Lifestyle, Arts & Culture: Persistence Pays
“If you climb up a tree, you must climb down the same tree.” There is something powerful about making a plan and seeing it through, regardless of changing circumstances, life’s highs and lows, or the temptation to slack or be distracted, as this African proverb admonishes us. In this month’s edition of Lifestyle, Arts & Culture, we see this truth as the driving force behind a number of the creatives we’ve observed and interacted with around the continent, from faith-based organisations to chefs to artists. We hope you draw inspiration from this as much as we have. Enjoy!
Using social media to drive impact
Social media has become an indispensable tool across Africa for organisations and businesses to have a reach that goes far beyond their four walls, with data suggesting that Northern and Southern Africa are optimising social media usage the most across the continent -45% and 41% of their populations, respectively, compared with only 8% in Central Africa, for instance[1]. Reverend Kwaku Agyapong, Senior Pastor of Trinity Christian Centre, a church in Tema, Greater Accra, of approximately 50 regular congregants, has been sending his friends, family and people further afield a bite-sized “immune booster” of Scripture every single day, for the past 5 years via WhatsApp and Facebook, exemplifying how modern faith-based organisations can have an almost borderless impact if they optimise social media tools. Now with Twitter set to house its African headquarters in Accra, we expect the uptake in social media usage to increase significantly. Today’s message was simply: “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?”[2]
It’s a powerful reminder to be self-aware, especially when, in this social media age, we are constantly being put in the dock- by ourselves and by others. The owner of a fashion boutique in Kumasi which targets the high-end customer, tells us how her reputation was built from her dogged commitment to posting pictures of garments on Instagram since 2013, attaining over 50,000 followers at a point. In so doing, she has been able to understand customer preferences, although she admits that followers can be merciless if you put a foot wrong. Meriem’s Kitchen is another small business which uses the pull of social media to build customer engagement and brand awareness of the company’s niche of Moroccan and West African cuisine. Founder Mimi Chbani offers full-bodied, flavoursome delights delivered to customers’ doorsteps in and around Accra, from lamb tangines with okro to Moroccan beef brochettes, to provide her customers with “a flavour bomb”, she says!
While social media is fuelling much business activity among millennial entrepreneurs across the continent, Accra-based artist Isaac Konney goes to market digitally and on the streets, with his life-size murals adorning Ako Adjei (close to Kingdom Books) in Accra. The impressive profile of an African woman made regal with a headscarf billowing in the wind was inspired by Konney’s desire “to portray the beauty of African women and fabric, our mothers, who are the most beautiful”. The story behind his captivating images is political as well as social and spiritual. A flamingo and almost fuchsia pink image of two mask-like heads is to convey that “two heads are better than one [which is about] decision-making” he shares, while a multicoloured set of wings is his way of expressing his belief that “we are all gods, because we are all created in God’s image”.
Flying against the wind
Flying from Accra to Kumasi certainly gives you wings. The Passion Air flight takes only 33 mins and edits out what would otherwise be a 5-hour car journey: a beautiful ride in part if you like the scenic route but a stretch of road that is notorious for road accidents. While C-19 has stripped the flight of any frills- no inflight entertainment, no food, only water (upon request) and no use of the bathroom (“except for emergencies”, ahem), transitioning from the high-rises of cosmopolitan Accra to the greenery dotted by hot tin roofs in Kumasi in under an hour gets a thumbs up from us! Prices average GHC800 (USD140) return and the seamlessness of the journey as well as the price point makes it a popular choice for a varied crop of customers: from funeral sympathisers to holidaymakers and business travellers.
Speaking of changing landscapes, it has been a treat to read a piece by Nigerian writer and Bloomberg’s West Africa Bureau Chief, Yinka Ibukun, on her take on the evolution of traditional styles of living in Ghana, namely, the compound house. In her piece, Yinka explains how the typical living space in Ghana of the 19thcentury mirrored socio-cultural values: “These mini-complexes of houses — grouped around shaded courtyards set back from the street — were the building blocks of modern Accra, bringing together extended families that had migrated from the countryside. The compound offered close kinship connections and semi-private space, even in the heart of the big city.” But the traditional, architectural face of Ghana’s cities is changing as Generation X and millennials associate aspirational living with more independence from parents and the extended family. “My wife to be lives in Ejisu, she works in Ejisu and her parents even have a house in Ejisu with an annex where they want us to stay. But we can’t do that. We have to move”, shared a 30-something professional who was prepared to do a 60km daily commute, simply to attain peace of mind for his nuclear family.
A place where we’re seeing a desire to valorise traditions is through children’s literature. Books such as Fati and the Soup Pot by the Osu Library Fund achieves this by capturing the day to day of a spirited little girl from northern Ghana who often ends up in mischief (like gobbling up meat from her mother’s soup) but who also teaches her readers about the family system and home-life through her adventures. How Stories Spread Around the World is another beautifully-illustrated example of this, in which readers are taken on a voyage of discovery across Africa through Congo’s Ituri forest, the bazaars of Marrakech and along the Niger River, all through the lens of determined little mouse!
Noviolet Bulawayo’s,“We Need New Names” brings the reader into proximity with the tensions sometimes felt by Africans in the Diaspora of cultural preservation versus a desire to fit in. This book isbased on Noviolet’s childhood experiences growing up in Zimbabwe, the struggles shefaced and what it was like going to America. She talks about the reason behind the names they originally had as kids and howin movingto the US and other countries, family members felt they couldn't pass down their great great parents' names to their children, rather opting for Western names.
Making history
Being proud of one’s heritage is the aim of Africa Day, to be celebrated this Tuesday, across the continent. It is also the driving force for Ngugi James Karanu, the founder of Nyayo Africa, a home-grown, hand-painted footwear brand mainly for women and girls in Kenya. Ngugi explains: “Nyayo means the soles of the feet or footsteps in kiswahili. It is symbolic of what I am trying to do, making a path for myself hoping for someone to be able to follow my footsteps”. The shoes he sells are ngomasor slip-on shoes which can be customised with a design from the client and then delivered to customers by boda boda (motorcyclist).
They say ‘success has many fathers’ and another Kenyan-born creative who we’re celebrating from the wings is Michael Armitage, whose ingenious work is a constellation of so many of life’s contradictions, follies, ironies, histories and ideologies, painted onto an African canvas known as lubugo, made from Ugandan tree bark. While the textile doesn’t allow for the absorption of oil, Michael’s artform certainly has the absorptive capacity to draw us into both the everyday and ethereal worlds. Some of us at Songhai recall visiting an exhibition Michael had at The Slade School of Fine Art over 12 years ago when he graduated, and now his work entitled Paradise Edict is being exhibited at London’s Royal Academy. In no uncertain terms, the Financial Times has crowned him a glowing endorsement, duly deserved: “No British painter under 40 has achieved or promises more”. Indeed, the African adage referenced above tells us that this was bound to happen. After all, persistence pays.
We are an African owned and African managed firm, passionate about 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: impact@songhaiadvisory.com We would love to hear from you!
[1]https://www.statista.com/statistics/1190628/social-media-penetration-in-africa-by-region/
[2]Matthew 7 v 3