When someone in your community is harmed or going through a tough time, do you respond to see how you can assist, or lean into gossip? Let’s discuss the Megan Thee Stallion case and how it reflects on industry politics and respectability bias. Regardless if you followed the case or the artist, this episode shares some gems on how we navigate bias and assumptions we all have experienced.
Let us know what you think.
We know we are not the only siblings who have experienced a variety of dynamics within our relationship. Especially with the myths and realities surrounding sibling and family hierarchies.
In this episode, we share our experience navigating the evolutions of our sibling relationship, debunking and embodying the truths behind being the 1st born and 2nd born, and how sibling relations can reflect and heal generational cycles.
Let us know what you think of the episode.
Are you clumsy or is Mercury in retrograde? Were you someone who always checked their horoscope in the back of magazines? Or do you insist astrology has nothing to do with you?
In this episode, we share our experience discovering what astrology has to do with our lives. We talk about how we use it, what we think of online readers, and share tips on what you might enjoy about your own astrology.
Let us know what you think of the episode.
If you are interested in exploring Astrology, here are some of the resources I find useful:
What do you get when you put a food scientist, an artisan tea manufacturer, and an innovative chef in the same room? A unique and memorable dining experience. I had the pleasure of attending the first Sip and Savor dinner experience hosted by Crescendo Foods in collaboration with Aguma Tea and Chef Britney. It was a 3-course meal tea pairing. Did you know you could pair tea with every course? Did you know you can cook with tea, too? Let’s indulge, shall we?
The event included a 3-course meal specially created by Chef Britney Andoh incorporating tea from Aguma Tea as a key ingredient. Here was the menu:
With each course, both Clarissa, from Aguma Tea, and Chef Britney joined us at the dining table to explain the inspiration and taste expectations for each course. I was the resident vegan guest and I enjoyed each of my courses. This was my first time at a tea pairing experience and I was pleasantly surprised at how each tea added an extra layer of flavor and personality with each drink and course ingredient. The Vegetable and Mushroom Dumplings in Lippie Tea Soup was spicy and delectable. The Jasmine Tea Rice and Mushroom Steak Bowl had a nice blend of sweet and savory, while still being flavorful and satisfying. The Chai Vegan Cheesecake was yummy. Like, I have no words because I need seconds…yummy.
As a kid, tea was something I was only given as an aid when I was feeling sick or as an aid to fall asleep. However, my mother and brother drink tea casually. My adult experience with tea has been varied, with a few memorably delicious experiences. Trying the variety of flavors Aguma Tea offers has inspired me to step up my tea game and be more intentional in cultivating a worthy tea collection.
The space at Crescendo Foods provides a great ambience for intimate and collaborative dining events. You feel as if you are visiting a good friend’s home, which also happens to feature a private chef, for this event, a co-cooking space, a co-working space, and office space. It’s colorful and cozy.
I love seeing brands and people collaborate because it provides room to innovate and grow. This event was a collaboration between three brands.
Crescendo Foods is the first food coworking space and shared kitchen hub in Ghana and West Africa. Dr. Wanida Lewis, founder and CEO of Crescendo Foods is filling the gap in food incubators by providing not only events and workshops, but also specializing in recipe development and food safety. Read more about her story here.
The Aguma Tea Company specializes in African teas, flowers, infusions, and herbals. They source their products and packaging from different African countries. Learn more about Clarissa and Aguma Tea here.
Chef Britney Andoh is one of the lead chef’s at NsuomNam Restaurant in Accra. Her dishes are known to be a fusion of traditional African ingredients and modern cooking techniques. She graduated from the Cesar Ritz Colleges in Switzerland with a Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Arts and Business Management.
Sitting at the dining table with the other guests encouraged a variety of interesting conversations. The group of guests were a mixture of Ghanaian, 1st generation diasporan, and diasporan. Naturally, we had to talk about the thought process behind choosing to move, work, or invest in Ghana and Africa. It was lovely to hear and hold space for the different perspectives.
I feel this event is part of the answer to that never ending conversation topic. Part of the thought process is about feeling called to be a pioneer. Each of these ladies are bringing innovation, expertise, and passion to their industries. Filling a gap and contributing to community. The question should not be “why do this in Ghana or Africa when (insert endless list of problems and excuses)?” Instead, it should be “how can I support or connect this to reach who needs this?” Food for thought.
Overall, I enjoyed my time at the first Sip and Savor dining experience at Crescendo Foods in Accra. The collaboration with the Aguma Tea Company and Chef Britney Andoh was informative, delicious, and pleasant. Make sure to check out the other events each of these brands have coming up. It’s worth it. You will enjoy it.
Have you been to a tea pairing dining experience before? Are you into food incubators? Are you are tea enthusiast? Let me know in the comments. I love hearing from you.
I feel we have had more than enough time to reflect, marinate, and embody our thoughts and feelings towards the direction Wakanda is going. Did the movie Black Panther Wakanda Forever give what it needed to give?
In this episode, we share how we felt about the movie and what themes stood out to us.
Which team would you choose to win this game? Team Wakandans or Team Talakans? Or Team 3?
One theme that stood out to me in this movie was the focus on the two most powerful groups on the planet fighting each other for 2 hours and 41 minutes over damage and chaos caused by a bully, colonizer, or institution of bully colonization. I feel this dynamic reflects reality in the two extremes we follow historically to steer change and playing the bigger game. Let’s unpack that.
Team Wakandans’ mode of operation is to be the bigger person. The noble one that navigates their decisions for the higher good. This is great and admirable, but can possibly hinder progress if done narrow mindedly. For example, Wakanda’s previous decision to set up an outreach program in Compton, California is wonderful. In addition to that, why could we not also set up an outreach program next door in Niger? That could also help balance out the exploitation bases there. Another good example is the scene at the UN meeting in this movie. The Queen of Wakanda is invited and two particular countries, the US and France, hold the majority of the dialogue in the scene. They insist the world is not safe if only Wakanda has access to vibranium and it is in the best interest of international policy to give it to the US and France. However, behind the scenes, they had already deployed their agents to try to steal the vibranium. Does this sound familiar?
Let’s connect some dots. Is it too much of a stretch to note that vibranium rhymes with uranium? Or that the US and France are currently in Niger playing the international diplomacy violin for the cameras and causing the proxy chaos behind the scenes for access to uranium? What role is ECOWAS playing? Are they showing up like Wakanda, calmly refusing to participate in the destruction of their neighbors while protecting their resources and people? Or are they volunteering to be played?
But, back to the movie. Team Talakans’ mode of operation is to be the only person standing…or swimming. When the opponent goes low, the Talakans will show you how low they can go. This influences their decisions to mostly drown first and don’t ask questions later. Similar to Wakanda, their heart is in the right place and they are valid in protecting themselves the way they do. Actually, I felt they have a better sense of what bullies are capable of compared to Wakandans. For example, when the King of Talakan was asked why he chose not to kill Shuri and destroy Wakanda, because he could have, his answer reflects a lot of wisdom. He understands the game, or scam, people on land play. He notes that Wakanda is the most powerful group of people on land, but they have no ally and obviously do not fully grasp the games others are playing. One day, Wakanda will need Talakans help. Talakan will give that help…probably for a price. It’s giving Godfather. It’s giving Mafia chess moves. It’s giving ancient Egyptian empire has entered the chat. Is it clean? Probably not. But is it effective? Possibly.
Now, let’s connect some more dots. Do you see how these two teams represent previous attempts to pushing for change and protection? One side wants to use reason and fairness. Wants to discuss and make arrangements. The other side wants to take back its power by any means necessary. Wants to protect its own by all costs. Because all their lives they had to fight. Two extremes that have played out throughout history all over the world. And yet, these two extremes have been played or blindsided each time by an outsider bully looking to distract and extract. That is something I appreciated about this movie. This dynamic is not only focused on Africa or Black vs white. Latin America, the Islands, Asia, and the Middle East have also experienced variations of this. All dealing with similar groups of bullies.
If this same game has been played for so long, why does everyone continue to play the same role? That is what I found fascinating. At least in the way I saw the movie. Wakanda and Talakan are powerful, but they are playing as pieces on the board of the game. While the bully is sitting at the table moving the pieces. Regardless of how strategic Wakanda and Talakan try to be, or how much effort, resources, or sacrifice they give, they can only see and fight what is in front of them, which is placed on the board by the bully.
Which team do you think can win at this game? Or, could we have a third option? Team 3 could leverage the combined strength of Wakanda and Talakan, but also be smarter to either be 10 steps ahead of the bully or completely transform the board game.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments. Again, remember, we are only talking about a movie. Based on a comic book and fantasy. None of this is real.
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We know we are not the only ones who can watch our favorite Studio Ghibli movies a million times and never get tired of them. Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio founded in 1985. Their movie catalog is famous for unique storytelling that blends fantasy, adventure, and deep themes.
In this episode, we share our experience exploring our favorite Studio Ghibli movies, the story themes that stand out to us, and how to navigate the legacy and magic of a project when it needs to be passed on to the next leader or generation.
Let us know what you think of the episode.
Dagny Zenovia 