Mama Monday: Ghanaian Food and Drink Photo Journal

When I was in Ghana in January, to my friends' pseudo-chagrin, I decided to awaken the Asian in me and take copious photos of the food and drink I ingested and imbibed.  I ate a lot and I ate well.  In another life I was a Gold Coast native, I am sure of it! Enjoy :)

HOME COOKING AND DRINKING

Akpeteshie cocktail with Campari and Tonic Water

Akpeteshie is a Ghanaian alcoholic spirit made from sugar cane.  

Clockiwse from fork: shito, jollof rice, stir-fried veggies, corn
bread pudding, gari foto, potatoes au gratin, bbq chicken

Shito is a Ghanaian condiment that literally translated means pepper.  It is made with ginger, pepper, smoked powdered herring and shrimp, onion, garlic and spices.  Jollof rice is the grain cooked in a tomato based sauce with onion, garlic, ginger, chilies and spices. It is a staple in many West African countries.  Gari is made from mashed, dried and fermented cassava that turns into granules.  Gari foto has egg, and corned beef mixed in with the cassava.

STREET FOOD

Roasted grounuts: peanuts and roasted plantain

One of the main reasons I had been wanting to go to Ghana, apart from visiting my uni friends, is PLANTAIN!! Plantian is eaten all over West Africa. How I love me some plantain.  Had never had it roasted before.  Bought this off the street a lot during my trip.  A yuick and easy snack and soooo satisfying.  As they say it's the simple things in life that have the most profound effect: in this case on my belly :) 

FOOD IN THE RAW

This is a yam out the ground.  This one was about metre long.  It
was ridiculously heavy!

Yam is a tuber that is common in West Africa.  95% of all yam grown in the world comes from this region and can grow to 1.5 metres and can weigh as much as 70kg!  

DRINK

A  malt non-alcoholic beverage not found in
 East and Southern Africa

This stuff is brown liquid crack man! Soooooo yummy.  Made from the same formula used for the beer Guinness but tastes so much better and doesn't get you drunk so you can indulge as much as you want :)

DINING OUT: TANTE MARIE RESTAURANT, ACCRA

Tante Marie is an Accra restaurant situated in a converted DC 10

Another non-alcoholic malt beverage

Castle's version is not as good as Guinness'.  This was not as full-bodied and as punchy.  Felt a little watery and did not have the same syrupy feel and rich taste.  Try this one first so things can only get better.

For starters L-R: Fried Plantain and
fried chicken wings with shito

The plantain was spiced with chilli and ginger.  

Entree R-L: Grilled Tilapia with Acheke

Tilapia is eaten all over Africa and tastes just as good in Ghana.  Acheke is like couscous and originally eaten in Cote D'Ivoire and Senegal. It is made from cassava, a root that can grow in the harshest conditions and is common in the tropics: mainly Africa, Asia and South America.

Entree L-R: Fried Plantain and Red Red

Plantain was fried plain.  Red Red is a bean stew fried in palm oil and this version used cassava fish as the protein.

Entree L-R: Boiled Yam, Egusi soup

Egusi soup is made with seeds from squashes, melons or gourds such as pumpkin or watermelon, mixed with water, palm oil, spices and vegetables and/ or meat.  This was made with spinach.  It is famously a Nigerian dish but has spread to other West African countries.

STREET FOOD

Plaintain chips L-R: unripe (savory), ripe (sweet)

As you can see I really overdosed on plantain.  How could I not when it is so versatile.  There are so many ways to prepare it.  When in traffic how can you resist buying a coupla packets?!  I prefer the sweet to the savoury but they are both tasty :)

Roasted maize

I do have to say that Ghanaian grown maize does not hold a candle to Zambian maize.  Tasty but the grain is smaller, harder and not as sweet in my opinion.

COCKTAILS:

HILLBURI RESORT, ABURRI

I was instructed to...

Cocktail with ginger, cucumber and apple

...but I am not a beer drinker so I substituted a cocktail instead to accompany my enjoyment of the view he he he.  This drink had  a local name that has escaped me sorry :(.

REPUBLIC BAR AND GRILL, ACCRA

Bisap Cocktail

Cocktails at Republic are ridiculously cheap.  I got this gargantuan cocktail for about 10 cedis! Can't remember its colourful local name but it has bisap: hibiscus juice, mint, and rum in it and it was so lovely I had to have another but I got a smaller one.   Everything in moderation he he he.

DINING OUT: TSARLEY KORPEY RESORT, ADA

L-R: salad, grilled barracuda, shito, yam chips

Love me some seafood, especially the meaty fish kind.  Dorado is still my fav, but barracuda is tasty too :)

SHOPPING IN OSU, ACCRA

Coconut water on the roadside

Can't stand coconut - its taste and texture are an abomination.  However it has redeeming factors: it's water is a tasty, healthy and restorative drink, the milk taste nice in curries and its oil makes my hair lovely and soft he he he ;}

Pistacio and malaga gelato

Cashew nut gelato

Love this twist on gelato.  Cashew nuts are common crop in West Africa so when in Accra do as the Romans do I guess he he.  I really enjoyed this, it tasted so sweet and creamy with great texture from the crushed nuts.

HOME COOKING

Okro soup with banku

Okro soup is made with okra, palm oil and contains meat, fish and veggies.  This version had crab, fish, beef chunks and salted cow skin.  Never had salted cow skin - it is gelatinous in texture and is very tasty.  Banku is made from pounded corn and cassava dough that is first fermented then  mixed with hot water.  This tastes like a fermented version of Zambian nshima: maize (and cassava) flour staple dish in East and Southern Africa.

L- R: Goat Stew and Eba

Eba is made with Garri added to hot water and mixed with a wooden spoon and is a harder form of accompaniments like banku and nshima.

Pounded palm kernels

L-R: palm nut stew and fufu

Palm stew is made from the liquid extracted from pounding palm tree kernels mixed with onion, tomato, ginger, onion, garlic, chilli and spices.  This recipe used chicken but can also be made with meat.  Fufu is a common carbohydrate accompaniment in Ghana and Nigeria that is made from boiled cassava that is then pounded into a dough.  It is eaten with soup and is swallowed whole (I tried chewing it just so I could understand why you are told to swallow it.  I agree with the traditional, tried and tested way it has been eaten for centuries he he)

Palm nut stew served with Banku, accompanied by a
semi-sweet white wine

Back in the day at school RFL had taught me how to make light soup which is a tomato based soup made with stock, onion, bay leaves, chilli, garlic, ginger and potatoes and I loved it. I can say out of all the soups and stews I have had, including groundnut, palm nut stew has now eclipsed light soup as my favourite Ghanaian dish.  It was the last thing I ate before I left so I ended on a high note :)

For more on Ghana, check out the country's tag right here in MbA.

Chipolopolo Stunner

Time to get back to the drawing board, we
have some wrinkles to iron out!

 Do not let the title of this post confuse you.  We were not the "Stunners" we were at AFCON earlier this year, what was stunner about our first World Cup qualifying match is that we lost in the most humiliating fashion to Sudan.  I cannot describe how I feel any better than with my Facebook status update after the stunner of a loss:

Chipolopolo check your aim: instead of shooting down hawks in the desert, you have wounded your own people! My heart is bleeding, this is not the way champions reach higher heights. You are with the big boys now, step it up!

You can see just how stunned (yes I keep using the word coz I mean we were just blindsided man!) the nation was by the articles like this one in the Lusaka Times.  We couldn't even write about the defeat in detail it was so painful.  For a full breakdown of the match you can read this article and SuperSport really added insult to injury by juxtaposing how Les Éléphants have bounced back from their runners-up effort at AFCON to win their first qualifing match 2-0 against Tanzania while we fell from grace 2-0 to Sudan :(.

When you are at the top, to stay there you need to work harder and keep improving and not rest on your laurels as everyone is gunning to topple you to prove they are the best!  And Sudan have brought us from heights that quite clearly have made us dizzy-drunk with glory that we have been blinded into thinking the World Cup qualification is going to just fall into our laps! Sudan made this sobering episode in our post-AFCON history even worse as they infuriatingly performed every dirty trick in the book to waste time, fake injury and slow play down in a myriad of ways.  Really they should be ashamed of themselves, that sort of play does not belong in football, it sullies the beautiful game...Drogba looks like a saint when compared to the actions of the Sudanese team on Saturday! To further describe the disappointment and rage my beloved national team invoked with their lacklustre performance, I quote excerpts of my whatsapp convo with SPORTS GUZA:

SPORTS GUZA (SG): Is the game on SuperSport? ZNBC has no picture!

MbA: No

SG: OMG! 1st game after AFCON and we get this?

MbA: It took so long for ZNBC to confirm they would have a feed so not surprised they mucked up

SG: Idiots

MbA: They do this for the Ghana game next week there'll be riots coz that game is more important

SG: Yeah and it's on home ground

MbA: Exactly no excuse

We then decided to have radio silence till the game was over but then after the 2nd goal SPORTS GUZA, who had enacted the silence was the first to break it:

SG: Ouchhhhhhhhhh this really sucks

MbA: Dude! This is pitiful, Renard is even subdued! AFCON has past we need to prove ourselves all over again and not rest on our laurels.  So frigging upset. I know we are playing away but jeez we have a full team

SG: Yup and it proves what I said all the teams we will be playing want to prove something

MbA: Of course when you are at the top everyone wants to pull you down.  You have to work even harder to stay at the heights after you have climbed up there!

SG: The national soccer team hasn't had any practice since our win, FAZ claimed they didn't need it...Instead they were busy running with the trophy all over the country

MbA: I'm so angry I could shoot these bullets with my own copper

SG: From your wiring in the house?

MbA: AFCON is gone we have a new challenge, the World Cup won't just drop in our laps from the sky! Ha ha ha foolish, I have my own mine.

Full time is called and we have lost 2-0 to Sudan.

MbA: No words. Will have to blog about this when I calm down!

SG: Do so tomorrow: Talk about the lack of preparedness i.e. no friendlies, arriving in Sudan at midnight the day of the match, experimental formation, trophy tour and next week...

MbA:  Dude I'm speechless, tomorrow I shall write and post Monday.  Ivorians, Ghanaians, Eygytians all off to good starts jeez!

I was rendered speechless, a state normally foreign to me, but now I have regrouped and although this loss was painful, we can bounce back and World Cup qualification is still within our reach.  WE CANNOT PLAY LIKE THIS AGAINST THE BLACK STARS NEXT WEEK!!!!! So here are some things for the team to ponder, rectify and/ or take into account to regroup and remember how to be champions before next Saturday at Levy Stadium in Ndola:

Coach Renard: Have you been spending too much time washing your white shirts with all the free Boom detergent you have been supplied with now that you endorse the brand and not enough time figuring out strategy? Is your shirt so blindingly white now that the one you were wearing on the sidelines obscured your view with brightness so you couldn't see how Sudan kwempad us coz I didn't see your usual frenetic shouting of direction and encouragement during the course of the match? I suggest you go back to AFCON ways, the detergent you were using before kept your shirts white and your coaching skills were not affected.

Christopher Katongo:  Though you did try to motivate by example as you did at AFCON you were still not as effective as you were in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.  With 3 endorsements, I think that you have had too much money to spend so you think you have made it and do not need to do as much work now that you are a champion.  To stay a champion and a great leader you have to keep working hard so get it together.

Mayuka: Were you even on the pitch?!  

Mweene: That farm you have been given coupled with the free Pepsi you are getting from that endorsement deal are making you fat on chicken and soda. Plus I'm sure you are eating desert too with free Parmalat custard (though I don't blame you that stuff is crack and heaven in a carton)!  If that is not true, then how were you not agile enough to stop being hoodwinked not once but TWICE!!!! And the second time was worse, they caught you napping coz you were busy yapping!  My favourite Chipolopolo, please do not cause me pain, life is hard enough as it is...

The rest of you, what is your explanation?! Find out what went wrong and fix it!!!!  I shall be checking in on you next week...

ORANGE POWER: Chipolopolo Continue Their Bloody Rampage and Les Elephants Stampede Their Way To The Final

Proudly Zambian :)

WOWWEEEEEEEE!!! Last night was an excellent footie extravaganza!  The AFCON semis did not dissappoint! The Chipololo have continued to show why Zambia is a football nation and what passion we have for the game by continuing to shoot to kill and have made us proud.  I have been watching AFCON 2012 from the group stage of course and will recap everything in a round-up post after the Final. For now, I just want to bask in the Chipolopolo's valiant and successful bid to reach the AFCON Final since 1994, which was a year after the tragic loss of our most promising national team off the coast of Gabon in a plane accident.  How fitting it is that almost 20 years after that tragedy, we are honouring the players by reaching the Final in the manner we have.

Semi 1: Chipolopolo vs the Black Stars (Zambia vs Ghana)

We started off with all cylinders firing and confirmed Gyan's fears that we were going to be a force to be reckoned with.  That lasted for all of 5 minutes when Ghana made their first surge which sent our defenders into a state of panic and by the 7th minute Gyan was awarded a penalty and Zambia had their first yellow card.  However, no one could have predicted that Gyan would fumble and make the most uncommitted and timid penalty attempts and that Mweene would make a great save to keep Zambia's hopes alive! Was he intimidated? I don't think so.  I think Gyan is rusty from playing in the Middle East.  Pathetic attempt in the semifinal of an AFCON championship! However, this did have a positive effect on the rest of the Black Stars who changed gears and ramped up the pressure, and for the rest of the first half Ghana assaulted the Zambian goal by continually flustering defenders and if it wasn't for Mweene's goalkeeping poise, grace and determination we would have been down 3/4-0 by half time! While Ghana constantly questioned us, we sporadically showed what we were capable at the other end.



At this point I was in conniptions as it is no secret that Ghana is my favourite African team and I was already distraught that my national team had to play them! My rickety ticker was letting me know that I am too old for this sort of match. I was starting to think that Renard had spent too much time picking out which blue jeans and white shirt he was to wear out of all of the blue jeans and white shirts he dons on the sidelines at matches and even more likely that he spent too much time in the mirror individually placing each strand of hair in its proper place! However Renard proved that you can be metrosexual and a master football tactician by bringing in his secret weapon: Mayuka the Bazuka who was substituted in for the second half.  He showed Ghana that when you have an opportunity to score you not only take it but you make sure the ball hits the net with a beautiful goal within 20 minutes of being on the pitch. My theory is that Renard wanted to keep Mayuka fresh in case we were down by halftime so he could salvage our hopes if need be.



About 10 minutes to go we started to get a bit cocky with fancy dribbles and things and though I love me some football flair, the game was not won yet. Up 1-0 is not enough to be complacent, especially with the calibre of  team such as Ghana, who kept pummelling and probing in our half till the bitter end.  Thank God for Renard who continued shouting like a banshee although I didn't hear  him tell the boys to hang on for "2 minooootes" like he did in the group stages, which got him a mancrush from one of the BBC commentators who unfortunately did not cover this game as I have enjoyed him expressing his love for Renard's antics and accent.

Man of the match without shadow of  a doubt was Mweene: if he hadn't protected our goal so valiantly throughout the game and particularly during the first half's constant barrage from the Black Stars, by the time Mayuka scored, his goal would have been meaningless.  Absolutely awesome possum!  Fantastic goalkeeping display!

Honourable mentions: Of course to win you have to score and Mayuka showed how you shoot stars out of the sky. Absolute clutch performance! Jordan Ayew was the source of most of Ghana's chances.  His work on the wings to feed the ball into the box were absolutely brilliant.  Both these young lads show great promise and I look forward to seeing them play in the future.

I can't believe I'm saying Gyan was the worst player.  I am really not happy with him at all.  May he go back to Sunderland and play football at a higher level as playing in the Middle East has rusted his football brain.  His penalty attempt was so lacklustre and his performance lacked precision and true direction, commitment and dare I say passion?! His miss at the 2010 World Cup quarters was forgiveable as it was just an unfortunate game for Ghana altogether but there was just no excuse last night. His performance was just as bad as Senegal's overall performance in the group stages.  A complete waste of talent!

Semi 2: Les Elephants vs Les Aigles (Cote D'Ivoire vs Mali)

Cote D'Ivoire have been focused, humble and determined the whole of AFCON and it is clear that they are remedying the underperformance that has plagued them in the last 10 years.  They have trampled their competition, scoring 8 goals and conceding none.  And they continued to keep a clean sheet by never giving the Eagles the chance to soar in true Elephant style by keeping them firmly on the ground, stamping on them and finally burying them by winning the match. It was incredibly physical but with Cote D'Ivoire firmly in control.  Nothing happened unless they allowed it to. They stampeded their way to the Final in style :)

Man of the match was definitely Gervinho who finally has found his form with his first goal of the tournament, and what better a time to find it!  His run from beyond the half-way line, leaving Malian after Malian in the dust and finishing off his efforts with a beautiful strike culminated in grabbing the lead in the dying minutes of the first half and ultimately secured Cote D'Ivoire's progression to the Final on Sunday. His coverage of the pitch, his ball skills and his striking precision created one of the most sublime moments of AFCON 2012 for sure!



Honourable mentions: Cote D'Ivoire defenders protected their goalkeeper and Barry had little to do the whole game and no goals were conceded once again.  The Toure brothers were impactful in the back, midfield and in the box through the middle and Gosso did the same on the wings.  Kalou was impactful in the box trying to make things happen despite being clearly hampered by his hamstring injury. It is no secret that I  do not like Drogba and his style of play which involves divo (if you don't know that's male for diva) antics among other things which I have expressed before, but he has shown a maturity on the football pitch during AFCON and particularly in this game in which he was not his best but he tried to make and impact in the box and elsewhere on the field and at times when he fell and would have normally appealed for a penalty or free kick he picked himself up, dusted himself off and just got on with it.  I wonder if his game was affected by the fact his wife is Malian? Talk about awkward!

Worst player was clearly Seydou Keita.  He has been a brat all tournament and continued his petulant streak  by arguing with the ref and finding dubious ways to get fouls and cards against his opponents.  I love Barca, they are my fav team in Europe and a lot of that has to do with their professionalism and clean playing style.  These dirty tactics clearly come from Keita himself when left to his own devices.  He should be ashamed he did nothing on that football pitch but show that he has a rotten personality.

Now although my favourite animal is the elephant and I am vehemently against poaching, come Sunday I expect Zambia to use copper bullets to shoot some elephants and take ivory as trophies, I want them to storm the beach and capture the coast! At the beginning of the tournament I expected Zambia to carry me to the quarters and for my favourite African teams Ghana and/ or Ivory Coast to take over and keep me invested in the Final.  Zambia have shown that indeed "this is our time" as our Skipper, Christopher Katongo decreed before the semis. I am very proud of my national team's passion, determination and execution and expect another bloodbath of a footie match.

Now to make sure we win we have to play like we did against Senegal in the group stages and more importantly we have to win the toss to wear orange jerseys.  As the scientific findings from the semis show, teams in orange won, those in white lost. If Les Elephants lose the toss they wear white, upping their chances to lose and giving us even more of a chance to win when coupled with the power of us wearing the orange jersey.  For those skeptics who will bring up the Dutch wearing orange and losing in the 2010 World Cup Final I will kindly inform them that the Dutch only had one element in common with the teams that won the AFCON semis and that is the orange jersey, but those who hail from Holland are not from the motherland.  Being African brings the juju element in so Zambian sangomas do your thing: we want the ORANGE coz we know what to do with it and that's WIN ;}

CHIPOLOPOLO, NAFUTI! NAFUTI! (AGAIN! AGAIN!)

Africa Day: What I Wanted To Say Yesterday

Yesterday was a day to celebrate the continent and our freedom to forge our own destinies.  I was unaware until I had a chat with MINI MI that for some African countries, this day is just another day even though it marks the commemoration of the African Union as well.  Nigeria does not seem to acknowledge the day.  It has been an official holiday in Zambia as far as I can remember. I think it is an important day for the continent to reflect, to take pride in who we are and resolve to be trailblazers who defy the world's expectations and become the great peoples we have the potential to be.  I say peoples as although we share a commonality in the African experience, we have unparalleled diversity that should be preserved and celebrated as well. 

It is an interesting time for Africa.  Sudan will be split into two soon.  Egypt is witnessing the cost of freedom.  Revolution is a long process and the media have not helped in perpetuating the illusion that demanding change culminates to democracy overnight and when they aren't oversimplifying they are spreading gloom and doom.  Unfortunately the Libya situation is worse than ever, and my fears have been realised.

However, progress has been made in Cote D'Ivoire with President Ouattara rightfully being sworn in as President as the people had chosen at the end of last year.  Let us hope that this is a huge step towards sustained peace in the region.  I hope that they finally deal with their human rights issues.  Here is a video of the inauguration:


As for me Africa Day was particularly invigorating.  The day before I saw David and Goliath battle in the 21st Century, when Rafa beat John Isner after being pushed to 5 sets for the first time at Roland Garros.  I have gushed about Nadal before, but I have gained a new level of respect for him after watching that match.  Watching him fail to find a way to penetrate Isner's game after he lost the break in the second set and seeing him transform in the fourth by taking a chance and going for Isner's mammoth serve and finally making inroads to break and take the last two sets to win was awesome possum :)))))).  Seeing him adapt and change, persevere and call on his inner-strength to will victory was just wow! My favourite match of his on clay for sure. Definitely a classic. You can watch his interview after the match here, (look for Day 3).

How does this relate to my Africa Day? Nadal's win despite what seemed to an insurmountable obstacle in his way gave me the strength to declutter my life literally and figuratively so that I can be receptive to God through faith in myself and my abilities.  The only person who can help you is yourself.  You have to find the strength within when you are faced with external trials and tribulations.  So I spent the day cleaning my personal space and clearing my head and I am now prepared to move forward with energy and optimism and most importantly faith in myself, my abilities and my contributions to life.

I will end with my fav African song of the moment.  Africa let's "hustle and stay focused" :)

My Haitus

Unfortunately, my blogging has gone down the drain since I have been back home.  Not only has my internet been non-existent and despite my best efforts, I have only posted from my blackberry once :(.

I am also going through a very scary transitional period where for the first time I really have no idea where I am going or how to get there and the darkness seems to have no light to guide me at any point.  So I am not sure whether I am wondering around aimless or whether I am following a path that will be revealed when I reach my preferred destination.

At this time I am appreciating energy.  Right now it's been sapped right out of me and I am spending most of my time trying to stay optimistic and use my reserves wisely.  I am hoping that I will resolve my current life challenges soon so I can go back to normalcy and being connected.

It doesn't help that the Libya situation is becoming more and more military and that I like the rest of the world still have not shone enough light on the Cote D'Ivoire issue that has been going on for much longer. That coupled with the craziness that happened in Japan just has me a bit forlorn at the moment...

Art and Football

In keeping with my arty theme this week, I am continuing to post about beautiful things. Art is beautiful. Football is beautiful. And when they come together they make for a good post ;}.

Firstly, Drogba and Kalou have picked pictures taken by BBC World Service listeners and BBC journalists for the BBC's Africa Kicks.  You can watch a video on their thoughts about football's impact on Africa and you can also view the pictures they picked for the Africa Kicks Exhibition here: Gallery 1 - which aims to capture Africa's vibrancy , Gallery 2  - that conveys how football can be a life-changing and Gallery 3 -showcases how to Africa, football is more than just a sport.  I think football is where African's find the freedom to just be because perhaps we take Art a little for granted as  we produce so much in so many different forms so naturally that is has a mundane quality.  Football ignites the senses while simultaneously pacifying the soul.  It really brings us together. The photographs selected really capture our love of football.

While we are on the subject of football, BBC's African Footballer of the year shortlist has been revealed: Gyan and Ayew of Ghana, Eto'o, Yaya Toure and Drogba.  I have voted for Gyan. He was just absolutely wonderful at the World Cup. Awesome to the possum. He lead Ghana and represented the continent first class first class he he he. You can cast your vote here.

Also, FIFA is giving $100K to the injured Togolese goalkeeper who was shot during the unfortunate events preceding the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year. I think this is an absolutely lovely gesture :).

I will leave you with a hilarious video of Gyan doing a celebratory dance and one of his Sunderland teammates joining in.  Classic ;)

Art's Healing Power

I am finally keeping to my word and writing a post I promised to write ages ago.  When I was flying home I read about this wonderful art festival happening in Luanda right now.  Il Trienal de Luanda is a triennial arts exhibition started by one of Angola's sons, Fernando Alvim.  It is the most renowned of its kind in Africa and features outdoor billboard paintings, formal exhibitions, television and radio debates, educational programmes, theatrical performances and more, with the proceeds from these events financing the finale in December. This celebration of art started on the 12th of September and goes on till December 19th so you still have time to catch it if you happen to be going to Angola any time soon. The point of the Triennial is to celebrate Angolan history and heritage, but also to help heal the wounds suffered from years of fighting.  I think this is a great way to attract people to Angola, just as with them holding the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year

Fernando Alvim is also curator of the Sindika Dokolo Collection, which is the largest collection of contemporary African Art in the world.  Artists from Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroun, Congo, Cote D'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Marocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia and Zimbabwe are showcased, as well as artists from around the world.  I am particulary taken with this set of prints and this photo is so eerily involving. And I can't get over the fact that there is an artist called Nastio Mosquito ha ha ha ha ha ;}.

I have a love/ hate relationship with contemporary art. Some of it just seems so self-involved and important. I visited LACMA earlier in the year and the collection they had showing had me thinking: really??!!! Some of it you could put together yourself but as they say that is not the point, it's all about the experience. Whatever. I expect to be wowed by something I couldn't do myself.  I need to see creativity and ability that I cannot produce to appreciate.  A pile of boxes just doesn't do it for me I'm afraid...

Not A Happy Puppy Blues :(

I do not believe in hating, but if ever there was anything to dislike with a passion it is Manchester United.  Man U sycophants are even worse.  Not since the days of Cantona have I cared for that team, especially seeing as most of the fans love the team because they love to win, not because they believe in the team at all.  My best friend BBM is a classic example of this type of nonsensical support. Bleh!

My love for Chelsea is pure. Since 1996 I had a feeling when Ruud Gullit came on board that this team would build itself into something phenomenal, pledged my allegiance and Chelsea came through.  I will bleed blue forever!  And I love that it has a solid African contingent with my favs Essien and Kalou and even though Drogba rubs me the wrong way, he is good at what he does so we support him too.

However, I am annoyed by the Community Shield result. Yes eventually champions have to lose but, man! to frikking Man U at the start of the season?! Kalou as usual was clutch , at least putting Chelsea on the scoreboard albeit late in the game.  Drogba has admitted to carrying around a groin problem for 6 years that he has only just fixed and now has to get match fit learning to play without the injury!  Plus he is getting over the crazy World Cup arm incident too.  Glad that Essien is wetting his football feet again. 

Chelsea need to shape up and start the season well.  

Busy Week For 50th Anniversary Independence Celebrations

Check out Afri-love for posts on Niger, Burkina Faso, Benin and Cote D'Ivoire all turning 50.  It was like the French were like ok, here we go, let's just do it all in one go!

Saw a quote from the Niger President, General Salou Djibo, on BBC's Africa in Pictures that dedicated the festivities to "the struggle against food insecurity by sustainable land management". All I have to say is words are just words until you turn them into action...

Obama's Address To The President's Forum With Young African Leaders: " You represent a different vision, a vision of Africa on the move."

President Barack Hussein Obama did not disappoint and gave a rousing speech, (here is the transcript, but I would advise you to watch the video), in keeping with his reputation as a gifted and insightful orator.  He made sure to single out the accomplishments of the audience from a Djiboutian starting off selling ice cream to now running his own accounting practice, a Malawian using her positive HIV status to break barriers, to an Ivorian journalist fighting for the rights of Muslim women (which made me think of North Africa's absence again :( ). He also drew from his father's life, telling of how he was able to take advantage of educational exchange and also how Kenya was in a better position economically that South Korea in the 60s but is now not as developed - a cautionary tale about all of our squandered opportunities.  He capped it off by answering questions from attendees representing Mocambique, Liberia, Mali, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Somalia.  He answered eloquently off-the-cuff about HIV, Zimbabwe, Somalia and the bombings in Uganda, the World Cup, brain drain, and the potential pitfalls and the opportunities for success on the continent.

Can I just say that I loved the woman in the purple's outfit.  One because it's purple, my fav colour.  Two because it was beautiful.  She is one of those that people back home would tell you to watch out for.  He he he.  Also could not find the leader I knew in the audience.  I have eyes and ears everywhere.  I may be useless, but I like to surround myself with those that  bedazzle he he he...

Obama speeches always yield a healthy crop of quotes so I am going to let his words speak for themselves, with other little tidbits interspersed of course:

"Welcome to the White House, and welcome to the United States of America.  And that includes even our friends from Ghana, who beat us in the World Cup. (Laughter.) Where are you? Over there? That's all right.  It was close. We'll see you in 2014. (Laughter.)"

Later the response from a Ghanaian attendee:   A Ghanaian football pundits thoughts before the US-Ghana match:  "This is not war, it is football.  If it were war, then maybe we should be afraid because the might of America is more than us."

"You reflect the extraordinary history and diversity of the continent."

"In fact you represent the Africa that is so often overlooked - the great progress that many Africans have achieved and the unlimited potential that you've got going forward into the 21st Century."

"I don't see Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world."

FYI, in case you didn't know Senegal, Gabon, Nigeria and Madagascar are all celebrating 50 years of Independence. Randomly, Scuttle the Seagull from A Little Mermaid's voice said all of that in my head because he says "In case you didn't know the prince is getting married today" to Ariel in a very silly voice.  Sorry! This is my third post today, overload of seriousness, needed a bit of nonsense he he he...;}

"Africa's future belongs to its young people."

"Yes Youth Can" Kenya's adoption of Obama's "Yes We Can."

A quote from an tweeting attendee "If your actions inspire others to dream more, to learn more, to do more and become more then you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams
This reminded me of how I  have no desire to become another twit on twitter. I'm sure its lovely.  I'm just not wired enough for that kind of deluge of information. So I now rely on MIghTy African to sieve for me so I can keep up-to-date with extra fast breaking news :).  You can read his comments on the Town Hall style meeting here. As my mother always says, "sieve, take what means something to you and discard the rest". Which has led me to coin a new euphemism:

"Sieve: don't be afraid to throw out the husks to keep the rice."


"The future is what you make it.  And so if you keep dreaming and keep working and keep learning and don't give up, then I'm confident that countries and the entire continent and the entire world will be better for it."

"Some old leaders get into old habits, and those habits are hard to break."

"Here is the interesting moment that we are in though - if you look at where the greatest opportunities are, they're actually now in emerging markets.  There are countries in Africa that are growing 7, 8, 9 percent a year.  So if you are an entrepreneur now with an idea you may be able to grow faster and achieve more back home that you could here."

"I've always said the destiny of Africa is going to be determined by Africans.  It's not going to be determined by me.  It is not going to be determined by people outside of the continent.  It's going to be determined by you.  All we can do is make sure our voices are heard and you're able to rise up and take hold of these opportunities.  If you do that, I think that there are going to be a lot of people who - even if they are educated abroad - want to come home to make their mark."

"I am a profound believer in not looking at violence as a solution to problems.  And I think the moral and ethical  power that comes with non-violence when properly mobilised is profound."
When I read this I was like hmmmm torture, rendition, Guantanamo, Afghanistan, Iraq...but a little bit later he said:

"And now it is not as if we are perfect.  Obviously we've got all kinds of problems as well.  But what it does mean is that the peaceful transfer of power and the notion that people always have a voice - our trust that democratic process is one that has to be embraced in all your countries as well."

"Oftentimes women are not getting the same voice in African countries, despite the fact that they are carrying more than their fair share of burdens."

"I will say that in Africa in particular, one thing we know is that empowering women is going to be critical to reducing the [HIV] transmission rate. We know that because so often women, not having any control over sexual practices and their own body, end up having extremely high transmission rates."

"Africa has some of our most loyal friends.  Every survey that's take, when you ask what continent generally has the most positive view about America, it turns out Africa generally has a positive view of America and positive experiences so I think you should be confident even if I'm not President that the American people genuinely want to see Africa succeed."

"South Africa has its problems, but from what everybody could see during the World Cup,  the potential for moving that country forward as a multiracial, African democracy that can succeed on the world stage, that's the model so far at least Zimbabwe has not followed.  And that's where I'd like to see it go."

"I think that this metaphor of the success of the World Cup and the bombing [in Uganda] shows that each of you are going to be confronted with two paths.  There's going to be a path that takes us into a direction of more conflict, more bloodshed, less economic development, continued poverty even as the rest of the world races ahead - or there's a vision in which people come together for the betterment and development of their own country."

"And for all the great promise that's been fulfilled over the last 50 years, I want you to understand - because I think it's important for us to be honest with ourselves - Africa has also missed huge opportunities for too long."

World Cup Lessons

So sad...we have to wait another 4 years to experience World Cup fever again :(.  But have no fear, a little nostalgia will prolong the feeling just that little bit longer...Well just two days longer, the Final was only on Sunday...

So what have we learned over the last month? Have no fear I am here to tell you :)

World Cup fever does have an antidote. His name is Suarez. And he got what he deserved.

Karma is something not to take lightly.  If you trifle with it, there will be vengeance. Uruguay learned this. And if you think about it Algeria did too after their equally dodgy qualification to the Finals.

The Hand of God is alive and well and still wielding its power in football, albeit it in a twisted form, as demonstrated by the Green and Suarez.

Africans are not very good at using their own juju.  It seems to have helped the Europeans more. Sure Cote D'Ivoire were in the group of death and South Africa really didn't have a chance but what was Cameroun's excuse? And Algeria should have played better after denying Egypt, the African champions the chance to shine.

The next time we have a World Cup in Africa it should not be held in one of the coldest countries on the continent during "winter".  We need to take advantage of the heat like South America do to stop European teams from winning!

Do not underestimate the power that Mr. Boateng's loins has had on football and will have in the future.  Watch out the English Premier League!

The Black Stars are the light in African skies!

It is easy to pick what team you are on sometimes.  When it comes to Twilight (I know, my love of film takes me to very strange places) it's easy - Team Jacob. However when your fever has been mollified it can be hard to think logically when your mind is clear. I know, what an oxymoron.

The more you listen to Waka Waka, the more you realise how cartoonish and stereotypically useless the song is and wonder more and more why Wavin' Flag was not the official song...

Footballers are hot! ;} See here, here, here and here for proof he he he...

Nike and Coca Cola know how to market and create great adverts.

Paul the Octopus is amazing! Is it terrible to wonder whether his football prophesising is also an indicator of how tasty he is?

Footballers know how to cry appropriately - either due to the emotionality of losing quite terribly ala Gyan, of winning ala Iker Casillas or when appreciating the importance of the Word Cup ala "The People's Rooney".  Federer crying after losing the Australian Open because he couldn't tie Sampras' all-time Grand Slam record not so much.  His scant of tears of joy when he later won the French for the first time to equal Sampras and that fact that when he actually became the all-time great a month later at Wimbledon he didn't even cry wasn't good either!

Spain have something in their water. In the last two months Pau Gasol won the NBA Championships, Nadal has won the French and Wimbledon back to back for the second time and La Roja have won the World Cup!!!!

Whatever anyone may say i.e. the constant referral to how even though South Africa, a proxy for Africa, may be developing there are still problems - cue pictures of slums and little boys playing football in raggedy clothes, South Africa should be proud of the World Cup they hosted.  Having travelled the world some, this is true everywhere.  It may manifest itself differently, but whether you are in the West or the East, the North or the South of this planet, there are always disparities between the rich and the poor, but for some reason Africa is constantly being berated for this difference and in other places, the media is perfectly happy to hide them.  Which by the way makes it all the more shocking when you stumble upon these things, especially in the West.

South Africa 2010 will be remembered as the World Cup of firsts.

FOOTBALL IS THE BEST GAME ON EARTH!!!!!! And even though the Americans are to be commended for continuing to learn to appreciate the game, they have a long way to go in the media.  Even Paul who is an octopus gets it! Come on! I do have to say having watched a coupla matches at bars, it is clear that the public are getting into it.  However, this article REALLY annoyed me.  What kind of nonsense is this???!!! And to make it worse its written by a woman who is perpetuating the stereotypical view that women do not understand sport and couldn't care less. Silly silly woman! Which leads me to my next point...

It is a myth that women do not understand nor care for sport.  This is because a. sport is full of men in their prime flexing their muscles and being men which is thoroughly entertaining when coupled with the highs and lows of playing whatever game they are playing and b. you just need to be patient if the woman has been denied the opportunity to love sport and teach.  This is proven by the video below, which contains a lovely woman I know, but shall remain nameless, showing what World Cup fever can do to ESPN viewers and also by the fact that I have officially turned one of my roommates into a Nadal, basketball and football loving woman over the past year! Oh an the fact that my blog has been dominated by sports commentary for most of its short life ;)



We are ready for Brasil 2014 already he he he...

Ghana Avenged...

The Dutch utilised some serious Afrikaaner juju and did not let Forlan, the slippery fish that he is, and Uruguay get to the Finals.  After Forlan scored that equaliser I was out of my skin, damned slimy eel that he is.  Thank God his partner in crime Suarez was not on the pitch.  Can't believe that the Uruguay coach did not think that Suarez's actions were deplorable, especially after his remarks. All is well now though, all is well.

I would post more but right now I am completely mesmerised by the fact that Christiano Ronaldo is a father! There is a link here hence discussing this nonsense in the same post...the Dutch wear orange, and the baby was born 2 days after the Cote D'Ivoire (who also wear orange) drew with Portugal.  See! ;} Anyhoo, there is not much information, the baby mama is being kept under wraps...So right now me and my sister are hypothesising and trying to figure out what exactly went on.  Will let you know when we have made headway...

World Cup Update: Group Stage Oustings

Many apologies for my absence.  I have been watching and having heart attacks that have then been cured by moments of pure euphoria from World Cup Fever highs and lows. You have no idea how much the internet is a part of your life until it disappears for a significant period of time!!!

Cameroun and Nigeria are a disgrace.  Both clearly have no idea what African Pride means! Not even going to say anything about their pathetic ultimate performances that had them eliminated!

Algeria did well to draw in their last game so they did better than I had expected.

Even though Bafana Bafana are still boys, they were at least able to prove that they are looking to grow into men by beating France, who are now officially demoted from their exalted status as Africa in Europe after their backstage antics and lack of unity and ubuntu!

Cote D'Ivoire were unlucky, Portugal's 7-0 win, better than the Brasil's scoreline against North Korea, was a one off event that made it an uphill battle. They played a great third game and should be proud of how they played.  This is a lesson though: leave nothing to chance, always come out with guns blazing so you don't find yourself trying to climb too steep a mountain...When the job is already Herculean, there is not need to compound matters and make it Sisyphean!

My theory about wearing green and having a bad game have been further substantiated by all of these teams bowing out, all were wearing at least some green in their last battle!

The excuse of the overall lacklustre African performances at the World Cup is pressure.  UNACCEPTABLE! Talent is nothing if you cannnot use it when put to the test.  Will this always be the fate of African teams? Is this an allegory for Africa's role in the global millieu? That we have the potential to do amazing things and develop, even with scarce resources, as individuals but when our mettle is really tested collectively all we can do is fall short of even our OWN expectations??!!!

The only thing I am happy about is that Zidane has been avenged - Italy were knocked out of the groups stage and will not be able to defend their title. Karma??????

Hard Task Requiring Les Elephants' Tusks!

After Portugal's 7-0 defeat of North Korea, Cote D'Ivoire have a hard task ahead of them.  They have to hope that Brasil beat Portugal by a huge margin and that they are able to score as well as Portugal did against North Korea. They are going to come out with their tusks to be able to achieve this....

Simbas, Trampled Elephants and Possibly Fading Stars?

NOT A GOOD WEEKEND FOR AFRICAN FOOTBALL AT ALL!!! :(

First the Camerounians teased us by going a goal up and then ultimately losing, repeating the headless performance of their fellow West Africans the Nigerians. They are clearly not Indomitable Lions, but Simbas like Simba at the beginning of The Lion King - proud without having done anything and not ready to step up when challenged. Then Ghana got a little blinded by their own light and didn't give the Socceroos the respect they deserved by playing an overly flourished game that ended in them squandering chances and drawing with a penalty by Gyan. And then Les Elephants got trampled by the Selecao, not the other way around.  Didier Drogba's goal may have been the first against Brasil from an African team at the World Cup, but that does not take the sting out of the loss.

I really hope that this week is a better week.  May the teams who are out of contention go out with a bang to regain some dignity and those with a fighting chance please fight! My Sangoma is currently on probation, if things don't improve I may have to fire someone!

False Redemption Comes In Green :(

I AM NOT A HAPPY PUPPY! Was already upset with Nigeria, but the optimist in me was hoping that their first loss and/ or the fact that this is an African World Cup would spur them to success. And when Uche scored in the 15th minute, I was duped into believing that this was possible.  There they were flying like the Super Eagles they can be, and I was hoping that Nigeria would soar to victory.

But their flight was shortlived and they came crashing down after Kaita was red carded for a very stupid loss of composure on his part.  They then went from Super Eagles back to Mediocre Pigeons when Greece scored their  FIRST GOAL EVER! at the World Cup and then into Headless Chickens when Obasi missed a chance to take Nigeria ahead and then Greece scored AGAIN!!!! At least I can take solace in the fact that Mikel was spared the embarrassment of being part of this underachieving squad!

And to make it worse France decided to join in with a complementary Poulet Sans Tete performance and lost 0-2.  Will both of my teams in Group B fail to qualify??!!!

At this point I only have unwavering confidence in Ghana and Cote D'Ivoire, South Africa are definitely out.  Cameroun and Algeria could surprise me but right now I am so riled up I cannot put too much into that, my heart can't take it! :( Knowing me I still will anyways. It seems I am a glutton for punishment...

Malaria Nets Inspire Fashion

German born and London based fashion designer Markus Lupfer has designed a dress inspired by mosquito nets to help British Charity Malaria No More. The shoot features Behati Prinsloo, a Namibian model. The dress is available exclusively at ASOS, a great place to find interesting fashion,  at all price points :)! They also have African print designs through their recently launched ASOS Africa line but you have to search for them and they are a little pricier than going to a tailor and getting your own designs made.

To purchase the dress click here.

Couldn't help but find a football link he he he! Here is Kolo Toure, on behalf of United Against Malaria, to convince you to buy the dress or do something else to help fight this preventable disease ;}

Les Elephants Are Strong Without Drogba

It is good to know that Cote D'Ivoire can play without Drogba.  Kalou played well and I was a little upset when he was subbed out for Drogba who also put in a good effort despite his injury.  However I thought there was room for the both of them on the field but I guess there was Gervihno to use his pace and create plays as Kalou does. Can't believe  I hope that Les Elephants can improve on this in order to be able to break away and qualify.  Ronaldo was named man of the match, apart from that great goal attempt early on all he did was carry out his usual diving antics. 

Although Brazil won, I was not to impressed by their performance.  They got the job done but are in no way the clear favourites.  I think both Portugal and Cote D'Ivoire can beat them if they keep their heads.  What I loved about that match is the player from Korea know as "The People's Rooney" who actually aspires to be like Drogba! :) Him crying while North Korea's anthem was playing really epitomised what the World Cup means.  

And here is another video that made my day! Lego reenacting what has been dubbed "The Hand of Clod" by British tabloids. Classic!