Hosting the writer absolute, at whose finger tips the beauty of
Ghanaian culture could be read.
An interview with Esi
Cleland-Yankson. By Darko Antwi
Esi
Cleland-Yankson is co-founder and CEO of AfroChic Limited, a company whose
vision is to clothe Africa from
within, now one of the leading manufacturers and retailers of clothing
in Ghana. Prior to her work at AfroChic, Esi worked as Project Manager on an
Infrastructure Project for GECAD Ghana; and as a copywriter for Publicis,
West-Africa, during which time she fell in love with brands and left to work on
building African brands. From 2008 -2010, She built one of the most widely
read blogs in Ghana ‘What Yo' Mamma Never Told You About Ghana’ until she
joined AfroChic. Esi holds a BA (Cum
Laude) Physics from Smith College, and Msc Medical Physics, Duke University. Esi is a Global Shaper of the World Economic
Forum.She lives in Accra with her husband, Kweku, and daughter.
DARKO: As we knew you, Esi
W. Cleland is a writer who writes with a beautiful syntax, and a kind of
candour, and a kind of leverage that draw a reader to fall in love with her
subject of discussion. What style of writing do you deploy? Do you see yourself
as a copy of your favorite writer? Or, it is something instinctive.
ESI: My writing style has changed considerably since maameous.com.
These days, I like writers who write briefly. Like Paul Graham of Y-Combinator.
I find that; the clearer the thinking, the fewer words are necessary. I’m still
learning to write succinctly.
DARKO: You had such a
large following. Readers as far as the Americas could relate to your stories.
From African traditional religion to 'the allure of life abroad', you
shared views on almost every subject of Ghanaian interest. But very rarely
did you discuss the commitments behind the strength of the blog. Was there, for
instance, any overlap or conflict of duty with your prescribed jobs by
then?
ESI: Yes. I remember during one annual review at Publicis, someone suggested I stop blogging at work. I think it was a fair comment. I actually stopped blogging partly because I wanted to commit fully to AfroChic.
DARKO: You managed in
keeping a fair report about the attitude of an impoverished human society. You
were poignant, when it comes to bad taste. You didn’t overlook the ignoramus,
and sometimes mischievous lifestyle of the average Ghanaian. For a good number
of your readers, every opinion of yours was a gospel for their consumption. Yet
you had a few who criticized. Some were gentle, some were fierce. While I commend
you for the spirit with which you handled opposing views, may I ask your
understanding on how beneficial criticism could be for Ghanaian literature of
today?
ESI: I think constructive critique is useful to help improve any
work.
DARKO: I have always thought that; you stopped blogging because you ran out of ideas. After all, maameous.com is not a progressive documentary. Most of your podcast and articles were clever commentaries about the social life of the nineties: of which you took advantage to arouse the nostalgic ego of a section of your readers. A brilliant writer though you are, but that does not expel the fact that you are an opportunist who has come to the dry end of her narrow period-selective writing. Is that false?
ESI: Haha. Well, you are partly right. I closed the blog because of
a number of reasons. The most important is that I started a new chapter of my
life and wanted to commit fully to it. I became an entrepreneur and wanted to
shed my old skin. I couldn’t have become Esi the entrepreneur if I had remained
Esi the blogger because at that time, the blogger persona was so dominant. I
had to consciously de-emphasize it. But you’re right that I hit a dry spell
towards the end. However dry spells can be overcome by sheer perseverance. Also
at the time that I started the blog, I was entertaining ideas of becoming a
writer. By the end, I decided that the kind of books I wished to write required
more life experiences than I possessed at the time.
DARKO: In one demonstration article, you wrote:
"I know I don't know. So I keep myself open to learning." In the
context of that article, you could be described as an unassuming intelligent
lady who is honest about her naivety on a particular issue. Can that act of
admission be translated as part of your value for modesty (as a person), or
sincerity (as a writer of truth)?
ESI: Both.
DARKO: Now let’s move a
bit away from your blogging experience. Let’s go to the social platforms, where
you can still be reached by loyal fans. Not long ago, you responded in sharp
contrast to a statement by Christiane Amanpour. Yours sounds like a testimony,
I thought. Can you please expand your viewpoint which follows: “Remarkable young
women start out as ordinary girls. But they are girls who make better choices, who
work harder, who stick with it longer, and dream bigger”
ESI: My comment wasn’t really meant to discredit Amanpour even
though it might have come across that way. I’m a huge fan of her work actually.
I just meant to point out that people have the capacity to evolve. That
regardless of one’s beginnings, it is often possible to become remarkable. I
don’t believe that some people are inherently special. I think the difference
between great people and the rest of us is they often know more, try harder,
working harder, choose better etc.
DARKO: Quite recently you
quoted what looks like a blasphemous statement by Wanluv Kubolor. In your
condemnation at Facebook, you mentioned women-of-low-self-esteem as possible
victims of the abuse of a sexual pervert. Whether we sympathize (pity) or look
down on such women, something must have gone wrong somewhere. The causes could
be variable. If you don’t mind sharing with us; what, in your observation,
contributes to the rise of female with low self-esteem in the Ghanaian society?
Any remedy?
ESI: The causes of low self-esteem are documented. I really can’t
offer more than what the experts tell us. But it seems to me that parents who
decide to raise children with healthy self-image and importantly good character
are a step ahead of those who leave it to chance. The former may not get it
wholly right but at least they will work at it.
And for the record, I want to say More Vim to Wanlov. The guy
wakes up every day and engages with his fans. He’s working hard, making music,
doing tours and actually talks about positive ideas sometimes. We have to give
him that. But there are also days when he just misses it entirely. And so on
those days, I want to challenge him to choose better.
DARKO: Just when all was
going well, you brought a wonderful blogging life to a close. In the latter
stage of your first pregnancy, you started something new. But that was
exceptional, as it was a dedication and short-lived. In your farewell note, you
stated that you are available for any new commission that might come your way.
Have you since found anything new? Tell me about life after the fascinating
revelations of ‘what our momma never told us about Ghana’?
ESI: No, no. That blog is very alive and well. It has changed a bit
since that time actually. I don’t post as regularly as I used to post on my old
blog but more thinking goes into the new blog. And I’m generally quite proud of
the way it is evolving. I intend to keep at it. Find it at myduukuu.blogspot.com.
You really want to know about life after the old blog? I could
write a whole book on that. But mostly it’s been a period of hard work building
a business, incredible personal growth, and learning so much. I also became a
Christian along the way, got married, and had a baby in that order. Haha!
DARKO: You have been so
kind to The Street. Thank you very much. And best wishes for the triplex of your new life!
ESI: Thank you too.
