Lydia's Weekly Lifestyle blog is for today's African girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things which may interest today's African girl.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pepinière, this week's subjects: Unveiling the vibrant Ghanaian fashion trends, La Chaumière French Mediterranean Restaurant, James Barnor.

Unveiling the vibrant Ghanaian fashion trends… Ghanaian fashion is renowned for its vibrant colors, bold patterns, and rich cultural heritage. From traditional wear to contemporary designs, Ghanaian fashion trends have gained global recognition for their unique and captivating aesthetics. In this blog post, we will explore the exciting fashion trends that are currently dominating the Ghanaian fashion scene.

Kente Revival: Kente, a traditional Ghanaian fabric, has experienced a revival in recent years. This colorful and intricately woven cloth is now being incorporated into modern designs, making it a staple in both casual and formal wear. From Kente-inspired dresses and skirts to accessories like bags and shoes, this trend celebrates Ghana’s rich cultural heritage and adds a touch of elegance to any outfit. Ankara Prints: Ankara prints, also known as African wax prints, are a beloved fashion staple in Ghana. These vibrant and bold patterns are being embraced by fashion enthusiasts around the world. From dresses and jumpsuits to shirts and accessories, Ankara prints are versatile and add a vibrant pop of color to any wardrobe. Designers are also experimenting with mixing different Ankara prints to create unique and eye-catching ensembles. Adire Tie-Dye: Adire tie-dye is a traditional Ghanaian dyeing technique that involves creating intricate patterns on fabric using a resist-dyeing method. This trend has gained popularity in recent years, with designers incorporating Adire tie-dye fabrics into their collections. From flowing dresses to tailored shirts, Adire tie-dye adds a bohemian and artistic flair to any outfit.

La Chaumière French Mediterranean Restaurantat Airport Residential, Accra. The name starts with la, the female equivalent of le, so you already have some idea of the price, like le Tandem, le Magellan, and le Petit Oiseau. If you can afford it that higher price is worth it, better service, fresher and better quality food, less microwaves, and less re-cooked or pre-cooked. But things may have gone a bit astray here, at least the night we were there. We almost got into a fight with the lady behind the bar about ordering our food, the one to take the order simply did not want to show up for about 15 minutes. The waiter mixed up our starter dishes, a shrimp cocktail, and a shrimp à l’Algeriènne and then wanted to insist that I had ordered what my companion had ordered and vice-versa. So tonight the customer was not always right. The starters were nice but the French bread served with it was stale. For my main course I had ordered beef with mushroom sauce, the beef to be cooked medium rare, but the cook had decided otherwise and served it well done, which maybe was not a bad idea for a piece of meat which, upon chewing it, ended up feeling and tasting like a hemp rope, typical for imported frozen and refrozen meat. But the chicken à la orange of my companion was nice and he then offered it to me whilst trying to work himself through my meat. The waiter must have wondered what all the fuzz about the mixed-up starters was about. I think the whole thing came down to the star of the evening, Jocelyne Dumas having an evening out with friends a few tables away from us and being so loud that you had to notice her, whether you liked it or not. Not unusual for people who grew up in an environment where shouting is the norm, quite disturbing for the other guests. And the staff behaved like they were going to have their picture in the papers the next day, or maybe they were afraid that Yvonne would condemn la Chaumière in one of her shows.

Well, the moral of this story, the moral of this song, is simply that one should never be, where one does not belong. (Bob Dylan, song Frankie Lee and Judas Priest, album John Wesley Harding, 1967)

James Barnor, photographer, born 1929 (now 94) has become one of our national heroes. He took lots of photographs around the time Ghana became independent, so in a way he photographed history. At that time there were no computers or photo editing, you took a picture, did manual focusing to get a sharp picture, measured the light with a handheld lux meter, adjusted your lens opening and timer, and off you went, say cheese. Then the negative in the camera had to be taken out of the camera without any further light falling on it, and developed in a bath of chemicals. The result was the opposite of what you wanted, a negative,so an African would look like a white with black teeth and black eyes. That negative was then used to project light onto light-sensitive paper which was then put into a chemical bath again which reversed everything and made the teeth white again. Only black and white pictures at that time, colour photography only became common towards the 70's. Bannor was rediscovered during Ghana @ 50, in 2007, and since then articles about him have been published in many international newspapers and he has had 25 international exhibitions. I don't think any smartphone photographer can match that....

Lydia...

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