NEW YEARS! NEW GOALS! SAME HOPES!

Happy New Year to All of You!

So it’s that time of the year when the future seems bright, in some cases orange, resolutions are fast flowing and anything and everything seems possible as we revel in our new hopes and dreams for the future. Similarly for CREATIV the possibilities seem endless and even with our new goal and aspirations, our hope for a CREATIV Africa still remains the same.

It was two years ago that our CREATIV movement began brewing and two years on we are stronger and clearer about our vision than ever before. Creatively Re-Energising Africa Through Intuitive Ventures. At first glance this title seemed a convoluted mouthful but staying true to our name CREATIV is not just a mouthful it is creative and meaningful all at once. We are here to be a driving force that moves and shakes Africa using all aspects of the arts as well as other creative outlets as a means to helping our home grown charitable organisations whilst also promoting a positive and progressive Africa.

In a year that promises to be exciting, CREATIV promises to be formidable, pushing ourselves harder towards our goal to ensure an Africa that continues to bring something new always, an Africa that sets trends and pushes boundaries.It is important to remember that CREATIV is about us helping ourselves, it is about Africans helping Africa to empower itself through creative means and remembering that Africa has a voice, which chooses to believe that its tomorrow is better than today because we will dedicate ourselves to ensuring so by doing whatever we can do to help.

This year will see us begin to reign in our CREATIV Nigeria project, whilst trails of our exciting new project CREATIV Ghana begin to trickle from out, providing opportunities to explore new creative means to support our chosen charities as well as a brand new cultural explosion. It is a year that we hope culminates in a solid establishment of our organisational credibility and development. This year we promise to push ourselves tirelessly, to ensure that we are one step closer to our dream, to our hope, to our CREATIV Africa!

Lift Off....!

Finally, after months of preparation, the London launch of 'small chops' is ready to lift off!

On Saturday 12th June, in the basement of Antony's Restaurant (54 Porchester Street, a stone's throw from Royal Oask tube station), C.R.E.A.T.I.V. will be hosting an event to raise awareness of who we are and what we do as well as funds for Child Lifeline (http://childlifeline.org/)

So bring an open mind, and an open wallet!!

See you there.

K.O.

WASN'T BORN TO BLOG!

Can I just say I sooo wasn’t born to blog – I mean I must be the only writer I know who doesn’t actually like to write! Kai! Ok a little dramatic but world worst blogger is my name and after months and months of being told by my fellow member – BLOG Femi! BLOG! BLOOOGGG!!! I’m finally blogging. Soooo the next question is what to blog about – hmmmm . . . .

The inconsistency of man

So a few months ago I was crying about Haiti feeling this need to do something, this need to show that I care, this need to primarily make myself feel better about a situation I had absolutely no control over. Months have passed I go around live my life and Haiti almost seems like a thing of the past. Don’t misunderstand me I wanted to help Haiti but in the end how does one reconstruct a nation unless you decide to become part of it and since I wasn’t making the decision to leave all I knew to go over to Haiti (although I did consider it) and actually do something then what difference did I really want to make. It’s weird because one day I couldn’t sleep thinking about the devastation and the next week I was sleeping like a baby disillusioned that somehow I was doing all that I could and that others were helping and that had to be enough. *sigh*

I find this to be the odd thing about human behaviour and situations such as this. Once we hear about the plight of others we sympathise, at times empathise and then we sleep easy and forget! Why you may ask? Because emotionally we feel we have given enough. I don’t know if that makes us fickle or just me fickle- but I do believe to a great extent what you do, where you stand and what you chose to stand for defines you. Like they say it is not what you say you will do that matters - it is what you actually do- and hey I guess if you do nothing you don’t feel like you have much to do and that’s cool. Me on the other hand I have lots to do so I’m out – Like I said in the beginning “THE WORLDS WORST BLOGGER”

Taste of Africa : Pepper Soup

This weeks dish is taken from Nigeria and it is a popular dish eaten widely in Nigeria.

be Ata (Nigerian Pepper Soup) is a traditional Nigerian recipe

for a classic local version of the hot chilli based stew made with tomatoes, meat, chilli peppers, red palm oil

and onions.

The Soup is made entirely of meat broth. It is commonly made with goat meat but in modern times, people have been known to make pepper soup with chicken or fish. Turkey has also been seen once or twice in some African pots.


Ben JK Anim-Antwi

Taste of Africa: Rice Bread

This weeks african delicasie comes from the west african state of Liberia.

Liberian Rice Bread is a traditional Liberian recipe for cake made with crean of rice cereal and flavoured with ginger and nutmeg.

Ingredients
50g rice semolina (Cream of Rice cereal)180g granulated sugar3 tbsp ground ginger1 tsp nutmeg1 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp salt240ml milk180ml vegetable oil
2 eggs1 tsp vanilla extract4 plantains, mashed (or 4 green bananas)

Looks delicious


Ben JK Anim-Antwi

Taste of Africa : Shito

Every week I will be turning into an african culinary expert !

Well not quite, but I will be showcasing the wonderful variety of foods and delicasies our vibrant continent has to offer.
First up is a popular delicasie from my country of Orgin, Ghana.

Shito or Shito din as its sometimes referred to is a spicy pepper sauce. Shito sauce consists primarily of fish oil and/or vegetable oil, ginger, dried fish and/or tomatoes, garlic and spices. The blend of spices and fish differs between different regions and villages.

Its a big hit in GH though not with me !

Untill Next time peeps

Ben JK Anim-Antwi

Stranded ! ( Volcanic Ash)

Volcanic Ash in the skies continues to disrupt Airline Flights around Europe.
Millions of air travellers are stranded as thousands of flights are being cancelled, airlines are losing some £130m ($200m) a day in an unprecedented shutdown of commercial air travel.

Creativ's very own Olamide Udo-Idoma has been affected by the chaos, as she is unable to return home to the UK due to flight cancellations and is currently stranded in NYC !. My thoughts and prayers go out to her at this traumatic time as she kills time by trawling for NYC's shopping malls and lounging in Central Park no doubt........


However good news as the signs are all the disruption chaos may be coming to an end as BBC news reports that Airspace in Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England is due to reopen on Tuesday after days of travel chaos caused by a volcanic ash cloud. air traffic control body, Nats, said from 0700 BST on Tuesday airspace south to a line between Teesside and Blackpool will reopen.

It added that mainland Scottish airports would be open.

Nats said restrictions to airspace above the rest of England and Wales could be lifted later on Tuesday.

In a statement, Nats added: "The volcanic eruption has reduced and the volcano is not currently emitting ash to altitudes that will affect the UK.

"Assuming there are no further significant ash emissions, we are now looking at a continuously improving situation.

"This is a dynamic and changing situation and is therefore difficult to forecast beyond 0700 local.

"However, the latest Met Office advice is that the contaminated area will continue to move south with the possibility that restrictions to airspace above England and Wales, including the London area, may be lifted later tomorrow."

That will be welcome news to all stranded holidaymakers.

Ben JK Anim-Antwi