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, Titi. This week's subjects: Friday Office Fashion, Thrift sales are up, Cursed by Gold? Free pads? Room with a view, and Mussels at the Cyril Restaurant and Grill at the Bulgarian Cultural Center

Friday Office Fashion: Casual, But Don’t Overdo It. It’s Friday, the weekend is calling, and suddenly your corporate wardrobe starts whispering: “Jeans. Sneakers. Oversized everything.” But for the Accra corporate girl, Casual Friday doesn’t mean looking like you accidentally took a wrong turn on your way to brunch. The goal is relaxed, stylish, and still very much boss-lady appropriate. Think smart jeans with a crisp shirt, tailored trousers with a chic polo or knit top, or a relaxed midi dress paired with clean sneakers. You can loosen up without losing the polish. The secret? Keep one structured element in your outfit. If your trousers are casual, wear a polished blazer. If you're wearing denim, add a sophisticated blouse and elegant accessories. Balance is everything. And please—Casual Friday is not an excuse for bedroom slippers, overly distressed jeans, or that tired T-shirt from university. Your Friday look should say: “Yes, I’m ready for the weekend—but I can still handle a 2 p.m. meeting if necessary.” Because being comfortable is great, but being comfortable and effortlessly stylish? That’s the real corporate girl flex.

Thrift sales are up. It’s not only in Ghana that we like to scout for nice dresses from second-hand shops or cheaper still, from bend-down boutiques. Europe is playing its part as well. Websites like Vinted and Depop offer second-hand dresses and other items directly from seller to buyer (with a commission for the platform of course). Sales are up 60% compared with the previous year. What used to be shameful (wearing second hand stuff, meaning you were poor) is now becoming trendy and world environment saving. Next thing we’ll be re-exporting our selected finds to where they came from. Anyway, if you say recycling, Africa has always been in the lead.

Cursed by Gold? Those who are in farming will know that it is more and more difficult to find farm labour. One of the reasons?? The youth goes for galamsey, and once they have a little bit of money they leave the country. And typically it is the more entrepreneural ones who will decide to leave, so we’ll be left with the laggards, and without gold.

Free pads? H.E. John Dramani Mahama once proposed this so that girls could continue to attend school, but in our society if you say menstruation pad you almost say unspoken words and his proposal was ridiculed. But we should talk about this, it’s an ever reoccurring issue, and there is nothing ridiculous or dirty about it. In France the compulsory universal medical insurance reimburses two reusable pads and menstruation panties per year for girls up to 26 years old. At the same time the products must have been technically approved, so they do not contain dangerous chemicals.

Room with a view. I decided to have a few days away from the rush and booked a room in Afiki hotel in Ankwanda (a small fishing village), 20 minutes after Elmina. The room has views of the village and the sea beyond, with a very good view from the balcony. Nice and relaxing. They have a medium sized pool as well and are right on the beach. About as close to paradise as you can get. The place is not that popular and room rates are a bit okay. Many similar places on the sea now charge between 1500 and 2500 GHC per night… But hélas, paradise eluded. The room itself was okay, with a nice bathroom, but the view was onto a few heaps of garbage and blocks and a lot of goats. Standing on the very narrow balcony didn't change much except that looking into the direction of the sea you now also saw the back of a staircase. Moral of the story: ask for pictures before you book. And the next night the villagers were having a festival, the very “hotel beach” was full of littering people and a huge sound installation which even the room window could not filter out and I had dinner in the open air hotel restaurant with earplugs in. I had meanwhile changed to a room which indeed had a reasonable view, but the lighting was only one lamp on the ceiling, no bedside lamps. This bathroom was funny, it had a big window towards the room with a curtain in front of it, so if you wanted you could observe what was happening there from the room itself. Rooms…..

Mussels at the Cyril Restaurant and Grill at the Bulgarian Cultural Center (10 Kakramadu Road, Cantonments, Accra). I was told they had fresh mussels again, and indeed they were huge and fresh and nicely cooked with some spices and carrots. I think it’s the wife of the manager who does the cooking. She previously had a restaurant in Amsterdam, and I’d say she knows what she’s doing. The typical Ghanaian mussel can be found at low tides on rocks at the beach, but they are small, maybe biggest is 2 inches. But these are from Japan, up to 4 inches. Bought in Tema. Strange? They stick to the bottom of ships and thus travel the world. They had a big all comprising fish dish for 2 as well with crabs, prawns, shrimps, oysters, clams, lobsters, squid and octopus. Finger bowls provided. I had grilled chicken there the other day as well, nicely grilled and juicy, also recommended.

Lydia...

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