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...

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...

“Words are a pretext. It is the inner bond that draws one person to another, not words.” - Rumi  -- It goes without saying that I'm somewhat of an oddity in these parts. Everyone's looking at me. I probably should have done some quick research online to get a sense of the diversity in Istanbul, but I was too eager to get outside, to breathe in the same air that Rumi probably did way back in the 13th century. Okay, maybe the same air is an exaggeration, but I really wanted to just immerse myself in what little of Turkey I had access to, even if for the briefest of moments. And so I ventured outside the Radisson Blu hotel where I'm staying, compliments of Turkish Air. I had been told there wasn't too much to see here besides a park and a bridge. The hotel reviews online generally said the location was great for transits given the proximity of the airport, but far removed from the city's historical sites. That's fine, I didn't want tourism, I wanted Tur...

The thing about embarking on a new experience - travel, project, idea, decision, dream, opportunity - is that you always uncover yourself anew. -- "Why don't you write anymore?" That's the question that sent me running back here. The number of false-start posts I've had in the last two months are shameful to say the least You either go all in or it's nothing at all. So what keeps stopping me? Sense of duty Of what I should be doing (studying, reading, problem solving), and when I should be doing it (NOW!). Ironically, that's also what keeps me from starting. Anything. When did the notion of putting thoughts out there seem so scary? The moment certainty walked out the door Of who I am/should be and exactly what I am/should be up to. We all - or I do - like to put things out there that We are - I am - sure about Nobody wants to be accused of plagiarizing, heresay or concocting pure nonsense Unless you're just in the business of plagiariz...

Ciao people! I'm blogging all the way from Bologna, Italy! Beautiful city, interesting experiences so far. This blog was written a couple of days ago and didn't get posted because I got quite self-conscious about what it was about (definitely NOT my grandest moment). But after some thought I decided to post it. I feel it's important to acknowledge both struggles and triumphs, especially if growth is the bottom line objective, and particularly since life does throw us a curve ball from time to time. Alors...I'd say enjoy...but given the subject matter, maybe "I hope this speaks to you in some way" is more appropriate? Here goes.. --   Unplanned "It isn't what you did in the past that will affect the present. It's what you do in the present that will redeem the past and thereby change the future." - Aleph (Paulo Coelho) Le Due Torri - Symbol of Bologna It’s been a week and a day since I arrived in Bologna land, which coincident...

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...

When it's this quiet, you know someone or some thing is up to no good.  Plotting and scheming and devising plans anew, all for the amusement of what it/they can do to you. It's like an airplane ride.  You get on, make yourself comfortable, listen to the safety instructions – or not - and let your thoughts wonder far beyond the height of clouds upon which you ride. The pilot's voice comes onto the PA system; introduces him/herself as well as his co-fate holders.  You hear it, but you don't really listen, because if anyone ever asked you anew, you'd never even be able to recollect the first letter of his/her first name. And so you begin. Some turbulence here, a couple of cumuli nimbus clouds there, wait is that a bird or a plane gliding next to me? No sir, simply your imagination running wild upon the pasture of sky. Doze in, doze out, icky airplane food, yet you gobble it all down. And the musings. Oh my, those musings. Such injustice they do to the very pl...