I Wish Us Well

It has been a great year of learning,
falling,
rising
and dreaming.

Still,
there is room for growth.

I praise God for His faithfulness towards me and my family. For it is by His Mercy and Grace that we are still standing.

Dear friends,
May this Christmas be merry for you & your family.
And may the New Year usher in good tidings and joy, indescribable.
Ni agbara Jesu! Amin.

I appreciate everyone,
for the role you played in my life this year.
I appreciate me for still believing,
even when it rained on my parade.
My faith is strengthened,
I have a Wonderful Counsellor.

Is there any sick among us?
May you find complete healing this season.
May your oil of gladness not dry up.
May the hurting be restored,
and made whole.
May the lost come to themselves
like the prodigal son did,
and remember the way home.
May the cursed draw to Jesus Christ,
the original curse breaker.
Nothing is unredeemable, with Him.

Heaven wants to see a smile upon your face,
Every thing else matters not at all.

Laugh.

Live love!

Shalom.

Edo Girls Who Rock: Isimeme Ejodame

With a passionate vision to build a society where there is effective communication between parents and daughters and help young girls know their rights, Isimeme Ejodame a graduate of Micro-biology at the University of Benin joined forces with her friend to set up the Young Girls' foundation (YGF), Nigeria in 2004. This young lady from Edo State who has been stereotyped by people who have the notion that young people from Edo state are either involved in Advanced fee fraud, popularly known as 419, Sex trafficking and drugs was one of the twenty youths selected by the British council to participate in the Belongings Project.

Perhaps, it was the desire to change the wrong perspective about Edo state that motivated Isimeme to participate in the British Council's Belongings Project, which brings together young people from different culture to broaden their international views and enable them to promote and communicate the relevance of their cultural experiences to others.

On how she heard about the programme, she said "I saw the advert in the newspaper and applied". Her application was short listed and she was afterwards invited for interview. The Belongings project brought together young people from different parts of Nigeria and U.K to live with for two weeks in Nigeria and another two weeks in U.K. This was to help the participants develop leadership skills while exploring culture and identity to promote intercultural dialogue and generate shared understanding between individuals and communities where they come from.

For Isimeme, not only has her leadership and networking skills been improved, the project has enabled her meet other young persons working for a positive change. She says she has been inspired by the experience. She commended the organisers of the programme, British Council and urged them to involve the government for sustainability. She also advised other Nigerian youths to discover their potentials and look for opportunities to bring out their best, "dream big, set goals and seek possibility". She added that young people need to read newspapers and shun the attitude of underestimating opportunities they find.

One of her British counterparts on the Belongings project, Bridget who works with Jump, a charity organisation in the U.K also said that the programme has helped her learn more things about herself. She explained that her time in Nigeria has given her boldness while watching her Nigerian counterparts' passionate commitment to strive towards leadership. However, she confessed that the way of life in Nigeria is not similar to what she is used to. Lack of electricity and water are some of the problems she faced during her stay in Nigeria. "Everyone in Lagos is so security conscious" she noted.

Steven Oguntoyinbo, another Nigerian participant from Ogun State went to the United Kingdom with a chewing stick and Adire material which were part of the items he displayed as unique things from his culture. For him, the project has ignited in him a desire to learn more about his heritage, culture and identity. "The experience has cleared the wrong perspective I use to have about British culture" he said.

Belongings is one of British council's five regional projects that together constitute Africa 2007, a three-year regional programme in East, West and Southern Africa. The Programme aims to explore notions of culture and identity to generate fresh ideas and create new understandings between individuals and communities in Africa and the U.K.

Category:Advocacy | Date:2007-12-30
Belongings Project empowers youths as change agents
By Jennifer Ehidiamen
http://www.thenationonlineng.net/archive2/tblnews_Detail.php?id=41348

Africa My Pride by Bothlale Boikanyo [Video]

There is hope in our future--there is a future in our hope!

Chime Asonye Presents #Songs4Change

With Nigeria's elections drawing closer, a new initiative has begun that seeks to harness the power of music to encourage those who believe in a better future for Nigeria and Africa. 

 

The project, titled Chime Asonye presents #Songs4Change, is a weekly dose of revolutionary music to inspire social progress in Nigeria and Africa more broadly. The songs – a mixture of old and new – advocate for positive change and awareness of important issues such as malaria, epileptic power, and domestic violence, amongst others. The initiative will feature primarily African artists but will occasionally include songs from others who promote social advancement and political consciousness. "I believe knowledge is created, not just by words on a page, but in fluid and dynamic ways," said Asonye, a development practitioner and social commentator, when describing why he started #Songs4Change. "Ever since I was young, I was shaped by politics shared in creative spaces like spoken word, debate, dance and theater. Music was always a constant fixture in these spheres and could touch people uniquely. Drawing on music to create critical consciousness in Nigeria borrows from my personal experiences that often combined art and politics."

 

The goals for #Songs4Change include but are not limited to, (1) increase dialogue on important development concerns using the hashtag #Songs4Change, (2) provide inspiration and encourage activism in and around Nigeria and Africa, and (3) stimulate the creation of progressive music from entertainers and upcoming artist. As a generation passionate about the change we want to see, it is imperative that we begin to challenge the status quo and require more from our entertainers and ourselves.

 

Africans have consistently unified and connected through music. Historically, it has been used to provide a source of inspiration and draw attention to important concerns on the continent. As the late great Afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti said, "As far as Africa is concerned, music cannot be for enjoyment. Music has to be for revolution."  #Songs4Change will be partnering with YNaija 2015,Jaguda.com, Gidilounge, AmeyawDebrah.com, Omojuwa.com, NigeriansTalk, Amplified Radio, NaijaDC, The ScoopNGand Tribex Marketing Group to help spread these songs all over Africa and the Diaspora. 

"We look forward to a growing list of media partners as our message reaches more people," Asonye said. "I believe these songs can become this generation's soundtrack for revolution."

 

For all things #Songs4Change, visit http://bit.ly/songs4change or subscribe here to receive weekly updateshttp://bit.ly/s4csubscribe. For more information, contact Chime Asonye at Songs4ChangeNG@gmail.com. 

#End#

Year 2015: The Year That Entrepreneurship Will Boom

We have heard that 2015 is the year for entrepreneurs and small businesses. While James Caan, a serial entrepreneur and investor summed it up as the year to shine, Tony Elumelu, CON, a Nigerian entrepreneur and philanthropist in his article, "The Rise of Africapitalism" predicts that 2015 will be the year where African entrepreneurs will take their place on global stage.

Do you share in this high doze of optimism? What is your prediction for 2015?

If you are still taking stock for the year 2014, this might also be a good time to look in the mirror and do some serious personal and organizational reflection.

I spent ample time chronicling stories of entrepreneurs this past week and I found two issues dominating the conversations with them – the need for mentorship and an enabling business environment.

For the wanna-be entrepreneurs, before you quit your job and run after the dream that has been tugging at you since kindergarten, it might be worth considering other possible ways to position yourself in the booming entrepreneurial space—dip one foot in to test the water as suppose to diving in with your whole body, one entrepreneur advised.

When I asked them what their major challenge was in running a business– funding is not what jumped on the list—surprisingly so. Most of the young entrepreneurs said that funding is the least challenge. As a matter of fact, one shared how he had all the money he needed to run his business but a few wrong decisions left him cashless and broke. This would have been avoided if he had the right mentors or network.

Mentorship is the key that opens key doors. Seek a mentor, one advised. Don't underestimate the power of business mentorship. Until you find a right mentor, keep searching.

An enabling business environment would include- stable power supply, good road network, favorable policies etc. These of course, are currently limited in supply.

But—not to shut down on the optimism, as we all position ourselves to leverage on the opportunities 2015 will bring to the business eco-system—here is raising a glass to all entrepreneurs bootstrapping their ideas to the next level.

An original article:
First published on Enterprise54.com: http://enterprise54.com/year-2015-the-year-that-entrepreneurship-will-boom/

#Youth Mentorship Panel [Video] [#DiasporaCamp]

Did you miss the #GhanaThink Diaspora Youth Mentorship hangout? Here is a recorded version of the session.

Enjoy and please share with your network.

Thank you.

Queenola Kalu To That Cunning Young Man

To: That cunning young man,
I want to let you know that this time.....

YOU HAVE PICKED ON THE WRONG GIRL
You charmer,
With eyes lit by moonbeams,
You are every maiden's dream
Your perfect smile makes hearts leap,
But I've strapped myself so i don't trip

You deceiver,
You sing to me rhymes you haven't heard
You paint for me pictures you can't even see
Your vile intentions now glaring
Flashes of lust, so easy to tell
Flee far from you, I would
Clinging to The One who wishes me well

You destroyer,
Your words are smooth as butter,
But as ready as Fire -
Ready to wipe out everything in sight
Ready to leave the land desolate
Ready to bring pain and tears
But I'll run, I'll run before it's too late

You brewer of lies,
Your sugar coated tongue produces foul scents,
Packaged in attractive candy wraps
I certainly will not BUY THEM
For within lie dangerous traps
As I was told by my father,
What is sweet in the mouth becomes, in the belly, bitter

You giver,
I want not your BBs please
You say it's just a blackberry
But i know your ways,
You'll give much more
A Big Belly and a Bastard Baby,
What else do you have in store?

Spare me the floods of sweet forged messages,
Spare me those clichés "sugar in my tea",
Spare me those precious gifts in pretty packages
Spare me, I beg, and let me be

I'm sorry for you, my dear
I hope that quickly you realize,
All efforts are futile, move on
Go and pick on someone your own SIZE!

-QUEENOLA