Pilachi_Sketch [ BLOG ]

All I have to say to my bredrin Lij is… BIG UP! [ Read Full Article Here ]

Coming from humble beginnings, it is so amazing to see where my friends have reached with just an ounce of motivation, six gallons of perspiration and balls of steel.

Forged in the cauldrons of “get it done no matter what,” my friend, you are made of the toughest metal there is. You are more than an inspiration… more than my hero… you are my friend; and that [your friendship] matters more to me than anything else in the world. Read more

It is a curious thing to consider, the call to action of a people — to stand up for something, to believe in something — to act with conviction. It is even more curious, just how disparaging we can be in our statements about and towards each other — as fellow Jamaicans — in vein efforts to get ahead.

A very good friend of mine encouraged me to leave Jamaica about eight years ago; he told me that I am “a big fish in a small pond.” A few years later, I mustered the courage and left Jamaica for different pastures. The tonal composition and requisite characteristics of the sought pastures were to be determined on the go. Read more

In November 2006, Pilachi was asked to prepare a logo and corporate communication material for Marcel Desailly: one of the world’s most critically acclaimed, first class football / soccer players.

[ Was that sentence redundant? ]

In 1998, as the captain of the French football team, Desailly lead his team to win the coveted World Cup Championship. He is also known as an indomitable force on the Chelsea football team in the UK. His corporate sponsorship includes Sennheiser audio and the videogame title “Marcel Desailly Pro Soccer” on the Sony Playstation and other similar game consoles. Read more

Soon after arriving in Jamaica, I had the opportunity to travel through the country with the Prime Minister and her entourage, on the campaign trail. It was wonderful; she is a dynamic and charismatic leader, with a penchant for the ever so invigorating public address.

On the first day traveling with the Prime Minister, I found myself in a vehicle three or so cars ahead of her vehicle in the convoy… so I decided to walk… or rather run alongside the vehicles in order to position myself to get better vantage points for unique photographs. Read more

One of the more revealing moments in my life,  occurred while conducting research in Ghana; it was on the day that I met and conducted an on camera interview with Rev. Jesse Jackson. I can’t say much more [owing to the embargo dated on the documentary and book]; but he gave me a definitive outline of the important role that we all play in the Diaspora, in the achievement of the Unified Africa.

He is an inspiring man, with tremendous presence. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.; Malcolm X; Marcus Garvey; again I am not one for hero worship, but you do not look into the eyes and shake the hands of a visionary of this magnitude every day.

It has been two days more than a month since my last confession.

I have not written for catastrophic reasons that are more absurd than the crises that affect most people on their very worst days… or years; yet unscathed we walk forth into an absurd fiction otherwise known as life [as we know it].

For a fleeting moment, I thought there was a curse placed on me. There may very well be. Karma is a bitch, and I may have inadvertently shagged her sister [figuratively people].

To recap… We left Ghana homeless. Packed all of our stuff… and with three hours to undertake three days of trans-atlantic air travel with two small children, we learnt that our prospective landlord on the verge of an existential crisis, decided that we would have to find another housing option. This, after six months of negotiation and three weeks of confirmed [whatever].

We still have three years left with the UN in the Ghana Duty Station [or so they say]… and a host of projects lined up for Pilachi.
So, we moved all of our stuff into storage, parked the bmw and bid Ghana adieu… all with less than 35 minutes to get to the airport. That, dear friends, is only the beginning. Read more

This shall be one of my fond memories of Ghana… Axim Beach.