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, Pepé Pepinière, this week's subjects: Rise of Drug Abuse Among Ghanaian Youth, The 10th Accra Fashion Week, Faso dan fani, Dusty diamonds.

Rise of Drug Abuse Among Ghanaian Youth Ghana, known for its rich cultural heritage and vibrant youth population, is facing a growing concern – the rise of drug abuse among its young population. This issue has far-reaching consequences for individuals, families, and society as a whole. In this blog post, we will shed light on the alarming trend of drug abuse among Ghanaian youth in recent times and explore potential solutions to address this pressing issue.

In Ghana, a study reported the daily use of alcohol and marijuana among the youth to be 12% and 16.2% respectively. Another study further indicated that about 5.3% of the Ghanaian school-going population reported a past-month use of marijuana whilst 7.1% reported a lifetime use of amphetamine Understanding the Scope of the Problem: Drug abuse among Ghanaian youth has witnessed a significant increase in recent years. Substance abuse, including the misuse of prescription drugs, marijuana, cocaine, and heroin, has become a prevalent issue. Factors such as peer pressure, unemployment, lack of education, and easy access to drugs contribute to this growing problem. It is essential to understand the root causes to effectively combat drug abuse in Ghanaian youth. Health Implications: Drug abuse has severe health consequences, both physical and mental. Substance abuse can lead to addiction, which adversely affects brain function and overall well-being. It can also result in various health problems, including cardiovascular issues, respiratory disorders, liver damage, and mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and psychosis. Raising awareness about these health implications is crucial in preventing and addressing drug abuse among Ghanaian youth. Socioeconomic Impact: The impact of drug abuse extends beyond individual health. It affects families, communities, and the overall socioeconomic fabric of Ghana. Drug abuse can lead to increased crime rates, strained family relationships, decreased productivity, and reduced educational attainment. Addressing drug abuse among the youth is not only a matter of individual well-being but also a necessity for the development and progress of the entire nation.

The 10th Accra Fashion Week is over and can be called a success, with designers from 26 different countries, half from our own Africa, a spectacular runway that can make Ghana proud, and many refreshing and very beautiful designs. Go to the AFWK website (https://www.accrafashionweek.org/) to see it all. I suggest it will be renamed Accra International Fashion Week. Talking with some of our fellow African designers from other countries, it became clear that they are suffering many of the evils that have demonized us, no cooperation, rather jealousy and even sabotage, and many model and fashion schools without any standards resulting in poor quality models and shabby work output. If only we could organize ourselves properly the money could be a plenty oooh.

Faso dan fani is a traditional Burkina Faso hand-woven fabric in heavy cotton with colored stripes, often in silk. A bit like our kente and fugu, after all, we are not that far away from each other. Production dates back to the 17th century, among the Marka peoples in present-day Burkina Faso, Mali. and Guinea. In 1985 Thomas Sankara, a revolutionary Burkinabe president from 1983 and a bit similar in actions to our own JJ made it compulsory for civil servants to wear it on duty, for economic and political reasons: “Faso dan fani is used as our national symbol, as a means of uniting the country's population after the overthrow of French colonial authority in 1960, and by wearing it we support local cotton cultivation, spinners, and weavers. We must not be slaves to what others produce” The name given to this fabric, Faso dan fani, literally means “the woven loincloth of the homeland” in Dioula language. Sankara was also a champion of women's rights and through cooperatives he enforced that weaving, traditionally reserved for men, became an opportunity for women also to pursue a paying activity. Sankara was assassinated in October 1987 at the age of 38. Too much was too much? Official quality mark Faso Dan Fani. In recent years, Faso dan fani has experienced a revival as a symbol of national pride. Since 2017, it has been the mandatory dress code for official ceremonies. An official label from the Ministry of Commerce has guaranteed the authenticity of the fabric since 2019. Officially authenticated kente or fugu? Who, what, where?

Dusty diamonds? Very recently a Malaysian businesswoman, staying at the luxury Ritz hotel in Paris (average room price around 2000 $ per night) reported her 750,000 $ diamond ring (yes, you read that right) missing from her hotel make-up table. After 2 days searching and interrogating the police found the ring back in a vacuum cleaner. The woman, who meanwhile had travelled to London, said she was grateful and on her way back she would pass by to pick it..... Clever way of smuggling the ring out of the room, then wait and see and grab? I had something similar in the same Paris once, I had plenty luggage and left one small bag outside of my hotel room when checking into that room, being half sleepy after a night flight. Then no bag, and eventually the bag was found back in the cleaners pantry, they had forgotten to report to the reception, and that it was found in front of my very room. So be careful when you travel, you are in an unfamiliar environment and easily get distracted and make mistakes.

Lydia...

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