Mighty be our Powers by Leymah Gbowee

We could all learn a great deal from Leymah Gbowee and the ordinary Liberian women like her who protested peacefully for the peace that their finally achieved. More than anything else I think this book, her memoirs, teaches us that you do not have to be out of the ordinary to make extraordinary achievements.

Throughout her account of how she came to be the Peace Activist and the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize recipient we know today, she tells recounts how she stumbled and continues to stumble. She made bad choices, had numerous failings, and was often close to losing hope. Above all else her story is incredibly empowering because through her life story, we see that things are possible. If we organise and work together, even the most powerless in society can stand up to the most powerful. She touches on issues which would seem obvious to the outside world but are so often overlooked by the many humanitarian programmes set up by the United Nations or International NGOs. Whether its disarmament programmes or election monitoring, the need for meaningful collaboration with people on the ground, who are in the communities we all so desperately want to 'save' is invaluable.

Mighty be our Powers should be on the required reading list for every humanitarian actor and election observer going to work in the field. The methods adopted by peace builders like Ms Gbowee are simple yet effective. They achieved more with limited resources than the heavily-funded peacekeeping missions, NGOs who continue to reinvent the same broken wheel or internationally-backed tribunals have been able to do with millions of dollars and years of work.I'm sure there's more to come from this formidable feminist because as she herself tells us in the final chapter, the story is not yet over!

Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman

If it were possible to give this book zero stars, I would. Although the premise behind it is interesting and novel enough- looking at the troubled marginalized youth in London's inner city from their own perspective - the execution was atrocious. I can't recall the last time I skipped through so many pages of a book. 


The idea of the eleven year old as narrator works for the first few pages. Then, as 'yout speak' does, it just starts to grate on you. What I found ironic was that the book received such praise for being 'a realistic portrayal' .....of who or what I thought. While I don't doubt that Kelman did his research, I still believe both he and those writing in praise of the book, give him far more credit than he deserves. 


I felt no more empathy for these troubled inner city kids with nicknames like Killa and X-Fire than I did before reading the book. Kelman also misses the mark with the main character. There are times when Harri says things that are completely out of character for an 11 year old- at times he sounds like the grown man writing the story or like a 5 year old child who's endearing but whose train of thoughts is all over the place. The narrative sounded too often like an adult trying to imitate a child. 


The book's ending and link to certain social issues made it seem far more important and interesting than it was. Some readers said they found the book disturbing but then what? Being disturbed by an issue doesn't propel us to action so rather than show us something we don't already know, Kelman is yet another observer of what David Cameron et al term 'broken Britain' My verdict- Great concept, poor execution.

Can I buy you dinner?

I keep getting approached by random men in the streets with this question and it's not an unusual thing to ask in itself but each time it's said with such gusto that I'm beginning to think there's more to the question than meets the eye.

So walking down the street in Brooklyn, random hispanic guy wearing a vest (yes as in undergarment type vest) stops to ask me for my name and number, the first he gets, the second...ah not so much. As I try being firm but polite and walking away with 'sorry I have to go', it seems like he decides this is the right moment for him to play his trump card so he says 'I'd like to buy you dinner'. Then he waits expectantly as though I'm going to say 'oh well when you put it that way...ofcourse you can have my number'. In my head ofcourse 'I'm thinking I doubt you can feed yourself let alone me'. But once again my mama raised me right so I smile politely, say thank you but no thank you and walk away.

Fast forward a few similar encounters to today as I'm walking down Fifth avenue, I get accosted by a guy wearing an awful awful (no that's not a typo I said it twice because that's how bad it was) check jacket, dark pink shirt and what we Londoners would refer to as 'dodgy' trousers. He offers me his business card which I scan quickly; he's an image consultant - well what do you know? He apologies for stopping me, and clarifies that he doesn't think I need his service but...wait for it....'I'd like to buy you dinner'...this is said ofcourse in a 'wannabe-smooth-debonair-I-mean-what-I-say' way which I suspect is meant to have the effect of me doing cartwheels - and screaming 'dinner? really me?...oh thank you thank you!' Fortunately for him and me, he doesn't wait for my response, no doubt confident that I will be calling that number for that dinner....after all when was the last time a man offered to buy me dinner? ..last week?...oh yes, ofcourse...I forget.

I admit that perhaps I'm harder to please now that I'm older and more jaded or maybe I just missed the memo that went around about women all gagging for men to buy them dinner. I'm hoping the men who read this will take heed - by all means offer to buy a woman dinner but don't say like you just told her you were about to fly her to venice in a private jet. Really dude, its just dinner and how do I know you're not going to suggest some 'all you can eat' hole in the wall anyway?

Fly Virgin - you'll love it

As a young student travelling around the world on borrowed money (think credit cards and student loans) some 15 years ago, I fell in love with Virgin Atlantic. I remember travelling with Virgin to New York in Economy and for once not feeling short-changed by an airline simply because Business Class was out of my reach. I find that most airlines make economy passengers feel like they've drawn the short straw with bad service, terrible food and impatient and highly irritable cabin crew members. Virgin Atlantic was and still is a class apart.
The staff are polite and helpful, the food is delicious and identifiable (no small feat believe me). On a recent flight I had a beef casserole and was dreading being presented with brown slodge with lumpy bits but instead I got chunks of beef and vegetables that I could actually chew. For me the most impressive thing about flying Virgin is the incredible choice you get with their in-flight entertainment. From countless movies to tv shows, documentaries, music playlists for all tastes and genres. There were atleast two Nigerian films on the in-flight programme as well as ofcourse some Bollywood and numerous Hollywood blockbusters.

When I think of Virgin Atlantic, I think of a company that takes customer service seriously; no effort is spared to make you feel special whether you paid $500 for your ticket or $5000. Each time I've  flown with Virgin, I've been adequately fed and watered - with an incredibly wide choice of soft and hard drinks, regular rounds of snacks, filling main meals that look like something you'd make at home or eat in a restaurant, they even serve Gü deserts now and ofcourse while you watch your films, there's the round of delicious icecream. This time they even finished with a sweet treat of lovehearts at the end of the flight as we were landing, which both reminded me of my childhood and why I LOVE flying Virgin. As I left the plane I felt more than happy to part with my spare change for their charity, I like to think of it as a tip for great service.

An eight hour flight on Virgin Atlantic just seems to whizz by which makes me think that if I ever find myself booking a 20 hour flight to some far flung place it will have to be with Virgin, the airline that's definitely got it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbib-A6NpW8&playnext=1&list=PLB3F886FFE1802B04

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars on tour

I saw the Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars perform for the first time last night at The Bell House in Brooklyn and they brought the house down! The audience which was very mixed and included some Sierra Leoneans rocked from the moment they came on stage until their final encore performance. They had us doing their version of the 'electric slide' - to the left - to the left - to the right-to the right-go down- go down-come up-come up. Some of us were a little worried that our lack of fitness may not allow us to come back again but we still obliged as this was not a 'sit and watch' type concert, and the Refugee All Stars were determined to give us our money's worth and leave us wanting more.

The band which was formed by a group of Sierra Leonean musicians when they lived in a refugee camp in Guinea during the conflict, played for over two hours, giving us a taster of their various music styles, from roots reggae to Sierra-Leonean palm-wine music, to soca, to soukous. Although the Bob Marley and Lucky Dube influence is evident, the band is authentically Sierra Leonean and their music although heavily influenced by these great stars does not imitate anyone.
The band members represent four ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, the Mende, Temne, Loko and Krio and they sing in those four languages. They play a range of instruments from the traditional african bongo drum to the shegure (a traditional Sierra Leonean instrument made from a calabash and stringed beads) while at the same time mastering conventional instruments like the acoustic guitar, keyboard and the drums.

Their talent is evident but more so what makes them an enjoyable band to watch live is their energy and their desire to entertain. You could tell that they were enjoying themselves as much as the audience, even more so. Each band member had their turn doing some dance moves reminiscent of a Soul train line. Black Nature, being the youngest was the most impressive with his upside down gyrate - you have to see it to believe it.

The band is finishing their tour of the USA, with perfomances in Massachusetts and Colarodo before heading to Europe. Catch them if you can, you will not be disappointed. Alternatively you can pick up their new album which has received excellent reviews: Rise & Shine

USA tour dates
Sun May 29 The Beachcomber Wellfleet, MA
Sat Jun 04 Red Rocks Amphitheatre - Opening for DISPATCH, Morrison, CO
Sat Jun 11 Johnny D's Somerville, MA
Europe tour dates
Fri Jun 17 Festival Sol Mestizo Albacete, Spain
Sat Jun 18 Festival Mundial Tilburg, Netherlands
Sun Jun 19 Africa OyŽ Festival Liverpool, United Kingdom
Wed Jun 22 World Refugee Day Celebrations Hull, United Kingdom
Fri Jun 24 La Nuit Africaines Ottignies, Belgium

The Book of Negroes or Someone knows my name

Let me say upfront that the Book of Negroes, by Lawrence Hill, is the winner of the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book in 2008; and my overall view is that it is an ambitious piece, written in a meticulous way, and with admirable story telling skills and about a subject needs telling. I would recommend it.


It did take me a while to finish though, because my enthusiasm waxed and waned – and here is why:

While apparently historically accurate, as evidenced from the referenced material – which can be checked; in over four “books” it covers life in Africa and the middle passage; slavery in the Carolinas and east coast; life of freed slaves in Nova Scotia and return to Freetown, Sierra Leone. The primary plot device that allows us to move from one space to another is that Aminata Diallo is writing her life story, which she is documenting for the abolitionist movement in the UK.

In trying to cover several aspects of the slave narrative however, the author, Lawrence Hill, perhaps reaches beyond what is plausible in one too many instances. For example, the story of capture and the middle passage provides a rich understanding of the absolute inhumane treatment of Africans; but this is seen ostensibly through the eyes of an eleven year old girl. Some of her observations are altogether too adult, and seem more as a means of putting forward the authors’ and historical views on the slave trade – rather than inhabiting the character of a child whose world has been torn asunder. Similarly, the narration of life on the slave plantation while brutal and nasty uses questionable plot devices that see Aminata rapidly learning English, reading and writing, and moving on to becoming a bookkeeper to allow us to move into the world of the slave owner in the South.

Mr. Hill also inserts a curious scene of homosexual activity during the middle passage – for which there is not further mention over the course of the next 300 pages – the characters pretty much disappear. One can only assume that it is designed to make the oft made point by activists that such practice is not an import to Africa, but existed prior to the advent of Europeans or others. A better treatment of the subject would have perhaps been more useful than the random incident.

In marrying fiction with historical facts, the book tended towards a self conscious and in some places, contrived, narrative designed to educate on the issues of slavery; the abolitionist movement; African homeopathy and a broad range of other topics that is at once engrossing, but at the same time seemingly too much to rest on the story of one woman’s life. While I enjoyed The Book of Negroes (otherwise published as Someone Knows My Name), I was at times irritated by the authors need to include so much.

Lastly, the plot seems one written in a way that could easily translate into a television mini-series – very much reminiscent of Roots and others of that genre. While this is not a negative, it does present some characters that appear one dimensional, who burst on to the scene and then disappear in a very facile manner.

So in the end, I felt more as though I had taken a whirlwind journey by an able curator through the history of slavery; rather than read an intimate narrative of one woman's singular journey through what was a collective experience. Someone Knows My Name: A Novel

The memory of love

It took me a while to get into this book I must admit. I was excited when I got it and particularly loved the image on the cover and having read Ancestor's Stones, I couldn't wait to read what followed. The fact that the novel is set in Freetown, Sierra Leone was also a plus for me as a Sierra Leonean. However as I read through the early chapters, I found it hard to become engrossed in the novel. At times it read like an academic text, packed with imagery and detail which in attempting to set the context often times loses the reader because it's so convoluted. There is no doubt this novel is well-researched and clearly deserving of gracing the numerous award shortlists, however speaking as a reader who loves a good story, sometimes I think less is more.

As someone who is from the country the book is set in, I found the setting and characters interesting though not always believable. There are certain cultural subtleties that Ms. Forna misses in her depiction of Sierra Leoneans, given that it is a work of fiction, I appreciate that there has to be some leeway, nonetheless I think that most Sierra Leoneans reading this book will question a few of her literary choices. For instance, the dynamics of different ethnic groups; one can make the assumption that the main character Elias Cole is a Krio who marries a non-Krio, perhaps a Temne and has a daughter whose name sounds Fulani. Though not impossible, it's highly unlikely that a Krio man would give his daughter a name that reflects neither his nor his wife's ethnicity. Also the fact that Elias Cole has no 'people' - throughout the novel I couldn't help but question where are his people, in a society where the norm is for people to live with their extended family, here is a man whose only relation is with his house help. These are perhaps subtleties that only someone from the country will appreciate and while they do not carry a great deal of weight, the novel loses a little bit of its credibility as a depiction of a real country in a real time period.

I admit it may be overly simplistic to say so but I've never understood the choice of authors to make their protagonist an anti-hero, I can't help but think why waste your first person narrative on someone who the reader is not going to like. The main character, Elias Cole in The Memory of Love is thoroughly unlikeable, he does not seem to have a single redeeming quality. Even his love/lust for his friend's wife evokes no sympathy from us as he's seen as sneaky, deceitful, almost preying on her. His relationship with his daughter which could be a way of making Elias more human, flawed but with some positive character traits, is tainted by an unforgiveable act which he has committed in her childhood and for which she refuses to forgive him. I get the impression that the author is both judge and jury in the novel - according to an interview she gives promoting the book, the character of Elias came about as she questioned how it is that some people not only survive adversity but seem to thrive from it. As a result the reader is asked to judge Elias as she judges him or people like him. Yet for those who have been through adversities, in particular war, I'm certain their stories are far from straightforward - I suspect there is an element of a desire to survive in all of us which can make us act in a less than honourable manner.

The story of war, and its aftermath is dealt with in a way I think that doesn't make it 'yet another account of an African country's brutal past'. The question of post-war trauma is cleverly addressed and raises questions that are rarely raised in particular about how post-conflict countries address the mental health issue. However I don't agree with the 'neat analysis' of Sierra Leoneans as being unwilling to talk about their experiences, certainly in the case of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee and the Special Court for Sierra Leone; unlike many other post-conflict societies, victims were willing to open up and talk about their experiences, however gruesome. By stark contrast to Rwandans dealing with the aftermath of the genocide, Sierra Leoneans were quite open and expressive and talked freely about the war except perhaps where cultural taboos prevented them from doing so.

I think The Memory of Love is well-written, Aminatta Forna is a meticulous storyteller and the novel is enjoyable and informative.
The Memory of Love