Sheg Aranmolate: Inspiring Readers With Lessons Learned From Life and Oprah’s Big Give

Written by Awo Sarpong Ansu | June 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment

The drive to live his life to the fullest and to help others do the same has propelled Olusegun “Sheg” Aranmolate to pursue a wide-range of experiences with passion and zeal. While Sheg is familiar to many from his appearance on the reality show Oprah’s Big Give, this multi-faceted Nigerian brother is also an entrepreneur, a molecular biologist, a philanthropist, a model, a father - and now, a writer. His book iActuate: 100 Days of Inspiration, Volume One, is a motivational tool which he wrote to help the reader set goals and advance towards mental, physical, emotional and spiritual growth. Sheg tells Jamati that iActuate is the product of his desire to inspire readers to reach for their full potential so that they will feel empowered to inspire others. “I tried to write something that has substance but is simple and effective. I really hope that people can find inspiration in themselves and go on to inspire other people.” » Read more…

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Reading the Ceiling

Written by Prudence Chauke | June 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Gambian writer Dayo Foster’s book Reading The Ceiling is about Ayodele, a young woman faced with a life changing decisions on her eighteen birthday. Her choices lead her to leave the only home she has ever known and travel across the globe in search of a better life for herself.

She decides to attend a university in Europe, where she experiences both the joy and heartbreak of falling in love. She becomes a globe-trotter, traveling around the world in an attempt to make sense of her life. The story takes many twists and turns, and Ayodele eventually finds herself back in African as a wife and mother trapped in a polygamous marriage. Ayodele’s story teaches us to be careful about our daily decision making, for a single unevaluated decision might cost us the rest of our lives. » Read more…

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Soul Name

Written by Awo Sarpong Ansu | June 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment

There are so many myths and misperceptions about Africa that Africans are often forced to become roving ambassadors, correcting and educating people about their customs and culture. When Naana Kyereboah encountered cultural ignorance at the Virginia elementary school where she taught English, she responded like a true teacher, taking it upon herself to expose her students and fellow teachers to African culture by organizing programs where she brought in maps, clothing, food and art works from different African countries, including her native Ghana. Her book Soul Name is the impressive outcome of her desire to impart an understanding and appreciation of Ghanaian culture. She says, “It has always been my dream to be a writer. The book let me combine my love of writing with what I was doing anyway – teaching people about Africa.”

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One Hen

Written by Awo Sarpong Ansu | May 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment

One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference, by Katie Smith Milway, is a children’s book that teaches an important lesson to anyone interested in the seemingly gargantuan task of eradicating poverty. The book ingeniously uses the story of Kojo, a young boy in Ghana, to teach the concept of microfinance. Microfinance is an innovative concept of providing small loans to poor people who can’t qualify for loans from large banks so that they can use the funds to start their own businesses. In One Hen, Kojo is given a small loan by the people in his village, which he uses to buy one hen so that he and his widowed mother will have eggs to eat. An enterprising young man, he begins to sell the extra eggs and uses the profits to pay his school fees. He buys more hens and soon has a thriving business which allows him to take care of himself and his mother and to hire others in his village to help take care of the hens. Using the money from his eggs to finish school, Kojo is able to obtain a bigger loan from a bank with his small poultry business as collateral. With the bank loan, Kojo becomes a successful poultry farmer who loans money to others so that they too can start small businesses. » Read more…

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Gift of Incense

Written by Awo Sarpong Ansu | April 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Jamati was in attendance at The Culture Shop in Washington D.C. as Sierra Leonean owners Valentine and Mona Davies hosted a discussion of the book Gift of Incense – A Story of Love and Revolution in Ethiopia by Judith Ashakih. The book is the personal memoir of Eritrean composer, musician and singer Abubaker Ashakih, as told to and written by Judy, to whom he was married for thirty years until his death in 2002. After an enjoyable evening of literature and fellowship, we sat down with Judy to talk some more about the book and the story behind the book. » Read more…

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No Future Without Forgiveness

Written by Prudence Chauke | April 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Desmond Tutu is an activist and Archbishop in the Anglican Church in South Africa. » Read more…

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Jamati Attends 50th Anniversary Celebration of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

Written by Awo Sarpong Ansu | March 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment

He entered the room from the rear, with the regal bearing of an Elder Statesman. All fidgeting stopped and chatter died down as necks craned and cameras flashed. A woman in front of me wearing her head wrap in an unmistakably Nigerian manner grabbed the hand of the white stranger sitting next to her and exclaimed, “There he is! I can’t believe it!” The excitement and anticipation in the room was similar to what I felt the time I ditched classes to attend a Janet Jackson concert. But these awe-struck fans were gathered not in a stadium, but in a Washington D.C. conference room at the offices of the Washington Post. The event was not a pop concert, but a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the publication of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, sponsored by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and The Washington Post. But for those of us in that room, nothing could have topped the opportunity to be in the presence of the man from Ogidi, Nigeria who has been called the Father of Modern African Literature. » Read more…

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Well-Souled in South Africa by Mital Shah

Written by Mwabi Murdock | March 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Mital Shah and her team decided to document South Africa in a way that had not been done before. They wanted South Africa to lead the way and they would follow. The result is a beautiful 312 page book filled with fashion portraits, interviews, and local knowledge from South African style influencers as well as breathtaking landscape and historical imagery. The book is about the beauty, style, and soul of South Africa as Mital experienced them. » Read more…

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Caves Speak In Metaphors - Napo Masheane

Written by Prudence Chauke | March 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment

This book is a reflection of one women’s truth on life but amazingly enough the pieces featured in this book are gauranteed to carry the reader, like the wind, to a place of hunger for living. » Read more…

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African Rhapsody: Short Stories of the Contemporary African Experience

Written by Awo Sarpong Ansu | February 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Given our rich oral tradition where great wisdom can be communicated in a few simple yet eloquent words, it makes sense that African writers would excel at short story writing. The economical yet rich use of language Africans have honed through proverbs and fables passed through generations is evident in African Rhapsody: Short Stories of the Contemporary African Experience. » Read more…

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Benjamin Kwakye - The Sun By Night

Written by Shirlene Alusa-Brown | December 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Benjamin Kwakye has scored another winner with his second book, The Sun By Night. A prostitute has been found murdered and Manu, a wealthy, happily married businessman is the prime suspect. Secrets begin to unravel as the story unfolds, leaving Manu’s life exposed to the public. As the trial unfolds the attention turns to the issues that affect the trial, including the social standing, the stigmas attached to a prostitute, and the views on marriage and infidelity. As the drama unfolds, one is drawn into the contrasting worlds, and, just as soon as you think that you know how it is going to end, the story takes an unexpected turn. » Read more…

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