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Sometime in May, I received an email that I had been invited to the #GoalKeepers2023 event by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation! I was excited (Of course!). This was not just an invitation but a fully funded opportunity! What made this more anticipating for me was that I was meant to attend in 2022 but I couldn’t due to some miscommunication and unforeseen circumstances.

Tick tock, tick tock…18th September finally arrived and it was time to go to New York! I did the needful, parked on time, got to the airport on time only to be disappointed by AER LINGUS – a horrible experience all round I would not want to narrate. But, I have cancelled them in my books!

The next morning, I joined other participants on a boat cruise/breakfast/networking session around New York. It was an opportunity to see some sights around New York; notable among them is The Statue of Liberty. On this cruise, I saw a number of celebrities (Nigerian) and it was an opportunity to interact with them. Some of them include; Rahama Sadau, M.I. Abaga, Aproko Doctor, Chude Jideonwo among others.

The GoalKeepers Awards later in the evening, saw individuals who were working towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) win awards including the Progress Award won by fellow ONE Activist, Eden Tadesse and the inaugural Voice Award won by the founder of ONE, Bono. It was an evening of celebration and also reminiscing on how far we have come towards achieving the SDGs and the work that needs to be done to ensure that we are on track towards achieving them. The evening ended with a performance by the Queen of Afrobeats, Tiwa Savage. What a delight!

The next day was the the GoalKeepers 2023 main event which started at about 7:30am. This was where we got to hear from Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, President of Kenya, William Ruto among other healthcare officers, midwives and health specialists working towards reducing maternal mortality rates in developing countries. The statistics are shocking and it is something that should be given much attention to than it is currently especially in Africa and even globally. Of course, there was time for networking and for me, that is mostly the highlight of attending these events. I met a fellow Ghanaian who works with the Gates Foundation in South Africa and we connected! I also connected with a lady who works with the UN (ECOSOC to be precise) – lovely lady, among other connections and conversations. I also met and took a picture with Ebuka, the host of Big Brother Naija – I don’t watch the show but I had to get a selfie with him :).

I also got another opportunity to meet with the President of ONE, Tom Hart, alongside my fellow ONE activists where we had a lovely discussion on what motivated us to join ONE and the campaigns ONE will be running in the nearest future among others.

I took lots of pictures! Especially on the 2nd day :). After the event, I went to my hotel room to rest and then went round Times Square (second time there) and also found something to eat. I was so tired! What a long day!

The next day, which was my last day (21st), I decided to use my free time to go to the 9/11 Memorial and also the Empire State Building! It was worth going to both places despite the crowd especially at the Empire State Building…I mean, it makes sense.

Well! That was the end of my stay in NY! My inbound journey was smoother than my outbound journey as there were no delays whatsoever. If only! I arrived in the UK tired and only wanting to sleep because I deserved one and oh overall, #GoalKeepers2023 was an amazing experience and I am certain I will experience again :). Below are some pictures from the event :). Enjoy!

See you soon with another blogpost (Becoming 30! 😍)

Have you ever benefited from connection? Or better put, have you ever gotten a job or opportunity because you had a good relationship with the person in charge or a relative, family member or friend knew someone who put in a good word for you? That is the connection I am referring to. In fact these days, most people pray for connections when it comes to job applications because it smoothens the process and makes things easier. Instead of submitting a CV and Cover Letter that may probably never be read, why not talk to an uncle who knows the CEO of the company you want to work for? Getting the job this way is almost 100% guaranteed.

Corruption is part of human nature. We are all naturally corrupt and will mostly use the most dishonest form or abuse of power when given, for our selfish gains. Take for instance most African leaders and politicians – the looting, stealing and misusing of state funds for their personal gains almost always goes unpunished. NO ACCOUNTABILITY whatsoever and oh! They will still win elections despite their high levels of corruption. Another example is a man of God using church funds for his personal gains whilst church members wallow in poverty. Corruption in the house of God in my opinion has got to be the worst but we see this play right in front of our eyes every now and then. 

The bitter truth is that our systems (political, societal, religion, educational) are so corrupt that it is almost impossible to uproot corruption. I mean how can we when it benefits certain people. When a politician loots state funds, he builds a solid legacy for his children and generations who are able to go to the best schools, get the best jobs, travel the world and have lots of money secured for life…so tell me, why will the child of the said politician want corruption to stop? If it does, they lose that ‘soft life‘ they are used to – but at the same time, there is equitable distribution of resources so that the poor can have a taste of good life but we all know that is never going to happen. Our world today operates on the basis where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer – there is nothing you and I can do about this. 

You see, LIFE IS HARD – I don’t think it was programmed to be easy. Therefore, can you blame people who get things done through the easier route? I mean, where is the prize for going through the long and painful route? I have had my own experience of painful years of job hunting – something most people can relate to. I highly doubt if I knew someone in an organization (I am very much interested in working for) who could recommend me or put in a good word for me to get a job, I do not think I would have rejected it. In fact, most people won’t because job hunting for years and getting NOs over and over again is something I will not wish on anyone. But here is the case where most young people, given the current job market and crisis, pray they find someone to ‘connect‘ them. That is someone’s prayer point, so this should tell you how bad things are.

But like I said, in the end – we all benefit from a failed and corrupt system in one way or the other. Maybe not direct beneficiaries but indirectly. But the truth is whether it is direct or indirect, we still benefit from it in one way or the other. But you cannot blame anyone – there are certain things in life you cannot change, no matter how much one tries. One of such is a corrupt society. The only thing that may set one apart is having morals and a strong set of values which prevents one from indulging in certain acts which go against those values. Unfortunately not everyone has those values, so here we all are today. 

Thank you for reading today’s blog post! Let me know your thoughts in the comments section. I will see you soon with another one. Stay safe and God bless you!

This is something I am certain everyone has had an experience with….well, if you haven’t yet, you may at some point in your lifetime (this is not a curse; it is a part of LIFE).

I am sure you have heard the saying, ‘20 friends cannot play for 20 years‘…this is just basically trying to say that at different levels or stages in one’s life, you will meet different people and have to let go of those you call friends. It is not because you fought with them or had a messy fall out (which may be the case on certain occasions) but sometimes it is a matter of distance, growth, or people wanting different things or not being on the same page or the purpose of that friend being in your life has been fulfilled and it is time for them to leave. AND THAT IS FINE!

The thing about friendship breakups is, it is part of life but sometimes and mostly, how they happen is what matters and sometimes, they HURT.

Growing up, I have had people I called friends that when I look back, they were NOT my friends. They were more like playmates, classmates, acquaintances or school mates hence it is of little wonder that after some years when they either moved out of the neighbourhood or changed schools or for whatever reason distance separated us, I never heard of them again till date. However, there were some of these classmates or school mates who became friends and later became family which is and was a GREAT THING.

But life has a way of happening! Sometimes it is not anyone’s fault…sometimes it is…but the most important thing is, you learn the lessons and move on. What hurts mostly is you thinking maybe you should have done this or shouldn’t have, said this or shouldn’t have or whatever but all those should haves and could haves does not matter in the moment. Because sometimes, people must act a certain way to teach you a lesson you NEED in the next phase, no matter how bad it HURTS.

In the past decade (my 20s), I have lost certain friends…in fact I could have sworn that these people were going to be ‘Friends for Life‘ but that was just me being optimistic and not factoring in the twists and turns of life. Some of these ‘breakups’ were painful, in fact some of them still hurt when I think about it..but we MOVE! Someone might say, maybe reach out and try to fix the relationship but one thing I have come to realise is; it is not every relationship that can remain the same even if it is fixed. Sometimes, you do NOTHING. Just let it go! It was a phase. You both enjoyed it while it lasted. It is time to apply the lessons learned and open yourself up to other meaningful relationships and ensure you do not repeat mistakes you made in that friendship (if you made any).

On the other hand, I know of occasions where people are able to fix broken friendships…GOOD FOR THEM! Most of the time, it is just ego that kills a lot of friendships so if you feel like you were at fault or by all means you do not want to lose a friend, do your part and reach out but also understand that it takes two to tango and that you are not solely responsible for saving whatever is left of that friendship. If the other party is not responding, just MOVE ON!

In the end, life is a journey filled with memories; both good and bad and either of these people contribute to making them. Our human nature makes us entitled to keep people who give us the greatest memories but unfortunately, it does not always work that way because they may leave us at a point and other people may come in and give us the good or even bad ones and may stay forever or also leave at a point. Whichever way, we need to be open minded to the fact that the only permanent person in your life is YOURSELF! (Let that sink in). Regardless of what may or may not happen, enjoy your friendships as long as they last and when they do come to an end (for whatever reason), make peace with it and move on! 🙂

Have you lost a friend recently or before? How did you deal with it? And how are you faring now after it ended?

Thank you so much for reading. It means a lot to me. See you soon with another blog post :). Stay safe and take care!

For almost two weeks now, the Ghanaian entertainment space and social media have been buzzing with the explosive content of renowned Ghanaian actress Yvonne Nelson‘s memoir, ‘I Am Not Yvonne Nelson‘. I am certain she expected this when she first thought of writing this book…and I bet she was not surprised at all..with the mixed reactions she got.

As a person who does not engage in social media banter, I decided not to rely on the pages and sections of the book that were trending due to its revealing content for instance the revelation that she aborted a baby fathered by celebrated Ghanaian rapper, Michael Owusu Addo known as Sarkodie. Thus, I decided to order a copy of the book and in about 4 days, I had it. I could not wait to read this book for myself and draw my own conclusions irrespective of the takes I had already seen on social media.

Now, for the purpose of this blog, I cannot go into details of everything in the book but I would refer to the things that stood out for me and what my take aways are;

Firstly, I applaud Yvonne for doing this, something that is hardly done in Ghana; nobody wants people to know about the skeletons in their cupboards or dirty little secrets. We all parade ourselves as though we are saints most of the time which we aren’t. She bore it all (or I will say almost all in the book). A lot of people are crucifying her that they did not need to know all these and that it is in the past or she should have died with these secrets instead of broadcasting them…but what you forget is she may be doing this as part of her healing process..something we all do differently. So, I stand with her for telling her story and speaking her own truth, despite the backlash, which is expected anyways.

Towards the end of the book, one thing that stood out for me is, this woman is broken and she is seeking for answers and until she finds it, she may never be at peace. I honestly pray she finds these answers, the biggest being, knowing who her father is. I have seen different takes on the issue and it is quite interesting. Some are blaming her for disgracing her mother and not being appreciative of her ability to take care of her despite her absentee father, others are calling her ungrateful, others are saying they have had it worse and that she should be thankful. Whilst these comments may be valid, her reason for putting this out there is also valid. Besides, I am positive that if her mum had not lied to her on two different occasions concerning the identity of her father, this book may have never happened. I am still trying to understand why her mother towed this path of hiding her father from her for almost 4 decades. Whatever her reasons are, has done more harm than good!

We live in a society where childhood trauma and neglect is not regarded as much as it should be. Yvonne has definitely suffered both and it is not surprising that this has played out in some of the decisions she made when it comes to her relationships. I am nobody to judge her for who she dated or decides to date but it appears that if she had a father figure or fatherly love, she would have made better choices in men and what she does in those relationships therein. One thing that also stood out for me is the similarity in her mum’s story and hers. Her mum only got to know her father years later after he had passed away and as such bore a wrong surname almost all her life, her mum was not on good terms with her mum (Yvonne’s grandmother), her mum almost aborted her (Yvonne) at 6 months. The only reason she did not was because the doctor declined to proceed with the abortion. Fast forward Nelson is not Yvonne’s ‘real’ surname as Mr Okoe Nelson is not her biological father, she is currently not on good terms with her mum due to her unwillingness to reveal the identity of her dad, she had an abortion because she and Sarkodie at the time were both not ready to raise a child although the latter has come out to say he wanted her to keep it…

Furthermore, Yvonne also suffered in terms of education which saw her resit some papers after secondary school before gaining admission to university three years after secondary school.She mentioned she was studying a course she did not like and she did not even like the secondary school she attended (Aggrey Memorial School) in the first instance. It was more like a tradition in the family as her older siblings also attended that school. She was not regarded and respected at home because of her ‘unsatisfactory’ grades hence music was her getaway from the school and the course she hated. This is something most people growing up can relate to. As much as grades are important, that is not all there is to education and the bigger picture; life. Instead of using demeaning words to encourage or force children to study certain courses or attend certain schools, why not support them to see where their other strengths lie and then tap into it? A lot of African parents are guilty of this and need to do better! She mentions that she only started getting respect when she found fame through movies and money started coming in but was viewed unserious when she used to rap in school and was heavily influenced by the 90s hip hop culture. Sigh! Money and fame it is!

She also mentions her dealings in the movie industry (her ban, sexual exploitation of some movie producers/directors, her encounters in Nigeria) among others which is something other actors have spoken about countless times. It is a crazy industry and even crazier world especially when you want to take the steps and have your dignity intact instead of taking the elevator and giving in to certain demands one may regret later. It is a COLD world out there.

I have taken a thing or two from this book. The most important being that we are all fallible, we should treat each other with kindness and that the celebrity lifestyle/bubble is just for ‘show’ (no wonder it is called showbiz). Behind the glitz and glamour are humans who go through the issues you and I face on a daily basis…hence do not always wish to be like them because you have no idea what they deal with behind cameras. Yvonne stated that this is part of the reason she wrote the book and I guess she may have succeeded to an extent, as there others who still insist the book and revelations were unecessary.

Whatever it is your opinion of the book is, think about a young girl who is broken from childhood through to adulthood and a BIG piece of her is still missing, the man who fathered her. Whether alive or dead, fair or dark, tall or short…she does not know and the only person who has the answer to this refuses to disclose it to her. Do you know how crazy that sounds and how it could mess a person? The possibility of incest for example? No you don’t, because you aren’t in her shoes and will never be!

I hope you enjoyed my review. Have you read the book? What is your take? It is available on Amazon and Apple Books if you are interested in reading. You should. Once you start, you would not want to put it down. It took me about 5 to 6 hours to finish reading.

I will see you soon with another post. Stay blessed!

You may have heard of the word ‘karma’ far too many times…but what does it mean? Karma basically says, you suffer the consequences of what you do. So basically you reap what you sow. Since childhood, this saying has been engraved in my memory such that I am aware that if I do good, I am meant to receive a good reward and vice versa.

Growing up in a wicked and perverse world and with what I have experienced in my almost 3 decades on earth, I beg to differ. You may disagree but I have seen and still see wicked people (especially politicians) get away with the evil they do far too many times to believe that they actually get their ‘karma’. One might argue that ‘Well, you don’t know them personally, they may have gotten the punishment they deserve and you may be unaware’ or ‘their generations will suffer the consequences”…To those kind of comments, I just LOL!

I have come to the conclusion that karma is just a concept that has been coined to make ourselves feel better when someone wrongs us. We hold on to it so tight to give us some sort of consolation when someone hurts us that indeed, they will receive a double or triple portion of what they did to us. You may wait for the rest of your life wishing that on the person and it may never happen. The obvious and simple thing to do is to MOVE ON! Stop wasting your time and emotions waiting for life to pay people back for the harm they caused you, you may have also done something similar or worse to someone and probably did not get any ‘karma’ so why wish evil on someone now that you are the victim? Just LET IT GO (it is easier said that done but trust me..it is the way to go).

I watched a Nollywood movie, ‘Sista‘ a couple of weeks ago on Amazon Prime and it confirmed my thoughts about the concept of Karma. The movie tells a story of how a single mother of two, Sista (played by the phenomenal Kehinde Bankole) struggles to take care of her children after being abandoned by her baby daddy, Folarin (played by Deyemi Okanlawon) whilst she was pregnant with their second child..CRUEL! Years later, Folarin shows up, married with kids, is successful and wants to be in the lives of the children he abandoned. Now this is where the problem lies..Sista is filled with bitterness from all the trauma and hardship she had to go through in raising the two kids all by herself and does not want Folarin to have anything to do with the kids. But even though what Folarin did was evil, he LEVELLED UP, is now financially stable and can help his kids build a solid foundation for the future. Sista does not have to continue to do menial jobs anymore to see them through the rest of their schooling.

In a fair world or a typical Nollywood movie, the story would have gone this way. Folarin will turn up years later miserable, maybe married with no kids beause the tears of Sista prevented him from succeeding in life hence he needs the forgiveness of Sista to succeed. I love the fact that the writer did not take this turn and rather explored the twists & turns and uncertainties in life. In this case, the father shows up wealthy, asks for forgiveness (which may or may not be granted) but the most important thing is he can make a valued contribution to his children’s future and in some way make up for the years lost with his kids.

But the question is, ‘Will Sista find love again? What about the trauma she survived? What about her inability to further her education to get a better job to progress in her career? Who pays for the pain she went through? Only God knows or the future can answer these. The crux of the matter is, sometimes the villain wins or the bad guy wins and in that ‘win’, there is something in it for everyone. In this case, Sista may be able to concentrate on improving herself whilst her children face their studies and once they graduate and get good jobs, they can take care of their mum and enable her get a good standing in her career or financially.

On this note, I will conclude that, LIFE IS NOT FAIR and humans can be wicked. They can do you dirty and will walk away unhurt and unbothered and you may have to deal with the trauma of healing and moving on. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to change this concept. It is the way it is….

Do you believe in ‘karma’ ? Have you experienced or watched someone experience it before? Share your thoughts in the comments section. I will see you soon with another post! And you should watch ‘Sista‘, streaming on Amazon Prime, you won’t regret it!

A couple of years back, 2016 to be precise, I was nominated and shortlisted for the C Hub Magazine CA Awards, ‘Young Achiever of the Year‘ category. Excited much! I was fresh out of university and this was also my first award nomination outside university. However, there was something about the award I did not quite like…it was based on voting…(sad face!). You mean, I have to campaign for votes to determine whether I deserved to be awarded…is this based on merit or popularity?

To be honest, I kind of lost interest in winning the award. My excitement dwindled! Because, first of all, I do not like asking people for favours (I am not sure if it is a good or bad trait – but that is me). Secondly, I feel it is awkward to be nudging people going about with their lives, sending them links and what have you to vote for you….what if they do not want to or genuinely forget to do so…meaning the award goes to the person who is able to successfully convince their friends, loved ones, social media followers among others to vote for them…So the question is did they really deserve the award because they won it by getting the highest number of votes? I honestly do not think so!

However few days later, my face brightened when I checked my email. The award was no longer based on voting but a carefully selected panel of judges will decide on the winners in all the categories..GREAT! Alas, I do not have to bother anyone with ‘Dont forget to use this link to vote for me, deadline is so and so date..Thank God. I regained my excitement to attend the awards ceremony and to my utmost surprise, I WON! Yes!! I had not even prepared a speech because I did not think I was going to win (in all honesty). I was up against some equally amazing and high achieving young women.

After the ceremony, I pondered on the question ‘Would I have won if the awards were based on public votes?’ There is only one correct answer. NO!

I believe that any award scheme based on public votes rids the most deserving person on being awarded. This reminds me of the recently ended Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) held in Lagos, Nigeria. In the ‘Best Actress in a Drama’ (Movie/TV Series) category, there were controversies surrounding the winner, ‘Osas Ighodaro‘ for her role in ‘Man of God‘ (streaming on Netflix) which I felt was not really all that to be nominated in the category. She was up against the likes of Ini Edo, Bimbo Ademoye and the AMAZING Nse Ikpe-Etim. In all honesty, I wish Nse won because not only is she a fantastic actress (You should watch The Visit, Journey to Self, the classic Mr and Mrs) but she also delivered in the movie she was nominated for in the category (with ‘Shanty Town‘ – streaming on Netflix) and I thought she deserved to win had it not been that the winner was determined by public votes so the person with the most fans (who voted for them) wins.

Similarly, people had some reservations about the winner for the ‘Best Actor in a Drama’ (Movie/TV Series). Former Big Brother Naija (BBN) Reality Show participant, Tobi Bakre won in this very tough category (with ‘Brotherhood‘ – streaming on Prime Video) with established and amazing actors such as the legendary Chidi Mokeme who did an amazing job in ‘Shanty Town‘ portraying ‘Scar‘, Blossom Chukwujekwu, another fantastic actor who also delivered in ‘The Trade‘ (on Prime Video if you have not seen it), Daniel Etim Effiong (a personal favourite) among others. I have watched ‘Brotherhood‘ and for a new face in the industry, Tobi did very well! So getting a nomination was not much of a surprise. Concerning winning, they all stood a chance but the question is who has most fans or can gather votes? In that category, it was Tobi. Being a BBN alumni means you have a very solid fan base (those fans don’t joke) and also Tobi took this award personal. If you check his socials, the proof is eminent; he even released a rap freestyle asking his fans to vote for him…a creative being creative! Was I surprised Tobi won? NO! Did he deserve it. YES! However, if it was not based on public votes, I am sure Blossom or Chidi may have won! (NO CAP).

After all is said and done, there are different award schemes with their rules..some based on public votes, others partly by public votes and partly by a panel deciding and others purely based on a panel deciding. It is what it is but then, what is your take? Do you think awards should be based on public votes 100% or not? For me, I am against public voting based awards…..because they are sometimes not a true reflection of who is deserving. But hey, even if awards were not based on purely public votes, there will still be comments like ‘He didn’t deserve it, she didn’t deserve it‘ among others so I guess we can’t escape the controversies surrounding award schemes after all. I believe award schemes and controversies go hand in hand….

See you soon with another one. Take care and Stay Blessed.

Love,

Gertrude.

A week ago, a certain young lady (name withheld) was trending on Twitter (Nigeria) because she was caught lying or better put exaggerating her involvement in a UN conference she attended at the UN Headquarters in Geneva. Of course, she was dragged for two days and she did not help matters by organising a Twitter Space to explain herself but in her bid to do so, she complicated matters which fueled the dragging further. Sigh!

This incident reminded me of another young man (name withheld) who was also dragged for days (his lasted longer) because he associated himself with the UN as an ambassador for the Youth Assembly (a conference I have attended before and saw this person in question) and apparently taken money from people who were interested in attending the conference in exchange for guiding them through the application process, getting their visas among others.

The real issue is, most young people these days like to brag or exaggerate their achievements on social media and that is a dangerous thing! It is mostly like you have to lie to make yourself feel good. Yes, because exaggeration is a LIE! (My secondary school headmistress used to say this a lot!) You go to LinkedIn and you see people with ‘very big titles’ and their so called achievements but in reality, it may be far from what they are portraying. The question is, Who are you seeking validation from? From strangers on the internet who have their own lives to live? Or to boost your own ego? These are some of the instances which highlight how wrongly we are using social media in recent times.

In the first example about the young lady, attending a UN conference alone is a big flex! I mean it is the UN we are talking about. You can put this on your CV as part of your achievements and briefly point out your key takeaways from the said conference. She did not need to exaggerate her involvement as being a speaker when she was not enlisted as one. From the video she posted, she had someone record her giving a brief introduction of herself and her NGO and then went ahead to ask a question. This does not make you a speaker but rather a participant asking a question which is very normal if you attend conferences especially during the Q&A session. Trying to explain herself about how she did not preprare her speech in advance which was the reason she appeared nervous in the video and reading her speech from her phone and some whole crap was not it. Just accept you goofed, apologise for misleading people and everybody moves on! The most embarassing thing is, a popular newspaper in her country picked her story up and wrote an article of how she spoke at a UN event in Geneva but after the truth was uncovered, the article was immediately deleted. SMH!

For the second example, why would you put in your bio on IG that you are a UN Youth Assembly ambassador when you are not. The fact that you have made yourself one does not mean you have been employed by the UN. Besides, the Youth Assembly is only held at the UN Headquarters in New York and not organised by the UN but rather the AFS currently (It used to be the Friendship Ambassadors Foundation). This young man kept changing his ‘position’ in the UN on IG (a pigment of his own imagination) which also fueled the dragging. Of course, people reached out to the organising body of the Youth Assembly whereby they stated categorically that they did not know him and anybody who regards him as an ambassador does so at their own risk. How embarrassing! Is this shame and disgrace really worth it?

I could go and on but the point is, if you are really putting in the work, you will be recognised by the necessary body or institution rather than doing it your own way (and lying about it) and getting caught. It screams insecurity and dishonesty. And the fact that there is the internet, you should not even think about lying about your involvment in anything because knowledge abounds! It is good to celebrate your achievements on social media if it makes you feel good but do not include what you have not done or exaggerate it. You do not have anybody to impress and truthfully, nobody cares! The most, I will do is type ‘Congratulations’ and then run along. We need to be true to ourselves before we can even demand such from our leaders. If we are doing this whilst we are young, are we going to become like the leaders we openly criticise?

All the same, I hope these two have learned their lessons and we also learn to do better and not be carried away by people’s bragging or achievements on social media. We are all living our lives at our own pace and hence do not need to be intimidated by what we see. Remember social media is not real life…..people only post their highlights!

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I will see you soon with another post. Stay safe and God bless you :).

Much love,

Gertrude.

How was your April? Did you take a new course? Learn a new language? Travel to a new country? Quit a job you hated? Started a new job? Moved to a different city or country? Whatever it was you accomplished or you didnt…HAPPY NEW MONTH! I truly hope that whatever your heart desires, you accomplish it and even if you don’t focus on the other small wins.

So what was my highlight of April? Or better put, what were some of the things I found fascinating in the month?

I watched a Nollywood movie on Amazon Prime titled Gangs of Lagos and it was fantastic. Currently, when it comes to quality filmamking and its awesomeness in Africa, I must give it to Nollywood (the Nigerian Film Industry). They are really putting in the work; I mean you have Netflix partnering with Nollywood film makers to make movies and now Amazon Prime has also joined the train. GROWTH! Not to throw shade but I wish Ghana had made similar progress in our movie industry but unfortunately, it is not the case.

So what was so fantastic about this movie? The CAST! They all delivered! I cannot fault anyone who was struggling to fit in…but now that I mentio it, I must give a special shout out to the child actors of Obalola, Ify, Gift and Teni. They were AMAZING! They could actually ACT! The storyline was not something we have exactly not seen before but the storytelling was on point! Jade Osiberu, the director did an amazing job. The breakout star for me has got to be the man who played Kazeem (Olarotimi Fakunle) OMG! He was phenomenal! My favourite scene has got to be the church scene where Mama Ify (Chioma Akpotha) delivered an outstanding performance of a grieving mother mourning her son. I could feel all the emotions. That was some 5 STAR Acting right there!

Fortunately, a lot of people share the same sentiments. I mean like any other movie, people have their criticisms…I did too but because I enjoyed the movie so much, it did not take away its brilliance so I won’t be focusing on that! But if you have not seen it all or are curious about it, I will recommend you watch it on Prime Video. It is worth the watch!

And what was the other thing April gave me? A JOB! Yes, I got a job just at the end of the month of April. I may have to do a separate blog post about this (which I will) because there is a lot to unpack. But what I can say is, I am grateful to God as well as few friends who have been so supportive through it all. It has been quite a JOURNEY!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Of course, there were some not so great moments (I mean it would not be life if everything was perfect) but I only choose to share the positive ones because why focus on the negative ones? See you soon with another blog post! Stay blessed and safe!

Hello!

I hope you are well :). So, another month just ended. We thank God! How was your month? Good, Bad, Meh!, what you expected or not… Whatever the case is, we made it out alive…so we are thankful regardless.

First of all, I will tell you about a series on Netflix I have been hooked on..’One of Us is Lying‘; if you do have Neflix, you should check it out! It is actually based on a book written by Karen M. McManus about five students in Bayview High School who go into detention on the first day of school (their last year) and only four come out alive. The series explores the investigations surrounding the death of the student and how the killer is unraveled. But, it does not end there, there is another death at the end of Season 1 leading into Season 2 with a blackmailer/killer on the loose. How will the Baywview Four (now Five) survive this? In my opinion, Season 2 is more dope compared to Season 1 and I cannot count how many times I have watched it….especially with my favourite couple currently ‘Natewyn‘ (Bronwyn and Nate).

I found out about the series from one of my students some time in February and since then I have been hooked! It is a Peacock Original series but unfortunately, I read that it has been cancelled after just 2 seasons…and I am gutted! I do not understand why you will leave a show on such a cliffhanger and then not continue…how are we supposed to deal with that? Fortunately, one of the runners of the show says they are working on getting another streaming platform to acquire the rights and give us a Season 3 because we really need it! I do not want to give you spoilers but if you watch it, you will understand. Even if Season 3 is the last season we get, I am fine, as long as it ties all the loose ends and fills in the gaps. There is even a petition ongoing to save ‘One of Us is Lying‘…love it! Do sign it if you also agree we need a Season 3!

People have said it gives ‘Gossip Girl’, ‘Breakfast Club’ and ‘Pretty Little Liars’ vibes but the good thing is I have not seen any of these series and even if I had, I will still watch because I love murder mystery and thriller movies/series! Also, according to those who have read the book, there are some changes to the storyline but who cares, it is still dope!

Moving on, I opened a new account on IG @travelwithgeezy where I will be sharing updates on my travel journeys (as much as I can remember from way back till present). If you are on IG, please do follow this account for more exciting things moving forward. This idea came from a conversation I had with a friend confirming my love for travelling and how I can use that as a form of educating and informing others when travelling to places I have already been to.

I was also a UK delegate for the UN CSW (Commission on the Status of Women) 67 which was an enlightening experience only that it was shortened because I had to take a brief holiday to clear my head for a few days! (Totally Needed!)

I also finally put my ideas on paper to start an initiative/organisation that has been on my heart for a while. I will reveal details of this once everything has been finalised and also something else (I will reveal this soon!)

I am also a regular panelist on a show ‘Ladies Avenue‘ on Ghana Talks Radio, Monday to Friday 11am to 11:30am, Ghana Time. Do tune in if you can.

And last but not the least, just yesterday, I was a panelist/speaker for the March 2023 edition of SSP’s (SDG Students Program) Global Issue Forum (GIF) centered on the theme of Extreme Poverty. It was an enlightening session coupled with the brilliant submissions from my fellow speakers. I had a great time and what a great way to end the month of March!

I hope this new month brings all the good things we deserve and is better than the previous one. Happy New Month! See you soon with another post :). Take care and stay safe!