UNVEILING TODAY'S GUEST BLOGGER!!!

Hello lovely people, its Tuesday again!!!

I'm pretty much excited about  a number of things today. First, its a unique blogpost, second, my Alma Mata, Federal Government Girls' College Calabar clocks Forty and thirdly, Colourmeamba gets to unveil her newest guest blogger.

YES! Word went out that Colourmeamba was in search of guest bloggers - People who appreciate creativity and flexibility, have passion for writing and are willing to share their creative contents on a wider social platform.

So, today's guest brings something entirely new to the blog. After reading one of her pieces (and accidently deleting it..lol)..it occured to me that there had to be more, wherever that came from. Her usage of words in relaying deep messages intrigued me and I couldn't help but invite her here. Let me quit the talking and hand you over to Mezo Akpe as she presents 'Renewing'.



FEE-FAI-FO-FUM 
I'm the chant that echoes like the sound of a talking drum.
Once the silent whispers of a steady eerie wind,
I've grown louder and bolder from the point of my origin.

I've got one foot outside my invisible door
I won't let you hold me back no more.
To pay a price over and over again,
Was not the plan for which I was made.

You walk with your shoulder and head held high
Though you've soiled your hands with the blood of an innocent child.
How many miles will you walk before they know,
Of the life you robbed and the future you stole?

I've got one foot outside my invisible door
I won't let you hold me back no more.
I refuse to dwell upon my mistakes
Lest I be left in this fortress to waste.

FEE-FAI-FO-FUM
You cannot fight what you've become
You deceive the blood of your blood
And the flesh of your flesh
You cannot deny you're the cause of all their distress.

I've got one foot outside my invisible door
I won't let you hold me back no more.
To wallow in unforgiveness is a trait of the proud
But salvation, I take, is the path of the sound.

You failed at dawn
You failed at dusk
Your shield is of wood
Your sword is to rust
Your temple is unclean
You can't fulfil your dream
There are no chances of you winning....
So don't try and try
You always end up in tears and a sigh.

I've got one foot outside my invisible door
I won't let you hold me back no more.
For as long as I live
I won't accept defeat

Though the echoes of my past resounds repeatedly.
To be brave is not to stand without fear
To be brave is to dare and be sure to declare
That the choice you have made
Is to keep rising in your faith
And ignore the taunting voice that wants to change your fate

Fee-Fai-Fo-Fum
NO, I WON'T LET YOU HOLD ME BACK NO MORE!!!

'Fee-Fai-Fo-Fum' is gotten from an old popular English fairy tale, 'Jack and the Beanstalk'. It was an expression used by the evil giant when sniffing out his human prey. He goes, "Fee-Fai-Fo-Fum...I smell the blood of an English man. Be he alive or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread." 

Its representation in my poem signifies The Voice of Negativity. The poem is about the battle between one's mind and decisions. The mind sending accusations, guilt, fear, regret....and the individual fighting self condemnation, to move on despite the fact that what the voice says is true.

About the Writer
Mezo Akpe studied Mathematics at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.
She has a passion for the Arts as she loves to write inspirational stories and poems. She is also an actress and a dancer.



I don't know about you, but I could picture the stage performance of this poem. While you re-read the lines of Mezo's classic write-up, do bear in mind that  there's many more from where that came. I would love to see her perform it soon. Mezo would love to hear your thoughts and so would I. Please comment below and feel free to subscribe for further Tuesday posts.

The twitter handles to follow are @PridingPride and @colourmeamba.

Thanks so much for clicking by. ENJOY THE REST OF THE WEEK :-)

RICHARD TURERE'S LION LIGHTS

Hello Everyone..

Hope you're having a wonderful Tuesday. I am, and I couldn't be more pleased. The feedback on this blog has been encouraging so far and I want to thank everyone who has taken out time to talk to me directly or place a comment or two here or on other social platforms. Thank you so much.

The primary goal this blog tends to achieve is to present stories of people with exceptional ideas making great impact around them. This hopes to inspire and motivate anyone who decides to visit any of the pages. Very soon, we hope to widen the scope a little to include extra pages that would have you more excited about Tuesday. I'm really looking forward to it.

Nevertheless, today's post presents the story of a young Masai fellow who turned his hatred for lions into an idea (Lion Lights) that he has been well acknowledged for. Please read on: 

The Masai people of Kenya value their cattle. They would do anything to preserve them. But when predators become constant threats to their livestock, the situation becomes very unbearable, causing discomfort and insecurity within their communities.

Somewhere South of the Nairobi National Park, Richard Turere lived with his parents and catered for the family's cows. However, as wild animals migrated out of the park freely, lions followed them and in the process his father's cows suffered huge risks and were usually killed. 

Because of this, Richard grew up hating lions. As a young boy responsible for his dad's cows he tried to find ways to prevent these from occurring. First, he used fire but instead it helped the lions see through the cowshed. Richard didn't give up. He tried scarecrows, but the lions proved more clever. One night while walking round the shed with a torch, he noticed that no lion came. It didn't take Richard too long to realize that the lions were afraid of a moving light. With such discovery, the young lad began his journey to inventing 'Lion Lights' - an idea which has become very useful to many cattle rearing communities in Kenya.

He rigged up LED bulbs on poles around the enclosure 

Dubbed "Lion Lights," the lights are connected to a box with switches and to an old car battery powered by a solar panel. They were also devised to flash in sequence, tricking the lions into believing that someone is moving around carrying a flashlight.

Turere's innovative system became a big success. His family hasn't lost any livestock to lions since they installed the system, whilst many neighbors and other pastoralists across Kenya have now installed the "Lion Lights."

Turere has been given a scholarship at Brookhouse International School, one of Kenya's top educational institutions.

"One thing that's unique about Richard is that if you give him a problem, he'll keep working at it until he can fix it," says leading Kenyan conservationist Paula Kahumbu. "He doesn't give up; he doesn't find things too difficult; he's not afraid of being unable to do something and I think this is why he is such a good innovator."

Richard says he wants to work in aviation when he grows up. "Three years ago when I was in the savannah herding my father's cattle I used to see the planes flying over and landing at the airport and I was like, one day I'll be a pilot and an aircraft engineer," he says.

I hope Richard Turere's Story inspired you..

So, do you have an idea?
Would it solve a problem?
Have you tried producing it?


Watch Richard tell his story on TEDtalk here:





SOURCES

http://ipkenya.wordpress.com/2013/10/01/kenyan-cattle-herder-seeks-petty-patent-protection-for-lion-lights-invention/
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/26/tech/richard-turere-lion-lights/
http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_turere_a_peace_treaty_with_the_lions.html

iDare.NotDread Event Updates (+Photos)

"Bravo to those who planned this event. They gave the listeners an opportunity to get 'free' advice and motivation' - Jamila

"...I loved the way the speakers were all easy.. They had experiences and simply wanted to encourage others. Nice one" - Magdalene

"...I  love little things like this, because little things grow!!!" -  Akpadia

On Saturday the 26th of October, we hosted the very first edition of 'iDare.NotDread'. It was a very memorable Event packed with insightful talks, video, live music and lots of Networking. 

The Event kicked off with an opening creative Video/Spoken word tribute to Chinua Achebe by Dike Chukwumerije (Link Here) and proceeded unto insightful talks by our four speakers, Azeenarh Mohammed, Ijeoma Okeagu, Abubakar Abdullahi and Akintola Lemmy. The interesting thing about each speaker was the element of story- telling entailed in their talks. The audience found these very  engaging as the speakers shared their ordeals, failures/ challenges as well as progressive steps taken to the present points in their careers. 

Below are photos from the Event:

Abubakar Abdullahi

Lemmy Akintola (Middle)

Azeenarh Mohammed

Ijeoma Okeagu

Moses Audu performing Spoken Word - 'iDare.NotDread'

C.E.F and Moses Audu thrilling the Audience 

C.E.F performing 'Take Responsibility'

Abubakar Abdullahi giving his Talk

Feedback Forms filled

Network! Network!! Network!!!

To everyone who partook in this Event, I say a BIG THANK YOU! We look forward to larger editions of 'iDare.NotDread' and of course the opportunity to  engage with each other  on wider scale to be inspired, motivated and in all, promote themes of Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise.

Please comment below and also follow on twitter @colourmeamba. Also, do not forget to type your email address in the box below to subscribe for further interesting blogposts and event updates.

HAVE A PLEASANT WEEK AHEAD!!!