I had the pleasure of catching up my dear friend Francis Y. Brown . Francis is an elite creative director and animator based in Ghana. He is the founder of AnimaxFYB Studio and the and Festival Director of Africa Animation Festival (AAF). 

His successes includes Mmofra, an Amazon Prime featured animation and educational programme that provides content for children and adults. 

His most notable Awards includes: 
Ghana Movie Awards: Best Animation 2018 
Ghana UK Based Achievement (GUBA) Awards: Animator of the Year 2017
Africa International  Film Festival (AFRIFF): Best Animation 2016

Find out more about Francis:
website: https://www.animaxfybstudios.com/about  and https://africaanimationfestival.com/
Twitter and Instagram: AnimaxFYB and Africaanimationfest

Subscribe to OhemaaTalks Podcast to be one of the first to listen to new contents. Follow me social media Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @OhemaaTalks.

Stay safe.

Continuing the conversation with Kwame Obeng on preserving cultrual heritage. 

Kwame is performing artist and a young researcher whose research area intersect between cultural and development anthropology. He holds an MA in Cultural Heritage Studies(Hungary)  and a BFA in Dance Studies(Ghana). He has spent his academic and professional life interrogating strategies for promoting intangible cultural heritage in local communities of Ghana and Europe. Kwame has worked with local museums and communities  to document and promote intangible cultural forms such as festive arts, dances, and rituals. He’s currently an Eramsus+ scholar researching dance as a heritage practice.

At a young age Elaine immigrated from Ghana to the United States. She immediately fell in love with the country as she experienced the beautiful scenery, observed the diverse people, and admired the numerous opportunities. Her family had a great start to life in the U.S. when they were blessed with subsidized housing in what was considered a “good” school district.
 
After receiving a college degree in political science and economics, Elaine went on to marry her best friend, Keenan Nietmann. They started a family soon after and relocated from Maryland to Georgia in her last year of law school in 2011. Elaine settled in Georgia as a wife, mother, and lawyer, and when her second born son was diagnosed with autism, she witnessed firsthand the shortcomings of the healthcare system and special education federal programs in addressing his needs. To make matters worse, the private sector referrals were often expensive, contained long waiting lists, and had short day schedules that were not conducive to the schedules of most full or part-time working parents.

Elaine's experience with advocating for her son with special needs, while working as a public defender, guardian ad litem, and family law attorney in GA's Congressional District 4; motivated her to run for the U.S. Congress in Georgia’s 4th Congressional District in June, 2020. 

Elaine credits her Christian faith to her ability to handle and successfully balance the duties of her law practice and family of six while still advocating for her son’s special needs. Living by the words of her parents, Elaine believes that the goal of hard work will never be lost when you give it everything you’ve got!

You can follow her on:
Instagram https://instagram.com/elaine4education?igshid=164cmddyenm25

Facebook https://m.facebook.com/attorneynietmann/

I was joined by the lovely Vanetta Morrison, an ACC (Association of Christian Counsellors) accredited counsellor, with over 2 years experience, specialising in Integrative counselling.

She has worked with diverse clients, focusing on mild to moderate anxiety and depression, abuse, trauma, relational conflict, low self esteem and grief & loss.

Vanetta is also a life & career coach, leveraging 12+ years of leadership, management and  psychology experience and facilitating significant individual and organisational successes; both in the Higher Education and charity sector. 

Founder and Director of 'The Blueprint Way' - her own coaching and counselling agency, Vanetta has made it her mission to help millennial women of colour develop and maintain emotional wealth, so they can sustainably live the life they love.

Don’t forget to visit ‘The Blueprint Way’ (https://blueprintway.com/ ) to download a free e-copy of the F.R.A.U.D Framework. It’s available for a limited time. 

Please checkout and support Vanetta’s personal projects:

The Antiracism Book Club: available on Spotify and  anchor.fm/theantiracismbookclub 

That Morrison Life YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcMI0MVq-K2TW5jX6iwFHYg 

As promised, you can find out more information on imposter syndrome on:

• https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-019-05364-1.
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886918302435.
• https://www.paulineroseclance.com/pdf/ip_high_achieving_women.pdf.
• https://journal.chestnet.org/article/S0012-3692(19)30607-5/fulltext 

Adeyemi (Yemi) Johnson – LL. B, MA, Chartered Fellow of the UK Chartered Institute for Investment and Securities (CISI)

Yemi has over 25 years of financial services regulation and compliance experience, including 3 years as the Head of Compliance, MLRO and Company Secretary of GTBank (UK) Ltd, the UK subsidiary of GTBank Nigeria Plc.  He has also held senior compliance and MLRO roles at Bank of Ireland Asset Management, Investec Asset Management, AXA Investment Managers, Law Debenture Investment Management and gained valuable consulting experience from KPMG UK Ltd.  

In 2010, Yemi established OpenSpaces Compliance Consultants Ltd (OpenSpaces) an independent global financial services regulation and compliance consulting firm. Since inception, OpenSpaces, has assisted several financial services companies in the UK, Nigeria and South Africa in strengthening the effectiveness of their compliance and anti-money laundering function and provided strategic advice on integrating compliance into their business as usual processes and the development and enhancement of their compliance culture.   

Yemi is also a regular speaker at compliance conferences, workshops and seminar in Nigeria and was a facilitator at the 2018 Annual Retreat of the Association of Chief Compliance Officers of Banks in Nigeria (ACCOBIN).

OpenSpaces clientele include the following companies:

 UK                                                                         

 | §  FirstRand Bank §  Ashburton Investment Management §  Silk Invest Ltd §  IIFL Wealth (UK) Ltd §  Manulife Asset Management (Europe) §  Ltd §  London Clearing House §   Gulf International Bank Ltd §  Tranzfar Ltd § Euro CCP

 Nigeria
| §  CSL Stockbrokers Ltd §  The Nigerian Stock Exchange §  FBN Merchant Bank (Formerly FBN Capital) §  Capital Bancorp Plc §  Veritas Glanvile Asset Pensions Ltd (Pension Fund Administrator) §  Association of Chief Compliance Officers of Banks in Nigeria (ACCOBIN) §  GTBank Plc  

I’m joined by Nii Kotei Nikoi, a photographer, graphic designer, teacher and a media enthusiast to discuss the power of global media. He is broadly interested in popular culture, its power to shape how we see the world and to cause social change. 

He’s also a podcaster, you can listen to his show Our Culture on Soundcloud and Apple Podcast. https://soundcloud.com/user-17380883 

He has two academic articles out:

• Reflections of an international graduate student in a North American Communication Department https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0163443719831183 
• Hiplife Music in Ghana: Postcolonial Performances of the Good Life https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/10392 

Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by @kevinbmore. Kevin is a graphic artist with over 10 years’ industry experience  across all design disciplines. He offers brand, digital and print design services using tools such as Adobe CS, Indesign, Photoshop, Audition and Illustrator. He is also the creator of the graphics for Ohemaa Talks. You can contact him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram under @kevinbmore. 

Follow me on Twitter: @Ohemaa_Talks and Instagram: @ohemaatalks.

Stay healthy

Akwaaba/ Welcome to OhemaaTalks!

I am often asked how I have managed to maintain my female relationships. This question stems from a misconception of female relationships which are not immune to the challenges experienced in other forms of relationships. I am joined by three of my closest girl friends to discuss some of the challenges we’ve had and the strength that comes from having girlfriends. 

Background of the guests:

Jolene Adogoba is a Relationship Officer at the Agriculture Development Bank Ghana. She’s also an entrepreneur and CEO of Tima Africa; a crafts company that specialises in woven baskets from Bolgatanga in Northern Ghana.

Shaneke Ellis is a Business Consultant with over 10 years’ experience advising clients in a number of areas including business development, marketing, financial planning and risk management. She has extensive experience in law, housing and international affairs and is currently an Insurance Specialist at Eunisure and a Business Development and Operations Manager for Supportive Link and Link Estates.

Josephine Nzuruba is a trained lawyer with experience in the legal and financial sector. She is currently the Head of Policy Compliance at the London Stock Exchange Group and remains active in the legal sector through her dedication to pro bono work.  

Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by @kevinbmore. Kevin is a graphic artist with over 10 years’ industry experience  across all design disciplines. He offers brand, digital and print design services using tools such as Adobe CS, Indesign, Photoshop, Audition and Illustrator. He is also the creator of the graphics for Ohemaa Talks. You can contact him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram under @kevinbmore. 

Follow me on Twitter: @Ohemaa_Talks and Instagram: @ohemaatalks.

Stay healthy

Join me as I discuss the socioeconomic impact on legalising cannabis with Dr Stephen Wemakor is a psychiatrist working at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, the 2nd largest referral centre in Ghana.

He is a Member of the Ghana College of Physicians & Surgeons, Psychiatry Faculty and has interests in mental health promotion and research.

You can reach him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-wemakor-0a092a142/

For listeners in Ghana looking for more information on Mental Health can contact the Mental Health Society of Ghana (MEHSOG), a NGO situated in Accra. 

Contact details
Phone: +233 302 781712
Mobile:+233 24 4314241
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @mehsog

Rehab facilities finder in Ghana and other parts of Africa can be found on Rehab Path: https://rehabs.africa/location/ghana/

More information on alcohol or drug addiction, recovery or treatment is available on the Alcoholics Anonymous website.
https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/members/fellowship-magazines

I look forward to hearing from you on Facebook+Instagram: @ohemaatalks. Twitter @ohemaa_talks.

*Apologies for the static audio on this episode, we had some connectivity issues during the recording but hope you can still enjoy the episode.

Stay healthy.

Akwaaba/ Welcome to OhemaaTalks!

I am joined by Ewan Corlett, a qualified MBACP Registered Person Centred Counsellor. He is an experienced practitioner with a broad client base of varied ages and presentations, such as complex trauma, addiction, and specifically male emotional repression and shame. Ewan continues to evolve and steers his practice in line with where he feels he can be of most service. It is for this reason that he is broadening his practice to coach young men in groups. 

Ewan is available via the following mediums: 

Website -  www.counsellingwithewan.com

Emails

- Counselling email: [email protected]

- Young men evolution coach email: [email protected]

Instagram - @Ewan Corlett 

For anyone who is affected by of the stories shared and has questions or wants support of alcohol or drug addiction, recovery or treatment, please visit the website for Alcoholics Anonymous

https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/members/fellowship-magazines

I would love to hear from you on Facebook+Instagram: @ohemaatalks. Twitter @ohemaa_talks.

Stay healthy.