Monday 27 March 2017

Happy Mother's Day


Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers around the world.

I remember I was made to learn and recite this poem as a little girl back in the days. It's lovely to say I can sing it willingly with all the love I have for my mum.

Enjoy.
"Who sat and watched my infant head
When sleeping on my cradle bed,
And tears of sweet affection shed?
My Mother.

Saturday 11 March 2017

Happy International Women's Day

Picture: Margaret Lance

Happy International Women's Day to all the wonderful women making every little bit of positive change and making the world a lot easier around themselves. 

Last Saturday I joined hundreds of women from across Scotland to celebrate IWD at the Scottish Parliament. Amongst many wonderful speakers of the day was a lady that stood out for me; my highlight when this local Ghanaian cocoa farmer spoke, this woman felt her children and other kids in her village deserve better. She felt if she sat still, things will not change... If she keeps quiet, the story will remain the same... If she does not find another path, she and many others will have no answers for their growing children, she had to do something. 

Tuesday 7 March 2017

The Duchess went story-telling on World Book Day

 To celebrate the World Book Day on the 2nd of March, I was happy to be selected for the book reading session to a class of pupils in our nearby primary school. Not only was I worried about what to read, I also worried about the song to sing that would interest children from different backgrounds. I decided to check our local library to find any "relative" African story which would be distinct and also serve as a takeaway to the weans. Luckily, I came by these two African myth children stories, The Mother of Monsters and No Dinner for Anansi. I skimmed through the tales, gave them my approvals and took them with me.
In class, my reading captured the attention of the kids as I leafed through the book. It felt like Tales by Moonlight in Africa.
As I read along the lines, I became grateful to the authors of these stories, I was happy these books came to my rescue. I did not want to read what the kids were used to. I mean from Harry Potter to Jeff Kinney's series. To me, that would feel like regurgitation. So I read with admiration in this little opportunity. As I finished and got on to questions on 'Morals of the story' session, I was not surprised that the kids were all attentive and inquisitive. They thanked me collectively and individually and I left.