Circumspecte

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 very thought of having to adapt to the place one calls home is quite bizarre. But that’s exactly what I’m going through right now. Before heading back to Ghana I was both excited and apprehensive. Excited because I’d get to really spend time with family and friends and catch up after all these years. Apprehensive cos, well, I’d been away so long and I’d changed. I wondered whether I would (re)find my place. More scary was the thought of whether other people changing would end up being a good thing or not. Would my friends still be my friends? Would they like who I am now? Would we have the same interests? Do they have space for me in their “new” lives? Just your typical five-year-old –goes-to-school-for-the-first-time kinda questions. The verdict? So far so good. While I haven’t met up with all my friends just yet, I have reinstated contact with a good number of them, and thank heavens, so far there’ve been no first-time-in-ages awkward moments on the phone. We seemed to slip rig...

' Tis almost the season for love, or as some would describe it, "love reloaded". While some people look forward to Valentine's Day, others cringe from it. One young woman decided to leave her well-paid banking job in the U.S., return home to Ghana, and dedicate her life's work to it. Love, that is. In the first Circumspect "Visionaire" interview for  2011, Adisa Tinorgah of Odo Asem discusses her thoughts on the all important four-letter word, what's hot for Val's Day this year, and what she thinks about romance in Ghana. Thinking about returning to Mother Africa to settle and wondering what to expect? Adisa shares her experience and tips for potential returnees. -- Circumspect: Tell us about yourself. Who is Adisa Tinorgah? Adisa Tinorgah (A.T.): I am number two out of three children and was raised in Liverpool, Tamale and Accra. I studied International business at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where I graduated with highest hon...