*There are some people – an exceptional few – who are paragons of emotional stoicism. These people have all the emotive sensibilities of a fragment of driftwood. This post is not about you. It’s about the rest of us. Just FYI… Strong. Black. Woman. What comes to mind when you hear these words? Close your […]
Lawd have mercy. This isn’t what I wanted to write about this Monday. I wanted to discuss something with substance… something that was going to make us all think, and ponder, and turn to inward reflection and contemplativeness. Unfortunately, the fodder I was fed this weekend forced me to contemplate things I’d rather not have. […]
Once upon a time in this country we call America, there was an institution called slavery. You may have heard of it; horrible thing it was… race based slavery. Within this institution, some of the most appalling and harrowing atrocities were meted out against people – men, women AND children – of African descent. We […]
I have recently become fascinated with doppelgangers and the idea that we, as humanity, are all connected in some way. The post I am about to share with you has been dismissed as far-fetched, but this is the Mind of Malaka, daggonit! If dubiousness can’t find comfort here, where else shall it go? I’ve wanted […]
With all the hustle and bustle and horror of the last two weeks what with the Trayvon Martin case, the shooting death of Darius Simmons, the row over the Boston bomber on the cover of Rolling Stone, and the unpleasantness in the news in general, I forgot to bring you the details of my book […]
Greetings, oh Venerable Rashid Pelpuo. How good of you to condescend to my blog and leave a comment regarding a topic that is piercing to many a forward thinking Ghanaian citizen’s heart: that being the gradual and steady destruction of our country and who is responsible for it. Let’s get right down to it, shall […]
Last week I silently observed the Lean In movement unfold and national reaction to it. I thought there was going to be a feminist/mommy war implosion! After x millennia walking this earth, women still can’t agree, even amongst themselves, what the model for female accomplishment looks like. With a great deal of hand-wringing, high achieving […]
12-12-12. It’s kind of sad looking at that number when you think about it. Today’s date has forced me to take a hard look at my own mortality and fragility. Unless you’ve discovered the fountain of eternal life or plan to freeze and unthaw yourself until the next century, none of us will ever see […]
I trust that the Ghanaian elections are close enough that this post will not sway one voter one way or another. The candidates have all made their speeches, presented their proposals, and the die-hard party faithful for CPP, PPP, NDC, NPP and Ayariga will turn up to vote as they always have: along party lines. […]
Africa, a continent of chained Form Fives By Field Ruwe We, Form Fives a.k.a. Grade 12s are a people chained, facing the lit walls in the darkness of our own country. On the walls we watch our fantasies and desires. We see ourselves with a lot of money, one day living in luxury—in a […]
*Sigh*. I swear, other than hot kenkey, I don’t think there is one other person who incites as visceral a reaction in people than the mere allusion to or mention of President Obama. I sent this tweet this morning, not really expecting anybody to read, let alone respond to it. I said: Poor God. He […]
I didn’t think I was going to make it through the summer, and yet by some miracle I survived. If the frequency of my posts is any indication of the amount of personal time I had available to me, you will see it was not very much. I think I posted 4 articles all summer. […]
Dude. This is more of a Hump Day rant than an actual ARTICLE, so just be forewarned. There is so much I want to write about that I don’t even know where to begin. The trouble is, none of it is funny (at least not in a laugh out loud way…more of a WTF way) […]
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” The saying simply means that good ideas or thoughts lead to negative consequences that were unintended. A person begins with good thoughts, promising to themselves to do the right thing, however, priorities in life change, time becomes a limiting factor, and alas, the good intentions go […]
I just got finished reading and article called Don’t blame the 1% for America’s pay gap on CNN Money by Nina Easton. The article was so stunningly simple, it was mind blowing. In it, she recommends that instead of vilifying the 1% wage earners in this country, we ought to take a look at what […]
I had an Egyptian friend who was an artist, who left his country about 17 years ago because the views of his countrymen were too “myopic”. “They are too bound by religion,” he snorted with disdain. “Religion has done more to harm my country than it has to help it.” “I can see that,” I […]
You laugh, but I am asking a very serious question. I was introduced to the topics of racism and violence against women very early in life…probably too early. The Color Purple on VHS was a movie stable in my house, and it is with pride that I tell you that I can quote each line […]
A pipe dream is an illusory fantasy or idea that will not work. It’s probably because I caught the service for humanity bug when I went to South Africa last year, but I have this recurring pipe dream where I travel around Africa holding village seminars with young writers; female writers, specifically. When I was […]
Only the entrepreneurs might feel me on this one. Melissa checked her watch nervously for the fourth time. Brian and Joseph said that they would meet her at Panera at 3pm, after the lunch crowd died down. They were supposed to be discussing a photo shoot for an ad campaign the two had devised. After […]
A little over a week ago, I had the rare occasion to catch 20/20 with Juju Chang. I am hardly ever up at that hour of the evening, given that my day light hours are spent directing the raucous circus that is my home. As soon as my ancient television finished booting up that evening, […]
So I got this in my email…. …and shrieked with joy! Field Ruwe, author of the dynamic work concerning Africans and Intellectuals that went viral last month has blessed Mind of Malaka with a sequel. “Don’t Take After Your Father” is an engaging critique concerning the roots of our Continent’s perceptual battle with itself, using […]