Lifestyle, Arts & Culture: May 2020

“The bitter heart eats its owner”, is a powerful Bantu proverb made all the more relevant at a time when the pain of the present times could take up residence in our very beings, if left unchecked.

The pain of coronavirus has led to over 367,000 deaths worldwide, 100,610 confirmed cases in Africa and 2554 reported deaths on the continent[1]. It is estimated that the global economy has lost USD2.7trillion[2]as a result and food supply chains are highly vulnerable[3]. And now, humanity has enjoined against another common enemy in the US – bigotry played out in yet another case of fatal police brutality against an African-American- George Floyd. 

Fighting Spirit

“I want to encourage somebody today, that the sun will shine again” is the opening line Koffee’s W, so apt at this time. It’s rainy season in Ghana, and other tropical parts of the continent. Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda are also expected to receive heavier monsoon rains than normal. And like Julius, one of the characters in the 2013 Caine Prize’s A Memory This Size and Other Short Stories,“whose moods started to swing with the vagaries of the weather”, there’s just cause to be in lamenting mood if one were to mirror the tenor of global events right now. But Adedayo’s flavour of the month, Ngeke Balunge by South Africa's legendary Mafikizolo, reminds us to shift gear. The Zulu song-title means “they'll never defeat us”, precisely the sort of fighting spirit we all need.

Keedron Bryant, a 12-year old boy from Florida whose angelically-soulful voice is going viral with his song “I just wanna live”, sings about pain so emotively; a sad indictment on the state of the world that a child could understand such anguish. "My people don't want no trouble, we've got enough struggle…I just wanna live. God, protect me." Barack Obama was clearly moved by the song too, calling it “powerful” in his tweet in response to the killing of George Floyd. “We have to remember that for millions of Americans, being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly ‘normal’”. The figures paint this reality in very black and white terms: African-American people are disproportionately more likely to be killed by the police in the US than their Caucasian counterparts. And these are just the reported figures.

That is precisely why for people like Imani B, reporter, educator and travel writer, she’s taking herself out of the US and seeking to raise her son in a place where the chances of him becoming yet another “hashtag” are slimmer, as she describes here. She’s not alone.

Redemption Song

2019 was 400 years since the first shipment of slaves departed Ghana for the US, which was marked by the Year of Return, a prodigal-son like embrace of Africans in the Diaspora to reconnect with their homeland. Ghana’s Minister of Tourism, Barbara Oteng-Gyasi announced just last week that Ghana’s income from the Year of Return hit US$3.3bn, with the biggest commercial winners being hoteliers, restauranteurs and retailers. Ghana and other African nations are keen to build upon the gains made last year, Covid-19 notwithstanding, and companies like African Ancestry have been helping over 750,000 Africans in the Diaspora trace their heritage.  

Part of the healing process for the progeny of the sons and daughters of the soil who were forcibly removed from their homeland as part of the transatlantic slave trade, is complex, as Malawian writer, Paul Tiyambe Zeleza shares in his piece. The ramifications of a system in which 12 million Africans were commoditised in the triangulation[4]of the worst forms of capitalism are still being felt today, sometimes in obscure ways. For instance, research conducted by professors Lamar Pierce and Jason Synder concludes that the traumatic shocks of the transatlantic slave trade have resulted in stymied growth for businesses from African countries which were the worst-affected by the trade, because such companies tend to have more centralised company ownership structures and are therefore less likely to open themselves up for equity investment. For scholar, archaeologist and assistant professor of African Studies at Hampshire University, Rachel Ama Asaa Engmann, seeing her surname etched on the walls of Christianbourg Castle was motivation enough to start digging and her excavation project, Slavers in the Family: The Archaeology of the Slaver in Eighteenth Century Ghana has revealed some home truths for many of us whose ancestors may have been complicit in some way. We’re excited to sit down with her later on this week to learn more. 

We Face Forward

“Our future is greater than our past” says celebrated Nigerian poet and novelist, Ben Okri and technology is certainly exemplifying this with numerous online events taking place, including a virtual party hosted by Kobi’s favourite Accra haunt, Republic Bar, bringing its eclectic and vibrant mix of music to a wide audience. “People in Accra were able to benefit from deliveries of their world-famous and signature drinks, leading to rousing virtual cheers”, he attests. We’ve also been enjoying history lessons by a Tribe Called Progress, the brainchild of Michael Amaning, most recently on Black Women in Ancient & Medieval Africa, delivered online by historian and scholar, Robin Walker.

The power of online connectivity has enabled us at Songhai to still indulge in one of our favourite past-times- sipping coffee while having a good chat with friends of the firm and industry experts, to discuss an array of topics. From the need for greater investment in the development phase of film production on the continent to ensure commercialised content, as posited by producer and creative, Jay Engmann; to the need to create more cohesion among the artist collectives, diaspora groups, young influencers among others to ensure that Africans patronise African products and services as the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement is soon to take hold, as expressed by anthropologist, economist and social activist, Amma Aboagye. Delali Bentsi-Enchill, Product Manager at Vlisco also shared her thoughts on supply chains within the textile industry and where opportunities for growth lie. We look forward to sharing more over the coming weeks and here’s to a brighter month in June. If Nutifafa’s playlist, composed of tracks from Davido’s A Good Time album is anything to go by, it surely will be.

To learn more about us at Songhai and what we do, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’d love to hear from you: questions@songhaiadvisory.com

[1]https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200531-covid-19-sitrep-132.pdf?sfvrsn=d9c2eaef_2

[2]https://home.kpmg/gh/en/home/insights/2020/04/update-economic-impact-of-covid-19.html

[3]Nigeria is estimated to have lost 38% of its GDP between March and April, for instance. See: https://www.theafricareport.com/27774/coronavirus-lockdowns-across-africa-creating-major-economic-loss/

[4]Goods from Europe were traded for gold, spices, ivory and slaves. African slaves were then transported along the Middle Passage across The Atlantic to work on cotton, sugar and tobacco plantations in the US. The finished goods were then sold onto Europe.