PhD

BBC Program on Africans Returning Home

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In the BBC production An African Journey with Jonathan Dimbleby, the story about Africans returning back to their continent is unveiled, according to a recent BBC article.

This Africans returning home business is nothing new, but I think the story needs to be told many times to counteract the strong emigration narrative “everybody is leaving for the UK/US…”.

Personally, I like the more modern approach to migration, suggesting you can stay both here and there, creating the true cosmopolitan or should I say AFROPOLITAN citizen. Here a short excerpt about Ghanaian fashion designer Kofi Ansah I think says exactly that:

Mr Ansah still travels the world, and could live anywhere, but his business is growing, his family are settled and he feels like he’s making a difference in Accra. “I came to help try to develop the clothing textile industry. And I thought, if we could do it right, it could help our employment situation.

Unfortunately, the program (first episode covering Mali, Ghana and Nigeria) is not available to watch here in Ghana, but maybe our brothers and sisters will watch it in the UK and tell us about it…

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Blogging, Ghana, Promoting

Astrient Foundation Women’s Forum: Enhancing your Work Image

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Astrient Foundation Women's Form AshesiAfter having sweated though the weekend, I am now assuming my malaria parasites are all gone and I will start my week with something interesting. Monday evening, I will be speaking at an Astrient Foundation Women’s Forum event.

Initially, I was hesitant. For the event with the slightly puzzling title “Enhancing your Work Image in the Corporate World”  I felt I was not the right speaker as I wasn’t even too sure about what ‘work image’ was…but after some explanation from the director Phoebe Acolatse, I have prepared to talk about my blog and how I have enhanced my own career.

The Astrient Foundation provides, among other things, scholarships, community educational programs and these women’s networking seminars.

If you are interested, this is the time and place:

Astrient Foundation Women’s Forum

Ashesi University College, Labone

Building 3, Lecturehall 4

6-8pm, Monday 31st May, 2010.

And I am no more hesitant, but looking forward to this experience!

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Ghana

Today’s Bless the Mic Event for the Official Blogger

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The Bless the Mic Arts & Music Festival comes to a slow start this evening with a corporate mixer for invitees only. I’ll be there and snap some photos to post in this space.

So if you are going, make sure to comb your hair…

Pic from Twist & Locs Saloon here in Accra.

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Ghana, Promoting

This Friday: Tema Bless the Mic Club Night

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Godfried Donkor, Financial Times, boxerMost events in Ghana happen in Ghana’s capital Accra. However, Bless the Mic every now and then takes their show to Tema.

On Friday, 28th May 2010, starting at 8pm, they do it again! The place is Barcadi Nite Club, Community 4, Tema.

It will be a night of  freestyle battles between some of the most exciting MCs from Tema and Accra including Macho Rapper, Yaa Pono, El, Ronny O, Pope Skinny, Scizo and the All Star cast from Tema. In attendance will be international guest DJ Floro (Spain) and DJ Champagne (Y Fm). Apart from music, there will also be graffiti art.

I called up the man behind BTM, Papa Yaw to find out why he is taking his show on the road:

– Because Tema is very vibrant in the music business right now and we want to promote the Tema music community, thats the reason…

As I am a proper “Tema girl”, I must say I appreciate BTM coming to Tema.

Come around 8pm  on Friday and pose for pics to be posted in this space!

Battle illustration by Ghanaian artist Godfried Donkor.

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Blogging, Promoting

Official Blogger for Bless The Mic All Day Festival

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I have been asked to be the “offical blogger” for this weekend’s upcoming event, Bless the Mic Arts and Music Festival.I am very excited about this event which I believe will be rocking! I especially like the combo of visual arts and music.

From the Press Release:

BLESS THE MIC ARTS & MUSIC FESTIVAL: ACCRA’S MOST EXCITING CULTURAL SEASON

Mi Prime Entertainment in collaboration with Alliance Francaise is pleased to announce this year’s ‘Bless the Mic Arts & Music Festival’, which takes place from the 27th – 29th of May 2010. ‘Bless the Mic Arts & Music Festival’ celebrates the diversity of Ghanaian creativity in the Arts and Music.

ABOUT BLESS THE MIC ARTS & MUSIC FESTIVAL

Bless the Mic Arts & Music Festival is organised by Mi Prime Entertainment in association with Alliance Francaise and supported by the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, MAKSI, Pidgen Music, Ghana Cultural Fund and 2131 Banging Hiphop show.

Media Partners: Y fm, X fm, myjoyonline and ghanamusic.com

Media Sponsors: E-TV Ghana, Net2 TV, CRTV, Ameyawdebra.com, Sky Digital Network, africanmp3s.com, chilloutghana and Dust Magazine.

The main event is happening this Saturday the 29th of May from 3pm -10pm at Alliance Francaise and will include a photo/art exhibition as well as poetry and live stage performances by King Ayisoba, Nana Fynn, Gouda Traditional Music, DK Osei Yaw, Yaw Kontoh, Chuks, Chase, Crystal Tettey, Fiifi Sellah and Efya.

Find more info on Facebook under “All Day Festival”. I will be blogging from the event.

See you there?

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Ghana, Kajsa HA's Social Media, Personal

On Air: Kajsa on E-TV

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E-TV, Ghana, Kajsa Hallberg AduKajsa Hallberg Adu, E-tv, Ghana

So here’s the promised report from my 5 minutes of fame.

I came into the E-TV studio in Asylum Down at 7.30am on the dot. I was whisked into the make-up booth, although I had already used an aging powder at home thinking they might not have my shade available…

In minutes, I was sitting next to the glamorous presenter of the “Awake” show, Ester, and without much ado she introduced me as “a very interesting lady living in Ghana”. We chit-chatted about how come I ended up in Ghana (“love”), what my favorite Ghanaian food is (“omo tuo and groundnut soup”) as well as on differences between Ghana and Sweden (“basically everything!”). I was allowed to talk about my blog and about Ghanablogging. I felt relaxed and Ester cheered me on through chuckles and follow-up questions.

Maybe best of all was that afterwards, I had the chance to speak to the producers of the show and promote Ghanablogging and my fellow bloggers. They sounded very interested and likely this will not be the last time a Ghanablogger goes on air with E-TV.

Reviews?

My Ghanaian family was very proud and called me after the show to congratulate me. A friend texted me saying “you are so sweet on TV – another career to discover!”

All in all, a good experience even though I had to leave home at dawn.

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Blogging, Ghana, Kajsa HA's Social Media, Personal, Positive, Promoting

Yours Truly on E-TV

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I have been invited to E-TV, Ghana’s newest(?) free-to-show tv-channel, and their morning show!

I’ll be speaking to George, who found me through this blog. Heasked me to prepare for the following topics:

how you first heard about Ghana, a bit about your PHD project, your teaching, why you married a Ghanaian, and your future plans.

Tune in tomorrow Friday around 7.30 am.  Tune in or I’ll tell you in this space how it went!

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Blogging, Ghanablogging.com

Ghanablogging May Meet-Up

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Are you a blogger in Ghana?

Then this message is for you.

This month’s Ghanablogging meet-up happens tonight,
Thursday 20th May, 6.30 -8.30 PM at Smoothies in Osu.

The theme this month is Effective Writing.
Please chose one blog post you have written where you have written effectively. Print out and bring along! Accra Books and Things is in charge for the talk, but prepare to contribute!

See you tonight!

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Blogging, Ghana, Ghanablogging.com, People

Blog Book by Boakyewaa Glover

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Circles Boakyewaa GloverWell, maybe it is a stretch to say that Circles by Boakyewaa Glover (click to go to her blog) is a blog book, it is maybe rather a book by a blogger.

On Friday, May 21st there is a book launch for Circles, a book I have already seen for sale at the Silverbird Bookstore in the Accra Mall. It looks good!

Another recent book by a Ghanablogging blogger was Pretending to be President by Ato Kwamina Dadzie. I have it here at home, but haven’t been able to snatch it from my husband who reads it and chuckles.

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Ghana, People, PhD, Sweden

Minor Field Study (MFS) in Ghana

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Yesterday, I met up with two students coming to do their minor field study (MFS)  in Ghana.

MFS  is almost an institution in Swedish academic circles. Since 1968, MFS is a stipend financed from Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), administered by the International Programme Office for Education and Training (in Swedish: Internationalla Programkontoret) in collaboration with higher educational institutions in Sweden. The goal with the program is to expose young university students to life in developing countries and give them an experience of doing research there. The student has to propose a research plan and spend at least 8 weeks in the chosen field destination. The stipend covers travel expenses and a little more. Over the years more than 10 000 students have gone through the program. Recent theses coming out of the program since can be found in this MFS Thesis Database. Usually, the program is very popular and highly competitive.

Back to yesterday afternoon. I first took Emma and Ebba to eat some fufu and drink some bissap at Buka. We talked about everything from clinics to corruption, from surveys to soup, from PhD to perfect beaches. After washing our hands, we went around to do some errands, see some Ghanaian art and crafts and finished the day with a drink by the beach. I could see myself  in them – the personal involvement in student activities, the interest in the foreign and exotic, the wonderful curiosity. I was impressed with their confidence and their future goals.

Emma and Ebba are not the first MFS students I take around Accra.  They follow Emilie, Asa, Jessica and Ulrik  – all MFS students who I have met in Ghana. To some I have been a contact person, an address to put on the VISA application, to others “Field Supervisor” and a discussion partner.  I must say I enjoy spending time with them and gladly share what ever small knowledge on research I possess as well as my own experiences in this green country.

Ironically, my own MFS application was not approved when I was studying for my Bachelor’s Degree. But that is another story.

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Ghana, Personal, Positive, Promoting

On Becoming an Artist

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I am happy to announce that yesterday was the first day of my career as a visual artist.

Even though I have been drawing, painting and sculpting since I was a child, cheered on by my parents, and even made paintings for official spaces as a university student in Uppsala, yesterday marked something different.

I was ASKED to partake in an upcoming exhibition curated by famous Ghanaian painter Kofi Setordji at Nubuke Foundation. The exhibit which focus on Ghanaian public space will be called “My space, your space”. Together with my friend, Miss V, I had prepared a concept note which we presented to Kofi. He liked it and invited us to work on the project for the net few weeks.

At this stage, the project is TOP SECRET, but I have the feeling that in the near future it will do very well in a blog format.

Now I’m curious to know, what is your second career?

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