Well done Zambia.

In football we often confuse destiny with statistics. We talk over how a team is destined to win because on paper they are the strongest team - they have the most players playing in Europe or it's been some many months, weeks, days and hours since they last won and frankly their people are getting restless and therefore it must be destiny for them to win because anything else would be unacceptable. This type of mis-analysis is often the basis of much of the England hype at World Cup moments and it's been adopted into African football. Ghana haven't won the African cup of nations in 30 years and all but one of our squad play outside of Ghana. Ivory Coast haven't won in 20 years. I believe in terms of squad location they mirror Ghana. Zambia couldn't be more different. All but one plays in Southern Africa, mainly in Zambia itself. They've never won before, they've not quite had the glory days (owing to the plane crash that so ruthlessly stole their glory days before they had begun) and they were never considered contenders in this tournament - even with half the giants excluded.

But Zambia showed Africa what the continent risked losing to a foreign-type analysis of success. Destiny is divine, it is not statistics. 19 is not a round number, numerologists will not have a field day with it. But on the same coast that fate took Zambia's glory days, 19 years later, fate gave it back. I don't think it was by chance (or even the luck of Asamoah Gyan) that Didier Drogba missed that penalty, I think Zambia needed the win much most than Cote d'Ivoire and God saw that. 

I beg anyone to explain to me otherwise. How it was that Ivory Coast and Ghana rated the top two on the continent could have such different results, Ghana just scraping fourth (although we could all see the poor performance from the opening match) and Ivory Coast reaching the final to go out in penalties? Neither of them finishing the tournament as statistics would dictate. Both losing to a team who before now was more a spectator than a participator. We Africans are superstitious people. I think if anything this year's Afcon confirms our beliefs. The prayer session by the Chipolopolo as celebration confirmed our beliefs. God chooses the time, not statistics.

Congratulations Zambia.

Why do ITV4 have Afcon rights?

Someone needs to explain to me why ITV4 and not BBC3 have Afcon rights for UK television. ITV4 runs 24 hours a day, from what I know, as opposed to BBC3 (who had the rights last time) who only run from 7pm - 7am. Ok so that's a point for ITV4, but then you look at the schedule they're giving Afcon and it makes you think? What's the point?

ITV4 are hosting an end of day match highlights programme at 10pm in the evening. Kinda like MOTD but for Afcon. You would think that if I put it like that, it ain't so bad. But it's about knowing your audience. Africans, when watching African football want to watch the actual match and considering that's what BBC provided last time round, I would expect no less than that!

If ITV4 are not committed to that type of service - live matches straight from the continent - then they shouldn't bid for the rights again. Until then guys, if you want to watch the matches live and you aren't lucky enough to be in the continent to watch it on DSTV or something, there are many sites, that show the matches live, streaming Eurosport. Happy AFCON! Come on the Black Stars!

What do you do with a mentor?

I've been blessed with mentor from Google. It was under the Google Top Black Talent programme which is hoping to help Black students in the UK to make the most of life and become the best that they can be. I'm really happy that I've been given a mentor and to be honest they couldn't have chosen a better person, he's from my part of London, went to a school near mine, then went on to my university to study a course very similar to my own. So now I've got the perfect mentor which is what all these make-the-most-of-mentoring websites say is key. 

But the problem is, I don't know what do from here. I'm not one for asking questions. I've always been asked the questions. It has always been assumed that I know all that I need to know and anything I don't know has also been assumed and imparted to me without me asking. In fact my dad used to pull his hair out telling me that when I need help I should just ask. My usual response was "I don't need help, and I'd rather struggle and get there than ask someone and get there quicker but without my input." Now it seems getting a mentor is the fashion of success and I have to set the agenda and make sure we talk and all the rest, but I don't have a schedule in mind, I don't know anymore what I'm to expect from this. What should I ask to get the most out of this? 

Advice below, is welcome. I'll keep you updated about the progress my mentor and I make. Til next time, world...

Here's to the rest of my life

This year I became the NSPCC's Ambassador for Minority Ethnic Communities. eeek.. so many journeys that I'm on it seems unreal.

The past 365 days was a bit of a whirlwind. I begun my final year, became ambassador to the UK's largest children's charity and worked for Siobhain McDonagh MP, I'm Head Delegate of my university's delegation to the Harvard World MUN and managed to get myself on the Google mentoring programme after winning the Marketing Challenge at their inaugural EMEA BOLD Immersion Programme in London. Having lived in Singapore and accelerated my 25 countries by 25 plan, 2011 probably couldn't have gone any better.

Every year, I claim, is the best year of my life and that can only show that my life is getting much better, I'm moving up!

I have know idea what 2012 or beyond has to offer but with 2011 as the launching pad, I'm pretty excited!

Wishing the same for all of you guys too. My mantra is positive thinking brings positive action. It's based on Philippians 4:8. Even if you aren't a Christian it's a very good value to live your life by.

An academic journey of sorts

I'm the Head Delegate of the University of Manchester's World Model United Nations Delegation.

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