The Conversations in the dark Podcast: Recent Episodes
safoakonnor
In this limited-edition podcast, I delve into heavy topics that have often been sidelined in the African society, particularly Ghana where I live. In these 7 episodes, I have conversations with people living with first-hand experiences of issues ranging from bi-polar disorders to Africans indulging in sham marriages abroad in hopes of finding a better life.
My goal for this project is for people to find hope in their dark corners, to instigate paradigm shifts and to share the heroic stories of a few people in their own words.
In this second part, you will receive a master class on principles of business, network marketing and even personality traits. Here is a conversation with Samuel and Albert Owusu, serial entrepreneurs and blood brothers who are building an empire together.
CONNECT:
Samuel Owusu : https://www.instagram.com/mr.owusu_/
Albert Owusu : https://www.instagram.com/alpablo_/
CITD Podcast : https://www.instagram.com/conversationsinthedarkpod/
"In a world where you can be anything, BE KIND!"
In this first part, our conversation spans across our time in SOS Hermann Gmeiner together, keeping up appearances, living with dyslexia and the likes. In the second part, you will receive a master class on principles of business, network marketing and even personality traits. Here is a conversation with Samuel and Albert Owusu, serial entrepreneurs and blood brothers who are building an empire together.
CONNECT:
Samuel Owusu : https://www.instagram.com/mr.owusu_/
Albert Owusu : https://www.instagram.com/alpablo_/
CITD Podcast : https://www.instagram.com/conversationsinthedarkpod/
"In a world where you can be anything, BE KIND!"
In this episode, you will hear Randy Kotey, labelled as a celebrity fitness trainer, speak about his journey from Jamestown, Accra to the World. From studying Economics and Sociology to landing a good job and then turning it down to venture into a field that many did not build livelihoods from in Ghana, Randy carved out his life and continues to evolve in his journey of becoming. Here is a conversation with Randy Kotey.
CONNECT with Randy;
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn : @RandyKotey
CONNECT with Us;
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/conversationsinthedarkpod/
"In a world where you can be anything, Be Kind"
Are you Pro-life where you believe the foetus must always be preserved or are you Pro-choice where you believe the mother, the carrier of the foetus should be allowed to choose to keep the foetus or not? Why do you believe what you believe? Were you taught to believe that? And how strong are your beliefs?
In this episode, I have an intelligent and a passionate conversation with three of my very good friends who are all lawyers; Wendy Antwi-Asimeng who argues Pro-Choice, Christine Opoku-Onyinah and Emmanuel Ackom-Danso who argue Pro-Life.
"In a world where you can be anything, Be Kind"
CONNECT :
https://www.instagram.com/conversationsinthedarkpod/Instagram
In a world where the metric for beauty somewhat varies from men to women, it can be difficult living with cystic acne especially as a woman. It possibly is one of those conditions that may seem very remote and unimportant to you if you are not living with it.
So our goal for this episode is for you to live Otie's life for some 45 minutes as she talks about what living with Cystic Acne looks like. Otie is an architect by profession and a maverick who has decided to live life unapologetically.
if you are living with cystic acne or a similar condition, you are not alone.
"In a world where you can be anything, Be kInd."
CONNECT:
Instagram : @conversationsinthedarkpod
Being a dark-skinned lady, Maame Fosua's journey has been different. For the most part, she felt like there was something wrong with her and that she did not belong in a world that was made for the "light-skinned".
She talks to us about her experiences with Colourism even to her lowest point dealing with this cancer that has plagued our societies.
"In a world where you can be anything, Be Kind".
CONNECT:
Instagram : @conversationsinthedarkpod
Nana Akua Tufuoh is our guest on this episode. We have an intelligent conversation on the all-important topic of Colourism and how it plays out especially in Africa.
She delves into her personal experiences as a brown-skinned lady and the nuances involved in even describing someone as light-skinned or brown-skinned or dark-skinned. She also teases out the similarities between Colourism and Racism while enlightening us about the landmark US case of Plessy v Ferguson.
Here is Part 1 of A conversation on Colourism.
Tom Hanks, Sheryl Sandberg, Howard Schultz, Serena Williams , Maya Angelou and Albert Einstein are a few of the famous people who have battled with Imposter Syndrome. So, if you, like me, find yourself or have found yourself battling with this silent giant known as Imposter Syndrome, you are in good company.
It possibly is why I enjoyed this episode with Ewuradjoa Kumi-Kyereme, a psychologist who was recommended to us by Hopeful Nkomo - an organisation that is passionate about mental health and works with professional psychologists and psychiatrists to cater to the mental health needs of the society.
CONNECT :
IG : @conversationsinthedarkpod
This is not a conversation on whether Divorce is right or wrong. This is a man telling his story of why and how his first marriage ended and how he is thriving in his second marriage.
Enjoy!
CONNECT :
IG : @conversationsinthedarkpod
It is not strange parlance to come across such sayings in the Ghanaian or African context. Somehow, success, according to an older generation, has been limited to reading certain courses in school or pursuing certain careers.
In this episode, we have a conversation with a young man who left his engineering job to become a leading figure in Ghana and Africa’s art world. He is the Art Manager and Art Dealer for an art collective known as Artemartis which has been featured on Artnet, More Branches, Penta, Fad magazine, New York Times and CNN. In February 2022, artemartis partnered with Phillips, a leading global platform for buying and selling contemporary art and design across the world. They showcased 18 works by the Artemartis collective in London which sold out!
CONNECT WITH US :
Instagram : conversationsinthedarkpod
In this episode, we bring to you a paradox. You will be hearing three voices in this episode; Mine, Selasi’s (who is a key member of our team) and Rev Victor Brew. Rev Victor Brew is a lawyer by profession as well as a Reverend Minister in a Baptist church. Interestingly, he is married to one of the top paediatricians in Ghana who also loves to teach children. The Paradox? They were unable to have children for 7 years!
How is it possible that a reverend minister, who has prayed for people to be healed and to have children of their own, who has served God all his life and a top paediatrician struggle with child birth for 7 years? How?
Connect:
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/conversationsinthedarkpod/
In a conversation I had with two sex workers in the Jamestown area of Accra, they share their life stories, talk about sexual abuse and even kidnapping.
Listen out for this season's project as well!
This is the English translation (by Belinda Ofori and Serwah Sika Afram) of the original episode which was recorded in the Asante Twi language. Listen to the original episode in the voices of the actual guests in the previous episode.
connect with us on Instagram : @conversationsinthedarkpod
In a conversation I had with two sex workers in the Jamestown area of Accra, they share their life stories, talk about sexual abuse and even kidnapping.
Listen out for this season's project as well!
This episode was recorded in the Asante Twi Language. Listen to its English translation in the next episode.
connect with us on Instagram : @conversationsinthedarkpod
We are back!
In this intro episode, we talk about the podcast, a strange experience and the vision!! for the podcast.
We are just taking off!
In honour of sickle cell awareness month, we have a conversation with Mrs. Angelina Mensah who is a mother of three sons - the first of whom is living sickle cell disease. So why did she have two more sons and risk having more children with the sickle cell disease? She speaks on this.
Very often, we hear from victors of the sickle cell disease but this episode also lets us into the hearts and minds of families who have members living with sickle cell disease.
Music : Just do it by Six Strings and Darley Musik
No phenomenon can justify political control more than religion can. History has proven that with the "nobles" and the "anointed". Some believe it is the number 1 tool for mind control and others believe it is one of the inalienable pillars of society.
16 of the 20 poorest nations in the world are in Africa and yet we are arguably the most religious continent. However, there are still nations like the United States of America or the United Arab Emirates who are deeply religious and yet, are still well advanced in the development matrix. Are they anomalies? In this instance, does correlation mean causation?
Puumaya Fareedah Nantogmah, Barima Peprah-Agyemang and Joel Telfer join me in this discussion.
In a conversation coloured by anecdotes ranging from a heartbreak that sent her backpacking to South East Asia, to the story of being at an all time low after witnessing a suicide, Vidette Adjorlolo steers us into the life of a TRAVELER - a stable nomad. She is currently a Schwarzman Global Scholar and the co-owner of a travel company known as "Sorted Chale" after having visited about 30 countries.
This is the second of two personality profiles I bring to you this season. Here is a conversation with Vidette Adjorlolo about the life of a traveler in which she believes that not all wanderers are lost. Enjoy!
instagram : @conversationsinthedarkpod
Music : Just Do It by Six Strings
Afua shares her story on how she got pregnant even without penile penetration. She talks about the experience of having a baby when her father was the head pastor of an Orthodox Church. She also talks about PCOS, her baby having two fathers and everything in between. We also hear from Nii, her current partner.
Connect with us on Instagram : @conversationsinthedarkpod
Music : Just Do It by Six Strings and Darley Musik
Stefan Holdbrook is an actor in Hollywood who has played roles in a number of shows including Chicago Fire and Luke cage. Currently he plays the role of Lil Rob in Raising Kaanan ; Power Book III.
In this episode, we converse about battling depression, finding himself, kelloids, disappointing family, favourite actors, booking a role in the Power universe and everything in between. It is a story about trying and trying and trying until space is made for you in the room.
Connect with us on instagram : @conversationsinthedarkpod
This is the second of two parts of a conversation with Eddy Jay. He shares his peculiar story of how smuggling narcotics from Brazil to Ghana earned him 9 years 2 months and 15 days in the Nsawam Medium Security Prison.
He also lets us into the world of the incarcerated with vivid descriptions that only highlight how flawed the justice system of Ghana (and possibly Africa) is.
Connect with us on instagram @conversationsinthedarkpod
Music : Just do it by Six Strings and Darley
This is the first of two parts of a conversation with Eddy Jay. He shares his peculiar story of how smuggling narcotics from Brazil to Ghana earned him 9 years 2 months and 15 days in the Nsawam Medium Security Prison.
He also lets us into the world of the incarcerated with vivid descriptions that only highlight how flawed the justice system of Ghana (and possibly Africa) is.
Connect with us on instagram @conversationsinthedarkpod
Music : Just do it by Six Strings and Darley
“Another 6 O’clock is here!”🥶
AND WE ARE BACK!!!
See you on September 5 with the first two episodes of SEASON 2!!! 🤯
What happens when something as unexpected as having a child with Down Syndrome comes your way? what does life look like with such a condition? On the final episode, I have a conversation with a mother and her son about everything Down Syndrome. And oh, we hear from Todah, their daughter and sister who is living with down syndrome.
Background Music : Just Do It by Six Strings gh and Darley Music
My guests on this episode open up about their struggles with certain societal pressures (particularly being unmarried after age 30 and employment issues) and how to deal with them.
Background Music : Just Do It by Six Strings gh & Darley Music
The identity of my guest on this episode was kept anonymous for personal reasons.
Having suffered all forms of abuse at the hands of her previous boyfriend, my guest tells her story of being in an abusive relationship and leaves bits of advice for us to learn from.
Background Music: Just Do It by Six Strings gh & Darley Music
In this episode, my guest, Esenam Drah, unpacks what she calls her "invisible suitcase". She talks about how she discovered she was bipolar, the journey with her 'suitcase' and gives us a masterclass on living with Bipolar disorder.
Background Music: Just Do It - Sixstringsgh & Darley Music
Connect with me;
Twitter : https://twitter.com/Akonnor_II
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/sarfo_minus_r/
Is there a thing like ethnic privilege in existence? what does male privilege look like in Africa? In this episode, my discussion with my guests focuses on why inter-ethnic marriages, particularly between Ewes and Akans, remains a matter of concern. We also touch on male privilege and the value of properly recognising your identity as men.
Background Music : Just Do it - Sixstringsgh & Darley Music
Connect With me;
Twitter : https://twitter.com/Akonnor_II
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/sarfo_minus_r/
In this concluding episode with my mother (Mrs Mercy Akonnor), We have an honest discussion about the aftermath of losing her husband (my father). We also delve into what life looks like now and her current love life.
Intro Background Music : Just do it - Six Strings gh & Darley Music
Connect with me:
Twitter : https://twitter.com/Akonnor_II
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/sarfo_minus_r/
In this pilot episode, My mother (Mrs. Mercy Akonnor) takes us on the journey of how she lost her husband. After 12 years since it occurred, She is finally able to recount the one event that drastically changed her life, our lives, forever. This is her story in the dark.
Background Music: Just do it - Six Strings gh & Darley Music
Saxophonist : Nana Gyamera
Connect with me on;
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Akonnor_II
Instagram: sarfo_minus_r
Welcome to the Conversations in the Dark Podcast!
Background music;
Just Do It - Six Strings & Darley