Places | Kajsa HA

Research, University of Ghana’s YouTube Channel and Video Lecture by Mkandawire

July 2, 2013 No Comments

This week I am finally doing some research at the University of Ghana. For my work – that is now really taking shape – I wanted to cite Professor Mkandawire who came to campus in April for a three day lecture that I felt was very relevant. However, surfing around on the university website, I could not find his lecture. Then I tried the strategy of just Googleing “Mkandawire and University of Ghana” and then I found not just his lecture on video, but University of Ghana’s YouTube channel!

Sadly, this great lecture has 18 views(!) and the UG YouTube Channel just over 300 subscribers, so I thought I’d share it here (in the first video from Mkandawire’s lecture there is some drumming, dancing and intro before the lecture starts about 9.40 into the clip!)

What YouTube channels have you found that you’d recommend?

Ghana

Utility Tariffs to Go Up: Ghana Connect Debate on Joy FM

June 14, 2013 No Comments

In the news the last couple of days, we could read that the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) is having talks with government, initiated by the Volta River Authority (VRA) the biggest power producer in Ghana, on increasing tariffs for electricity and water. See this Joy FM report for instance.

I have been invited to share my views on JoyFMs new program Ghana Connect – a program that allows regular Ghanaians – and myself – to voice our opinions together with stakeholders. Tonight VRA has been invited.

The producer/host sent me this blurb:

“Utility tariffs are set to go up. The only question now remains when and not if. You must be prepared to pay as much as 166 per cent more for electricity and water than you are paying now. The expert consultations have already started but on Ghana Connect this Friday, we connect the Ghanaian consumer in Ghana and beyond to interrogate the proposed tariff increases. Are you ready to pay more and how much is enough?”

My argument in brief is:

At some point we need to pay what utilities actually cost in order for the service to be sustainable.
Utility subsidies favor middle and upper class people more than the poor as generators and poly tanks use more than dumso-dumso and buckets.
Electricity production is complicated, but there is NO REASON why Ghana should not be able to provide potable water for its population.
Increasing prices by more than 100% is not advisable as ripple effects are huge and people need to plan expenses. What is the plan for the next five years?
On the other hand, private solutions (batteries/generators and pure/bottled water cost much much more) and from a Swedish perspective we have a lot to win from solving these issues together rather than apart.

As I sent out an email to BloggingGhana about this radio program, many of our members provided their two pesewas – so this issue is HOT! Someone called the increase “draconian” another person said “I would prefer to pay, than to pretend to be paying bills as they also pretend to be giving me a service.”

Tune in at 6.30 PM if you want to hear me voice my views.

Blogging, Ghana

My Visit at iSpace – A New Home for the Tech Community in Ghana

June 6, 2013 3 Comments

The other day, I had the pleasure of meeting Fiifi Baidoo and Josiah Eyison of iSpace Ghana. iSpace is an idea of bringing together the tech community, social entrepreneurs and related folks, like bloggers in Ghana. iSpace is also an amazing space on the fifth floor of a building between the buzzing Oxford street in Osu and the La Beach, it offers lovely views and – by the end of this month – office, meeting and lounging spaces for the community.

iSpace collage

Clockwise from “noon”: a view of the full space with assistant Dorcas at the front, Josiah at the conference room glass wall, view(!), me flanked by the iSpace guys and in the middle Josiah describing the plan and Fiifi listening.

I walked away from our first meeting impressed by the vision (“in two years we have out-grown this space”) and the social concern (“we are doing this so that we can come together and solve Ghanaian issues”) and I can definitely see how BloggingGhana members can use this hub.

Eric Hersman, or White African as we know him, says about tech hubs in Africa:

“The tech hubs in Africa provide a home for those with new and innovative ideas, create an atmosphere where they are encouraged to try new things, and most importantly are able to meet like-minded individuals they can grow with.”

To sum up, iSpace is wonderful news for a community that is growing stronger by the day, but until now lacks a space to come together!

Read also Edward Tagoe’s informative post on iSpace, iSpace’s website or Google+ page. Other African tech hubs are listed with AfricaHubs.

Ghana, Promoting

Hipsters in Ghana: Part 1

June 3, 2013 3 Comments

So, a Swedish friend of mine wrote an article about how politicians can learn from hipsters. For those of you who do not read Swedish, his argument was basically that even though hipsters might look silly and obsess over city farms, homemade bread and vintage clothing – they offer insights into sustainable living of the future. As I complimented hom on the interesting frame (learning from hipsters), he responded with a question: How is it with hipsters in Ghana?

Well, let’s back track and fist find a definition for hipsters. Urban Dictionary thinks it is:

a subculture of men and women typically in their 20’s and 30’s that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter.

So, are there hipsters in Ghana?

Hipster collage

I guess that depends on who you ask. Candance (who recently moved to Ghana from the US) for instance recently commented that on Instagram that she was at a Ghanaian farmers’ market with NO HIPSTERS!

Screen Shot 2013-06-03 at 12.54.59 PM

But that might just have been due to language. That market likely wasn’t called a “farmers’ market”. And how will then hipsters know it’s a place for them?

But when used clothes are called “Vintage” as well as when social media is discussed, hipsters do show up, also in Ghana. The indie scene in Ghana, in my humble opinion, is flourishing with TEDx events (read about TEDxOsu here from just this past weekend), AccraDotAlt’s TalkPartis (and check out these great hipster photos!) and Jungle Music Festival Asabaako where the Ghanaian hipster community discuss art, listen to local DJs play indie music and eat local foods. However, the best place to spot hipsters in Accra is at The Republic Bar, where local spirits blended into great cocktails meet nostalgic decor. Does it get more hipsterish?

Yes, the hipster scene in Ghana might be small, foreign inspired and sometimes elitist, but I think – just like my Swedish friend – we can learn a thing or two from hipsters and their obsessions (for instance The Republic Bar manages to have the best AND cheapest cocktails in town as they use local ingredients).

What did I forget about the hipster scene in Ghana? I will gather your comments and write a follow up post as soon as my homemade bread has risen.

Photo collage trying to prove my point with photos from Facebook groups for Vintage Gh and BloggingGhana.

Ghana, Promoting

Frontline Follow-Up: Are You Still A TV-Star?

May 30, 2013 1 Comment

The other day, as I was at the Data Bootcamp, my phone rang with a Swedish number showing. It does not happen often, so I left the meeting room and when I picked up the phone, Gustav Asplund from Swedish national radio was on the line. He told me the program was following up with people they had interviewed and asked me simply: last time you were a TV-host, how did it go and what are you doing now?

Screen Shot 2013-05-30 at 6.20.11 PM

This afternoon the program was broadcast and the pic above is from their website – headline “The TV-star in Ghana”.

Listen to the interview (only in Swedish!) here, forward to 22.48 to hear only my segment.

Ghana

Data Bootcamp Day 1

May 27, 2013 4 Comments

Today at the Data Bootcamp I have learned:

about Internet in 5 years (yes, we will all be wearing computer goggles A la Google Glasses)
what “extractive industries” really mean (oil, mining, timber and fish! that is resources you extract).
that data is not all about technology, the good old 5w and H is data!
to remember impact when choosing a project
where to find data, for instance the Worldbank, UN, AFDB, Google Public Data but I believe they forgot Gapminder!
That there is a Facebook for the extractive sector called GOXI.
that even though government contracts are often not available to the public, some of that information can be found with stock exchanges, company websites and export credit and investment facilities, basically anywhere where companies communicate with their investors.
that someone who knows nothing about programming can create interactive maps with the help of amazing program Fusion Tables.

On top of that I have also met some really cool folks – journalists, activists, developers and inbetweens – and started thinking about two, maybe three apps/websites/data interfaces/crowdsourcing possibilities (ehm, yes as you can hear not exactly crystallized yet!) that can change Ghana!

All in all a great first day!

Blogging, Ghana, Political, Promoting

African Union Day and Data Bootcamp in Ghana

May 26, 2013 1 Comment

This weekend is Memorial Day (US), Mother’s Day (Sweden, Hurray for mom!) and African Union weekend (Africa). But how does one celebrate the African Union? I am not sure, but will spend the delayed holiday (in Ghana holidays that fall on weekends get “compensated” at the first possible weekday, in this case AU Day fell on Saturday 25 May, hence tomorrow, Monday 27th is the day off!) and two more days at a data bootcamp vamping up my data mining skills, maybe they can be beneficial for the continent?

Normally, I stay away from everything bootcampey as endurance is not my strongest side, I rather like to digest information slowly over time, but I have made this exception as I am very much interested in how data can become news and more people can get access to knowledge. Or is the words of the organizers:

“to boost analytical, evidence-based reportage by giving journalists the digital tools, access to data, and computational skills necessary for transforming the way that newsrooms function.”

We will learn how to “mine” and “scrape” data, how to build apps and websites to visualize the data and how to “pitch” ideas as to get funding. Teachers are a list of interesting people from techie/journalist Justin Arenstein that I have earlier met at a Google event to the Worldbank statistician Lynne Henderson and many more interesting folks.

I am excited about tomorrow and should probably hop to bed. Already, I have some ideas for apps that might not necessarily conform with the “extractive sector” that is a focus of this workshop and a hanging question: where does academia come into all of this?

Behind this data bootcamp is the African Media Initiative, the World Bank Institute, Google Africa and theOpen Institute. Thank you!

Ghana

EVENT: I Luv Africa Filmfestival

May 10, 2013 No Comments

Catch the free independent I Luv Africa Film Festival (ILAFF) in Accra!

Opening Night/Day One: May 17, 2013
Short Film Screening Series & RWUL Film Q&A
7pm-9pm Location: Goethe-Institut in Accra Ghana
*Opening Night Afterparty @ Reggie Rockstone’s Office-Grand Pappaz Free Entry with ILAFF 2013 Pass

Day Two: May 18, 2013
Film Workshops & Special Screening of “Soul Food Junkies ” 1-4pm Location: AUCC in Accra
Feature Film Screening Nairobi Half Life” 6pm-8pm Location: Goethe-Institut in Accra

Day Three: May 19, 2013
Google+ Hangout Online Chat with Filmmakers
Community Art Project with Attukwei Art Foundation 4-6pm Accra

Read more on organizer RWUL and the ILAFF.

Ghana, Political, Pregnancy

Ghana’s Most Important Issue via The Maternal Health Channel

May 9, 2013 1 Comment

A wonderful initiative by Creative Storm is the Maternal Health Channel on GTV on Thursdays at 8PM and on TV3 on Fridays at 8.30 PM. The program sheds light on maternal health in Ghana, or rather the lack of it.

The series started with the story of Charity, a woman who did not survive giving birth.

Maternal Health Channel host Ivy in front of the government clinic in Kute Buem.

MHC write on their very active Facebook page:

“Every maternal death is an intensely personal tragedy and it is essential to hear the stories of those who have suffered in order to illuminate an issue that is both immediate and far more complex than it seems on the surface.
We can change; Ghana can achieve Millennium Development Goal #5, the reduction of maternal mortality by 75% in the year 2015. The first step is EVERYONE having a discussion about an epidemic that is far too often overlooked. The first step is with YOU.”

As a mother and a daughter and a citizen of the world, it angers me terribly that women should have to give up their life when giving life. We know it takes 9 months, we know you need vitamins and clean water, we know giving birth is a risk and a hard job, we know how to create the best possible chances for both mother and baby to survive – still women are dying for no good reason at all.

This week, they go to Kute Buem in the Volta region, see pic.

Personally, I think The Maternal Health Channel is one of the most important media initiatives in Ghana I have ever seen. It is massive, well thought out and quite digital (facebook, vimeo, tumblr, on Twitter use hashtag #mhcghana). If you agree with my sentiments or, better yet, with their mission to save more mothers and babies in Ghana, please spread this information to your networks, discuss online, blog on it and watch the program!

I have written on this topic before Why Are Mothers Still Dying? and When I Donated Blood and Ganyobinaa also wrote about MHC.

Ghana

Kantamanto Market Burns Down Again and the Aga Khan Award

May 7, 2013 1 Comment

On Sunday, we were reached by the news that the Kantamanto Market in central Accra was on fire. Horrible pictures of the event on CitiFMonline. Luckily the day had just started and no casualties were reported. While politicians come and walk the now ashen site, market women cry out in grief over lost livelihoods and journalists try to count the number of market fires we have had in recent years, the opportunity here is to think of how we want to build and maintain a market.

I suggest we take a look at Aga Khan Architecture Awards (AKAA) for market construction. Amazing, beautiful and functional markets have been built before!

Central Market in Koudougou, Burkina Faso

market

“Koudougou’s central market combines a covered hall with space for 624 stalls with a further 125 buildings containing 1’195 shop units, the vast majority of them small spaces of only 6.20 square metres. By virtue of its size, the project provided an important training ground for local masons. The market buildings are made almost exclusively of a local material – compressed earth blocks – using traditional Nubian techniques of arch and vault construction. Such self-sufficiency was deemed particularly desirable in light of the increasing costs of imported materials.”

Screen Shot 2013-05-07 at 10.08.08 AM

All pics from AKAA. Read more about the Central Market here

What I love about this market, apart from it being built by fireproof materials, is the beauty and light…Can we not build things that are pleasing to the eye and built to last?

Last week, the finalists for the 2013 Aga Khan Architecture Award were released.

Ghana

Arts and Social Media Marketing Workshop in Accra

April 30, 2013 No Comments

Today, I went to an Arts Marketing Workshop in Accra thinking that I would learn something mainly on the workshop format for maybe a future BloggingGhana social media workshop, but went away having learned a whole lot about marketing!

A great description of the lack of information about the Arts in Ghana cited as reason for workshop. #nubuke pic.twitter.com/rzHhr0kNeekNee

KAJSA HALLBERG ADU @KAJSAHA

@GanyobiNaa

·

5 YEARS AGO

I was not there alone…

Kwabena Danso Jahwi @i_jahwi

is @ the arts marketing workshop at Nubuke Foundation, with @kajsaha @Delasimusic @RodneyQuarcoo @AF_Accra @attukwei

5 YEARS AGO

The day’s biggest aha moment for me was UPS:

Kajsa Hallberg Adu @kajsaha

What is your organization’s unique selling point (UPS)? What do you do best? How are you different? #nubuke

5 YEARS AGO

I thought long and hard and with a bit of advise from the competent workshop convener, Nicolette Lorraway, I decided that “my” organization BloggingGhana’s UPS is “We know social media in Ghana!” Simple!

After that, learning continued.

Kajsa Hallberg Adu @kajsaha

Who is your target market? Age, location, values… #nubuke

5 YEARS AGO

Kajsa Hallberg Adu @kajsaha

“Positioning involves knowing your competition”- Nicolette #nubuke

5 YEARS AGO

A cleaver student was fast to respond:

Wilma Flintstone @surabbie

@kajsaha Entrepreneuship class gave a lot of clarity to the concept of positioning and deciding on a target market. Cos it was so relevant

5 YEARS AGO

Kajsa Hallberg Adu @kajsaha

@surabbie I did not really understand why not “everybody” should be targeted before this workshop. I now get it! #nubuke

@surabbie

·

5 YEARS AGO

Not “everybody” CAN be targeted and even if that was possible, and “everybody” came to your event, you woudn’t be able to satisfy “everybody” and you want people to leave satisfied with your work, right?

Wilma Flintstone @surabbie

@kajsaha I know! I didn’t get it either but it makes complete sense. You wonder why you didn’t get it before, hahahaha

5 YEARS AGO

Exactly.

Then, I found it interesting that fundraising and how you manage your event is also marketing!

Kajsa Hallberg Adu @kajsaha

“Marketing includes publicity snd social media, flyers, but also branding, events management and fundraising” #nubuke

5 YEARS AGO

Discussions on legacy media and social media concluded the workshop.

Kajsa Hallberg Adu @kajsaha

Discussion on paying for publicity. “Daily Graphic and The Ghanaian Times will publish without gifts” #nubuke

@vilkenMartin

·

5 YEARS AGO

Some artists started marketing their products while still at the workshop quite efficiently….

Rodney Quarcoo Esq.@RodneyQuarcoo

Got one too! “@kajsaha: And @i_jahwi just sold me his new album! #multitasking #nubuke with @Delasimusic @RodneyQuarcoo @AF_Accra @attukwei“

@i_jahwi

·

5 YEARS AGO

Thanks for a wonderful workshop experience!

Ghana, Places, Promoting

EVENT Adventurers in the Diaspora: Ghana’s Creative Economy

April 22, 2013 2 Comments

Come see me moderate a panel on Ghana’s Creative Economy with some distinguished guests this Thursday.

25 April, 2013

7.30 PM

Golden Tulip Hotel, downstairs in the Branch restaurant

Screen Shot 2013-04-22 at 6.40.00 PM

I am excited about the topic and accepted to moderate the discussion as I feel I have some small understanding of it, as I love culture and creativity! Although I was a little bit worried about discussing ways forward with the deputy minister and some heavy weights in Ghana’s cultural life like Korkor Amartefio and Odile Tevie as my comfort zone is maybe is more in the alternative arts and online part of the creative economy of Ghana. Well, organizer’s AiD (follow them on FAcebook to never mss their events!) seem to still have confidence in me and if for nothing else, I hope to unveil some new directions from the new director of the Ghana National Museum, Zagba Oyortey.

See you Thursday eve!

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