When work gets in the way of living

Greetings

Yeah, I know. I am starting to sound like a broken record. One day, I will be consistent with this. The last few months have a little busy, in a good way. Working for myself means that, traditionally, work ebbs and flows. And, I decided to pursue what I consider one of the most inefficient ways of making a living - writing. More hours spent does not equate to more work done. Having spent years writing for the media, I am grateful that more of my writing work is ‘behind the scenes’, for companies. They pay better and, fortunately, I am curious about lots of things, and I don’t have to be ‘passionate’ about the things that I write. I don’t need to be inspired; it is my job.

Anyway, I thought I would get the last newsletter for the year out, so here are the seven things …

1. The only media platform I still write for is Wanted Online, specifically a motorcycle column and a cigar column. In one of my most recent columns, I was able to write about two things I really like … hip hop and cigars … Nas and the rebirth of Escobar

2. I am not sure when I first came across Bjork and her music, but I suspect it was on Tricky’s Nearly God album. (I think I previously shared my follow the tricky kid playlist on Spotify.) There is something about Bjork, her music, her voice that has captivated me over the years.. In The Woman Who Fell to Earth, Sasha Geffen does a good job of articulating what the ‘something’ is, which I have always struggled to do. And Bjork has a new album out.

3. Every year, I set a Reading Challenge on Goodreads. Some years, I meet my target; some years I don’t. My target for this year was 60 books and I have only been able to read 46. I will probably get one or two in before the end of the year. I had also promised myself to do more book reviews on my site, and share lists of favourite books. I have done 0 of those in 2022 so here’s 100 Notable African Books of 2022 from brittle paper instead. I must confess that I have only read a couple, at most.

4. There does seem to be a groundswell of books from Africans but, as Elizabeth Johnson writes in her essay, Ghana and the Literary Industry, “the kind of African literature getting more interaction is predominantly written by Africans who aren’t on the continent, and who are not published by African – or, more specifically, African-based – publishing houses.” I would be interested to hear your views on this? Jump on the chat or drop an email.

5. A sign one is getting a little older is when babies you used to know are now adults and doing really good stuff. I recently reconnected with a friend’s son, now known as Samuari Farai, who I last saw as a young child and have become a fan of his art. All eyes on Farai.

   

6. I am taking a short break - actually forced by friend who owns studio where I record - with my podcast Listen To Your Footsteps. Since I decided to only put out an episode every other week, it has become a bit more manageable. Spotify has, for the last few years, shared Wrapped, as a snapshot of one’s listening habits. This year, they also created one for podcasts.

   

   I published the 31st episode recently. Now is a good time to go back to the beginning, if you have missed any episodes. And please do leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. :-)

7. Seeing this post from Nir Eyal was a reminder to reread his book Indistractable.

   Nir Eyal @nireyal

   

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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.

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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