Happy, Happy Birthday Kinna!!!

Today I celebrate one of my favorite people in this lifetime: Kinna Likimani! Not even sure where to begin but I’m so thankful I met Kinna in 2017 through feminist advocacy. She soon became my feminist mentor who has guided and helped me grow as a feminist and progressive.

Kinna Likimani

Kinna is truly one of a kind. She’s one of the most brilliant people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. It’s hard to read her words or hear her speak without being left in such awe of her beautifully sharp mind. She makes you see the angles and perspectives you never considered and shows you just how much our minds can be stretched to think even more critically and analytically than we already do. Kinna would make an excellent lecturer and teacher if she ever goes down this career path. This is part of the reason why she’s my North Star in the feminist advocacy space.

Kinna is one of the very few who can get me to reconsider a position I’ve taken particularly on feminist issues. She takes a very keen interest in what I have to say and is always there to correct in love when my views go astray in a way that can do harm contrary to my intentions. She always corrects me from a position of knowing and understanding my heart on these issues. Her interest in younger feminists is to help us all grow and improve in our advocacy so we can truly achieve our collective goal of a just and liberated world for all humanity.

Kinna is very kind and caring. I’m not even sure why she takes a special interest in me and my wellbeing but I’m so thankful and grateful for it. She remembers me in ways I never expect her to and I don’t take it for granted at all. She’s also one of the few people who consistently support my cooking and baking endeavors, where I specialize in meals and desserts that are diabetic friendly. She’s always participated in any promo I run in this regard. In fact, Kinna is the main reason why I beat type 2 diabetes within three months of being diagnosed in 2021.

When I shared my diagnosis on Facebook, she quickly reached out for a meeting to discuss it. Having passed through similar, she had learned how to navigate and even beat back the condition into remission through a changed diet, exercise, and intermittent fasting. Before she reached out, I had felt so lost, helpless, and hopeless. But after my meeting with her, I felt relief and invigoration. I knew what I had to do and set to work immediately to put her recommendations into practice.

Thanks to Kinna, I not only beat type 2 diabetes but greatly improved my metabolic health and even lost excess weight in the process. Even though in the years since, I’ve had carbohydrates and even sugary foods here and there, my blood glucose remains normal and even optimal, because I still practice her recommendations. I don’t think Kinna will ever fully understand how much she saved my life with that meeting we had. Because of her timely intervention, I didn’t even need to rely on the metformin I’d been prescribed to manage the condition. A year later, I returned the unopened medication to my doctor who marveled at my results and used me as an example to other patients.

This journey Kinna helped me take with food further unlocked a passion I have for being creative in the kitchen. Now that I knew how to eat to guarantee my health and nutrition, I went on a quest to figure out how to maintain my staple foods and desserts that use sugar and carb substitutes. I now have a specialty in these things thanks to Kinna. I wouldn’t have the confidence to make these treats had Kinna not been in my corner encouraging me all the way. She always provides helpful feedback, which helps me improve my offerings. When I ran a promo last December, she helped me figure out how to calculate the nutritional value of everything I made. She really takes her role as mentor to me to heart and I love her dearly for it.

Kinna is a very loving mother who was nurtured by one of the best and most loving moms, Prof Ama Ata Aidoo, a Ghanaian legend, icon, and hero. I was highly privileged to meet and bake for Prof before she transitioned. She always had such a kind word for me and cracked me up with her reactions to my treats. Those were truly special experiences that I will forever treasure.

In the spirit Prof Ama instilled in her, Kinna is one of the Ghanaians who actively thinks about the wellbeing of this nation. She understands governance and leadership matters deeply, and is always compelling in her advocacy for transparent and inclusive governance that benefits all Ghanaians. If ever I don’t understand a policy or know what the right choice on any issue is, I look to what Kinna has to say as a guiding compass. She is also the reason why I pay attention to Parliament and the activities of our MPs, especially in tracking their attendance to ensure they are working in the interests of their constituents and Ghana at large. Thanks to people like Kinna, I know generations after will know what to do and how to govern effectively.

Kinna is an all round gift to this world who needs to be treasured greatly. She more than deserves all the flowers she receives today and beyond. I really won the mentor lottery when she became mine.

Kinna, on this special day, I wish you nothing but the absolute best this world has to offer. May you be blessed in every way and may all the desires of your heart be met. May any burdens you carry be lifted, and may you experience happiness and prosperity beyond measure. Happy happy birthday! I love you!

Ewuraba