BLACK STARS DARE NOT FAIL US IN ANGOLA!

It was in a stadium called ‘Ohene Djan’ opposite the famous Black Stars Square in Accra that witnessed the last winners of the prestigious African Nations Cup. Now called the Orange African Cup of Nations due to sponsorship reasons; its new winners will be known in the land of the Palancas Negras – the Portuguese name of the rare Black Antelopes in Angola. And it will be in ‘Estádio 11 de Novembro’ in Luanda on the 31st of January to be precise, and as usual the Black Stars of Ghana will be there to participate.
Yet, the African Nations Cup, which commences in the next few weeks, lacks in reportage as the aura and anticipation of participating in an ‘African’ World Cup in Mzansi (South Africa) by the Black Stars dominates the mainstream Ghanaian media. And yeah, the conflict of loyalty that will arise when the Stars lace up their boots to battle Coach Milovan Rajevac’s Serbia in Pretoria on June 13 dominates, too.
On that cold night in far away Tripoli, twenty-seven years ago, when the George Alhassan and Opoku Afriyie led Black Stars won the fourth Nations Cup for Ghana; I reckon many of the current sports journalists or those charlatans parading themselves as such were neither born nor old enough to vividly remember the team’s starting eleven. Therefore, another Nations Cup trophy for mother Ghana is long overdue!
Significantly, this hunger for another continental title by the many soccer-crazed Ghanaians falls squarely on the shoulders of arguably the luckiest and most pampered Black Stars squad Ghana has ever produced (I used lucky advisedly). The ‘fat’ bonuses, the numerous sponsorship packages—Goldfields, Guinness Ghana, MTN, and Glo—and the support of all the major stakeholders in the football fraternity towards this Stephen Appiah led Black Stars is unprecedented in this country.
However, they are yet to win a major accolade for Ghana (the Four Nation Tournament they won in 2007 is not recognized by CAF, neither is FIFA). Before you ‘crucify’ me as being unfair towards the team—they were the first to qualify Ghana to the World Cup, right?—let me set some records straight.
No one can take the honour from the players and its technical team for it was through their zeal and perseverance that took us to our first global showpiece, but should that be the only yardstick to measure the success of a team that boasts of so many talents? Also, should we be overwhelmed by such a feat by a country that won its fourth Nations Cup as far back as 1982? And, the Black Stars are not the first nation to make it out of the group stages at their maiden appearance in the FIFA World Cup as Cameroun and Senegal have already blazed that trail and even better by beating then World Champions in Argentina and France, respectively. Methinks it is rather unfortunate to say the least that we managed to qualify for the World Cup seventy-five (75) years after its inception. Hence our qualification was rather a must and must be seen as such!
The core of this team has been around since 2004 (we failed to make it to the Nations Cup in Tunisia that year), however, its stuttering performances in 2004 and in early 2006 can be pardoned by many Ghanaian soccer enthusiasts since the team can be termed as being in a rebuilding process after the change of baton from C.K Akunnor to Stephen Appiah. So after close to six years of playing together as a unit, there will be no better time for the Black Stars to deliver Ghana another Nations Cup trophy in this century. The host and win in 2008? Needless to say, we hosted and delivered the trophy to Egypt.
The expectant news—yes, because I expected it—that the current ‘face’ of Ghanaian soccer on the globe, Michael Essien is injured and will miss the Nations Cup in Angola comes as a big blow. But this injury to Ghana’s ‘most’ loyal player (pun unintended) shouldn’t be used as a recipe for failure by Coach Milo and his boys. I said this from experience. Few weeks to the Nations Cup in Egypt in 2006, Essien got injured from what many Ghanaians think was orchestrated by the then Chelsea boss, Jose Mourinho against Tottenham. Subsequent injuries to Asamoah and Sulley derailed the Stars train and couldn’t make it from a group that comprised Nigeria, Senegal and Zimbabwe.
Though that misfortune turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Ghana’s performance the World Cup later in that year, a similar performance of the Black Stars in CAN 2006 in Angola would be totally unacceptable!
Prior to the day when Black Stars Captain Emmanuel Quarshie lifted Ghana’s fourth Nations Cup trophy in Tripoli, Libya, the Pharaohs of Egypt had only won the trophy twice and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun who is now at as Ghana with four trophies apiece hadn’t won any. Therefore, we can’t decide to rest on our laurels and live on past glories because the last time I checked, our country is not called England and our national team is called the Black Stars not Three Lions.
No disrespect to the prowess of the Pharaohs of Egypt, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun, the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire, the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the other perennial Nations Cup giants; but the Black Stars dare not to bring the Cup home from Angola. If they do, succinctly one thing describes them: they are underachievers and rightly so!

OLD SKUUL REUNION 09

Sitting pretty at the top of Ghana’s social calendar over the past few years, this year’s annual Joy FM ‘Old Skuul Reunion’ lived its billing and hype when it came off successfully at the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre in Accra.
After Joy FM had whet the appetite of attendants in their ‘jama’ contests by the various schools on their ‘Super Morning Show’ few weeks to the event, thousands of party rave heads from all walks of life thronged the Trade Fair to be part of this ground-breaking event.
Many schools from the length and breadth of the nation did all kinds of gimmicks for them to be easily recognized, however, the school which stood out tall and caught the most attention is Sakawa Sec. Tech. I am sure you might be wondering location of that school’s premises, but look no further if you spot any internet café because that is the school. Students of this ‘money making’ school displayed memorabilia’s like computer monitors, keyboards, mock coffin amongst others to the shock of many attendants.
It was an ‘Old Skuul Reunion’ indeed as majority of the artistes that mounted that gigantic Joy FM stage to treat the insatiable crowd at the Trade Fair Centre in La was of the ‘old school’ generation of the hiplife music genre in Ghana.
Among the ‘old’ faces that performed were Obrafour and Kontihene. Having been on the low since his last track ‘Heavy’ with Kofi B about three years ago, the man born Kwabena Okyere Darko and also known as ‘Ghana Rap Sofuo’ treated the crowd to hits after hits from his discography. From ‘Yaanom’, a song from his maiden album, ‘Pae Mu Ka’, to Kwame Nkrumah and the most recent ‘Heavy’, Obrafour left an impression on the crowd that he might be dormant at the moment but a big force to reckon with when it comes to stage performances and hiplife in GH.
Kontihene also made a case for the older generation of hiplifers in what looked like the old against the contemporary regarding artiste on the bill. He exhibited glimpses of his former self as the crowd sang along with him. Kwaw ‘King of the Streets’ Kesse, Sarkodie and Bradez represented the new faces.

Busta Rhymes Rocks GH

Having collaborated over the years to bring international artistes—Jay –Z, Shaggy, Kevin Little, Wayne Wonder amongst others—to mesmerize party raves in Ghana, events powerhouse Charterhouse and telecommunications giants MTN did it again by flying Brooklyn born MC, Busta Rhymes, to do a concert in commemoration of MTN’s 2nd Anniversary.
Starting two hours late albeit the 8pm stipulated, the concert at the Accra International Conference Centre was also used to celebrate Ghana’s second World Cup qualification of which MTN are the lead sponsors. Introduced by the master of ceremonies, Eddie Blay Jnr as the dynamic duo, Kwaku-T and D Black kick started the performances on the night with their two singles, “Move” and “Breathe” off their “Target Practice” album.
Backed by the dexterous Andy Dosty on the turn tables, the self titled best rapper alive, Okyeame Kwame had the half filled auditorium on their feet throughout his military choreographed performance. With arguably the hottest song in GH currently belonging to them, different kinds of cell phones and cameras were on display in the auditorium to capture the moment when 4X4 mounted the stage. Led by the silky voiced Fresh Prince, the group, clad in matching yellow jackets and sagged denims wowed the crowd throughout their performance.
The ladies turned on the fashion style on the night. The bevy of beautiful girls who thronged the Conference Centre to watch Busta Rhymes live displayed some real exotic fashion sense by wearing off the hook apparels. He started by performing renditions of various hip hop classics before coming to his tunes, however, MTN Music Icon Samini didn’t impress. With DJ Pepsi churning hits after hits from his discography, it was apparent that Samini has lost his flavour as the crowd was totally unfazed throughout his performance.
There couldn’t be a better prelude performance to Busta’s than that of his GH version, Sarkodie Obidi. Walking on stage with a buddy who was holding a wall clock to prove Sarkodie’s lyrical pace, he received the loudest applause of all the local artistes on the night. Tongue-twisting rapper Sarkodie proved why he is fast becoming fans favourite with an intense energy filled performance.
With the indefatigable DJ Black whetting the appetite of the now near filled auditorium with hits across the globe for some minutes, tattooed Busta Rhymes made a grand appearance on stage with his Flip Mode Entertainment protégé, Spliff Star and a hefty bodyguard. At exactly 40 minutes past midnight, Busta Rhymes alongside Spliff Star turned the auditorium on ‘fire’.
Born Trevor Taheim Smith Jr, Busta categorized his performances into three sections on the night—the retro classics, love duets and songs from the current album titled “Back on my BS”. Most popular in GH in the mid 90’s, the song ‘Dangerous’ from his second album “When Disaster Strikes” went down well with crowd. They sang lyric after lyric with the energized Busta Rhymes who couldn’t help but keep thanking the fans for coming out to watch him in his maiden performance in Accra.
Reveling in the frenzy and ecstatic atmosphere at the auditorium, many of the attendants were engaged in a battle of strength in front of the stage with their various digital cameras and cell phones to film Busta’s performance. Some even went to the extent of climbing the stage just to have a feel of the “Just Make It Clap” star.
After an intense one hour of performances of hits after hits, Busta finally brought the curtains down on the memorable night by proposing imaginary toasts to the organizers, his fans who came to see him live and the sitting first African American President of the United States, Barack Obama. He promised the insatiable crowd in the auditorium one thing before he bowed out: “I will be back”.

SAGGED JEANS: THE TRUTH BEHIND IT

It is rare for one to take a stroll through town, in recent times, without either spotting two out of five guys either in sagged denims or whatever shorts they are wearing and it seems this bug has bitten contemporary Ghanaian ladies in recent memory as they have adopted the sagging ‘flavour’.
Sagging is the practice of wearing a pair of trousers or shorts below the waist so as to reveal some or all the wearer’s underwear. Sagging is commonly reported in the media as having originated from the prohibition of belts for prisoners. Belts were banned because they could be used to commit suicide by hanging, to strangle others or as a weapon in a fight.
It is believed that this phenomenon caught up with the Ghanaian youth in the late eighties and early nineties. The term “Otto Pfister” as it is called in local parlance came about during the tenure of German Otto Pfister as coach of various national teams in Ghana. Known for his chain smoking, Otto Pfister was at the helm of affairs when the Black Starlets won the FIFA Youth Cup in Italy in 1991 and also led the Black Stars to second place finish at the African Cup of Nations in Senegal, 1992.
Despite his success with Ghana, this is a man who invariably has his trousers below his waist line. He rarely pulls his trousers up and it seems many of the youth at the time of his tenure adopted this style of dressing and has lived on as the ladies have also joined the fray. It is not only at nightclubs ladies are seen sagging.
Going by the women’s coinage of sagging as: “I am aware”, sagged trousers by women looks more serious than guys as many either refuse to wear ‘undies’ when they sag or wear a “G-string” types which lay bare their bums.
Sagging in Ghana can also be attributed to infiltration of cultures or vogue. The hip-hop culture in the Western world can be partly if not wholly blamed for sagging in Ghana. Most of the American rappers expose their boxers by sagging either in stage performances or award shows. With many of the youth having hip-hop artistes as role models, needless to say - they definitely copy their sagging style of dressing.
The hip-life music genre also plays a key role in the “Otto Pfister” trend amongst the youth and young artistes. A lot of youth seem to believe: one has to follow the status quo to thrive in this industry and only a few have succeeded without dressing in hip-hop or gangster fashion (whatever you will like to call it). Wearing baggy trousers, big medallions and dressing in flashy clothes has even become the norm in many self-acclaimed neighbourhoods for one to be accepted among one’s peers.
Sagging comes in two types - either to wear the trousers or shorts below the waistline with tightened belt or to let the belt loose to enable the trouser fall below the waistline. In this type, one has to pull the trousers up quite often.
Several reasons have been attributed to this Western style of dressing but What’s On decided to find answers to this question: what will prompt someone to sag? It is amazing some of the responses from people especially, the youth about why they will sag or why they need to sag. Senior high school graduate Evans said: “I don’t feel comfortable when my trousers are not below my waist line because I have worn it like that for a couple of years now”. Wannabe rapper, Don Winsky, was of another view of why one needs to sag: “sagging portrays you in a certain light and that shows you really know what’s going on. Also to become the rapper I want to be, I need to dress this way and that’s wassup”.
Popular radio and television presenter, Kofi Okyere Darko, was of the view that people have different reasons for sagging. “I think we have different types of jeans or trousers where some have loose waistlines therefore you don’t get any option than to wear it below the waist line. Also some copy it from rappers in the Western world”.
From a ladies viewpoint: Ellen thinks women are also into it more due to the fact that: “It is something that’s in vogue. It has come to the forefront these days because most of the shorts and trousers on the market for women are either loose or jsve been created in a certain way where it has to be below your waist line”.
Whatever the case maybe, sagging amongst the Ghanaian youth seems to be on the ascendency as one can now even spot sagged trousers at a ‘holy’ place like the church; banking halls and the senior high schools and universities are not faring any better.

ABLADE GLOVER’S 75TH BIRTHDAY ART EXHIBITION

The Artists Alliance Gallery in Accra has carved a niche for its self over the past few years as place where opportunities are offered to both local and international artists to exhibit their talents, therefore, the venue comes no better for famous Ghanaian artist, Professor Ablade Glover as he held an art exhibition to commemorate his 75th birthday in Accra recently.

The exhibition attracted a cross section of the media, art collectors, artists and some prominent personalities in legendary Ghanaian poet, Professor Atukwei Okai, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr. Nick Westcott amongst others. Most of the paintings on display were abstract oil paintings done by the Professor over the years.

In a very simple yet well organized exhibition, the art fanatics around looked very satisfied with the works on display as many were seen discussing the beauty of one painting after the other. Out of the fifty-two (52) paintings that Professor Glover put on display, many were contemporary art blended with primitive settings like fisher folks, market women, and religious settings amongst others.

Professor Ablade Glover, who also doubles as the Director of the Artist Alliance Gallery, told What’s On the rationale behind the exhibition and the paintings as he said: “As an artist, I paint things that interest me and those are about women. I like their courage so as you can see, there are a lot of women in my paintings. I also like to paint things about spirituality though I wonder if they are real.”

“These paintings are works I have done over the years and I have selected the ones I really because as an artist you like all your works to portray my seventy-fifth birthday.” The exhibition, which was to celebrate the diamond jubilee, of perhaps one of the finest artists Ghana has ever produced lasted for thirty days.

USAIN BOLT—A RARE GEM

Prior to his then world record of 9.72 seconds he set in New York in May 2008, Usain Bolt was anonymous to the sporting world— perhaps with the exception of a few athletics fanatics in Jamaica. The summer Olympic Games in 2008 officially unleashed him to the spotlight as he led the domination of the Jamaicans in the track and field competition at the ‘Bird’s Nest’. He did this with mind-blowing performances that included shattering two world records in the process.

Starting the 2009 season by competing over 400 metres to improve his speed, Usain Bolt suffered a minor leg injuries in a car crash in late April and also the resurgence of rival Tyson Gay from injury compounded pressure on Usain to add the world title to his Olympic titles in order to reach hall of fame status where he has gradually approaching or perhaps approached.

Turning a professional in 2002, this 23-year old is re-writing the history books in a way that pundits haven’t seen in a while. His exploits have even incited some of his rivals including compatriot Asafa Powell to make comments like they don’t think he is from this planet and the fact that someone has to come from space to stop this “thunderbolt” as he is called in Jamaica. At age 15, he had grown to 6ft 5in tall and at age sixteen; he had reached times that the legendary Michael Johnson couldn’t until he was age 20.

In his fifth senior race over the 100 metres distance, he broke Asafa Powell’s record of 9.74 seconds to 9.72 seconds. Combining both the 100 metres and 200 metres at the Olympic Games in Beijing, he won Jamaica’s first gold medal at the competition in a world record time 9.69 seconds. The remarkable aspect of this feat is that, he did this by visibly slowing down to celebrate and also his golden Puma spikes with the inscription “Beijing 100m Gold” were untied. He was criticized for showboating few metres to the finish line; however, the real argument was about how early he could have finished with a time of 9.52s from his coach.

Exactly a year to the day he won the Olympic gold in Beijing, on the blue tartan tracks at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, the world was awe-stricken as Bolt won his first World Championship gold medal in 9.58s in what was the largest ever margin of improvement in the 100m world record since the beginning of electronic timing. Taking over a tenth of a second off the previous world record, his closest rival Tyson Gay finished in a distant second with a time of 9.71seconds (the best by any American thus far).

The athletics world and lovers of sports in general are trying to find new superlatives to describe what he is doing as those available are understatements to his achievements. He has taken 0.16 sec off the 100 m in just 15 months—previously the mark has been lowered by only 0.21 secs by seven athletes over a 39-year period. Being the first man to hold both 100 and 200 meters Olympic and World crowns with world record times, one won’t be wrong in saying Usain is the greatest sportsman ever!

BERTHA WINS STARS OF THE FUTURE SEASON FOUR

In arguably the most competitive season by far, ‘Stars of the Future’ Season 4 came to a thrilling climax at the National Theatre in Accra. After thirteen weeks of intense singing battle between 12 competitors, the finale had only four remaining in Akosua, Bertha, Nyaneba and the affable Christian.
Former contestant and Season 1 second runner-up Jane Awindor set the ball rolling after a few delays as she exhibited her good singing abilities with two of the official soundtracks from Shirley Frimpong Manso’s hit romantic movie, The Perfect Picture. The contestants started by performing duets in a group of two which earned Nyaneba and Christian deafening cheers from the auditorium when they performed Wyclef Jean and Claudette Otis’s hit single “Two Wrongs”.
The final which was in two rounds had the contestants in the first round performing renditions of songs by other artiste and the second round had them performing tracks written and composed by them. Each contestant performed creditably well in the first round but medical student, Bertha, was the toast of the audience as she performed Whitney Houston’s ‘Greatest Love’.
Anchored by the hunky and versatile Chris Attoh, the regular judges of the competition: ace music producer Zapp Mallet, veteran broadcaster Doreen Andoh of Joy FM fame and the ever critical Kiki Banson were joined on the bench by MOBO award winner Samini and ‘Stars of the Future’ Season 1 winner, songtress Irene Logan as guest judges for the finals.
Akosua started the second round of the competition with a nice ballad she composed titled “I will survive”. This round also had the contestants composing a forty-five minutes jingle for the FIFA World Cup in 2010 sponsored by MTN. Christian stole the show of this round as his song titled “Fakye” and produced by Ghana Music Awards winner Richie had the near-filled auditorium on their dancing feet.
Following the first guest artiste on the night’s—Jane Awindor—sterling performance, music producer cum singer Richie raised the roof with his sultry tracks. He showed his versatility as an all round performer with a few choreographed dance moves that will rival Michael Joseph Jackson in his tribute to the ‘King of Pop’.
Fast lyricist and one of the hottest hiplifers in Ghana today, Sarkodie Obidi didn’t disappoint either as his tongue-twisting went well with the audience who sang along with him in his entire performance. However, in what looked like flawless performances by all the guest artistes was contrasted by last year’s winner, Adina. In a performance that will pass for a Senior High Variety Show, the audience could not help but boo her off stage.
After two hours of good performances by all the contestants, Akosua won the forty-five minutes World Cup jingle competition from MTN and she took home a cool 1,000 Ghana Cedis and a 2010 World Cup treat for her prize. Tense and nerve wracking would be the best words that can describe the mood in the auditorium and amongst the competitors when MC Chris Attoh mentioned the results.
With the results collated by the event statisticians, Media GSM, Akosua was the third runner up and Nyaneba came up as the second runner up. Establishing herself as a favourite during the competition, Bertha was announced, and deservedly so, as the winner of ‘Stars of the Future’ Season 4 with Christian placing a close second much to the delight of the audience.
Covered in confetti, Bertha received her prize for a recording and performance contract worth 25,00 Ghana Cedis and a KIA Picanto from the Marketing Manager of the headline sponsors of the competition, telecommunication giants, MTN!

Spanish La Liga: The Must Watch Season

The English Premiership might be touted as the best league you can find anywhere on the globe right now, it might have the biggest purse regarding television rights, it might also have the largest fan base in Ghana or perhaps on the African continent at large. However, only a name comes to mind as to which league will garner the most attention this season, grab the most headlines and perhaps produce the next world best, and that is: the Spanish La Liga.
Commanding an average attendance of 29,029 for league matches—third highest of any professional league behind the Bundesliga and the Premier League—this twenty-team league has been on the back pedal to the English game for a couple of years now.
The astronomical spending of giants Real Madrid and Catalonia club Barcelona has painted the picture of a two-team race for the league crown next May, however, the ability of some other big clubs to hold on to their prized assets this term means they could challenge the huge spenders for the crown. Even if the other clubs don’t perform and it turns out to be a two-club race, the scrimmage for the other two Champions League spots will be more than interesting.
Having arrived back at the Estadio Calderon from a loan spell at Portuguese outfit Benfica, former Arsenal and Sevilla star, Jose Antonio Reyes will bolster an Atletico Madrid team that showed glimpses of promise last season. With last year’s Pichichi (name for top goal scorer in the La Liga) winner Diego Forlan and Sergio “Kun” Aguerro being one of the feared strike tandems in La Liga last season, a different tune will be sang at the Calderon come at the end of May if these players should find their groove and gel.
Sevilla will us also be a delight to watch as they have been for the past couple of years. Having miraculously held on to 2009 Confederations Cup top scorer, Luis Fabiano, to stay, and with Frederick Kanoute also in the offing, La Liga will definitely not be a two-man race as Sevilla is likely to battle it out with the ‘big boys’ till the final day of the completion. With David Villa and David Silva still at Valencia, that means this Mestalla outfit could also join the party that will take the Spanish La Liga down to the wire this season.
Florentino Perez’s return as the President of Real Madrid for the second time meant the return of the ‘Galatico’ era II. This second coming Perez—a civil engineer by profession—revolutionarized the transfer market as Real Madrid shattered their former world record in transfer fees by bringing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. Adding Kaka, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso, Raul Albiol and Arbeloa to their roster this season, Real Madrid’s overall summer spending have been pegged above 200 million Euros and it places a mammoth pressure on Chilean coach Pelligrini and his men to perform.
With problems such rifts in the dressing room; ego clashes and off-the-field antics by some of these stars coming hand-in-hand with assembling ‘Galaticos’, it will be totally wrong for one to presume that the men in white from Madrid will totally dominate this season. Despite the big name purchases, all of Madrid’s new stars are new to the terrain in La Liga and would need time to be in-sync with each other. This won’t be an easy feat as the ever-expectant fans and the media would expect them to win everything being competed looking at the huge cash spent to put them together.
Barcelona still remains the team to beat despite their rivals from the capital huge spending. Achieving an impeccable record of being the first Spanish team of winning an unprecedented treble responded to their rivals by making Zlatan Ibrahimovich the second most expensive player in history as a replacement for departed Cameroonian striker Samuel Eto’o. Barcelona can pick up six trophies this campaign with the European Super Cup and the World Club Championships all on their agenda.
With a chunk of the players of the record winning treble feat still around, the title looks likely to go to Catalonia again. However, there will be an increased work load for Pep Guadiola’s men this term and their ability to respond to the pressures of travelling to Japan for the World Club Championships, defending their UEFA Champions League crown and going toe-to-toe with Real Madrid in the league will define their season.
Getting around 7000 Espanyol fans turning up to welcome him to the La Liga, former Celtic midfielder and Japanese dead ball expert, Shunsunke Nakamura, and English man Jermaine Pennant are few of other new faces who have switched to the Spanish league this season; not forgetting our own Ghanaian Derek Boateng – now with Getafe.
The chunks of the summer transfers are now in the La Liga, the world best players for the past two years are also there and the highest paid player in the world is also in Spain, therefore, this league which has produced majority of the world best players over the past decade certainly topples all the others for this season!

GHANA @ THE 2010 WORLD CUP: THE JOURNEY STARTS NOW

The Black Stars enviable feat of being the first African nation alongside hosts South Africa to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2010 reaffirms Ghana’s football supremacy on the African continent. Also, it goes on to prove that the Black Stars maiden appearance at the Mundial in Germany three years ago was no coincidence.

In what seemed daunting to the Stars till November, 2005 in Cape Verde, this consecutive World Cup appearance didn’t come without the usual hullabaloos and skepticism. Characteristic of the Ghanaian media, much noise was made of how unimpressive the team looked going into the qualifiers and also considering the fact that Ghana was paired alongside a rejuvenated Mali under the tutelage of Nigerian Stephen Keshi, Sudan and bogey side Benin.

Serbian tactician Milovan Rajevac’s appointment in August 2008 to steer the affairs of the Black Stars also fuelled the criticism on the team. Virtually a novice on the African terrain and nothing concrete to write about in his resume, Coach Rajevac was received in Ghana with much skepticism than confidence.

Ghana’s lackluster opening day qualifiers win against Benin in Kumasi dent the World Cup dream from the onset. However, the return of some of the key players from injury and the incredible performances and enthusiasm displayed by some of the young lads like Kwadwo Asamoah and Samuel Inkoom in the absence of their senior colleagues rekindled the dream and led to impressive wins against Mali and Sudan in their own backyards.

With other perennial super powers on the African continent—Nigeria, Cameroun and Egypt—currently struggling to make it to the first World Cup to be staged in Africa, it won’t be wrong for one to say Ghana’s early qualification is a blessing in disguise. The two remaining matches in the qualifiers will offer Coach Milo, as he is affectionately called in Ghana, the luxury to fill all the pores in the team and invite new players to justify themselves in the team as well.

The Black Stars lack of potency in front of goal is far from over. Despite being one of the top five teams which created the most scoring chances at the last FIFA World Cup, they scored a meager four goals at the tournament and couldn’t make it past the second round. The apparent naivety of the Stars strike force was most evident in their second round tie against Brazil where many pundits thought they could and should have won.

Asamoah Gyan’s inconsistency in front of goal, Junior Agogo’s rustiness and the injury prone Matthew Amoah needs rejuvenation if the Stars are to make any better mark in South Africa. Another problem with the Black Stars that need serious shore up is the lateral defence. John Paintsil has come under a barrage of criticism over the years for non-performance but he has managed to silence his critics recently with good performances for both club and country.
Picture this scenario: the midfield tandem between Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari doesn’t gel on match day, John Mensah gets injured at the back or the ever reliable Richard Kingson sustains an injury? The repercussions of such a scenario far outweigh the positives because the team has been built around a few players. This is a serious cause of concern for the handlers of the team as an unexpected injury or punishment for any of the senior players will spell doom for the Black Stars.

For the Black Stars to go past the second round in South African and etch its name in the history books, they shouldn’t rest on their laurels on being one of the first ten (10) countries to qualify for the thirty-two (32) nation showpiece in ‘Mandela’ land next year. Rather, the remainder of the qualifiers should be used to fine tune the current squad and find worthy backups.

KPOKPOI

It is usually found during the months of July and August when the Homowo festival is celebrated by the various Ga communities - La, Osu, Nungua, Teshie, Ga-Mashie, Tema - or only on special occasions when sacrifices are being performed to the gods. Regardless of the occasion for which it is prepared, ‘Kpokpoi’ is an essential food to the Gas during the Homowo festival.

‘Kpokpoi’is the festal meal used in celebrating Homowo. Lore has it that the Homowo festival recounts the odyssey of the Gas from Israel through Ile Ife in Nigeria to their present location in Accra. In their journey, they were struck by severe famine, which encouraged them to embark on a massive food production exercise the following season that yielded a bumper harvest. They reveled with a festival that ridiculed hunger.

This meal which is prepared by women early on Homowo morning is made up of steamed corn flour, palm oil and is eaten with palm soup and a variety of fish from the sea. The preparation starts with the soaking of the corn in water for three days. The corn is ground and molded in a way that a little water is added which does not allow air toenter.

The ‘Kpokpoi’, which is sprinkled by Chiefs of Homowo celebrating communities along the principal streets of their communities, is cooked with the traditional pot. The pot is covered with a colander which is attached to it with corn dough and ashes. A traditional sponge is then put in the colander in order to allow the steam to gently evaporate while getting the kpokpoi steamed slowly.

The corn flour is then spread evenly in the traditional colander till it is covered almost to the brim. The corn flour will be steam-cooked in twenty to thirty minutes and then it is poured into a traditional mortar called ‘nmetso’ normally used to pound palm fruits. Here palm oil is fried with shrimps and an onion which is then mixed with the steamed corn flour in the ‘nmetso’. It is then pounded until the palm oil is uniformly mixed with the corn flour. At this point, a little okra is also boiled and ground to be mixed with a steamed corn flour with palm oil mixed corn dough.

The corn dough is then poured on a sieving material called ‘agbadza’ and sieved. During the sieving, the crumbs of the corn dough are left on the ‘agbadza’ and the fine ones which goes under either a basin or a big bowl that has been placed under the ‘agbadza’ is collected and moulded finely in plates. The rough ones left on the ‘agbadza’ are thrown away.

This meal which is sprinkled to the gods and ancestors for their guidance of inhabitants in Homowo celebrating communities, looks set for consummation after it has been sieved in the ‘agbadza’ and it is usually served with palm nut soup .

MTN SOCCER ACADEMY LAUNCH

In an atmosphere filled with fun and excitement, the MTN Soccer Academy was officially launched at the Academy House at Ridge in Accra recently. In its third season, this year’s Soccer Academy will include brilliant soccer players from Nigeria as well.
Arguably the biggest sports reality show in Ghana and perhaps on the African continent, this talent-hunting programme has certainly come to stay as it has transcended the Ghanaian borders into Nigeria.
The launch which was interlaced with ‘jama’ songs from the Nationwide Supporters Union (NSU) and some choreographed cultural dance, attracted dignitaries like the GCEO of Metro TV, Mr. Talal Fattal, Mr. George Andah of MTN, Hon. Nii Nortey Dua amongst others. Also the logo for this year’s competition dubbed: ‘MTN Soccer Academy, Ghana-Nigeria’ was unveiled.
The MTN Soccer Academy which will be telecast live on both Metro TV in Ghana and Africa Independent Television (AIT) in Nigeria will officially have fourteen footballers with seven each from Ghana and Nigeria inducted into the Academy House in September.
The winner of the show will drive home a new Hyundai Tuscan and a year contract with a local club in Ghana or Nigeria. Also, as part of the many changes to suit the international status of the show this year, the originator Mr. Talal Fattal disclosed at the launch that: “The pitch has been expanded by 50% and there will be a lot of live candid’s this year”. “This year will be one to remember for a very long time”, he added.
With the maiden winner Gideon Baah doing extremely well on the local football terrain and sophomore winner Stephen Sowu now in South Africa with a Cape Town club, the MTN Soccer Academy 2009 will not only be exciting but competitive as well taking into account the thousands of young and aspiring footballers who will throng the registration centres in Accra, Kumasi and Lagos.

2009 CONFEDERATIONS CUP: SOUTH AFRICA LOOKS SET FOR THE WORLD.

After a highly successful World Cup in Germany in 2006, there has always been an enormous pressure on South Africa to raise the bar above what happened three years ago. With the apparent delays in construction of the stadia, the ever-growing crime rate and other protocol related problems, the skeptics grew by the day of whether South Africa can host the FIFA World Cup.
However, if the Confederations Cup, which serves as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup is anything to go by, then all is set for the world to converge and enjoy the Mundial in Africa. Known as the ‘Festival of Champions’, the eighth Confederations Cup held in South Africa served as a befitting prelude to what soccer fans should expect next year.
Even though the four stadia (Coca Cola Park, Loftus Versfeld, Free State Stadium and Royal Bafokeng Stadium) used in the competition also hosted matches during the British and Irish Lions rugby tour simultaneously, the sometimes bad nature of these pitches did not overshadow the football brilliance and surprises displayed by the competitors.
This free-scoring tournament will also go down as one with many surprises. All the odds were against Egypt to beat World Champions Italy. Nobody gave the United States of America any chance of progressing past the group stage going into the last group games and yet they found themselves in the finals. This odyssey by the ‘Stars and Stripes’ country included stinging favourites, Spain, in the semis and nearly causing the biggest upset of the Confederations Cup by going up two goals against Brazil in the finals before the ‘Samba Boys’ came back to win in the dying minutes.
The FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 also offered soccer fans a glimpse of budding stars to look out for at the 2010 World Cup. Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo announced his presence to the soccer world in grand style at the tournament and compatriot Andre Santos didn’t disappoint either in his first tournament for the Selecao. South Africa had a prospect in left back Tsepo Masilela and American big defender Oguchi Onyewu and his goalkeeper Tim Howard were part of the brightest at the tournament.
Nice football was played at the tournament: Kaka justified his huge price tag and Brazil proved to the world once again that football runs in their blood as they won the competition back-to-back. However, for me, what grabbed the attention and headlines at this tournament were the Vuvuzelas (for the wrong reasons though). This legendary horn synonymous with South African football is a vociferous air horn that reverberates around arenas with rare energy.
Many of the European players who are not accustomed to this kind of noise complained bitterly about its distraction to the players and one of such strong critiques was Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso and called for its ban in the stadia. However, the man who made sure the World Cup is staged in Africa for the first time, FIFA President Sepp Blatter, thinks otherwise. He said, “It’s an African culture and we are in Africa and we have to allow them to practice their culture as much as they want to.”
Attendance at football matches in Africa has been a problem over the years and was one of the strong points of the doubters of whether South Africa can host the World Cup. However, the enthusiastic patronage at the various stadia by local fans, indeed, goes on to say: Africa is ready for the world! Another perennial problem of the African game, power outages, during matches played at night, was a rarity at this tournament and television transmission was also great.
Despite Egypt’s failure to reach the semis and hosts South Africa’s inabilities to play in the final and possibly annex the trophy, chances are brighter for African teams who will be representing at next year’s football festival, to excel. The ‘Festival of Champions’ has stepped up the World Cup fever not only in South Africa but the world at large and I have no doubt in my mind that South Africa will not only make Africa proud but also all those who helped in bringing the World Cup to Africa by staging the FIFA World Cup the African way.

DA VIVA SEW PROJECT FINALE

A concept initiated by former Ghanaian international model, Pearl Amoah Nyamekor, the MTN Da Viva Sew Project came to a thrilling climax at the Mobile Pavilion at the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre in Accra recently.
Living to its billing as the first sewing reality show in Ghana, guests at the grand finale had a lot of fun with the dazzling catwalk skills displayed by the models and the innovative designs paraded on the night.
The show which started about an hour late to its scheduled time was in two categories. The first category was to crown a winner for the MTN Queen of the Runway and a winner for the main category which was the MTN Da Viva Sew Project.
Three finalists of the MTN Queen of the Runway Competition—Babsie, Angela and Nana Yaa—displayed elegant catwalk skills with splendid designs from the guest designers on the night: Pearl Amoah Nyamekor, the Sew Project evictees, Breeze Klodine, Marcelo Carle and Cecilia. Their performances on the runway determined who was crowned the first MTN Queen of the Runway.
The finale which was interlaced with live band music from the Hot Barrels Band and cultural performances from the Kekeli Dance Ensemble had Kweku, Pokua and the dexterous Nana competing for the grand prize—the new VW Suran donated by Universal Motors.
Judged by Marcelo Carle, Albert Johnson and Ghanaian international model, Belinda Baidoo, the three finalists created fifteen designs ranging from collections like casual, maternity, MTN ‘Can Do’, drama and evening wears called the Da Viva Star. Nana made known his intentions of winning the prize early as he ‘sparkled’ the runway with his ‘crazy’ designs which threw the guests into frenzy. Pokua who seemed to have an overwhelming support from the audience did her own thing and Kweku also showed his worth as a finalist with dazzling Ghanaian made designs.
Tall and eloquent Babsie took the prize for face of MTN worth a year’s contract as well as a year’s contract with Da Viva as winner of the MTN Queen of the Runway Competition. Nana won GHC 1,000 by placing second and Angela won GHC 500 by coming third.
Tensed and nervous would be the best words to describe Nana, Kweku and Pokua as the master of ceremonies on the night mentioned the results. Determined by 40% voting from the public, 40% by the judges and 20% by tasks the finalists have performed in the Da Viva Sew Project house, tears of joy and screams of satisfaction greeted the pronouncement of Nana as the first winner of the MTN Da Viva Sew Project Reality Show which won him a VW Suran. Kweku came second and Pokua came third to the disappointment of her numerous fans at the pavilion.
Queen of highlife music, Asabea Cropper, showed she hasn’t lost touch as she wowed guests with a spectacular performance accompanied by the ‘Kente Man’. ‘Dunsin’ also crowned the night with their hit track “Oyeadeyie”.
The Da Viva Sew Project Reality Show is the first of its kind in Ghana and aired on GTV for 13 weeks. Initiated by D&P Holdings owned by Pearl and McDiamond Nyamekor, the show was sponsored by MTN, Da Viva and Universal Motors.

RAQUEL

Rapper Sway might be the only one or perhaps a few others who are representing the motherland (Ghana) music-wise in the United Kingdom, but this is about to change pretty soon as UK based Ghanaian songtress Raquel prepares her debut album.

Even though the much anticipated album is still in the offing, Raquel has managed to release two club-banging singles currently playing across radio stations in the country. The singles, “Get Wild” which has one of the hottest and favourite rappers you can find in the country at the moment and Ghana’s definition to American rapper Twist, Sarkodie doing his tongue-twisting raps alongside underground rapper Guru.

This singing juggernaut who was born Raquel Ayorkor Ammah but has chosen Raquel for showbiz purposes started singing at the tender age of five. Coming from musically inclined family of six, Raquel honed her singing abilities at age eight as she was singing both at home and in school. Music has been part of Raquel all her life as she admitted “I have always wanted to become a musician. I love to sing and love to see how people react to it.”

Tagging herself as a “Rhythms and Blues” (R&B) artiste, it therefore comes as no surprise as she grew up listening mainly to American R&B star Brandy Norwood. Her Ghanaian upbringing also allowed her to listen to Tic Tac, good old Pat Thomas, Obrafour and hiplife legend Reggie Rockstone.

Born and bred in the UK, Raquel is a final year student at the University of Roe Hampton where she is studying Drama, Theatre and Performing Studies. These courses have led her to add acting to her repertoire but she was quick to point out that she hasn’t done any professional yet (I am sure the movie producers are taking notice). However, she has couple of stage plays at famous theatres in the UK like Paul Robeson Theatre, Hammer Smith Theatre and Sadlewetts.

Raquel’s singing talent has also landed her on big shows both here in Ghana and the United Kingdom including performances at Exopa, African Regent Hotel, and the Accra Mall with the prominent among them being her performance at Miss Ghana UK 2005 at Stratford Rex when she was 18.

Benjamin Willie Graham

For one to thrive and make a mark on radio and television, not only does one have to be articulate but must possess a good voice as well and that is exactly what has made young presenter, Benjamin Willie Graham, a toast of sports listeners in Accra.

With majority of the sports programmes on radio in Accra presented in Twi and Ga, “Sports World”, on Uniiq 95.7 Fm is one of the best if not the best sports programme in English, thanks to young and silky-voiced Graham.

over a few drinks at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) cafeteria, What’s On enquired about life and work for Graham, as he is popular called, at Uniiq Fm. “I will say it has been bitter-sweet as it has been challenging and exciting as well. Sports is not the only programme presented by this smooth talking radio personality as he said: “I present the ‘Sports World’ every weekday morning, I am a DJ and I do news presentations as well as sports commentary, which is my favourite. I also stand in a lot for absent colleagues”.

Growing up, Graham did not have the slightest of doubts as to what he wanted to become as he told What’s On: “I had the love for journalism, either as television or a radio presenter, therefore when my voice started developing, I honed it in secondary school by engaging in public speaking. Also some teachers encouraged me to go into radio because I have the voice”.

Though he is currently on radio in Accra, the journey actually started in Cape Coast. Right after his secondary school education at St. Augustine’s College in 2003, he quickly started with Radio Central in Cape Coast upon a friend’s advice. “I actually started as a panelist on the Sunday sports programme and graduated to become the producer of the programme. My breakthrough came when my boss traveled to the UK and I was asked to host the show which I did to perfection”.

Back then at Radio Central—a subsidiary of GBC—Graham joggled between Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast running football commentary. Radio commentary, his flagship trade as he calls it, is something he has done to perfection so far. With over four years’ experience, Graham has run commentary of matches in the Ghanaian League, matches of the Black Stars and many others.

This calm looking young man who also worked as an investigative reporter for the Enquirer newspaper for two years is also the sports news presenter on GTV’s Evening News. After making cameo roles on Sports Beat hosted by George Lartey on GTV, he said, “I was asked to present the sports news on GTV by the Deputy Director of GBC, Mr. Anane Sarpong after the regular presenter traveled”.

Any role models when growing up? “It was actually difficult identifying someone as my role model but I have one particular voice on BBC which I liked and that is Russell Fuller”. He also has an admiration for veteran commentator Kwabena Yeboah.

Benjamin Willie Graham is the last of a family of nine, attended St. Augustine’s College, Jayee Institute and the Ghana Institute of Journalism. How he relaxes after a busy day? “I either hang out with friends, swim, and play or watch soccer”.

B- EXOTIC

Beatrice Anna Arthur, better known as Bee Arthur, exploded like a bomb on the African Fashion scene over a decade ago and is undeniably one of the top African designers. Her exuberance and ingenious creative verve find flamboyant expression in her experimentations with colours and textures.
Bee’s originality gained her recognition at the Kora Fashion Awards in Sun City, South Africa with the title of Best African Designer, and thus established her as an astute creative force to be reckoned with in Ghana if not the African continent. Having recently embarked on a solo career to further explore her artistic capabilities, Bee now designs only under her own label—B’ EXOTIQ.
Undoubtedly, Bee’s fashion sense is a result of her Russian and Ghanaian heritage, as well the time spent living both in Ghana and Ukraine. With her innate sensitivity to colours and talent for drawing, Bee returned to Ghana from Odessa – a port city on the Black Sea famous for its fashionistas, composers, artists and ballet dancers - as a teenager with an alternative outlook on African fashion.
She dared to mix, blend and fuse different types of textiles, the result of which were and still are often uniquely original garments. Bee’s ability to create funky and fun clothing runs alongside an elegant and “wearable” range of garments destined for the more conservative clientele.
Having been cited in “Elegance Africaine” by Renee Mendy, a book that highlights some of the best designers on the African continent, this dexterous fashion designer has also granted interviews to the BBC AND RFi as well as featured in magazines like the West Africa Magazine, Africa Live (Germany), and ROOTS (UK). However Bee says: “It started as fun in 1995 - it wasn’t meant to be my profession as it was my hobby. I had wanted to become a Doctor, a translator or work as a teacher”.
A former recipient of the Young Achievers Award in Fashion in Ghana, Bee has participated in many major fashion shows across the African continent. She exhibited at “Afric Collection” in Cameroun, “FESPACO” in Burkina Faso and she has been invited by Exopa Model Agency to participate at this year’s Ghana Fashion Weekend in July.
B’EXOTIQ—“be exotic”—symbolizes an ingenious fusion of African and European cultures, a pure expression of her mixed origins and her deep love for symbolism and woven cloths from different parts of the world. This collage of textures, colours, symbolism and styles makes Bee’s style particularly distinct whiles paying homage to traditional craftsmanship of artists and artisans.
Despite Bee’s zeal for fashion, it is interesting to know that it’s not her only passion as she confessed to What’s On: “I am a passionate gardener and also a longtime collector of “bee” objects and who love reading”. She also loves stringing and designing beads as a way of calming her nerves after a hectic day. Even though Bee can now be described as a master of her profession, she has admiration for others for their classiness: “I admire Jean Paul Gaultier for his extravagance and Italian designers like Armani and Fendi for their classic designs”.
Her charming and exuberant personality, knowledge of languages (she speaks five languages) and creativity all fused are some of the prime things that have made her one of the icons in the Ghanaian fashion industry. On the question on how she will like posterity to judge her, she said: “I wasn’t scared to dare and I had alternative outlook on African fashion. I pushed the boundary of what is traditionally referred to as African fashion”.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: DOMINANCE BY ENGLISH TEAMS?

Ever since the name was officially made the UEFA Champions League prior to the 1992 competition (formerly known as the European Cup or European Champions Cup), there have been several winners of this prestigious trophy till date with Italy’s A.C Milan and Spain’s and the overall best winners of this competition Real Madrid leading the pack with three wins apiece.

Over the last five years, however, things have changed as the competition has been dominated season after season by clubs from the English Premier League. With England at the moment having, arguably, the best League on the globe, English Club sides have been so dominant and strong especially in the past few years where three of the four clubs who played in this year’s semi-finals were from the Premiership.

Formerly, the Champions League had no clear favourites before the competition started and also it was a title all the teams could hope to lift…but not anymore. These days the UEFA Champions League title appears destined for the Premier League’s big four—Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool.

Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea’s participation in this season’s semi finals confirmed that for the fifth year in a row, a team from the English Premiership will be in the epic finals of the UEFA Champions League. (Real Madrid hasn’t made the Quarterfinals for the fifth year in a row). At least one English side has been to the final of the competition for the past four years, producing two winners in Liverpool (2005) and Manchester United in 2008. Moreover, no English side has been beaten by continental opposition, since Milan’s victory over Liverpool in the 2007 Finals in Athens.

These facts lead football enthusiasts to question whether the English Premier League is in better shape than the Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga, Eridivise, Ligue1, and all the major leagues in Europe. Is it that there are more foreign entrepreneurs owning and investing in clubs in England? To FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, the latter is true as he and UEFA boss Michel Platini have been two of the strongest critics of the English dominance in the Champions League.

Sepp Blatter wants to impose a foreign quota system on European teams to counter the dominance of England’s Premier League teams in the Champions League. He said: “For the last two seasons, there have been three Premier League sides in the last-four of Europe's elite club competition and I fear a monopolization of football, with the richest clubs buying up the best players from all over the world at the expense of domestic talent".

The Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, couldn’t be much happier with the recent surge of English teams in the Champions League, as he told British tabloid, The Sun, in an interview: “It’s a pity we couldn’t have had all four of our clubs in the semi-finals. The whole point of a competition is the best to come out and that’s what is happening".

Whatever the case maybe, England has the finest league in the world at the moment. Also one cannot predict whether this dominance will end anytime soon as many of the top and astute players in the world all seem to be eyeing the Premiership.

CREATIVITY IN THE MIDST OF CHALLENGES

A first time visit to Amorko Gravity Studios in Osu, will make one to quickly draw a comparison between art galleries or studios in Ghana and other parts of the developed world, but that comparison, cannot take away the innovative and creative works that come out of this studio. The brain behind this ‘everything art’ studio is versatile artist, Nicholas Nii Amasah.
Nii Amasah says “art has been my talent from infancy. Naturally it is in the family as my mother used to sew and my sister as well”. He started this art business ten years when he was working with an NGO called Ever Images at Nungua. This NGO which is owned by his aunty specializes in teaching street children and kids beads-making and also gets volunteers from different parts of the world to help in sustaining their cause.
His brilliant paintings were spotted by one of the volunteers who came from Canada. This volunteer took the painting to Canada for exhibition in an international show which Nii Amasah says brought good responses from people who were impressed with his work. This feat earned him an invitation from a French friend to exhibit in France recently but he was unfortunately denied a traveling visa.
Holder of a Diploma in Arts and a certificate in Graphics from the school of Ultimate Art in Mamprobi in Accra, Nii Amasah honed his art at Opportunities Industrialization Centre (OIC). He says painting has two major components - graphics and normal painting. The graphics, he indicates, has more to do with advertising and has been relegated to the background as Nii Amasah continues to execute the painting talent with perfection.
Most of the paintings on display in Amorko Gravity Studios are both abstract and figure works (abstracts being paintings you cannot readily understand on the face of it and figure works are pieces you can really see and quickly appreciate). The paintings, many of which have human interest undertones portray kids, ‘kayayei’ and general life in Accra. Nii Amasah is also into fashion as he sews costumes for both ladies and gentlemen. He developed this sewing interest when he was in the first year in art school as he took fashion designing lessons.
Nii Amasah has held major exhibitions in different art galleries over the years. As a member of the Ghana Artists Association, he has exhibited with the Contemporary Artists Association at the Goethe Institute, the Junior Art Club at the British Council, and also some major hotels in Accra including Novotel. Talking about his future projects, Nii is collaborating with the Director of Ever Images to do an exhibition at Alliance Francaise on the 14th of April, an event which he says will display at least twenty-five of his works. He also plans to hold another exhibition at the National Museum in July this year.
Wondering whether to call Nii Amasah an all-rounder? Go ahead and you won’t be wrong. Doing a little bit of modeling in school, Nii is a member of Exopa Models and uses calabash to do jewelleries like earrings. He has also been in batiks and textiles for a while now to which he says he taught a volunteer from Spain who is now doing well in the textile and batik industry in Spain. However, he does not see himself as a versatile as he said, “As an artist, you should be able to do a lot of things. Arts do with creativity therefore an artist should be able to cut across”.
The paintings which some Nii Amasah says can sell over $2000 seem good for the business but, however, he was quick to point out how bad the market is in Ghana. “In Ghana, people are not really interested in painting. I am not really thinking about the money but to carve a niche for myself.”

SAMMY FORSON

He has one of the sleekest of voices on radio currently. He drives the ‘city’ home on his popular late afternoon programme on Citi 97.3 FM called ‘Citi Drive.’ He has a swagger that can be compared to a rapper, but Sammy Forson was quick to point how down to earth he his when he granted What’s On this exclusive interview.
Sammy is a full fledged Information Technology (I.T) expert, having trained at NIIT and IPMC in networking and hardware. So how did it start for an Information Technology graduate to become one of the popular voices on radio? “When I finished my computer courses, I lived in Kumasi for four years where I learnt how to assemble computers for radio stations. Anytime I finished installing the equipment, I tested them on air and based on this experience, I was made to stand in for a sick presenter at Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) station in Kumasi.
Radio was meant to be a part time job for Sammy Forson, but he is now into it full time. The six years he has spent in radio has been switched between Accra and the ‘Garden City’, Kumasi. He spent two years in Kumasi where he played jazz music and hosted the “Drive Time” at Garden City Radio. He is currently the anchor of “Citi Drive” on Citi Fm. This show, which starts from 3 to 7 pm, Mondays to Fridays is interlaced with personality interviews, playing of both local and foreign hits as well as listeners’ favourite, “Sammy’s Court” where he acts as a judge.
Born outside the shores of Ghana,—he was born in Zambia—Sammy Forson returned to Ghana at age sixteen. He attended Swedru Secondary School and also studied some courses at the Ghana Institute of Journalism. Even though he officially trained as an Information Technology engineer and he is now in radio, Sammy never dreamt of these two jobs when growing up. “I wanted to be a pilot when growing up. Even now when I have the chance to visit the airport I try to find out more about the profession. If I get the chance I will pursue it.”
Managing artistes alongside their radio work has been the hustle for presenters in Ghana in recent times, with popular presenters like Kofi Okyere Darko, Bola Ray, Dr. Duncan just to mention a few managing artistes in Ghana. Sammy Forson is also on this trail as he is the manager of the maiden “Appietus Idols” winner, Teelee Jay. He has also worked with Adez of “Mentor 2” fame and now defunct Ga rapper Kaseem. He says his job, when working with these musicians, is to help them to promote their albums and to counsel them on how to break into the music industry.
When he is not on air doing what he does best, sleek Sammy Forson loves to go to the beach to relax. Music has always been part of Sammy Forson’s life as he said: “I can sing, especially, in the shower.” Directing is also part of Sammy’s repertoire as he was part of his school’s drama club as a director. Despite his busy schedule, he does not trade his affection for his parents as he finds time to spend with them.
He might be on top of what he is doing now; he might have many younger ones looking up to him yet he also has mentors. Having been inspired by Joojo Lemaire, formerly with Joy Fm and now the Programmes Manager of Sky Power Radio in Takoradi, , Sammy also liked listening to Komla Dumor when he was the anchor of Joy Fm’s “Super Morning Show.” Bearing the same surname of ace broadcaster Tommy Annan-Forson (no family ties though), he describes Tommy as a father: “Tommy is more like a godfather to me. He keeps in touch with me and corrects me anytime I make a mistake on air.”
Where does Sammy Forson want to be in the next five years? “Hopefully married with my own company and I want to be bigger than what I am now by God’s grace.” Money they say motivates everything in this world but Sammy Forson’s love for radio is unflinching. “When you love what you do, you love it. For me if it’s about money, I will be in a different profession.”

GMA 09: THROUGH MY EYES

Since I couldn’t get my accreditation for the main show, I sat patiently behind my 21-inch Sharp television to monitor events at the Dome at Accra International Conference Centre on the station with nationwide coverage—GTV. Though it started late than I thought (that’s Ghana for you), my fingers were tightly crossed for a perfect night since another highly publicized awards event—the 4Syte Video Awards—didn’t create the buzz it was supposed to create.
Anchoring of the show has been a problem to me for the past two years, so I engaged myself in an intriguing mind battle trying to guess who will present this anniversary edition. This guessing game was compounded by the sight of the two guys – KOD and Chris Attoh—I thought would anchor the show being on the Y’ello Carpet rather. Arguably the two best young presenters in the country now, Chris and Kofi made the Y’ello Carpet their ‘own’ and one of the high points on the night.
As I stated in an earlier article titled “GMA 09: An Open Letter to Charter House”, I decried the non-usage of an astute presenter by Charter House in recent memory. To go by this popular adage “You don’t fix when it’s not broken”, it therefore beats my imagination why ace broadcaster Kwame Sefa-Kayi was replaced as the host. And if Kwame is replaced perhaps due to fatigue as rumoured in many entertainment circles, are musicians the best we can get to wear his ‘big’ shoes?
My worst fear became a reality when the indefatigable DJ Black mentioned Samini as the host for the night. I might be wrong but I strongly believe MTN are the brains behind Samini’s anchoring of the show for the past two years. Since the telecommunications giants are the headline sponsors of the awards, projecting their music icon who has been dormant for sometime now won’t be a bad idea to them I guess. (But it’s a bad idea for us the viewers)
To add insult to injury, the co-anchor for Samini on the night was the exuberant yet uninspiring Dentaa. She has been doing her thing in the UK, yes I agree, but her few outings in Ghana are far from impressive. Here was someone who constantly showed sheer naivety during the just ended TV3 popular Mentor show. Is this the best female presenter we can get to complement a novice anchor for the 10th Ghana Music Awards? A big no!
Enter in Obuor who single handedly saved the show from flopping regarding presentation. He showed a side which is not familiar to Ghanaians as he put up a performance that will rival veterans like Kwesi Kyei Darkwa. From him being articulate to the veteran- like introduction of the performing artistes, he showed his versatility—you have earned my respect Bruv.
Another big surprise that swept me like a tsunami was the winner of the ‘Hiplife Song of the Year’. Czar’s award is definitely a big surprise considering the songs and talents in that category—Asem and the overall winner Okyeame Kwame were in that category. I don’t know whoever made that possible—is it the judges or the voting public?—but it sounds ridiculous to me. Also I have a problem with Christiana Love and Kwaku Gyasi winning the best collaboration. That award should have gone to the late Michael Dwamena hands down as his song ‘Ngozi’ with Nii Lante dominated the charts week-in and week-out until his demise.
Even though it has now become a perennial problem, the sound quality this year was far better comparing to previous years. That is not to say there weren’t one or two hitches here and there (There was echo in the room). These notwithstanding, this year’s Ghana Music Awards will go down as one of the best awards show in the history of the awards in Ghana if not West Africa.
The interior of the Dome was totally transformed the Y’ello way to suit the magnitude of this year’s. Even though the artistes who performed on the night were many, every one was splendid. (What happened to Dela in her performance with Lord Kenya?) Also on a night dubbed “Fashion meets Music”, costumes on the night were a notch higher especially the ladies and it made me wonder if I was watching an event from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles or in Accra. Whatever the case may be, Ghana is moving in the right direction fashion wise.
A lot of opinions were made by both artistes and their fans on who should be the “Artiste of the Year”. I guess some were happy whilst others were surprised. But were you surprised? For me, a big no! Kwame’s triumph on the night won’t be a surprise to well meaning music fans (I use well meaning advisedly). This is a well deserved recognition long overdue since Kwame has excelled track after track after becoming a solo artiste.
The odyssey of the GMA’s has not been easy—a very tough one. Therefore from the planning committee to the lighting men, I mean anyone who contributed to make this an eventful adventure, I say big kudos. You have proved your doubters wrong to some extent, at least with this year’s event. Lest I forget, I wrote this piece without any prejudice whatsoever and it was a big deal—to me!

CHRIS ATTOH

Few popular radio and television presenters have had the wide-ranging success of Chris Attoh in the entertainment industry in Ghana, but it might amaze you to know that in entertainment, Chris’s first love is movies. “That’s where it started for me but it wasn’t acting, I direct. I am getting to acting more now because it will make me a better director” he exclusively revealed this passion to What’s On!
Chris honed is acting skills in the United Kingdom where he live for four years after University education. In London, he worked as a television presenter with Origin of Black Entertainment Television (OBE-TV) where he secured himself cameo roles on popular series running on television in the United Kingdom. These cameo appearances kindled his interest in acting in big budget movies which he has done with perfection so far.
His big screen debut came in Sparrow Productions hit movie ‘Life and Living It’. A movie that starred notable and experienced Ghanaian actors and actresses like Brew Riverson Jnr, Adjetey Annang (Pusher), Rama Brew and a few others; his performance belittled the fact that he was just making his big movie debut. Starring as ‘Ray’, a playboy character that take delights in bed hopping with women both old and young; Chris’s performance in the movie will get him plaudits from producers and movie critiques in Nollywood or perhaps Hollywood.
After ‘Life and Living It’, it became inevitable that Chris Attoh will be heading for acting stardom but not so soon. MNET came out this September with its first ever West African soap opera which marries all the elements of drama, intrigue, romance, deception, betrayal and triumph into one thrilling series. This series, Tinsel, stars major Ghanaian and Nigerian acts like Gideon Okeke of Big Brother Nigeria fame, Omar Captan, Juliet Asante amongst others. Surprisingly, Chris is on the cast of this historic series which paints a story of a corporate war between two film companies trying to out power each other.
Shot on location in Lagos, the energetic and outgoing Chris plays the role of a rich, handsome and egoistic Kwame Mensah. “Kwame became physically handicapped and had to rely on a wheelchair after he had a horrific accident with his sister which was played by Juliet Asante. Because of that, he thinks of committing suicide but that perception changed after he found love in Dami played by Nigerian actress Thelema”, he said about his role in the intriguing series.
The new crave for acting seems unlikely to stop for Chris Attoh now. Exclusively, he is in a new movie which will hit the screens later in the year. ‘Life and Living It’ was produced by his brother and Sparrow Productions and they have collaborated again to produce a new movie called ‘Scorned’. In this new and upcoming movie, Chris didn’t play the role of a sweet tongued Casanova but rather a character he calls ‘evil’.
Talking about the finest television presenters in Ghana, Chris is up the ladder with the crème de la crèmes of presenting or perhaps the best. A career in television presenting for this Accra Academy Old Boy began nine years ago when he presented his first TV show with Albert Kuvodu (Daavi) called Showtime on GTV. This led to stints with Metro TV where he hosted the now defunct Smash TV before he emplaned for London to work for OBE-TV.
Having spent four years in the UK, Chris returned to Ghana to work for Shirley Frimpong Manso’s Sparrow Productions—organizers of the Miss Ghana Pageantry. At Sparrow Productions, he was the director of the Miss Ghana pageant and the presenter as well. In between this busy schedule, he hosted the first edition of TV3’s hit reality show Mentor and many other events. “Everything was alright with Sparrow Productions but I needed a bigger challenge”, speaking of his move to event and entertainment powerhouse, Charterhouse!
Seeking bigger challenges require bigger responsibilities and that’s exactly what the job at Charterhouse has been for Chris Attoh. Being the production executive, Chris does not only initiate concepts but also present and produce programs. He is the producer of the award winning entertainment show ‘Rhythms’ and also presents Charterhouse’s musical talent show ‘Stars of the Future’. The popular pageant ‘Miss Malaika Ghana’ is co-hosted by himself and Jessica Opare-Saforo of Citi Fm.
For the third time, sleek Chris Attoh is the field presenter for Ghana in the MNET continental acclaimed television reality show, Big Brother Africa. The show brings twelve housemates from different African countries to live together for in which eventually there will be an $100,000 winner and Chris ‘s job is to find people’s views on the Ghanaian housemate and how he or she is faring in the Big Brother House in South Africa. “I am presenting Big Brother Africa for Ghana for the third time running and I think it’s a laudable feat since all the presenters that represented their countries in the maiden editions are no more the anchors.”
Are you wondering whether to call Chris Attoh an entertainment all rounder? Yes you will be right! Chris is also a radio personality and has been in radio for twelve years. A career in radio started at now defunct Groove FM when he stepped in for a sick colleague now has him at Citi FM. He had short stints with Fox FM in Kumasi and Choice FM in Accra. His show on Citi, called Room 973, provides the platform for people who are in serious relationship problems to get help from resource persons and marriage counselors.
The urban entertainment fraternity is more familiar with Chris’s physique, good looks, presenting skills, popularity with women and many others. All these have put into the background his artistic side—Yes Chris Attoh is an artist! Holding a degree in painting from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, he plans to do an exhibition later this year for his art works. Another hidden talent of Chris Attoh is he can speak in different voice tones. “I am very good at voices. On my show at Citi, I did twelve of my jingles and people can’t recognize the difference.”
One thing is certain about Chris Attoh. He doesn’t have a swagger attitude. With rare lifetime opportunities as an entertainer to hang out with major international music acts like Shaggy, Jay-Z, Ja Rule, 2Face Idibia, Brick and Lace and many others, he rarely brags about those experiences. Also with him being a television commercial hotcake nowadays, he still finds time for his childhood friends and numerous fans.

There is only one name when it comes to a Ghanaian artiste who has blazed the trail for the Hip-Life music genre internationally. There is equally only one name when it comes to combining different genres of music into one successful album in Ghana, and that name is no other than multiple award winner Samini. Having been dormant for the past two years, Samini is on the ascendency again with the release of his new 21-track album titled “Dagaati.”
Coming off from his highly successful sophomore album, this third album from Samini, formerly known as ‘Batman’, is titled “Dagaati”, the name of his ethnic group in the Upper West Region of Ghana. In addition, “Dagaati” is intended to tie him to his roots.
This album is solid proof of the twenty-six months of hard work and determination to give his fans nothing less than the best. Samini describes this album as the medium to let people know their roots, where they are coming from and where they are going. “Dagaati would cut across all borders from Nigeria, UK, Kenya and Jamaica and promises to take the whole world by storm”.
The album features collaborations with artistes not only from Ghana but also from Africa and the Diaspora. British roots reggae band Steel Pulse is on the album as well as Sway, Faze from Nigeria and a production by UK beat maker, Richie Pitch. Some of the tracks on the album to look out for during this festive season and beyond includes ‘Movement’, ‘Sweet Girls’ featuring Nameless from Kenya, ‘Dagaati’, ‘Yen Sa‘ featuring Kwaisey Pee, ‘Agoro’ featuring UK’s finest Sway ,‘Where My Girl Dey’ and many others.

DECEMBER 2 REMEMBA

All roads led to the plush Accra International Conference Centre on Christmas Eve for the annual “Decemba 2 Rememba” programme, sponsored by, new entrant telecommunications company, Zain and powered by Citi 97.3 FM. The audience was left asking for more after five hours of intense and classy musical performance by the artistes on the night.
After a two-hour delay, the show commenced with a brief introduction of the Masters of Ceremonies, Jessica Opare-Saforo and Sammy Forson, one of the finest late afternoon programme presenters in the city. Musician-comedian, A-Plus, set the ball rolling for the eventful night with his usual ridicule of politicians, cracking some of his humorous jokes to the amusement of the audience. The euphoria that A-Plus’s performance engendered, was still high in the auditorium when the hilarious boxer, Braimah Kamoko, popularly known as “Bukom Banku”entered the hall - a big surprise.
“Sexy” Tinny, usually noted for his late performances, was one of the early artistes to mount the stage for the night. With his usual swagger, he set the conference hall agog with hits from his debut album, “Makola Kwakwe” and then on to his current album. “Aletse Kankpe” had the ladies screaming when he took off his shirt showing off his nicely built body. Hiplife new kid on the block Asem gave a good account of himself with duets, supported by Irene Logan and Tinny.
Okyeame Quame had a choreographed performance with his brother’s group “Bradez” before his solo performance. Quame’s act nearly ended in disaster when one of his backup dancers almost got burnt with the fire he was playing with. Tic Tac might be dormant in the music industry at the moment but the “Kangaroo” man is not yet finished as he gave an inspiring performance with hit tracks from his discography.
The group Praye is assuming an unrivalled status as the foremost showstoppers in Ghana and it was clearly manifested on the night. The white attired and jeans dressed audience sang along with Praye to songs from “I and my Shordy are one” album to the current one “Roll Koll”. It is usually said the best is saved for the last and Praye did perfectly that as they sang arguably the hottest song in the country at the moment - “Angelina” to bring the curtains down on an eventful show.
Other artistes who performed on the night were songtress Becca, the affable Kwaku Gyasi, Christina Love, and Irene Logan. Big ups to Citi FM for organizing another inspiring show indeed a “Decemba 2 Rememba”!!!

WANLOV THE KUBOLOR

I looked at my watch and it read forty-five minutes past one. I was running late and fume at the driver of the cab I was riding in a couple of times because I have an appointment with one of the most talked about musicians in Ghana today, Wanlov the Kubolor. A few metres to the Busy Internet where I was to meet Kubolor, I spotted him walking barefooted but graciously along the road playing a traditional musical instrument made with gourd and a rope. One of the few questions that came into my mind was “is this guy for real,’ walking in this hot sun barefooted?”
Finally, I sat with Wanlov the Kubolor at Accra’s premier cybercafé and, one of the first questions I posed to him was: why he wears a wrap, dresses anciently and walks barefooted? “It is the common sense that our ancestors applied - they dressed that way before the Europeans came. They were dressing like that because of the weather. I wear a wrap to protect my rear and my genitals to make me comfortable if I sit down. I don’t need shoes and I have walked barefooted for a year now and also I don’t feel the ground heat anymore. Even if I am walking in town and I feel hot I remove my shirt. I just dress according to the weather.”
Relaxed and watching pictures of his recent performance in London on his Dell laptop, truthfully, Wanlov the Kubolor, dresses according to the weather because he had to confess that he wore shoes when he went to London three months ago to perform because the weather was freezing and he had no option. The talk about musicians, who dress traditional and walk barefooted, will be meaningless without mentioning legendary Jamaican musician cum poet MutaBaruka whom Kubolor admits as his inspiration.
Born Emmanuel Owusu Bonsu, to a Ghanaian dad and a Romanian mum, Wanlov the Kubolor got educated at North Ridge School, Christ the King and to Adisadel College where he was mates with Scooby Sellah of TH4 Kwages fame, T-Blaze of LifeLine Family fame, Mensah and other artistes in the Ghanaian music industry.
Wanlov moved to the United States of America in January 2000 to seek greener pastures and this trip transformed his life and also was the inspiration behind his debut album titled “GreenCard”. The “GreenCard” album comprises twenty totally different songs and Kubolor sums it up like this: “The album is about documenting my life in the United States and also shows the States through my eyes. I call the album “GreenCard” because when I was in the States, friends and family wanted me to get married and get a green card and I didn’t do that.”
The album comprises of hits like “Kokonsa”, “50th Independence” which Wanlov says was inspired by the excess expenditures the country made just to celebrate our 50th Independence Anniversary. Also on the album is “Sagaa”, “GreenCard” and other inspiring songs. Having returned to Ghana to stay permanently only a year ago, Wanlov the Kubolor has collaborated with Ghanaian artistes called M.anifest based in Minnesota, he is on King Ayisoba’s “Africa Album”, he is on a joint with “Hip-Life grandpa” Reggie Rockstone in his upcoming album called “Best of Reggie”. He has also blazed tracks with Kwaw Kese and Gyedu Blay Ambolley – a man believed to have initiated rap music in Ghana way in the early ‘70s.
Many fans are curious and want to know why the name Wanlov the Kubolor? He explains: “Wanlov came first. When I walk around Los Angeles, people see me and think I am a Rastafarian so they say to me “One Love” and I started using the name and also because I noticed that anytime an artiste walks on stage to perform, he says one love to the crowd before he starts performing. “Kubolor came about when I was performing one day for Gyedublay Ambolley at a Ghanaian concert in Los Angeles. Some Ghanaians who were in the crowd listened to my lyrics and they started saying hey you are a “Kubolor” -- wandering child. It was a long time since someone called me that because I was called by that name when I was growing up in Ghana and they started screaming “Wanlov the Kubolor” and the name stuck.
The “GreenCard” album has been on the market for over a year now and Wanlov the Kubolor describes it as a success. “Everybody who has bought the album can’t put it down. People have come to Ghana just because of my album. My track called “In Ghana” was played during the World Cup Finals in Germany in 2006. There are many genres of music and Wanlov considers the kind of music he composes as “Pidgin Music”. “My music is “Pidgin Music” because it is a broad genre that can contain my different styles”
International artistes like Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and Will Smith just to mention a few have albums and big screen movies to their credit. Wanlov the Kubolor is following this phenomenon as he has attached movies to his music career and has an upcoming movie which he directed with his friend M3nsa titled “Coz of Moni”. Interestingly in the movie, a pidgin musical, he said the characters will be rapping to each other instead of talking to each other.
“GreenCard” has put Wanlov the Kubolor in the musical limelight but he thinks his next project will take him to the skies. He is working on his second album, which he said will entail more singing on his part and he also has a mixed-tape called “Kubolor and Friends”. Since Kubolor now has his “GreenCard” in the Ghanaian music industry, the bets are on if he can break the sophomore jinx.