An Ode to Whitney Houston.

By Mabi Azefor Fominyen

In the early days of my life as  a broadcaster, working at CRTV's Mount Cameroon FM (South-West Cameroon), I produced and presented some musical programmes in addition to everyday journalistic work.
Whitney Houston was one of my favourite artists. Her voice , the lyrics, the melody in fact everything that came from her repertoire was good stuff for radio. In addition to that women her kind were rare at the time.  She rose to fame quite young , her music cut across the world and touched on everyday reality. Name it: love,  deceit, heartbreaks...

Then came her tumultuous years, when she experienced a bad marriage, drug problems and related issues but her music remained great!

Whitney began drifting away from the spotlight. I longed to watch her on stage again. I was wishing I could hear her tell her fans what she was up to.

Finally there was this exclusive on the Oprah Winfrey Show (click and watch part 2).

 I was so happy to see Whitney on TV again. I listened to her talk about her life's journey and the many challenges she had been through. Far from judging her actions and choices, I could only wish her the best.

Whitney had promised she would be there for her daughter all the way, like her mother had been for her, especially through her most difficult moments.

Too sad she had to die at a tender age of 48.

Whitney, your story, your voice and music will forever resonate in our ears and our hearts even as you go to the world beyond. Adieu Whitney! We will always love you too!

Fifty-Fifty Profiles West African Female Activists

Hello and welcome to Fifty-Fifty; a gender magazine produced and broadcast on West Africa Democracy Radio (WADR) in Dakar. In edition 16 we profile some female activists in West Africa. Please scroll down the drop-list and click on edition 16 to listen to the programme.

Newslink 2012-02-09 First Edition

Happy New Year

Mabi Azefor Fominyen

The year is ebbing out. It's the time when we take stock. Has 2011 been productive? Did we reach the professional targets we set at the start of the year? Are we as healthy as we would have wanted? Have we started the family as we planned? Have we made enough money? Did we lose money instead? Did you lose your job as the world economic situation became more challenging?

Each of us has had their particular experience of the year that's sailing away. Regardless of how bright, dark, good or bad it was, we need to move on to the new horizon, called 2012, that awaits us.

I can only hope that it is a successful year for all of us. Accept best wishes for the year to come from me and my family (See our smiling faces at Christmas below)! Happy New Year!

Dakar- It's Getting Cooler !

Mabi Azefor Fominyen

A few weeks ago in Dakar it seemed like one was baking in the heat! Stepping out of the house was a real pain but there wasn't much one could do about the weather.

Sometimes I felt like going to the beach to enjoy a bit of fresh air. Crazy though , but I actually felt like moving houses to live closer to the beach. Then I figured out the hassle that often comes with moving houses- for sure I wasn't ready to face that as well.

At other times, choosing what to put on was a real problem. This was true for my entire household. Funny! But I watched my kids turn almost every single item that come in handy into a "fanning object". Name it, a book, a cd,a paper , etc.

Now the weather is changing. The heat is fast giving way to a relatively cooler and fresher weather! It feels better! I Pray it last longer this time around!

The weather pattern changes ever so often that one never knows what to expect. My daughter tells her cousins all the time that in" Senegal we sometimes experience four different seasons in one day! Extreme heat and sunshine, windy /dusty sometimes light showers/cold and before you know it you are back to extreme heat".

Waoh!

Waoh! Oprah is back on TV (OWN) with a new show called Oprah's Lifeclass beginning today (October 10, 2011).

If you are an Oprah fan like myself, you may like to follow this message about her new show.
(click on the above link)

Worth Sharing!

I just stumbled on this piece by Iyanla Vanzant and felt it would be nice to have it on my blog and why not share with you as well!

GIVE THANKS
We have so much in life to be thankful for. We walk, talk, see, hear, think and breathe -- usually without effort. Why do we spend so much time dwelling on what we can't do, don't have and what is going wrong? We can instantly recall the negative experiences, people and circumstances without recognizing we have the ability to walk away, get away or make a change. Perhaps we have too many options from which to choose. Or it could be we simply like to complain. Maybe if we spent just a little time saying "thank you" for what we do have, we won't have so much time to dwell on what we lack. Gratitude, praise and thanksgiving activate the divine laws of abundance. When the universe can see we are conscious of and grateful for what we have, it is activated to shower us with more. Even when it seems that the well is drying up, we can affirm, "I can hardly wait to see the good that will come out of this."
My cup runneth over always.

From Acts of Faith
by Iyanla Vanzant