this was a good week
Here's what made this week lovely:
• Fresh grocery-store daisies. There was no way I could pass them up.
• While I got a lot done this week, I didn't get nearly as much accomplished as I was hoping to. That said, given how many of the great thinkers of history spent their time, I'm not going to feel too badly.
• Besides, I made a list of productive ways to procrastinate. So, you know, there's that.
• Well. It appears that I have to add Seoul, South Korea to my travel wishlist. Because a coffeehouse shaped like a giant Rolleiflex camera? Yes, please.
• These photographs, shot in Weeping Mary, Texas, are just gorgeous. (Also, as an aside, I just love Texas site names and the stories behind them, man. The name Weeping Mary reminds me of another personal favourite, Woman Hollering Creek.)
• My friend Alice authored this short story, which has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. I could not be more proud of her (and it's a great read).
• Marcus and I often dream of what our imaginary vacation home would look like. For the record, it would look something like this.
• Speaking of Marcus, he took it upon himself to educate me on the proper way for a woman to behave. If I wasn't laughing so hard, he might have walked away with a limp.
• And finally, some fun news from my friends over at The ONE Campaign: this week, ONE launched one of Africa's biggest music collaborations ever, Cocoa na Chocolate ("Cocoa is Chocolate") in support of their do Agric, It Pays campaign. The campaign is intended to push African leaders to make more and better investments in agriculture, including keeping their promises under the Maputo Declaration; in addition, the message of the song is intended to change the way young people perceive pursuing a career in agriculture, positioning it as a way to make a living that offers real economic opportunity.
To that end, nineteen of the biggest musical stars from the continent of Africa* got together to record this song - the track features 11 different languages including Swahili, Pidgin, Shona and Xhosa, and each artist wrote his/her own verse. The lyrics express the importance of agriculture for Africa’s future and in the fight against extreme poverty. When I was in Washington DC back in February, I got to hear a sneak preview of the song -- it's wildly infectious, and sounds shockingly like the soca music I grew up with in Trinidad. (When I first heard it, I may or may not have started dancing in the audience. Ahem.) So today, as the song of the day, I share the official music video with you: but be prepared, the likelihood that you'll be able to remain sitting still in your seat is very, very slim.
Simply click here or on the image below to enjoy:
And on that incredibly joyful note, friends, have a great weekend!
* If you want to learn more about the awesome artists who contributed to the Cocoa na Chocolate, they are: A.Y. (Tanzania), Buffalo Souljah (Zimbabwe), Dama Do Bling (Mozambique), D'Banj (Nigeria), Diamond (Tanzania), Dontom (Nigeria), Fally Ipupa (Democratic Republic of Congo), Femi Kuti (Nigeria), Judith Sephuma (South Africa), Juliani (Kenya), Kunle Ayo (Nigeria), Vusi Nova (South Africa), Liz Ogumbo (Kenya), Nancy G (Swaziland), Omawumi (Nigeria), Rachid Taha (Algeria), Tiken Jah Fakole (Cote d'Ivoire), Victoria Kimani (Kenya) and Wax Dey (Camaroon).