Latest Essays

It was a balmy night in Nairobi; one where the leaves rustled melodically in the gentle breeze and the stars peeked through the veil of cloud cover to wink at we mere mortals below. Our working group had convened to have a final dinner together before we all went our separate ways. Perhaps it was […]

A friend of mine has created The Happy Company (THC), a lifestyle brand that is “founded on the agenda to spread happyness“. They prefer to remain anonymous (if such a thing is possible anymore) so that people will associate with and support the agenda, rather than the person behind it. They recently asked me to […]

Mr. Tei loved to whip children. At least, that was the reputation he had earned on the primary school block when I arrived in 1986. Only ‘Brah’ Sammy came in at a close second with a love for attaching cane to tender Class 3 flesh. It was rumored that both men would arrive on school […]

When you are preparing to bring a child into this world for the first time, there is no shortage of advice doled out to new parents. “Don’t hold the baby too much, or she’ll get spoiled!”“Baby won’t sleep? Let her cry it out through the night. Crying never killed no baby.”“Put the baby on her […]

Aya, my sweet and surly second born, turned 16 this month. It’s difficult to believe considering that I just enrolled her in pre-school a few days ago. Nevertheless that’s what the calendar says: My baby is officially in the first phases of young adulthood. Her first decision as a young adult, you ask? “I want […]

Ping!!I glanced down at my phone and saw a new message alert. It was my brother! I was beyond excited. Last night I was already floating on a high from the success of our family photo shoot and NOW the ancestors had blessed me with the gift of contact with my brother whom I hadn’t […]

A man places his phone on selfie mode and begins to record. The lens is angled from the floor up, so that we are able to see his feet advancing towards a child cowering in the corner. Both come into view. The man is hunched over, his face contorted in fury. Without warning, he picks […]

The good people at Ottar Magazine invited me to write an article about desire earlier this year. This article appears in Swedish, but if you’re not up on your Nordic languages, I’ve got the English version for you here. @bougiefeminist, this post is just for you! Lust is a powerful psychological force as old as […]

I set my beverage down with a gentle thud and smiled generously, grateful to be surrounded by the laughter and reverie of friends I hadn’t seen in years…some in over 20. Kwae Terrace, a swanky rooftop spot in Accra, offered all of the elements required for a memorable mini class reunion: Tropical drinks infused with […]