Photo of Joyce Ababio

This is the seventh blog in my series, The Pulse of Africa talking with Global Africans working in Africa and across the Diaspora. It takes an inside view on Africa’s progress, issues on arts and culture, technology and opportunities in this decade. See the series here.

I began this blog on the day Ghanaian president John Atta Mills died. I was shocked by his sudden passing but concerned for the future of the country until I heard that the vice-president as taking over peacefully. Ghana was in my spirit that day, so late night, I wrote the first few paragraphs of this blog and sent off a series of emails to Joyce Ababio, founder of the Vogue Style School of Fashion and Design.

I had heard about Vogue Style from my South African friend, Nii Botchway, who was in Accra two summers ago and got into an interesting bind. Even Africans have issues when there are in another African country. I received an email from my Chicago friend about him and reached out to introduce him to another Ghanaian I knew of – Joe Osae-Addo, an architect who another friend calls “the Mayor of Accra”. Joe is indeed that. He immediately stepped in, talked with Nii and promptly introduced him to Joyce Ababio who got him working to develop her Graphic Design program. Ironically, it was why Nii was in Accra in the first place (he was there for another school) after leaving his life in South Africa. This connecting and reaching out is the Global African way.This is the Africa I know, we collaborate and work together.

See the complete blog at Huffington Post Black Voices: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/atim-oton/ghana-fashion-school_b_1700583.html