Lifestyle, Arts & Culture: Mind, Body & Soul

We hope that you’ve had a wonderful Easter break as you begin a new quarter refreshed and revived, for as the African proverb goes, “he who cannot rest, cannot work”. In this edition of Lifestyle, Arts & Culture, the Songhai team has been inspired by wellness and mindfulness, recipes which remind us of home, entrepreneurs who have turned passion projects into full-time work and music to simply “shake body”! Enjoy! 

It is Well with My Soul

In the Easter spirit of love and forgiveness, the words of the celebrated African American writer, philosopher & activist, now of blessed memory, Maya Angelou, are humbling. In this clip Angelou ponders the meaning of Love: “…that condition of the human spirit so profound that gives us the ability to forgive. It may be the energy which keeps the stars in the firmament, I’m not sure. It may be the energy that keeps the blood running smoothly through our veins. I’m not sure. But it can be used for anything you can’t explain. Any good thing you can’t explain”. 

Speaking of connection, it’s been amazing to learn about how an intergenerational group of seven women connected by heritage and kinship, Wellness Reset, come together weekly in the name of “truth-telling” as a means of healing and wellness in Kenya. Meeting every week for the past year, the group held its first public event on 26th March in Nairobi, and as serendipity would have it, that was the last meeting before Kenya went into yet another lockdown. Attendees- both men and women- came together to share stories about their personal journeys of trial and triumph, unearthing the difficult topics of depression, sexual abuse and suicide. On a continent where spending on mental health is under USD0.10 per capita, the existence of safe spaces such as this, has never been more critical, as Covid-19 has served to put the meagre resources under strain. Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, speaks of a “mental health care crisis in Africa” which “leaders must urgently invest in” through “life-saving mental health care services”. Indeed, even pre- Covid-19, 50% of the countries listed with the highest suicide rates globally were African[1].

Rhythm & Blues 

Final Form by Sampa The Great is musically majestic with its opening bars of a string and brass instrumental, continuing throughout the song as layers of hip hop poetry are woven over the top. It’s little wonder that the not-even-thirty Sampa Tempo, the Zambian singer, songwriter and rapper, hails from a musical family because her sound is so fluent and has many of Zambia’s millennials and Generation X captivated as her songs are “played everywhere you go”, as Precious, based in Lusaka, attests.

Adedayo is getting nostalgic as he listens to Gyakie's Forever. “I'm really feeling this song because it reminds me of my time in Accra. It felt a lot like Lagos - and I was really amused by the cultural diffusion. I recall being at a bar in Accra and I saw someone dancing shaku shaku (this came from the streets of Lagos). I thought she was Nigerian until I was informed that everyone in Accra knows the dance. It's like Azonto in Lagos”. Indeed, the universality of the artform of dance was brought home  to us a few years ago when the then UK Prime Minister David Cameron said that he was a fan of Azonto. Adedayo continues, “And it's like that with this song. The singer Gyakie is Ghanaian, but I didn't know that when I first heard the song. The song's in pidgin and in one place she even uses the word omo, which is the Yoruba equivalent of chale[2]. Nigeria and Ghana go so well together. It's hard to believe they're not actual neighbours”.

It's second time lucky for one of Africa's current musical giants, Nigeria’s Burna Boy. He walked away with a Grammy at this year's awards for Best Global Music Album. His snub last year in the same category drew widespread criticism including from the likes of Naomi Campbell. 

Soul Food

We love to draw upon the wisdom of local knowledge and the lens of the pandemic has, for one reason or another, encouraged us to throwback to what our mothers, grandmothers and aunties have taught us. So when one of our mothers reminds us that “your health is at the end of your fork or spoon” we don’t take it lightly. For Nana Adu, he’s taken this to heart (& stomach!) with a much-loved recipe. “Everywhere I’ve called home, there’s been palava sauce aka kontomire stew. That’s Accra, London, Mamfe, Geneva. I’m thinking of translating the ingredients into Latin and putting it on a family crest. For those that don’t know, kontomire is made from cocoyam leaves or spinach, palm oil, tomato and egusi. Philosophers differ on whether it is acceptable to use ground watermelon seeds rather than those of other traditional Sahelian gourd vegetables. And like that other great matter, jollof, there are differing takes on the dish from country to country across West Africa. I’ll [desist]from the debate and would advise anyone without the requisite aunty credentials to do the same. The important thing is that you try it”.

Zindzi, whose impromptu move back to her native South Africa from Mauritius as a result of Covid-19, says: “my roommate here reminded me of a traditional dish called Tinkobe, a known South African dish made out of beans, samp and peanuts. It’s actually a delicacy because growing up, only my grandma would prepare it for us only for special occasions. My roommate and I attempted preparing it and well, let's just say it did not turn out like my grandmother’s and that made me think about how lucky I am to have access to these foods that are connected to so many memories”.

Precious also recounts how the blessing in disguise of Covid-19 has been her reacquaintance with the motherland. “Having lived in the United States for 6 years, I came back to Zambia for two weeks and ended up being [in Livingstone[3]] for a year.  I finally got the hang of being back home. I decided to try out all the traditional foods, such as nshima”, which is a staple of Zambia, made from finely ground corn meal.

To warm up the last days of winter in the UK, Kobi has been experimenting with the Mauritian dish, Kalia Poule. “Steeped in spices and yoghurt”, Kobi testifies that “it's a guaranteed crowd pleaser!”

From Side Hustle to Daily Bustle

Through our work with social enterprises and SMEs, we’ve seen first-hand the myriad ways in which the pandemic has forced a creative shift for many businesses. We recently got talking to Kenyan entrepreneur and founder of Priscilla’s Bakeshop[4], a home-based bakery in Nairobi. She tells us: “the initiative started towards the end of last year as a result of finding myself home more and having always loved baking. I wanted to provide great quality, great tasting home-baked goods that felt like they came from a home kitchen. I use butter and not margarine, I reduce the sugar in all recipes I bake and I don’t put icing on the cupcakes”. The pre-Easter restrictions on movement and gatherings as Kenya enters a “third wave” will slow down business dramatically nationwide yet the fact that takeaway restaurant services are still permitted could provide an opportunity for Priscilla’s Bakeshop, whose niche is soft baked cookies and cupcakes. Particularly for small businesses, we’ve observed the close correlation between business survival and the quality of relationships, so it’s heartening to hear that for Priscilla “many of [her] customers are repeat orders who love the balance of flavours, find that they’re not too sweet and say the cupcakes are moist and melt in the mouth. Everything is home baked with love with a blessing said as each tray goes into the oven”.

The Art Castle[5] is a creative toddler’s paradise. Started two years ago as a passion project when its founder Rahma would immerse her children in arts and crafts and provide weekend classes to children in her neighbourhood in Tema, Covid-19 was “the turning point. Mothers based in Accra weren’t able to travel so far out for the classes” so Rahma decided to take the Art Castle to them, in the form of lovingly prepared DIY, themed boxes, enabling children to explore their creativity by painting on canvass, going wild with glitter (!!) and much more besides. 

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We are an African-owned and managed firm delivering local knowledge in support of transformative and sustainable economic outcomes in the region. If you would like to learn more about our work, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We would love to hear from you! questions@songhaidvisory.com

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[1]https://www.afro.who.int/news/covid-19-halting-crucial-mental-health-services-africa-who-survey

[2]A colloquialism in Ghana which can be used as a greeting between friends or as an exclamation to connote surprise.

[3]Southwestern Zambia, close to the border with Zimbabwe, known as a tourist hub because of Victoria Falls

[4]Instagram @priscillas_bakeshop

[5]Instagram:@theartcastlegh