Hey,

Sometimes, we get so comfortable and set in our ways that we can’t see beyond what’s in front of us, even when it isn’t working. Sometimes, we become the ones who repeatedly say, “but that’s how we have always done things.” When that happens, I believe it is time to walk away because one has become so rigid, that the ability to change one’s mind has gone. We make decisions - hopefully - on the basis of the information at our disposal at a point in time. As new information comes to light, you are allowed to change your mind.

1

Other than a 30-day blogging challenge a few years ago, I have been inconsistent with my blog for the last decade. But, I have always believed that, to be effective, one should blog regularly, even daily. I even wrote a blog post about this: A Case for Daily Blogging. And then I came across this Derek Siver’s post, Writing Daily But Posting When Ready in which he speaks on the challenge of having to get something out each day and the impact that has on how much attention he puts into the writing. I can relate.

2

Ideas are a dime a dozen; it is about the execution of the idea. NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert is an idea that was both wonderfully original and executed perfectly. Since I shared my favourites in 2016, the list has grown too long to even share. It seems they have been running a Tiny Desk Concert Contest and, out of over 6000 unsigned artists, they selected Linda Diaz as the winner.

3

Rap Pages, XXL, The Source, Vibe … I would try to get my hands on these in any and everywhere possible in the 1990s, sitting in Maseru, Lesotho. I devoured the writing and tried to mirror the writers whose work I particularly enjoyed, as I was finding my voice. As the world has become more connected, I have found ways of tracking and, in some instances, connecting with these “hip hop writers”. It’s Like That: The Makings of a Hip Hop Writer by Michael A. Gonzales, who was part of that era, and still writes extensively, gives great history while contextualising the challenges in media today.

4

Those who are argue that we are trying to rewrite history would amuse me if their perspective wasn’t so exclusionary and destructive. It assumes that the history that was written was fact as opposed to the dominant power’s perspective. Dr Adom Getachew writes Colonialism Made The Modern World. Let’s Remake It. The reality is we, those who were colonised, are still living in the aftermath and still feeling the effects.

5

Tim Harford’s book The Undercover Economist is a dope read and he has brought his interesting perspectives to his podcast Cautionary Tales. This last week, I binge-listened to the second season. I didn’t enjoy the second season as much as the first but that’s probably because I had no expectations with season 1. Definitely worth the listen though. In one episode, he explores the question of whether COVID-19 isn’t the lesson that we need to learn for when a ‘real’ pandemic hits and how we haven’t learned from previous instances (paraphrased).

6

I used to be big on conspiracy theories. Not so much anymore. I prefer to scratch beneath the surface and come to my own conclusions. A conspiracy theorist friend sent me this. Beautifully illustrated and interpreted. Also, food for thought.

7

One of my favourite quotes that I try to live daily is “A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms even when his hands are empty.”

That’s it for this week. Hope you enjoyed it. Please do share, if you did.

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Kojo