Have you heard of the term ‘Lookism’?.

If not, I must confess that it’s a new ‘-ism’ to me, too. It’s also been described as ‘the beauty penalty’ and refers to discrimination based on physical attraction.

Lately, I’ve been writing a lot about the importance of diversity in the publishing industry. It’s a subject that matters deeply to me because of my own journey from avid reader to aspiring writer to published author.

But it’s becoming ever clearer to me that being a ‘superwoman’ isn’t actually a badge of honour. Much as we – and women in particular fall prey to this – start to believe the myth that we can have and do it all at the same time, the badge should probably read something quite different. Because the reality is that too many of us are doing far too much, and it’s not healthy.

For the uninitiated, this was a day literally spent under my duvet i.e. doing nothing. (Well, I binge watched a series on Netflix I’ve been trying to finish for weeks so maybe it wasn’t entirely nothing.) The reason I share this is because instead of relishing my day off, I’ve spent today in an agony of guilt, beating myself up for what most people do on a regular basis.

March is the month for women. During this month, we celebrate International Women’s Day and – in the UK at least – Mother’s Day. Why we dedicate only one day to the overworked and underpaid half of the global population and offer a further measly day a year to recognise those who give birth to everyone on the planet are questions for another day.Today, I want to pay tribute to the power of ‘sistahood’ – the inspiring, uplifting, and invaluable love and support that women offer to each other.

I’m claiming editorial privilege to use this month’s column to pay tribute to my late father, HE Judge Thomas Aboagye Mensah, who was laid to rest earlier this year. I do this not only because he was my adored father, but because the rationale behind ReConnect Africa has always been to showcase and celebrate the best of Africa and Africans - and this illustrious son of Ghana was indeed one of her best.

When you look back at your career and life choices, have they led you to where you want to be today? If not, what are you doing to give yourself the chance to live your best life?

If you live in the UK or follow social media, it would have been hard to miss the reverberations following the recent tour of three Caribbean nations by representatives of the British Royal Family. The ensuing conversations about the legacy of slavery and colonialism have, among others, raised questions about the evolving relationships between Britain and the Commonwealth and how these subjects are taught and understood in British schools today.

The death of a good friend has had me pondering about the meaning of life and the arbitrariness with which it is given to us and taken away.

If someone can be here one minute, full of life, energy, wit, and anecdotes, as my friend was, and then gone the next – what’s the point of it all? What does it all mean and what does it all serve?

Happy New Year!

As you look back on those things you left undone in 2022, are you ready to write yet another list of New Year’s resolutions? Have you lined up all the goals and promises that you’re sure this time you will keep?

So, here we are. It’s January again.

Reality is rearing its ugly head after the endless weeks of festivities. But as you open your bleary eyes to 2018, instead of being allowed to wallow in your New year hangover, you are probably finding yourself bombarded by advice in countless articles on how to make this year (and you) the best ever! Swamping your inbox, these breathless blogs will demand that you think big, get fit, set ambitious goals and aim high, subtly inferring that you haven’t quite succeeded enough, that you haven’t quite built up your business well enough, that you’re not quite healthy enough and that you’re, well…not quite enough.

Due to the nature of my work, I spend a fair amount of time attending and speaking at conferences, summits and events related to Africa. As you can imagine, this means sitting through a lot of presentations – some better than others – packed with information, statistics and opinions; again, some better than others.