Marie-Claire is the author of ‘One For Sorrow, Two For Joy’ - a book that explores the impact of unresolved childhood trauma in adult life.

She wrote the book during the COVID-19 pandemic and recalls writing  54,000 words in two months, which she describes as "unnaturally fast". 

Listen to author Marie-Claire as she explores themes linked to trauma, superstition and healing in this podcast episode.


She also explains her writing process and gives us a sneak peek into details of her second novel.

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

How does a person heal from childhood trauma?

Listen to author Marie-Claire Amuah who explores the impact of unresolved childhood trauma in adult life in her debut book ‘One For Sorrow, Two For Joy’ on our ‘Connecting Communities’ Podcast.


When we first meet Stella, she’s an eight-year-old girl who lives with her mum, dad and older brother Sol.

Stella is a bright young girl, loved by her friends and teacher Ms Wilks. But at home she is considered insolent by her father and experiences physical and mental abuse at his hands. So does her mum but her brother does not. 

This book explores the journey from trauma, to healing through the power of friendships and self-love.

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

‘Small Joys’ is the debut novel of Elvin James Mensah which tells the story of a friendship bond that blossoms between two unlikely friends called Harles and Muddy.



Harles is a British-Ghanaian queer man who has a lot on his plate. He’s dropped out of university. He has a fraught relationship with his father and he’s battling depression.

 Muddy is a Mancunian man who moves into a shared house with his friend Chelsea and Harles – his new housemate. Muddy is easy going, loves indie music and is a keen a bird watcher.

In part two, Elvin share details of his writing process with Abena Sɛwaa, the editor of AKADi Magazine, he explains how the Coronation Streets soap inspired one of the characters in the book, and he reveals details of his second novel. 

This interview was recorded in December 2023.

'Small Joys' is published by Scribner UK in the UK, Random House in the USA and Plataeditores in Spain. 

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

‘Small Joys’ is the debut novel of Elvin James Mensah which tells the story of a friendship bond that blossoms between two unlikely friends called Harles and Muddy.


Harles is a British-Ghanaian queer man who has a lot on his plate. He’s dropped out of university. He has a fraught relationship with his father and he’s battling depression.

 Muddy is a Mancunian man who moves into a shared house with his friend Chelsea and Harles – his new housemate. Muddy is easy going, loves indie music and is a keen twitcher (a bird watcher).

In part one of this interview, Elvin tells Abena Sɛwaa, the editor of AKADi Magazine what inspired ‘Small Joys’, how the book tackles mental health and explores parental acceptance.

This interview was recorded in December 2023.

'Small Joys' is published by Scribner UK in the UK, Random House in the USA and Plataeditores. 

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

What was life like for the average woman, man, and child in 17th, 18th and 19th century Accra?


And what impact did the European presence have on the exchange of ideas, cultures, languages, traditions, trade and more?

Our aim with this and subsequent interviews with historians and academic experts is to dig deeper into our understanding of what life was like in Accra (primarily).

We explore this in a new series in our ‘Connecting Communities’ podcast called –Challenging perspectives: Accra, her people and the Danes. 

In our first interview we speak to Hermann von Hesse, assistant professor of African Art History at the University of Illinois, in Urbana-Champaign in the USA.

Hermann gives us a brief overview of life in Accra prior to European settlement. He outlines how the Danes established themselves in and around Accra and, draws distinctions and similarities between the European trade in people and the indigenous practice in what we now call Ghana.

We call this series Challenging perspectives because we hope that these discussions will encourage us all to interrogate and challenge our perspectives, increase our knowledge and inspire us to keep asking those important questions.


The reading list for this episode:

·       Two Views from Christiansborg Castle Vol I. A Brief and Truthful Description of a Journey to and from Guinea, by Johannes Rask (Author), Selena Axelrod Winsnes (Translator)

·       Two Views from Christiansborg Castle Vol II. A Description of the Guinea Coast and its Inhabitants

A Description of the Guinea Coast and its Inhabitants, by H.C. Monrad edited by Selena Axelrod Winsnes

·       A Danish Jew in West Africa. Wulf Joseph Wulff Biography And Letters 1836-1842 by Selena Axelrod Winsnes, Paperback | Indigo Chapters

·       History of Indigenous Slavery In, a (P): from the 15th to the 19th Century Paperback – Illustrated, 29 Dec. 2004, by Akosua Adoma Perbi (Author)

·       The Grand Slave Emporium: Cape Coast Castle and the British Slave Trade Paperback – 1 Mar. 2007by William St Clair (Author)

·       Daughters of the Trade: Atlantic Slavers and Interracial Marriage on the Gold Coast (The Early Modern Americas) by Pernille Ipsen (Author)

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

Abena Sɛwaa and KAmo, the editors of AKADi Magazine share their thoughts and highlights from a series of books written about the Danish presence in Accra during the 18th and 19th century.

This segment is called: Challenging perspectives: Accra, her people and the Danes.
Our aim is to dig deeper into our understanding of what life was like in Accra (primarily) for the average woman, man, and child, and explore what impact the presence of Europeans over the centuries has had on the exchange of ideas, how it has shaped our cultures, languages, traditions, trade and more.
 
The reading list for this episode:

·       Two Views from Christiansborg Castle Vol I. A Brief and Truthful Description of a Journey to and from Guinea, by Johannes Rask (Author), Selena Axelrod Winsnes (Translator)

·       Two Views from Christiansborg Castle Vol II. A Description of the Guinea Coast and its Inhabitants

A Description of the Guinea Coast and its Inhabitants, by H.C. Monrad edited by Selena Axelrod Winsnes

·       A Danish Jew in West Africa. Wulf Joseph Wulff Biography And Letters 1836-1842 by Selena Axelrod Winsnes, Paperback | Indigo Chapters

·       History of Indigenous Slavery In, a (P): from the 15th to the 19th Century Paperback – Illustrated, 29 Dec. 2004, by Akosua Adoma Perbi (Author)

·       The Grand Slave Emporium: Cape Coast Castle and the British Slave Trade Paperback – 1 Mar. 2007by William St Clair (Author)

·       Daughters of the Trade: Atlantic Slavers and Interracial Marriage on the Gold Coast (The Early Modern Americas) by Pernille Ipsen (Author)

·       Slavery and its Legacy in Ghana and the Diaspora. Rebecca Shumway (Anthology Editor) , Trevor R. Getz (Anthology Editor)

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

Hello and welcome to another episode of our Connecting Communities Podcast. 

My name is Abena Serwaa, the publishing editor of AKADi Magazine and you were just listening to Lily Naadu Mensah, older sister to the late Douglas Ankrah – the cocktail entrepreneur, author and businessman who created one of the UK’s top 10 cocktails – famously called the Pornstar Martini.

This cocktail is a passion-fruit-flavoured drink made with vanilla-flavoured vodka, Passoã (a passionfruit flavoured liqueur made with natural passionfruit), passion fruit juice, and lime juice.

 It is traditionally accompanied by a chilled shot glass of prosecco. 

Lauded as a pioneer in the drinks industry, Douglas established one of the popular cocktail spots in London the Townhouse and co-founded the Soho-based London Academy of Bartenders to train bartenders.

Douglas tragically passed away in 2021 at the age of 51.

Lily, who is a personal brand coach and author of ‘Work Your Quirks’, tells us more about her late brother, his career and how his family and friends plan to honour his legacy.

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

According to a report commissioned by the French president Emmanuel Macron in
2018, an estimated 90-95% of Africa’s heritage is outside of the Continent.


What are we doing to return of African human remains and cultural artefacts?

Onyekachi Wambu, who – at the time of the interview in October 2022,
was the executive director of the African Foundation for Development (AFFORD), talks about the work AFFORD is doing through its 'Return of the Icons' initiative.


This initiative aims to push forward discussion and action around the return of African human remains and cultural artefacts held by UK museums and other institutions.


Mr Wambu is current an associate at AFFORD on their special projects at AFFORD.


Background

• AFFORD-UK - Return of the Icons - https://afford-uk.org/return-of-the-icons/

•  Changes to the Charities Act 2022

• All-Parliamentary Party Group on Afrikan Reparations - report

• The title transfer of ownership of 72 religious and cultural artefacts from the Horniman Museum in south London to Nigeria 

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

Iconic veteran broadcaster Mike Eghan, aka the Magnificent Emperor, has had a colourful career as a DJ, radio broadcaster and more. 


He tells us about his encounter with Ike and Tina Turner,  his time working for the BBC and shares some advice for aspiring broadcasters.  


Mike is pictured on the left with singer songwriter Wilson Pickett, a major figure in the development of soul music. 


This podcast has been produced by KAmo. The hosts are Abena Sɛwaa and Kofi Amo.

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

Iconic veteran broadcaster Mike Eghan, aka the Magnificent Emperor, has had a colourful career as a DJ, radio broadcaster and more. 


He tells us how he was able to pivot from a banking job to becoming one of the Ghanaian’s notable broadcasters; his time working for the BBC and how he met prolific
photographer James Barnor. 


This podcast has been produced by KAmo. The hosts are Abena Sɛwaa and Kofi Amo.

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

Blitz the Ambassador unveiled his novel: 'The Scent of Burnt Flowers' (2022) at Africa Writes - a UK literary festival, and we got to speak to him.

The book is set in the 1960s, during a period in Ghana’s political history and we follow African-American couple Bernadette and Melvin as they escape the USA for sanctuary in Accra.

We got to hear more about what inspired Blitz’s work and how his grandmother’s love of storytelling, during his early days in Madina, shaped his creative process. 

Visit akadimagazine.com for more.

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

Ghana's Year of Return initiative was designed to encourage people of African descent to come to Ghana to visit, do business or live. We asked Gutta Soles founder Kromanteng what he thought.

Image taken by @sameerfilm The music featured in this podcast is called 'Di Asempa' and comes from Atakora Manu & His Sound Engineers.

Watch:
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLd0A...
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SfuH...
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGEIy...


Visit www.guttasoles.com to find out more. For more content like this, www.msbwrites.co.uk; www.akadimagazine.com for more or follow on @misbeeewrites or @akadimag on Instagram

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

Gutta Soles' name is inspired by Ghana's open gutters and the idea that although they may be filled with rubbish, there is treasure to be found.

For founder Kromanteng, there is added symbolism in that Ghana's gutters are open - not closed, which means there is an opportunity for everyone to pull themselves out of their current situation.

The Gutta Soles brand has its operations in Accra, Ghana. The shoes are made from car tyres, ntuma (cloth), organic cotton and rubber. I spoke to founder Kromanteng about his brand.

All images used with the consent of Gutta Soles. The music featured in this podcast is called 'Di Asempa' and comes from Atakora Manu & His Sound Engineers.

If you missed the first segment, click this link to listen.
Part 1: https://youtu.be/NLd0Ao1R8SA
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SfuH...
Part 4: https://youtu.be/Glu1hOWmnXw

Visit www.guttasoles.com for more on the brand. 

For more content like this, visit: www.msbwrites.co.uk; www.akadimagazine.com for more or follow on @misbeeewrites or @akadimag on Instagram 

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

Gutta Soles' name is inspired by Ghana's open gutters and the idea that although they may be filled with rubbish, there is treasure to be found.

For founder Kromanteng, there is added symbolism in that Ghana's gutters are open - not closed, which means there is an opportunity for everyone to pull themselves out of their current situation.

The Gutta Soles brand has its operations in Accra, Ghana. The shoes are made from car tyres, ntuma (cloth), organic cotton and rubber. I spoke to founder Kromanteng about his brand.

All images used with the consent of Gutta Soles. The music featured in this podcast is called 'Di Asempa' and comes from Atakora Manu & His Sound Engineers.

If you missed the first segment, click this link to listen.
Part 1: https://youtu.be/NLd0Ao1R8SA
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGEIyiVVqCA
Part 4: https://youtu.be/Glu1hOWmnXw

Visit www.guttasoles.com for more on the brand. 

For more content like this, visit: www.msbwrites.co.uk; www.akadimagazine.com for more or follow on @misbeeewrites or @akadimag on Instagram

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

One (wo)man's trash is another (wo)man's treasure. I love the ethos behind this company - Gutta Soles, particularly as the soles of the shoes are made from car tyres, ntuma (cloth), organic cotton and rubber. I spoke to founder Kromanteng about his brand. 

Image by @estella_ivanova_ The music featured in this podcast is called 'Di Asempa' and comes from Atakora Manu & His Sound Engineers.

In the second episode, Kromanteng explains the meaning behind the Gutta Soles name:

Part 2: https://youtu.be/-SfuHG1wIlY
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGEIyiVVqCA
Part 4: https://youtu.be/Glu1hOWmnXw

Visit www.guttasoles.com to find out more. For more content like this, www.msbwrites.co.uk; www.akadimagazine.com for more or follow on @misbeeewrites or @akadimag on Instagram

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

Welcome to AKADi Magazine book review series with Abena Serwaa .

This series takes books by Ghanaian authors or books about Ghana and deconstructs them according to their content and information value, while hopefully encouraging you to read them too.

In this episode, I share my thoughts on the book: ‘Daughters of the Trade – Atlantic Slavers and Interracial Marriage on the Gold Coast’ by Danish historian Professor Pernille Ipsen.
 

- A History of Indigenous Slavery in Ghana from the 15th to the 19th century by Akosua Adoma Perbi

- The Grand Slave Emporium: Cape Coast Castle and the British Slave Trade by William St Clair

Film trailer: Gold Coast by Daniel Dencik and Kwame Boadi
Film review: Gold Coast: A lucid look into Denmark's past

Visit our monthly AKADi Magazine Connecting Communities Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Buzzsprout or wherever you listen to your audio to listen to all our podcasts. 

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

Maxwell Ayamba MBE is a PhD research student in Black Studies at the Department of American & Canadian Studies at the University of Nottingham, whose research explores the trajectory of ‘race’ ecology and environmental justice in the UK.

Maxwell is passionate about the countryside and increasing access for Black, Asian and other global majority groups and refugee communities, which is why he co-founded The 100 Black Men Walk for Health Group and established the Sheffield Environmental Movement.

He was honoured in the UK’s 2023 New Year’s Honours List with a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to the environment and to the community in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. 

In this episode, Maxwell explains why access to the countryside is so important for Black, Asian and other global majority groups, and why in 2021 he was named as one of the 70 most remarkable people in the history of the Peak District National Park.   

To listen to more content like this, visit our monthly AKADi Magazine Connecting Communities Podcast on Apple, Spotify, Buzzsprout and wherever you listen to your audio. 
 

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

The UK premier of 'School Girls, Or The African Mean Girls Play' by Jocelyn Bioh, started on 8 June and runs until 15 July at The Lyric Hammersmith in London.



It's set in Aburi Girls' Senior High School in Ghana's Eastern Region.



And if like cast member Jadesola Odunjo and playwright Jocelyn, you went to a boarding school, this play may bring back some memories.


We speak to Jadesola, who plays Nana - one of the girls in the play - to find out more.
 

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

Did you know that the West African game, known as ampe in Ghana, is more than 200 years old and is recognised as a sport in Ghana?


We spoke to two filmmakers - Claudia Owusu and Ife Oluwamuyide - whose film 'Ampe: Leap into the Sky, Black Girl' explores themes around girlhood, womanhood and the power of play.



Find out more in the interview.


See ampe in action:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1828019/13016564-s4-ep6-in-conversation-with-the-filmmakers-behind-ampe-leap-into-the-sky.js?container_id=buzzsprout-player-13016564&player=small


Image © Amber Marolyn

 

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.

Trauma and motherhood were strong themes in this book but in my reading of the novel, I never saw the women as victims. Rather, these women were heroic, misunderstood and extremely strong.

Ada’s Realm is linguistically rich – at least four languages (Ga, Twi, German and English) appear in this book – not to mention an old English dialect too. The book was replete with Ghanaian phrases and references that most Ghanaians would be familiar with. 

And join our Podcast Club to access exclusive and early release content and discounts here: https://ko-fi.com/akadimagazine

The music in this episode is made exclusively for AKADi Magazine by Kyekyeku and the Superopongstarz and is called 'Life No Dey Easy'.

AKADi Magazine is a digital publication connecting Ghanaians in Ghana and the Diaspora, visit us at www.akadimagazine.com and www.msbwrites.co.uk for all your community news.