This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pépinière, this week's subjects: Exquisite Elegance: Highlights from Paris Fashion Week 2024, Are men equal to women? No, they are not, That night he broke her beads, and Ecuyer, or the French restaurant

Exquisite Elegance: Highlights from Paris Fashion Week 2024 Welcome to the fashion extravaganza that took the City of Light by storm – Paris Fashion Week 2024! The runways were adorned with avant-garde designs, innovative creations, and a fusion of artistic brilliance that left the fashion world in awe. Let's delve into the captivating highlights of this spectacular event. Eclectic Ensembles: The designers embraced a harmonious blend of classic elegance and futuristic aesthetics, resulting in a diverse array of collections that redefine modern fashion. From structured silhouettes to flowing drapes, each ensemble narrated a unique story, celebrating individuality and creativity. Sustainable Style: With a growing emphasis on sustainability and eco-conscious fashion, Paris Fashion Week 2024 showcased a wave of designers focusing on ethical practices and environmentally friendly materials. Upcycled fabrics, organic textiles, and eco-friendly designs graced the runways, symbolizing a shift towards a greener fashion industry. Bold Colors and Prints: Vibrant hues and daring prints took center stage, infusing a sense of vitality and energy into the collections. From neon brights to bold geometric patterns, designers embraced the power of color to make a statement and uplift the spirits of fashion enthusiasts worldwide.

Are men equal to women? No they are not. Men are superior (though mostly the question is asked the other way around). Worldwide, and more so in Ghana, men are considered superior to women. In its simplest form men's pay is higher for the same job, and women are not supposed to hold certain jobs. I said worldwide, even in the US women still earn an average of 16 % less than men for the same job. But it is not only the pay, it is also opportunities. We are 2 way. On one side we've had female Speakers of Parliament and Chief Justices and heads of Electoral Commissions, and in the corporate private sector heads of big banks and factories. And our private sector is dominated by women entrepreneurs. But these businesses typically remain small, women businesses are 8% less likely than men to access business support services and finance to start a business. What is the problem? It is known that women are an important part of the development of a country, contribute seriously to the eradication of poverty, and stimulate the economy, what not, So why block us?

Our Affirmative Action Gender Equality Bill, which seeks to address some of these issues by promoting gender equality and addressing systemic discrimination against women, and ensuring equal opportunities in education, employment, and political representation has been, in various forms, in and out of parliament since about 2011. Our 1992 Constitution talks about discrimination, and already in 1986 Ghana ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and agreed, as a state party, to take all appropriate measures, including legislation and temporary special measures, to promote and achieve gender equality. In 1960 the Representation of the Peoples Act allowed 10 women unopposed to represent the administrative regions of the country in the National Assembly. The UN suggests at least 30% women’s representation in all decision-making positions. Ghana is listed among the overwhelming 82 percent of African countries found in the very high discrimination category with only 13.8% women’s representation at the national level and 7% at the local level, as against for example Senegal with 43% at the national level, despite Senegal being a mainly Muslim country, which typically is not known for women's rights. But we seem not in a hurry to get this act, which affects 50% of our population through parliament, we are rather concentrating on an LGBBQ Barbeque act which affects only about 1 % of the population.

“That night he broke her beads” was a sentence in one of the more juicy romans I read when I was still in Secondary, and it was loud and clear to me what happened that night, though at that time I did not quite understand how these things happened. Why do we wear beads? It is still common in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and East Africa, though the tradition is becoming less common. As I mentioned earlier, the “West” is struggling to create new fashion ideas and is now seriously looking to Africa, and copying with impunity. Or am I seeing shadows? These are going for around 25$.

Ecuyer, or the French restaurant (Ring Road, opposite Fire Service head Quarters, Osu, Accra) is serving a king-size grilled tilapia for a very reasonable price. And you can sit outside and watch the struggling traffic, and in the evening you see all the containers coming in from Tema, carried by trucks which hardly have the stamina left to pull anything, going to offload in the Central Accra warehouses. The heart of our import economy.

Lydia...

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