Ghana revisited
“I like the way you talk to me,” says Brian, one of the many young street hawkers lining Oxford Street, Accra’s main drag, as I turn down his offer to make me a bracelet with my name on it. “You have...
View ArticleMalawi’s theatre for social change
From the minibus to the newsroom, life in Malawi can be pretty dramatic. “Everything in Malawi is theatre,” explains playwright Tawonga Nkhonjera. “The raising of the voice, the tones, the...
View ArticleCrashing the boy’s club
By Katie Lin In the middle of Blantyre’s densely-populated township, Ndirande, sits Spencer Video Centre. It’s big, bright blue and blaring seriously loud music. With featured shows ranging from...
View ArticleDancing to the beat of Kete drums
Kete is a dance and drum ensemble commonly found in the Akan regions of Ghana. I managed to catch a live performance of Kete during the Jubilee Oil Exhibition’s opening ceremony at Kumasi’s Centre for...
View ArticleSo, we have moved to Africa
Each time one moves they must adapt to a new culture of some sort – changing neighbourhoods, towns, cities, provinces, states – each signifies it’s own identity and culture. For us, we have left the...
View ArticleSierra Leone’s National Dance Troupe Fights to Return to Glory Days
I went along with my colleague at Cotton Tree News, Kevin Lamdo, to produce his program entitled “My Visit,” where he highlights the everyday life of different groups of people in Sierra Leone. The...
View ArticleRepatriating Ghana’s “Witches”
Ghanaian witch camps are a cultural phenomenon I have yet to fully experience and understand. Although I have read much about them and spoken to some people affected by accusations of witchcraft, I can...
View Article“Mind the gap” – The crippling impact of HIV/AIDS on family composition and...
The old “respect your elders” adage has customarily been an important part of Malawian culture, with the elderly able to depend on the social and economic support of their children and the community....
View ArticleSecret Women
In Chichewa, the widely-spoken language of southern Malawi, being pregnant or “kunkhala ndi pakati” translates to being in the middle of life and death. For many pregnant Malawian women, however,...
View ArticleMamas know best: an organization in Ghana profits with fair trade
Ashley Terry is a senior producer with globalnews.ca. In the spring of 2013, she served as an expert trainer with Journalists for Human Rights in Ghana as part of the Shaw Africa Project. ACCRA &...
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