Ariana Oluwole
Ariana Oluwole is an executive coach, holistic educator, and Multipotentialite Entrepreneur. Her flagship coaching program 'Live and Lead Your Best Life' provides holistic strategies for Africans, the diaspora, and professionals navigating multiple cultures and teams. When she is not Empowering People, Teams & Systems to Thrive. Queen A can be found speaking to plants with a nice cup of tea.
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A RAINBOW BABY STORY: AS TOLD BY AN AFRICAN QUEEN
A rainbow baby is a baby born after a miscarriage, stillborn, or neonatal death. It is called a rainbow baby because it is like a rainbow after a storm: something beautiful after something scary and dark. Every year, Since 2002 the 9th -15th October is termed Baby Loss Awareness Week . This aims to raise awareness about pregnancy and baby loss. How we wish this awareness would transcend borders and bring hope to the many parents who never get the chance to mourn their loss, or celebrate their rainbow babies. Sadly there is a deafening silence surrounding miscarriage in Sub Saharan Africa. Women who were affected by miscarriage crave for shoulders to lean on…
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KEY REASONS WHY ABUSE IS STILL A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR AFRICANS
Victims live among us like an average child or adult. Sometimes they cause attractions through drunkenness, mental illness or other vital behaviours. Most don’t tell their stories, and often time we learn about their lives through whispers and gossips. We have a trained culture of silence and disgrace in public. As Africans, we were always taught to mind our business, speak when spoken to. And to know our place in society. Here are key reasons why abuse is still a major problem in the African community. An old African proverb says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” It is sad to see that the ancient tradition of caring…
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INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL CHILD: THE KADI SESAY GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL CREATES A BIG SOLUTION FOR EDUCATION IN SIERRA LEONE
_Port Loko, Northern Province, Sierra Leone: Thursday 8 October 2020_ The Kadi Sesay Girls Secondary School, was formally opened by The President of Sierra Leone; H.E Julius Maada Bio. This laudable venture bridges a generational divide between education and development in Sierra Leone. The state of the art facility was funded and built by Mercury International Sl; when it was decided that a girls school was to be the first project endorsed and fully initiated by The President. During the launch, The President was very thankful to Mercury but he wasn’t apologetic about being more thankful to Martin Michael in particular. The location and type of school was decided by The…
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WORLD TOURISM DAY 2020: DOMESTIC TOURISM IN SIERRA LEONE
When you see or hear the word “tourism”, what imagery comes to mind? Perhaps the stunning riads and their architecture that’s connected with the past? Or maybe the majestic giraffes and robust zebras in Kenya? Or could it be the slave castles of Ghana? No matter what imagery or thought that comes to your mind in regards to tourism I am certain it wasn’t about YOUR country…am I right? There is no shame in admitting it, however there is [slight] shame in not wanting to do anything about it! Though partially it is not your fault. In the media, tourism is…
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THE INAUGURAL NASIRU DEEN TEJAN-COLE MOOT COURT COMPETITION GETS HIGH PRAISE
Historical events do not just go away! They set the stage for excellence and good practice. Moot Court Competition in Sierra Leone? Unbelievable right? We thought the same and had to go past the raving reviews on twitter to delve deeper into the simulated court experience. Sierra Leone’s first Director of Public Prosecutions, Nasiru Deen Tejan Cole, was honoured with a Moot Court Competition held at the Multi-purpose Conference Hall at Fourah Bay College (FBC), University of Sierra Leone from the 1st – 4th September 2020. It was well organized with great participation and good turn out, by the Institute for Legal Research and Advocacy for Justice (ILRAJ) in partnership…
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JNF DESIGNS: REACHING THE WORLD WITH SIERRA LEONEAN FASHION
Indeed, if fully developed – from the production of raw materials to textiles and accessories – the fashion industry would offer the African continent a net gain in prosperity of 25%. The number one priority to achieve this goal is to help the actors in this industry to move upmarket. Training, certification of inputs and products, quality and traceability, investments in infrastructure, systematization of copyrights on processes, protection of traditional knowledge, appellation of origins and emerging industrial clusters: many ideas and recommendations are already on the table after the first exchanges What’s the authentic African fashion look? In recent times, African fashion has rocked the world causing a great interest…
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INSPIRING LIFE LESSONS FROM A REAL LIFE HERO: CHADWICK BOSEMAN
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”……… Christopher Reeve Facing a personal challenge or fighting a silent battle is not alien to anyone. Don’t we all have them? Sometimes, life gives you ice cream and sometimes, it’s lemons, and before you say “Oh no! Not the lemons”. Remember that too much ice cream is as bad as too much lemons. Okay, okay, enough about lemons and ice cream. Let’s replace that with what we actually experience as humans. Happiness, love, satisfaction, health, sickness, sadness, dissatisfaction, bankruptcy, pressure, and many more life experiences that are sometimes in our favor,…
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MY BODY, MY RULES , MY CHOICE
In Sierra Leone, the country with the world’s worst maternal mortality, abortion is illegal in nearly all circumstances and unsafe abortion is estimated to account for 10% of maternal deaths. Last year, our President declared a war on rape. I wonder how many girls my age know that rape is a crime. Do I report Timothy to the Police? Won’t that land him into more trouble? Mama had always asked me to stay clear of visiting boys alone; technically then I am also at fault. What was I thinking? Strangely, I don’t feel terribly bad. He was quite convincing and very gentle with me. Maybe I should just lay this matter…
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FORUM LAUNCH: A SAFE SPACE FOR ALL THINGS SEX AND CONTRACEPTION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Forum launch: A safe space for all things sex and contraception FindMyMethod.org, a contraception-awareness website, hopes to build a community where people can freely discuss sexual and reproductive health. With a vision to normalize discussions around sex and help women navigate and access contraception, FindMyMethod.org (FMM) – an informational website about safe sex – launched an online forum on its website. “The idea is to facilitate access to comprehensive information about sex, contraception and sexuality in a safe, reliable and prejudice-free space,” says Cecilia Gonzalez, FMM’s Program Manager. “The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed huge gaps that exist in contraceptive access and sexual health services in many countries,…
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THE PLEASURES IN FINDING MY METHOD
Cool, elegant and an aspiring young leader, no one would have thought that Adama knew nothing about contraceptives. She knew her boyfriend would leave if she didn’t make it all the way this time. How could she survive another broken heart, besides he was quite the hunk, what you would call a golden ticket? She had seen how college girls her age, had dropped out without access to fees after having babies. Then he called, her nipples hardened as the screensaver with his picture lit up! Heavy fore-play had given her a pre-taste of what the real thing could be like. In fact she was one person that was determined…
