Before I go any further I should, perhaps, clarify the reason behind the title of this blog. Those of you who have visited sub-Saharan Africa will no doubt be familiar with the red-headed rock agama, or rainbow agama (Agama agama), a species of lizard (pictured) which has the habit of continuously nodding its head. Tradition in Nigeria has it that this lizard grew up amid ungrateful people who would not praise it for the feat of jumping from a high Iroko tree without killing itself, therefore it nods its head in self-praise. So for the cynics among you, this blog is an exercise in self-praise and shameless self-promotion.

Not surprisingly, I prefer an alternative explanation based on a Ghanaian proverb: ‘The lizard may nod but all is not well.’ Being a gin-drinking enthusiast it is easy to sit back and watch the sunset with a gin and tonic in hand, happily nodding one’s head in quiet self-satisfaction. However, being a reluctant idealist it is impossible for me to do this too often without the nagging feeling that all is not well in the world. I don’t mean this in the sense of a doomsayer fixated on environmental catastrophe or thermonuclear war. I simply mean that while I am as good at enjoying myself as the next man, I have moments of reflection when the inequalities and inequities in society, ubiquitous greed and materialism, and the damage we are doing to our planet, simply seem overwhelming and make it incredibly hard to be optimistic. So, indeed, I may nod but all is not well.

By the way, just to be clear, that is definitely not to say that all is unwell.