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MisBeee Writes in a Year - Part 1

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2017 has been a year of highs and lows for me but definitely one where I have learnt an awful lot from these experiences and from you. Below is a month by month summary of MisBeee Writes' Year in Review with the months displayed in Fante and Twi.    January:  Sanda-Ɔpɛpɔn   The year started off strong with a powerful interview from Tabom descendent Kai Lutterodt. Kai can trace her Ghanaian heritage six generations back to Brazil and has family connections to Brazil House in Jamestown.  Her story was not only an inspiration for me but spurred readers with Ghanaian heritage to get in touch and share their own journeys of tracing their family history back to Brazil. Kai Lutterodt and Brazilian friends - sourced from Kai   Autism awareness campaigner Venessa Bobb works tirelessly in the UK to dispel myths surrounding the condition in Black communities. This piece in the Voice was designed to keep this awareness going.   Never give...

Ghanaian mother keeps hope alive for autistic son

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*Kofi* has never been able to string more than two words together until two weeks ago when he uttered his first full sentence. No big deal for most 12-year-olds but Kofi is different – he’s autistic. 'Lullaby' by Peter Ngugi Ghose © photographed by MisBeee Writes A utism is a developmental brain condition that affects people’s ability to communicate, and influences how sufferers process the world around them. More specifically people with autism may have some difficulties forming friendships, comprehending others’ perspectives and displaying affection. But they also have amazing gifts and talents. The condition affects one in 100 people in the UK’s 6.3 million population, which means that over 100,000 people living with the condition come from black or ethnic minority communities, according to the National Autistic Society.  Despite this figure, African communities are less likely to seek early diagnosis and face more of an uphill struggle trying to ...