Between the covers

Greetings,

Photo by Elisa Calvet B. on Unsplash

Here are seven things I felt are worth sharing:

1. A lot of what I have learned about the world, and myself, have come from books. I have written extensively about reading and the role that books have played in my life both on my site and in my book Listen To Your Footsteps. I grew up in a house full of books and visited libraries (at school and in my home town) a lot. I was fortunate to have access to writing from across Africa and the world and have always read promiscuously. Reading has broadened my perspectives and guided how I live my life. I go to books for knowledge and for entertainment. Meanwhile, America is busy banning books, which I feel narrows a worldview that is already narrow even further. Check out Why Are We Banning Books? and Banning Books Is Perverse and Vulgar

2. I finally read James Clear’s Atomic Habits as the final book on my ‘productivity’ trip. I am constantly looking for ways in which I can be and live better. One of my favourite books is BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits, which is referenced in 27 Life-Changing Micro Habits That Require Only A Few Minutes.

3. I just finished binge-watching the 2009 drama series Lie To Me and realised that I miss that type of programming. I miss a time when each episode of a series had a conclusion - we found out who done it - as opposed to series today where the story runs over a season. I end up losing interest halfway through a season and never know how everything ended.

4. We recently had the first edition of Advertising Week Africa and I was asked to host a recording of my podcast live. I chatted to Olwethu Leshabane from Art of Superwoman. It was nice to be the one asking questions. I got to chat with Olwethu when my book came out in 2021

5. The history of Africa always seems to be viewed from a colonial perspective. To find accurate, honest and unbiased historical reference can be near impossible. Just came across The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) project The General History of Africa, which it started in 1964 with “a view to remedy the general ignorance on Africa’s history. The challenge consisted of reconstructing Africa’s history, freeing it from racial prejudices ensuing from slave trade and colonization, and promoting an African perspective.” All eight volumes initially published are available online. They are quite detailed, it’s going to take time to get through.

6. Derrick Gee’s Yes Post Disco playlist is banging. Or perhaps it’s because it’s the soundtrack to my early teenage years.

7. AI and ChatGPT is now all the rage. Someone asked me whether, as a writer, I was worried about AI replacing me. One of these days I will write about what I think but I am not worried, for a number of reasons, some of which are unpacked in Should ChatGPT Be Used To Write Wikipedia Articles?

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That’s it for today. If you enjoy receiving the Zebra Culture By Kojo Baffoe newsletter but are not subscribed, please do subscribe.

I would also appreciate it if you shared with a friend who might also like it.

I welcome comments, thoughts, etc. A big thank you to those of you who have sent me messages.

And if you would like a copy of my book Listen To Your Footsteps, it is widely available online and in bookshops (primarily in South Africa but also on Barnes & Noble and Amazon) both in digital and physical form.

Easy

Kojo