A MAG is a Modern African Girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things which may interest a MAG.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Doré Fasolati, this week's subjects: The joy of wearing made in Ghana, The Fall Fashion Shows, Is Op Arts coming back?, Mouth Hygiene, Free menstruation pads.

The joy of wearing made in Ghana As we are still promoting Ghana month, the wear Ghana organization has a couple of events to promote our national heritage. Here are some of the events that took place over the week…. The independence 1957 – buffet experience organized by Griddle Kitchen featured a majority of our local dishes such as Ampesi and Palava sauce, Banku with Okra or Pepper sauce, etc. There was the Jesu Segun collaboration with 1957 KOD sip and shop, where one could experiment sipping champagne while selecting from their range of products and clothing. Vlisco, Woodin, GTP, and others organized fashion shows to exhibit creative designs to the public. The monthly 1st Saturday market held at Ghana Parks and Gardens also has quite a number of vendors showcasing their wide range of products such as clothing, accessories, art caving, food, drinks, and unique artifacts. I found a two-piece set of tie and dye kimono and it’s palazzo pants by Honourable Couture and I am awe as I strunt in them.

The Fall Fashion Shows are in full swing. So far I have seen little of real interest, with New York and London the emphasis seems to be on naked and nipples.

It looks like we have reached a generalized vacuum of new ideas. The Oscars also had little to show for it, I think I only saw one dress which raised my eyebrows. And more fashion houses are teaming up with artists, to decorate their shops or to incorporate their paintings or designs into their own creations. I feel there is a general malaise in the fashion world, profits, and shareholder's values have taken over from originality. So I repeat my earlier one, patronize the local designers and get value for money and real originality.

Is Op Art coming back? It used to be popular in the '60s, so don’t be surprised if after 60 years it comes back, though in a different form. Originally it used to be black and white, for some reason, it was then not really used with colours. But now I see the colours coming in. And unbalanced dresses, one side longer than the other, and things like that. So maybe after all something is coming up.

Mouth Hygiene. Reasons to keep your mouth clean are many. White teeth, less teeth decay, and a fresh smell. Add to this that decaying teeth influence your health, and it seems that the chemicals created by decaying teeth can do more damage than simply breaking down your teeth. It can lead to infections that can spread to the other parts of the body, it can increase your risk of heart disease and it can weaken your immune system. Wowowo. So keep them clean. But be careful now, the more that toothpaste is foaming and smells nice, the more chemicals are in it, and not all of them are good for you. Also, by cleaning your teeth with chemicals you kill off any useful protective bacteria, so maybe take it easy on the amount of toothpaste you use, just remove the food leftovers and a bit of massaging of the gums should do. If often you then start bleeding that typically is a lack of Vitamin C, oranges and other fruits have plenty of that. Recently titanium dioxide, a white maker, was banned from foodstuffs in most of the developed world, and the discussion is still going on whether it should be banned from toothpaste as well. And from pharmaceuticals and from cosmetics. Before toothpaste was introduced people used a Chewing stick. to remove food leftovers, and often old people still had most of their teeth. Modern is not always better.

Free menstruation pads. Last week I mentioned that one of our governments at one time tried to distribute free menstruation pads to school-going girls to reduce class absenteeism. In our man-managed society, this was used by the opposition for all sorts of childish nonsense comments. NGOs have since taken over but are not able to cover the entire country. But this is not a Ghana problem only. In France government proposes to refund pads through their social security system. The reason is not so much girls missing classes, but the poorer part of the population not being able to pay for pads. But, they are only providing reusable pads. Apart from self-made cotton with some cotton wool, manufactured reusable pads are hardly available in Ghana. Their advantages are multiple. Less waste production, cheaper in the long run, and fewer chemicals that could be dangerous for you. Look it up on one of the search engines, and maybe start your own cottage industry.

Lydia...

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