Gratitude often wears the halo of positivity and healing, but beneath its gleaming surface lies a complex truth: gratitude can sometimes mask pain rather than heal it. The prevalent advice to “just be grateful” can inadvertently silence our valid struggles, as if expressing pain or striving for more were somehow ungrateful. When gratitude morphs into phrases like: “At least you have a job.” “Others have it worse.” “Be thankful he stayed.” Then it ceases to be a source of comfort and instead becomes a form of emotional gaslighting: minimizing real suffering and invalidating personal experiences. This kind of toxic gratitude traps people in a prison of silence, blocking pathways to…

There is a moment in everyone’s life when time stands still. When Niema DiGrazia first learned the Food Network was scouting her for Beat Bobby Flay, her world stopped and spiralled into joyful scenes. She was in an airport, scrolling through her phone, convinced at first the email had to be a scam. When the production team called … “Have you heard of Beat Bobby Flay?” they asked. She put them on hold, spun around, danced! Her spirit, irrepressible, alive with possibility. We have followed Chef Neima  for years and couldn’t help but curate and showcase this experience. From Freetown to Shreveport: The Birth of a Cultural Bridge Niema’s journey…

In an inspiring meet and greet organized by Africell Sierra Leone. We had the honour of being among a select group to meet Pelumi Nubi, the remarkable Nigerian woman who drove from London to Lagos. Her sensational journey left us all motivated, sharing invaluable lessons on resilience, resourcefulness, and self-discovery. We couldn’t help but curate some of the golden nuggets and 5 major life lessons from this thought leader, adventurer and brilliant creative. 1.Embracing YourselfPelumi’s story began with an interesting childhood (relocating from Lagos to London) where she faced bullying due to her appearance. Seeking solace, she retreated to the library, where she discovered a love for reading. Books, she…

In a world often dominated by power dynamics and elitist structures, Mariama Wurie emerges as a beacon of authenticity, pluralism and people-power— challenging norms of fear and silence,in her debut independent short film series, Slow Mornings.   A promising learning experience designer and thought leader, Mariama’s work is deeply rooted in her commitment to questioning harmful social norms, and dreaming up collective solutions for transformative change— for the arts, for gender justice, for education justice and overall economic development. Mariama has already served her country’s education sector as a specialist at the World Bank, where she led research and development for gender-responsive and inclusive education programming, and EdTech innovation. She’s…

“Grief is a cruel kind of education. You learn how ungentle mourning can be, how full of anger. You learn how glib condolences can feel. You learn how much grief is about language, the failure of language and the grasping for language” ― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Notes on Grief We often fail to realize how frequently we are interconnected with, affected by, and influenced by grief until it strikes suddenly, much like a bolt of lightning! When grief unexpectedly descends upon us, the world continues with its usual course, and those who find themselves grieving – be it the loss of a cherished experience, a loved one, or a dear pet who…

The cotton tree is truly reflective of our strife We were supposed to care for her as a dear wife Devil-may-care, the lantern parades lighten her up at night We all said we loved her, oh we lied Happy-go-lucky, we pierced her heart with a knife. ♥♥♥ Unreliable protection we offered, we let her leaves dry Skrik, our forefathers will cringe and cry For the bats and vultures that soar high Stayed loyal to her as we watched her legacy die Nature did the honors and ended her misery, sigh!                                        …