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

This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pépinière, this week's subjects: Stitching Together Stories of resilience and strength, Fashion show Rhythm on da Runway 2024, How to have healthy guts for optimal mental performance, La Chaumière Restaurant, and Full Moon

Stitching Together Stories of resilience and strength. A Stitch in Time: The Art of Embroidery. The red dress project (part 2) Embroidery, in this context, is not just about creating beautiful patterns and textures. It’s a meticulous art form that requires patience, skill, and finesse. Each stitch in every red dress is infused with emotion, reflecting personal and communal experiences. Artists often incorporate symbols, stories, or messages into their designs, making each piece unique and deeply meaningful. The act of embroidery can be seen as a meditative process, allowing creators to reflect on their experiences while engaging in a practice that has been passed down through generations. Many of these artists combine traditional techniques with contemporary motifs, bridging the gap between past and present, honoring their heritage while innovating their craft. The Power of Community: One of the most beautiful aspects of The Red Dress Project is its commitment to community. Workshops and gatherings bring together artists from various backgrounds, creating a space for dialogue, collaboration, and support. These events not only foster creativity but also build awareness of the critical issues facing indigenous women. The dresses are often displayed in art galleries, community centers, and public spaces, inviting viewers to engage with their powerful messages. Fashion with a Purpose; In recent years, the fashion world has shifted towards more sustainable and ethical practices, with many brands taking a stand on social issues. “The Red Dress Project aligns beautifully with the mission to raise awareness about heart disease in women, celebrating resilience and strength while encouraging proactive health measures. Through artful expression and community engagement, it fosters conversations that empower women to take charge of their health, ultimately promoting prevention and education in a vibrant and impactful way.”

Fashion show Rhythm on da Runway 2024 has come to an end with not too many designers (only 10) and also fewer artists performing than what we were used to. This year's theme “kente” was followed by a good part of the public, though only by a few of the designers. We should treasure our local fabric rather than the foreign ones, bonwire kente, ewe kente, batakari, adinkra and sometimes worthwhile local tye and dyes are ours. Let the money stay here. For that matter Odefille Fashion outshone all by outdooring a brand new fabric design based on the northern Ghana custom of decorating house walls with symbolic patterns, called Bambolse. They use single mothers in Bolgatanga to hand paint the tissue, doing Odefille's part of CSR in the process.

How to have healthy guts for optimal mental performance (part 3, and last) The function of the guts is to help in digesting food. Food is first partly digested in the mouth (chewing adds saliva which already partly breaks food down), then in the stomach, (where most of the food is partly dissolved in a very acidic environment) and then in the guts where billions of bacteria transform what remains into absorbable molecules. That includes proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals which all play various very important or less important roles. So, putting it simply, if your guts are not healthy, say irritated, infected, inflamed, or constipated, they will not do their job properly, and though you were eating the right thing you'll not be able to absorb all sufficiently. Notorious here are iron, vitamin B12 and B9 (lack of these 3 can cause anemia and fatigue), Omega 3 (deficiency can lead to depression and hallucinations), and there are more, which typically affect your fitness, stamina and your immune system (get sick more easily). And why would your guts not be healthy if you are eating the right thing? 2 Main factors are often overlooked, gluten and lactose intolerance. Gluten intolerance may well be 5-10 % of our population. I could not get reliable figures, but I know 2 people suffering. Gluten is mainly in bread (wheat) and cookies, meat pies spring rolls, and all sorts of pastries. A person who is intolerant to gluten may show little more signs than a somehow irregular or sometimes more liquid stool, a person who is very gluten intolerant will experience regularly very liquid stools, lasting for a few days. Wheat is not in our traditional diet. Lactose intolerance is caused by cow milk, cream, and yogurt. Of course the manufacturer of yoghurt does not tell you that the great majority of Africans are lactose intolerant. Did you notice yogurt makes you stool more often? Again, cow milk is not part of our traditional diet. If you experience any of these, look it up and see what happens if you leave out the wheat and or yogurt. Is all this complicated? Not really, if you take an interest in your health.

La Chaumière Restaurant (215 Liberation Road, Airport Residential, Accra, opposite British Airways) is nicely quiet on a Wednesday afternoon. The waiter was very hospitable and attentive to my 79 year old guest who, after lots of deliberations and mind changing finally chose sole meunière with potato puré and an excellent glass of dry white Bordeau wine at the right temperature, I haven't come across this often. I had a Mérou Méditerranéen à l'huile d'olives (grouper) and our sauces made good what lacked in the freshness of our fish, though there was no real reason to seriously complain, it is only in dedicated fish restaurants that one can expect real fresh fish, and even there.... Pity all their beef is imported from South Africa, I always feel our local steaks have lots of flavour and you can get fresh ones in most of the bigger supermarkets, unfrozen. Sometimes you may have to chew a bit but it remains tasty to the end without getting that carton taste and texture you often get with the imported meat. All in all we had a pleasant relaxed lunch. The bill was good as well, as is with all restaurants starting with le or la.

Full Moon this Saturday, go for a beach walk after casting your vote. The weather might be nice.

Lydia...

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