More distraction for workers? - Will the productivity level of employees soar or reduce? - What about misdirected information...you know how you send an email to everyone in you...