No life in Africa without...

In the BBC competition for Africa, listeners and readers describe what they could not live without.

Here entrants cannot imagine life without tottering on heels, helping hands, life-saving pockets and biting nails.

Matenneh Dunbar Millar-Jaja, Monrovia, Liberia

I cannot live without my high heeled shoes, even though I am taller than both of my parents.

As a little girl I really loved dolls and my idea of a smart woman was formed from that tender age.

It would be very difficult for me to live comfortably without my high heels Matenneh Dunbar Millar-Jaja

I thought a woman always had to look and dress her best, atop a pair of elevated heels that made heads to turn wherever she went.

Now in my collection, I have about 15 pairs of shoes or slippers in various colours and styles, many with matching bags and other accessories.

I believe I may have had less than 20 pairs of low shoes in my whole adult life - not because I do not like them, but these days my back aches when I am not propped up against the sky.

My mother-in-law once visited me and marvelled uneasily at the neat array of rows of chic high-heeled shoes.

But for me, it would be very difficult to live comfortably without my high heels.

Tiwone Muwowo, Mzuzu, Malawi

I have noted with interest that I cannot live without my neighbours - both at home and at work.

Surely, sooner or later, one will need neighbours Tiwone Muwowo

They may not be as lovely as I would like them to be, but one thing is certain - they form part of my surroundings and I have learnt to appreciate their existence.

It does not matter who we are or where we live, neighbours matter.

I remember going to the village for my brother's funeral with my young nephew.

"How do people manage if they live far from other people?" he asked. "What if someone suddenly gets sick at night? Who will help them?"

I was touched and realised that even children realise that neighbours are really important.

I have observed that one can mind his or her own business for some time, ignoring neighbours as if they do not exist, but surely, sooner or later, one will need them.

That is why I could not live without my neighbours.

T Tesfaye, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

I could not live without pockets, as they help me to successfully manage my daily chores.

My pockets safeguard my valuable belongings, like my purse and keys.

My pockets are my life savers T Tesfaye

As I work in IT, I store all my files on flash disks and carry them to work in my pockets.

When I am invited out somewhere and want to look my best, I dress up in my three-piece suit.

To add a final touch of elegance, I place a smart handkerchief in the smallest of my pockets, together with a golden-chained watch.

When I am at a party and meet a beautiful woman, it is one of my pockets that produces sticks of chewing gum to help start a conversation as I offer it.

If all goes well and leads on to a joyful evening - you know what I mean - my pocket holds the source of my lifelong protection.

Penniless

On chilly days, I warm up my hands in my pockets and of course it is on these days that my nose starts running to embarrass me. It is my pocket that turns out a handkerchief to take care of the undesirables.

Once in a while when I am out on a night with my drinking friends, I always zip up a chunk of my money in my safety pocket, because it is on those days that we all feel like millionaires and spend all we have in our purses.

It is only when the morning dawns that the magic wand disappears and we are penniless again.

When my day seems gloomy because I have no money, I search though all my pockets in the cupboard and without doubt my day becomes bright again as I always find enough money to last me a day.

My pockets are my life savers and I would not want to live without them.

Samuel Abong Limbe-Road, Cameroon

I cannot live without being worried.

At 30 years old, I am yet to have found what I can do to make a living - not to mention getting married or building a house.

It was with a lot of difficulty that I struggled through secondary and high school with the invaluable help of my poor mother. Since leaving school, I have done everything sane and honest to make ends meet, to no avail.

I have worked as a labourer at the oil palm plantation; sold second-hand shoes as a huckster in Douala; I travelled to Niger in West Africa and attempted to cross the Sahara to North Africa in a quest to better my lot, but all these efforts failed.

I came back home and nothing has changed: I cannot help my ailing mother or help myself.

I seem to be in a cyst without an outlet.

Conditions around the continent keep getting worse. Under such circumstances, how can one possibly have peace of mind?

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

With the 50th anniversary of Ghana's independence coming up in March - an event that symbolised the beginning of the end of colonialism in Africa - the BBC's new competition for Africa will be on identity.

Let us know whether you identify yourself first and foremost with your family, your ethnic group, your country, your region or your continent. How does that affect the way you behave and the way you see the world?

If you have photos to accompany your contribution send them to [e-mail], otherwise use the form at the bottom of the page.

Entries should be no more than 300 words.

The best will be published on the BBC News website, broadcast on the BBC World Service's Network Africa programme and entered into a prize draw to win a week-long visit to London.

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