Lifestyle Arts & Culture: "The darkness of the night cannot stop the light of the morning”.
As we gear up for the last quarter of 2021, this month we’re gathering strength from around the continent through holistic healing, positive professions and wellness. Journey with us as we sip on home-grown teas and coffees, enjoy the odd pick-me-up cake while feasting our eyes on art. As the African proverb in our title admonishes us, the best is yet to come. Enjoy!
Holistic Healing
Kechi Okwuchi is a Nigerian singer/songwriter, speaker, social impact advocate and author, whose recent post on social media about her soaring through adversity is the kind of fuel that inspires one to keep the fire burning even when the flame is almost out. She was one of only two survivors of a plane crash in 2005 in which 107 people died and as a result, she sustained 65% degree burns on her body. In spite of the physical and emotional pain and trauma, she shares how: “true progress, genuine growth, and lasting change cannot happen overnight. Most of the time during the journey, maybe like me, you won’t notice changes because day by day they’re too minuscule to make a difference. But if you give yourself a fighting chance, if you find the right kind of support on your journey, one day, definitely one day, you will look back as I did, and you will smile. I heard this in a song and it stuck with me: ‘The night will definitely come. But so will the morning’. “
The healing and transformative power of positive thoughts and words were the subject of a message shared by Rev. Kwaku Agyapong of Trinity Christian Centre in Accra recently. He encouraged congregants to recall the positives in their lives – literally to list them – so that when one is in the midst of one of life’s many storms, there’s something to hold on to, while also saying out loud the things one would like to see manifest.
Taking care of our mental health goes hand in hand with the physical and recently back from a trip to the village of Watamu, located on the Kenyan coast, Sibi shares how 'Watamu' in Kiswahili means 'sweet people' and the main industries in the village are tourism and fishing. “Watamu is my favourite place on the coast; one of the reasons why is because of the interesting blend of Italian and Swahili coast culture it offers”. Although most of the residents of the village are Kenyan, there is a significant Italian minority that has influenced the restaurant, hotel, and entertainment scene; many of the locals also speak Italian as well as English and Kiswahili. The Italian influence can be traced back to the 1960s/1970s when the Broglio Space Centre was established off the coast of the Indian Ocean which drew in Italian workers and tourists.
Rippels Lodge in Cape Coast, Ghana, is a stunning, secluded haven, some 2.5hrs out of Accra. Set on expansive grounds, the resort has only three cottages with a total of 6 rooms so the ambiance is definitely homely and the welcome is bespoke, with an infinity pool which overlooks a natural reserve and the Atlantic Ocean coastline. Set up by a friendly German couple, the lodge offers energy medicine and holistic healing, swimming lessons and excursions to a nearby clay tile manufactory. A perfect city escape for two!
We are still social beings
No woman/man is an island and there’s certainly strength in the collective, as members of our women’s co-mentoring, co-sharing space, Grace, have shared recently. As C-19 cases on the continent incline (4,719,501 cases and 111,989 deaths, according to WHO), the spate of virtual meetings is unlikely to decrease any time soon. This is good news for Newwaves Ecosystems, an Ikoyi-based tech start-up which has recently launched Konn3ct, an online meetings app, designed to enhance the virtual office experience. Founder Femi Williams shares how technology has democratised opportunity, as the company has its sights set on being a rival to global players in this sector: “In the world today, technology appears to be the only thing that does not recognize territorial and racial limitations. Konn3ct will carve its own niche, not because it is a Nigerian or African contribution to the technology pool, but because it is a best-in-class solution to the real needs of people[1]”.
For as long as policies allow, meeting up in person is still the preferred option for many, which Kim of Kimberrys in Osu, Accra recognises. Her boutique café with baby-blue awning and compact alfresco seating is a definite head-turner and a perfect Saturday afternoon treat or Monday-Friday away-from -home-office. In addition to the eye-watering gourmet cakes on display, the café also offers hearty meals from bacon jollof to lamb chops and steak wraps. The décor is also a feast for the eyes, with its pastel blue lampshades against white furnishings and splashes of colour with orchids curling by the window. “It was purposely made small” says founder Kim, “just to give it the cosy, homely feel”. The café was established just 3 months ago, in spite of C-19, with Kim concluding that Covid or no Covid, “people still need to eat cake!”
From Crop to Cup
A perfect complement to a sweet treat is a moringa and hibiscus infusion by Guaman Infusions, founded by entrepreneur Nadia Zeine as a spin-off from her organic farm business where produce was distributed to clients in boxes across Accra. The company’s journey “started by growing moringa tress in the small lush town of Guaman” and her business “is built on the cornerstones of social footprint, health consciousness, environmental sustainability and relationships”, as the simple and rustic-feel packaging tells us. The company grows vegetables and herbs like moringa, mint and noni which they then mill, bag and sell it. “I am a firm believer in the power of sustainable agriculture and the solutions to poverty, food security, and peace it provides for the bottom billion.What agriculture can do for the developing world; for all of the world, is simply insane[2]”.
Another woman who is making waves in a coffee cup is Emi-Beth Quantson through her social enterprise Kawa Moka. The beautifully-packaged, shade-grown Arabusta variety coffee is grown in the Afadjato South District of the Volta Region, in Leklebi, where “the beans are fed by streams of the Aflabo River and its beautiful falls”. The company is committed to empowering indigenous communities and female farmers.
Ear and Eye Candy
One of Adedayo’s favourite songs right now is Need for Speed by Nigeria's Olamide. Here, the thrity-something artist who sings/raps in English and Yoruba,sings about moving up in life and implicitly cautions against pointing the finger at others because by so doing, there are always three pointing back at you. He describes an incident where a Mercedes Benz splashed rain water on him when he was a poor boy. He tells Apple Music, "I used to say, 'I can't wait to be rich and hopefully I don't end up like those people.' I used to think I would never, but I've done such things unknowingly several times since I became rich, too."
Fans of one of Ghana’s most talented rappers, Sarkodie, had been waiting with baited breath for the release of his hyped album entitled “No Pressure”. The album features a number of international and local collaborations including Giggs, Wale and Oxlade and is expected to perform well both in Ghana and internationally[3].
Synesthesia is described as a neurological ‘condition’ in which not just one of the senses is stimulated at a time but rather all five of them[4]. Ghanaian photographer Prince Gyasi exemplifies how all things work together for good as his vibrant images which blend pixels and pastels command artistic mastery. He uses his gift to tell powerful stories from contemporary Jamestown where he grew up by experimenting confidently with colour and form and attaining acclaim, having worked with Apple, Naomi Campbell and Nigerian artist, Burna Boy. Similar to another Accra-based artist who we spoke to recently, Isaac Koney, Gyasi uses the proceeds of his work to invest in his community through is non-profit, Boxed Kids.
*Photo credit: Taken by Songhai Advisory @ Kimberrys, Osu, Accra.
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[1]https://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/business-news/452206-nigerian-firm-newwaves-launches-africas-first-virtual-meeting-solution-konn3ct.html
[2]https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiazeine/?originalSubdomain=gh
[3]https://www.pulse.com.gh/entertainment/music/sarkdies-no-pressure-track-list-drops-with-features-from-wale-kwesi-arthur-and-more/dqnmwnv
[4]https://www.healthline.com/health/synesthesia