Latest Essays

I rolled out of bed just before midday on Saturday, driven to the bathroom by a coughing fit. Saturdays are the only days in the month I permit myself the delight of complete mental barrenness; the days where I ignore emails, watch old episodes of Gummy Bears on YouTube and eat Kit Kats for breakfast. […]

Before ‘ally fatigue’ set in, back when brands across the globe believed in earnest that the best way to demonstrate their solidarity with marginalized groups was to post a black square on Instagram, or combat racism by renaming the ‘master bedroom’ the ‘main bedroom’ (not like massa was raping anyone in his private quarters anyways), […]

Close your eyes and think about the future a hundred, maybe a thousand years ahead. What’s the worst thing you can imagine? What event would you consider utterly catastrophic? Nnedi Okorafor puts forward an unutterable possibility. This week on my best friend’s podcast, LeVar Burton Reads, LeVar Burton (who is my best friend in the […]

Happy World Food Day! I love food. I love the taste of it; the sight of it; the preparation of it, and (when I could) the smell of it. I love how thousands of years of human history  – wars, migration, accidental discoveries and stingily guarded recipes – nest themselves on a plate before what […]

I know we’ve talked about this before, but it bears repeating. Here’s some Monday Motivation for you: A friend of mine contacted me over the weekend because she really wanted to apply for a position in a field that she’s been interested in for years. She has lots of theoretical knowledge in said field, but […]

Kwame, if you’re reading, don’t think I forgot! Y’all swear “I never told you” so many things, but over the past 11 years on this blog, you’ve heard about the inner workings of my womb, mammary glands, follicles, nightmares… So what’s a story about the Big O between friends? If you didn’t hear me shouting […]

 I infrequently get asked why I started making jewelry. No actually cares why I make jewelry, and I understand why. We live in a consumer driven world and the assumption is that I (like many other people who rightfully to do so) am merely tapping into the $2.4 trillion dollars that the fashion industry generates […]

On August 29th was a frigid winter day in my corner of South Africa. The sky was overcast and the electric heater in my bedroom was on full blast. Drizzling rain misted the windowpanes and the hadedas (South Africa’s unofficial bird) had finished their dawn screeching. This was my favorite weather and time of day, […]

In the early days of the Pandemic ™ and the massive loss of income and impact on livelihoods to follow, LLC Twitter dispensed its unique brand of sage advice: Why not just start your own business? This is the perfect time to become your own boss! What I love about the Band Commonly Known as […]

“…you engaged with that tweet while demonstrating a woeful lack of comprehension…Have a good day.” My husband looked up from his work, amused as I finished firing off a missive, shut my laptop and rubbed my temples. What now, he wanted to know. I launched into an explanation about how the online conversation about Black […]

Naana Opoku-Agyemang is the former Minister for Education, appointed in 2013 by (then) President John Mahama after the 2012 Ghanaian general election. She has lectured and led at prominent African institutions, including the University of Cape Coast and the Women’s University in Africa located in Zimbabwe. As an educationalist, she has authored and co-authored a […]

Schools opened back up in South Africa for in-person attendance around a month ago. We decided it would be safe to allow the kids to go back for myriad reasons. The total student population at our school numbers less than 100, physical classes would be offered on alternate days and the department of education had […]

The process of making sleeping arrangements separate from one’s partner is officially called a ‘sleep divorce’ by experts. Given how close I was to an actual divorce this time last year, I wish there was a less cynical term for this agreement; but I’m not The Experts, am I? I’m not sleeping well. The truth […]

The following is NOT a sponsored post. I have not been paid for my views. I just like shopping at Sephora. I never really wanted to be a tomboy, but it was the lifestyle that best suited my *ahem* financial situation. Have you looked at the cost of a quality primer? A good primer cost […]

Warning: Spoilers abound I would be remiss if I didn’t confess that I no longer write reviews of Ghanaian cinematic productions or streamed series. It was a decision I made after 2015, when my unbiased observations of a certain filmmaker’s work were re-framed (or misinterpreted) as a personal attack, rather than the valid concerns about […]

I’m writing a screenplay! This should come as little surprise to anyone. Last year I partnered with a Nigerian documentary maker and wrote my very first episodic script. That submission earned our team entry into IFP’s prestigious Episodic Lab in New York; one of ten out of 400 candidates. To say that the feat was […]

I never thought I’d say it, but there are days when when I long for the simplicity of exploding diapers, hostile tantrums and 2am feedings. The same is not true for every mother, but I couldn’t wait to hold conversations with my kids. I would respond to their earnest, incoherent babble with seriousness and equal […]

On the 17th of June, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation. “Y’all wanna go outside so bad; and drink your liquor so bad; and get y’all nails li’l done SO BAD – then yeah! Gwan den! Just wear a mask when you do!” That’s not really what he said, of course…but that’s the […]

Sammy Gyamfi is the National Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), a position he’s held since 2018. He is a lawyer by trade, most noted for his outlandish populist tirades. He is the generator of a despicable political cartoon depicting George Floyd’s body being suffocated by Ghana’s EC. In the mid 1970s, my […]

Every so often a Diaspora Wars will erupt on social media. It’s never quite clear what factors incite the digital skirmishes at the time, but one proclamation always rears its head: certain African Americans/Blacks want everyone to know that they are the descendants of royalty. They are not wrong. Though I was in Ghana for […]

LeVar Burton is my Reading Rainbae, and yesterday he said my name during his live Twitter reading session! LeVar Burton needs no introduction, but in case you’ve been living under a rock for the past 40 years, here’s a quick introduction. The acclaimed actor, producer, author, literary advocate and cultural icon has been an influential […]