60 years of independence… What next for Ghana?

Today officially marks the 60th anniversary of Ghana’s independence the first Indigenous AFRICAN country to gain its sovereign powers and so I thought it was apt to revisit and reflect upon Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s reign and the subsequent years following it.

What happened in Ghana and what is its future. With the election of the new NPP formed government headed by president Nana Ado I thought this was timely.

I have been blown away by two documentaries that I recently found on YouTube documenting in descriptive detail Nkrumah’s reign and legacy and the economic development of the country post independence. The first is called Africa’s Black Star – The Rise and Fall of Kwame Nkrumah and the second An Economic History Of Ghana. Both documentaries were independently produced (An Economic History Of Ghana was done by Ghanaians by The Centre for Intellectual Renewal with very little western involvement besides four interviewees in the films (2 in each.)

The main interviewees include historians, activists, academics, ghanaian politicians (both current and former), economic experts and entrepreneurs. This impressed me as it is rare to find as such on the internet. The first documentary I came across on this subject was basically a hit piece on Nkrumah (oddly first aired in the 90’s) and therefore I will not even mention its name!

Although they are difficult to find (well for me anyway!) it’s worth doing the digging and the research to find true accounts of OUR history.
The two pieces describe how complex the conditions were and still ARE post independence and that no one man could possibly solve them they gave a comprehensive account on his interactions with the west and communists states and how both worked against him and Ghana, his economic polices that were technically beholden to world affairs i.e the cold war and commodity prices and to be fair, expose his naivety whilst dealing with the powers that be, and also exposes the challenging psychological and economic reality of being pan- african in an environment of colonial rule, that still permeated in and around west africa at the time and frankly to this day.

Please watch and support these documentaries that tell OUR stories form OUR perspective at a crucial time in Africa’s history and Ghana’s in particular and hopefully we will all be better informed on how to move forward in our discourse concerning the continent and most importantly solving our own problems.
What was very revealing about both docs is that the Ghanaians know what the problems a are and the solution will be n infrastructure programs, production (manufacturing value added goods, and services) supporting enterprise and agribusiness so why are they not finding progressive ways to implement them?
Here are the links to both documentaries which again I highly recommend you watch. The 2nd is in 3 parts.

Africa’s Black Star – The Rise and fall of Kwame Nkrumah (Full Film)

An Economic History of Ghana (Part #1)

An Economic History of Ghana (Part #2)

An Economic History Of Ghana (Part #3)

Also, if you are interested in pan-africanism there is also a good documentary that I found about it and its practical challenges in Africa today by africandocs

called  Pan Africanism: Testing Ideas on Reality (Full Documentary)

Hope you enjoy but also learn some vital information to move forward- I did!

 

NEW DISCOVERY!

Traditional West African meals in a can? it may sound weird but hear me out it tastes absolutely delicious!

The brand is called Naija Kitchen and is owned by Nigerian man called Timi Anibaba (Mr Ramjam)

His range includes hot pepper soup with fish/beef, beef stew  and fish stew.

My personal favourite is the hot pepper fish soup, its very refreshing but also very hot lol!All you have to do is warm up and eat! It takes minutes to prepare either in a microwave or stove, so for all the people who can’t be bothered to cook in the evenings it is a great alternative to a home cooked traditional meal. Alternatively, if you live in a country where there are power supply issues it is convenient as it is non perishable.

I’m very impressed with the concept as its a brand that can be sold all over the continent as well as bringing west African food in a “convenient” way to Africans based in Europe

This the type of enterprise I believe that we should be engaging in GLOBAL African business!

You can purchase from his website at a reasonable price of £2.50

 

 

 

#ShopAfrican

I set up the #ShopAfrican challenge for myself a last year as a reaction to the E.U referendum vote a la “Brexit” It was a shock although not a surprise i could see the writing on the wall since UKIP came to prominence years ago. Something I (and frankly the community) should have been doing decades ago I finally decided to do get most if not ALL of my goods from African owned companies, shops and suppliers.

Anyway, I thought I’d document the highs the lows and in between of my journey so here goes!

It’s been a real challenge because it really becomes a lifestyle I’ve been craving sweets and I can’t just pop into a local shop or newsagent for some urgh

It has been hard hence the word “challenge” (lol!) and I have fallen off the wagon a few times as I have craved for sweets there are no off licenses/corner shops within a 2 miles radius I’m afraid- the struggle is real… However, I have managed to find a one stop (Caribbean owned) grocery shop which is just about within walking distance which is good enough and has been a life saver!

And when I can’t be bothered to shop for food I found a great Nigerian online “grocery” company called afroexpress

I have been buying accessories like bags and cosmetics from African cultural events like Africa fashion week London, Africa on the square & utopia.

And found a plethora of great professional and friendly companies I would not otherwise have been privy to.

In my next post I will reveal some of my faves.

Tweet or mention  #shopafrican and join the conversation!

If you know of some African owned food shops that you like and frequent in the u.k please feel free to mention.

Please comment and subscribe!

 

Why Purely African?

I started this blog because I deemed it not only necessary BUT vital! The mainstream media was not telling our stories, the current online blogs I had come across were very american centric or told stories of “woe” about the afro-British experience and the African blogs although informative were very nationalistic. 

I felt there was a gap in the blog-osphere for a African-centric take on culture, enterprise and geo-politics.

This platform will promote African enterprise, African culture and African business unapologetically!

I will be posting interviews with African entrepreneurs, reviews on products/services and events that I have attended. Hopefully you will not only enjoy, but engage with the platform through discussion and suggestions. I am open to topics suggested by readers that are relevant to the blogs vision.

Happy Reading & Get Involved!