Essays in: Musings

It has been 375 days since our first lockdown order was issued in South Africa: Alert Level 5. You know the story. It was supposed to last for 21 days after which, like a hoard of butterflies we would emerge from our respective dwellings and launch back into “normal life”. The soul-reaping virus would be […]

“Amuga! Amuuuuga!” This is what the children would shout after school during our long treks homeward in the blistering Accra heat. When emboldened, I would sometimes shout the word with them, and if the spirit – or whatever force guided the actions of the intended target – moved that day, a man would emerge from […]

I’m just going start this post off by professing my love for T. You make my world a livelier place and you bring animation to already colorful days. You are a gift and I love you. Speaking of gifts… During a recent two-hour long catch up wherein we discussed myriad topics, the subject of gift-giving […]

Forgive me if this is clumsily expressed. I have been misty eyed all morning, reflecting on the life of Ms. Tyson. The first time I ever saw a Black woman give birth on screen was in the movie The Color Purple. I was 8 years old and spending the summer in the Detroit with my […]

“Aging is inevitable. Getting old is optional.” – Some wokeness I read somewhere online once. What is occupying your thoughts at the beginning of this year? (The raging global pandemic aside.) This is normally a time for resolution and goal setting, but in light of the how the last ten months has shown how much […]

Cast your mind back to December 2019. It seems impossible to fathom now, but it’s fair to say most people began looking forward to the new year – 2020 – with optimism and enthusiasm. 12 months later, a quick poll might reveal that the majority of us are looking forward to putting this year in […]

“When I go to the movies, I go to escape reality… not to be confronted with more of it.” – Frances Scarlett When I relocated to Atlanta in 2000, I was coming into the discovery of my Blackness. And what better place to do so than in the nation’s Black Mecca? For the opportunities afforded […]

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), […]

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 […]

 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 […]

“…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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Today is the 23rd of November, 2019, and officially marks the tenth year since the creation of MOM. …I know, right? How many cell phones have you powered through in that amount of time. I almost didn’t acknowledge this milestone, but my BFFFL – Nana Darkoa – is a firm believer in celebrating benchmark moments. […]

In 2009 I contracted as a recruiter in a boutique organization that sourced and screened resumes for Ma & Pop shops to Fortune 500 companies. It was a maddening, hectic time fraught with office politics, instability and hostility as a natural byproduct; but more than that, working in such an erratic environment offered my opportunities […]

About a week ago, Netflix suggested a title that had my interest piqued upon visual contact. That title was ‘Dolemite Is My Name’. A little background might be helpful in understanding my excitement. The first time I heard the word Dolemite was in the early 90s when Snoop Dogg rapped it in the verse: Fallin’ […]

Niggerati: A blending of the words ‘nigger’ and ‘literati’, coined by unrivaled African American novelist, anthropologist and filmmaker, Zora Neale Hurston. Last week I received an email inviting me to participate in a literary initiative targeting young readers on the African continent. The person who referred me is a woman I’ve yet to meet, but […]

MOOOOOOMMMMM SQUAAAAAD!!! I’m mad excited. Can you tell? Some of you guys know that I am the co-founder cum co-creator of a li’l blog that could called Adventures From the Bedrooms of African Women. This year marks our 10th anniversary of bringing the world a peek into the lives of women of African descent on […]

“Destroy a man’s soul and they will destroy each other.” – Judge Perry, Bolden It is unlikely that you will hear much fanfare or discussion around the newly released Bolden, a biopic that centers on the life of once-famed cornet player Buddy Bolden. Once dubbed King Bolden, the man credited with inventing jazz died in […]