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Proverb: Dubena ankum εkuro a, εbere ani. Translation: I f the tree bark does not heal a sore, it removes the scab. Usage: Everything has some use, even if it does not live up to expectations. No. 4316 in Bu me Bε by Peggy Appiah et al.

Mazaan River  I have been absent from the blogging scene for some days now; though, I do check my twitter accounts once in a while. I am still at Kwamebikrom but have been moving around a lot. I have visited three border towns: Oseikojokrom, Pillar 34 and Ahimakrom. Oseikojokrom is the largest of the border towns, though not as active as Elubo, another of the border towns in the Western Region. We walked across the customs checkpoint. We got as far as Mazaan River. And that's about 100m away from the checkpoint. The major mode of transporting people across the border is the motorbike. And they can speed! Our visit occurred a day after a heavy rainstorm and so we saw collapsed school buildings and uprooted trees. We walked deep into the unofficial routes to Cote d'Ivoire. We also met several of them. There was a guy who was riding his motorbike across the border several times. He carried no passenger for all the four times I saw him move in and out. I discussed it with my col...

Proverb: Adufupεde nti na aboa kuntanu annya nim. Translation: It's because of greed that the hyena did not achieve respect. Usage: Greedy people are never respected. No. 2106 in Bu me Bε by Peggy Appiah et al.

After winning the award for Africa Region , Aminatta Forna , author of The Memory of Love , was voted as the overall winner yesterday at a ceremony organised for the winners, in Sydney. Best Book Winner: The Memory of Love  by Aminatta Forna (Sierra Leone). According to the judges: T h e Memory of Love for its risk taking, elegance and breadth. A poignant story about friendship, betrayal, obsession and second chances – the novel is an immensely powerful portrayal of human resilience. The judges concluded that The Memory of Love delicately delves into the courageous lives of those haunted by the indelible effects of Sierra Leone’s past and yet amid that loss gives us a sense of hope and optimism for their future. Forna has produced a bold, deeply moving and accomplished novel which confirms her place among the most talented writers in literature today. About Aminatta Forna:   Aminatta Forna was born in Glasgow, Scotland and raised in Sierra Leone, West Africa. Her first book, ...

Proverb: Wohunu ananse a, ku no, anyε saa a, ɔbεdane ɔkyεmfo a bεka wo Translation: When you see a spider, kill it; if not it will change into a bird-spider and bite you. Usage: The bird-spider has a poisonous bite. A warning in a situation when one is suspected of being an enemy but has not yet shown oneself up. Don't deal with those you don't trust. No. 2817 in Bu me Bε by Peggy Appiah et al.

Bicycle Transport Motorbike transport Today I bring you a day's life of an inhabitant of Kwamebikrom, a community in the Bia District - 6 km from Essam/Debiso (the district capital) - of the Western Region. Transportation: The usual transport system between Kwamebikrom, where I am staying and Essam - where we go to eat - is taxi (though I went with a pick-up truck). However, most of the inhabitants have motorbikes and bicycles. These two are the most common form of transportation within the community and between towns. Phone-Charging Shop The road leading to the community from Essam is mostly made of laterite. It's fun to drive on with all the 'grrr' sound created when the truck's tires pass on the gravels. Small Scale Enterprise: There are innovative ways inhabitants of this community are employing to generate income. Electrical power went off on Thursday morning and after running-out my laptop's battery I went in search of a place to charge my ba...

I know this has been long in coming... The shortlist for the 2011 Caine Prize for African Writing was been announced on Monday 9 May. The Caine Prize, widely known as the ‘African Booker’ and regarded as Africa’s leading literary award, is now in its twelfth year. The chair of judges, the award-winning Libyan novelist Hisham Matar, said  choosing a shortlist out of nearly 130 entries was not an easy task – one made more difficult and yet more enjoyable by the varied tastes of the judges – but we have arrived at a list of five stories that excel in quality and ambition. Together they represent a portrait of today’s African short story: its wit and intelligence, its concerns and preoccupations.  Selected from 126 entries from 17 African countries, the shortlist is once again a reflection of the Caine  Prize’s pan-African reach.  The winner of the £10,000 prize is to be announced at a celebratory dinner at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, on M...