THE EVER INCREASING NUMBER OF NGOs IN ACCRA

Rarely does one walk on the streets of Accra now without spotting a signboard or a banner advertising one Non-Governmental Organisation or the other. They have become so many that you can find one across every street in the capital—literally.

NGOs refer to organisations that are not part of government and also not conventional for profit businesses. Most of these organisations pursue wider social aims and are mainly owned by individuals.

However there have been wide spread of reports on how many of these NGO owners misappropriate funds donated to them for specific projects. Some of the owners personally fund their organisations but a countless number of them in the country depend on donor and humanitarian support from volunteers both home and overseas.

Volunteers who donate to some of these NGOs can do the monitoring of their monies given out directly so as to make sure they don’t end up in people’s pockets than for projects intended for. Such cannot be said for foreign donors all the time. It therefore begs the question of who monitors their activities and to an extent their financial activities.

There surely must be a financial reward in there for coordinators of these NGOs for them to springing up across the city like that? Co-ordinator for the Attukwei Art Foundation, an NGO in Accra, Mr Serge Attukwei thinks otherwise. He said: “I don’t think many are in this noble venture to make money, it’s all about selflessness and helping out the needy in society”.

It must however be said that many of these organisations are on a noble course. Several of them have packages designed in complementing government’s efforts in helping the less fortunate in society.

DISCUSS THE AIETA MODEL AS PRESENTED IN HIS WORK ENTITLED “DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIONS”

In his book “Diffusion of Innovations”, rural sociology professor Everett Rogers popularized the theory Diffusion of Innovation in 1962. It was a theory that seeks to explain how, why, and what rate new ideas and technologies spread through cultures. He said “diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system.

In this theory Rogers came up with a communication model which is hierarchical in nature as it assumes the hierarchy of effects called the AIETA model. According to Everett, this model is supposed to be followed to affect the consumer in order to make a purchase.

The AIETA model begins with awareness. Awareness is very essential to any advertising campaign or the life span of any product. For a product to achieve its long term goal of being sold or having an impact on a consumer, there has to an awareness campaign for it. This sort of campaign introduces the product to prospective consumers or continues to hammer the presence of an existing product.

For instance if Guinness Ghana comes up with a new product say Alvaro Lite, they have to embark on an awareness campaign in order to create some sort of consciousness among prospective consumers. This goes a long way in affecting the consumer to make a purchase which is the essence of the model

Second on the model is interest. Interest is key in order for the consumer to be persuaded. After the awareness has been created, the consumer’s interest in the product has to be whipped. This can be done with advertising models like information adverts and image adverts. Furthermore sales promotion, personal selling and publicity can be used.

Adverts which provide detailed information on the benefits a consumer stand to benefit from a product increase the interest in that particular product. Also associating the brand or product with certain personalities or certain images creates some sort of interest in a particular product which goes a long way in fulfilling the underlying motive of the AIETA model.

After the interest stage is evaluation in the model. This is the stage where consumers get to assess the product or service and weighs the advantages or disadvantages. This stage is very important in the purchasing decision. As a favourable evaluation or vice versa will go a long way in the eventual purchase of the product or service.

Advertising processes like persuasion adverts, image adverts as well as testimonials help the evaluation process. Also a publicity vehicle like consumer welfare reports as well as personal selling methods can be used in the evaluation stage in AIETA model.

The trial stage in the AIETA model is stage where a consumer goes ahead to purchase or patronize a product after he or she has gone through the awareness, interest and evaluation stages.
This stage is very vital in the model as whether a customer or consumer will go ahead to finally adopt the product rests here. Advertising, personal selling and sales promotions can be used in helping influence a consumer to frequently purchase the product in the trial period.

Finally Everett Rogers listed adoption as the last stage in the AIETA model which he developed in his book “Diffusion of Innovation” in 1962. The adoption stage is where a consumer or a customer after going through the process of being aware of a particular product or a service, gathers interest in it and then go ahead to evaluate the product. He or she moves on to try it and finally adopt it as a permanent brand or service.

In conclusion, there is a likelihood that a consumer will make a purchase or a product or service if this hierarchical model by Everett Rogers is followed.

WHY SHOULD A COMPANY LIKE COCA COLA CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE?

In his book titled: Marketing Management and Administrative Action, Steuart Henderson Britt aptly said “Doing business without advertising is winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing but nobody else does”. With this he meant advertising is essential for every company or organization irrespective of their size or market share.

Therefore in as much Coca Cola as a company have the presence and market share in the beverage industry in a lot of countries doesn’t stop it from continuous advertisements.

One of the important reasons why companies like Coca Cola or betterstill companies who are very popular needs to continue advertising is to create awareness. Awareness creation is very vital in achieving the long term goal of advertising which is to tell as many people as possible about a product, in the hope that they will buy it.

Also brands like Coca Cola which is a commodity can be easily be replaced by a competitor brand hence the need for its constant awareness creation.
Secondly persuasion is one the factors why a brand like Coca Cola still advertise.

It’s imperative for a company to continue to convince its consumers of the benefits they derive by patronizing its products regardless of its popularity or market share and Coca Cola is no exception. Lack of constant reminders about the importance or benefits of a product can lead to a switch to other similar products hence the need for persuasion which advertising does so well.

Competition is very keen in the current market dispensation. There are a lot of similar products on the market therefore for a company to maintain its market share or increase its consumer base it needs to compete. Interestingly switching between similar products is not that a difficult decision to take. For example decisions like a consumer switching from Apple to Samsung, Lenovo to HP or Coke to Pepsi is not that difficult.

As a result beverage giants like Coca Cola needs to advertise in other to fend off competition from similar products like Pepsi, AfriCola, and VirginCola etc. For instance as Pepsi, being Coca Cola’s major competitor, uses soccer stars like Lionel Messi, Didier Drogba and others for advertisements; it becomes vital on Coca Cola to constantly advertise to maintain its market share which goes a long way in increasing profits.

Furthermore companies like Coca Cola use advertisement to announce a change be it in a product or in a price. On many occasions that the Coca Cola Company have introduced other cola drinks under the Coke brand like the Diet Coke, Coke Lite, Coca-Cola Cherry and the others; they did it through advertising. Advertising is needed to trumpet the benefits of such new products.

Recently Coca Cola Ghana used advertising to announce its new price change on the market. Advertisements on television, radio and the print media were used to announce the change in the price of Coke from 80p to 1GHC.

It widely assumed that Coca Cola which was adjudged the world’s most valuable brand by Interband’s best global brands in 2011 is very popular. That’s truism. However not everyone is aware of the Coca Cola brand hence the need for continuous advertisements embedded with slogans like “Life begins here” and “Open happiness”.

In addition advertising is very important to a company when it wants to appeal to a new market which includes the Coca Coal Company. Advertising will be used to create the necessary awareness needed for the new market. Also advertisement can be used to spell out the benefits of the product to these new markets which can go a long way in triggering a purchase.

Finally a company like Coca Cola needs to continue advertising because it can help build brand equity. Though brands are not tangible in nature, its real value on paper cannot be underemphasized. Because a company’s value is calculated with its number of consumers or clients therefore in case of any takeover or merger, there will have been a consumer base which won’t be the case for start-up companies and those who lack brand presence. Thus advertising goes a long way in increasing the stock of a company.

As part of the marketing tool, advertising is very important in any organizational structure, with popularity or market share notwithstanding; therefore companies like Coca Cola need to continue and advertising in order to consolidate their market share and possibly expand it.

THE DU BOIS CENTRE

Bourne out of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s advocacy for Pan-Africanism and respect for scholars of African descent, the W.E.B Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture has been one Accra’s historic treasures over the last two decades.
Situated in a serene area in Cantonments, the Centre is housed in Dr. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois’s Accra residence. Dr Du Bois—American civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, historian, author and editor—was invited by Ghana’s first President in 1963 to write the book, “Encyclopedia Africana”.
Having been refused a new passport by the US, Dr. Du Bois and his wife, Shirley Graham Du Bois, became citizens of Ghana. Ironically a day before the Washington March where Martin Luther King Jr. made the famous “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. William Du Bois died at the age of 95 in Accra.
Declared a national monument by the Government of Ghana in 1985, this rectangular shaped house at No.22 Circular Road sits in the middle of white walls that structure out a compound speckled with flowers, trees, plaques and a fountain. The book gallery, picture gallery, gallery of personal memorabilia, the tomb of the scholar and his wife among other interesting things rounds up a tour. Let me take through a tour of the Centre.


The Picture Gallery
This is found in the foyer of the house. Not a very large area but has been neatly kept with a strikingly red carpet. A huge portrait of Dr. Du Bois hangs on the white painted wall flanked by two portraits of the man who brought him to Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. On the wall hang other portraits of Du Bois, his wife and the Osagyefo on their arrival in Ghana in 1963. Arranged neatly on a polished cabinet are pictures of prominent African personalities like former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda; Ben Bella of Algeria, Dr. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, a former Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria among others.


The Book Gallery
Known as an ardent writer, Du Bois scribed more than 4,000 articles and essays and authored over twenty books. Most are about civil rights and Pan-Africanism. The ‘Book Gallery’ which is housed in personal library in his few years stay in Ghana consists of various publications of his books and that of his wife, Shirley Graham Du Bois, another writer. Packaged into book shelves, many of the books looks old therefore tourists at the Centre are not allowed to handle them. In that personal study room (now book gallery) was where Dr Du Bois worked on the Encyclopedia Africana.


Gallery of Personal Memorabilia
In his bedroom, a personal memorabilia gallery has been created. It mainly contains gowns Dr. William Du Bois wore in his broad academic life. It has the gown he wore on the day of his graduation when he became the first African-American to be awarded a PhD in history and government by Harvard University in 1896. It also has the gown he wore when the University of Ghana conferred a honourary title on him 1963. As a believer in Communism and Socialism as well, a portrait of him and Chairman Mao of China and other gifts he received when he visited China hangs in the gallery. Manuscripts of his various letters to newspapers and human rights activists also can be found in this gallery. Being a founding father of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) and an editor of their mouthpiece, The Crisis Magazine, for twenty years, a few copies of former editions in which Du Bois edited can also be found in this bedroom-turned gallery.


The Tomb
I was told by the tour guide at the Centre that Dr. Du Bois was originally laid to rest at the Christianborg Castle but had to be relocated to its present location when the Centre was declared a national monument by the government. Embedded in a hut-like room, the tomb of Dr. Du Bois tells another story on his own.
Every decoration in there has a story to it. The white and black painted ceiling is designed like a web and the tour guide sums it up like this: “We all know the web is attributed to a spider which called Ananse in our local parlance. It is believed that Ananse has solutions to every problem he encounters and that was how DU Bois was seen. He attempted virtually every possible solution to the problem of twentieth-century racism”. Around the grave, also, are stools with specific Adinkra symbols carved in them. Symbols like “Gye Nyame” (Except God), “Nka Bom” (Unity) and the others were seen as the characteristics of Du Bois.
The tome which has been made of terrazzo has a golden sculpture of Du Bois’s face etched at its top. It’s also emblazoned with a paraphernalia of Clark Atlanta University (formerly Atlanta University) where he established the Department of Social Work. A few inches away stand a locally made wood stand. On top of it is the cremated ash of Shirley Graham Du Bois who died in China in 1977.

ROGER FEDERER FOR THE GRAND SLAM THIS YEAR?

He is considered by many sports analysts, current and former players and tennis critics as the greatest player to have played with the racquet. His recent Australian Open win against British Andy Murray made sure he now has 16 ‘Grand Slam’ single titles—more than any other male player.

However, Federer, aged 28, who has won a ‘Career Grand Slam’—winning the four Grand Slam tournaments: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in your career—is yet to join Don Budge and Rod Laver as the only men who has won the Grand Slam. The Grand Slam means winning all four Slam tournaments in the same year.

Winning his first Grand Slam singles title against Australian Mark Philippoussis at Wimbledon in 2003, Roger Federer has come close in achieving the Grand Slam three times. These near misses started in 2004. He defeated Russian Marat Safin in the first Slam tournament of the year (the Australian Open). He went on to beat rival Andy Roddick at Wimbledon but lost Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil in the 3rd round at the French Open to shatter the dream though he won the last Slam tournament of the year, the US Open against Lleyton Hewitt.

A defeat of Marcos Baghdatis in four sets meant he won the Australian Open in 2006. The Swiss genius went on to beat his nemesis Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in what will start as fierce rivalry down the years. Spanish Nadal revenged his earlier loss at Wimbledon to Roger at the French Open by winning in four sets. That derailed the Grand Slam train for Federer again. He repeated as the champion again of the US Open by defeating Andy Roddick in the final.

Federer’s last shot at Grand Slam glory was in the 2007 season. He won in straight sets against Chilean Fernando Gonzalez at the Australian Open. He repeated the dose against Nadal again in 2007 Wimbledon final. In a duel that travelled five sets, Federer defeated Nadal: 7–6(7), 4–6, 7–6(3), 2–6, 6–2. On his favourite clay court in Paris, Rafael Nadal got revenge again against Federer in the French Open final. His win against Serbian Novak Djokovic in the US Open didn’t guarantee the Grand Slam success Federer had so much craved for.

The French Open which has been Roger Federer’s bane in his illustrious career was finally won by the 2008 Olympic gold medalist in 2009 against unfancied Swedish Robin Soderling. Federer defeated him in straight sets to achieve the coveted Career Grand Slam feat. Yet the world number one is yet to achieve what Australian Rod Laver last did in 1969—the Grand Slam.

Could this be the year for him to break this 41-year old record and further consolidate his tennis immortality image? It could, but it will be tough! With three more slam tournaments to come up before he achieves that feat, Federer’s impressive win at the Australian Open sets the record in his sights. With his main rival Rafael Nadal struggling with some knee injuries since last year’ s French Open, the path looks clearer now. The other man who has also beaten Federer in Slam final, Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro has a wrist injury.

Having won the next Slam tournament—Wimbledon—six times in the last seven years, and the Us Open at Flushing Meadows in New York five times in the past six years, the French Open will be –as it has always been—Federer’s main bottleneck. However, by breaking the French Open jinx last year and clay court king Nadal’s nagging injuries, this to a large extent certainly looks like the year for Roger Federer to achieve every tennis players dream—winning the Grand Slam.

IS THIS JOSHUA CLOTTEY’S CAREER DEFINING MOMENT?

When Joshua “The Hitter” Clottey mounts the ring on March 13 to fight pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, there wouldn’t be a better opportunity for the orthodox Ghanaian to stake a claim in the boxing world and etch his name in the annals of history, and he knows it!
Though he stands pale in comparison of credentials to the man he replaced, Floyd Mayweather Jr., to fight Pacquiao, Clottey would definitely not just be a pushover for the Filipino legend. As the former IBF (International Boxing Federation) Welterweight Champion, Clottey’s three losses from his impressive thirty-five wins were never via a knockout.
Since losing the WBO Welterweight title in a disputable decision to Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto at the Madison Square Garden in New York in June 2009, Clottey have been off the radar for a while. Therefore it would be a tough challenge if not insurmountable to make your comeback and win against arguably the best boxer in the world now.
It looks impossible. However, Clottey who is credited with his quick jabs and dreadful right-hand punch and also known for his durability looks poised to cause what could be termed as upset of the decade. In a press release from his manager Vinny Scolpino through Top Rank, he said: “Joshua is in great fighting shape right now. He is anxious to get into the ring against Pacquiao.”
As much as Clottey has the credentials to pull an upset, it will be fair and honest, however, to say that Pacquiao would be a mountain too steep for Joshua to climb. The “Pac-Man” doesn’t only stand head over Joshua Clottey in boxing but in shoulders too. What an impressive record he has. He is the first boxer to win seven world titles in seven different weight divisions. He is also the only boxer to defeat a particular opponent in four different weight divisions. He is rated by Ring Magazine as the No.1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world. He is also currently the WBO World Welterweight champion and Ring Magazine light welterweight champion.
Most impressive, too, is his defeat of all the big ‘cats’ in the welterweight division. He forced Oscar “the Golden Boy” De La Hoya’s corner to throw in the towel before the ninth round in their December 2008 fight. He disciplined British Ricky Hatton as early as the second round and knocked out former Clottey’s conqueror, Miguel Cotto.
In a bid to downplay the overwhelming favourite title tag hanging on his neck, Manny Pacquiao has been quick to dismiss that Joshua’s fight would come easy. “Clottey is a great fighter”, he emphasized in an interview with local newspaper ‘GMA-7’. He went on further to say how Clottey is stronger and much taller than his last opponent, Cotto.
Many boxing enthusiast believe Joshua Clottey is in this historic bout because of what he will get as a share of the purse, he is reported to be getting over a million dollars, rather than to make a boxing history for himself. It’s not a bad idea, is it? However, I beg to differ! Joshua who is his training camp based in Florida is attaching all the seriousness one can expect to cause an upset. In one of the numerous interviews he has granted the media since the announcement of the fight, he said: “You know this is not an easy fight at all. But you know me, I always come to do my job in the ring, and in the ring I want to make the people happy. I can handle southpaws well and I will beat Pacquiao. I'm ready to shock the world”.
And there wouldn’t be a bigger venue for Joshua to do that. The Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas is an epitome of a sports edifice. Owned by the flamboyant Jerry Jones, the arena has a 100,000 seating capacity. One of the stadiums most significant fan-friendly elements is the world’s largest, and most expensive at $40 millionHD video board, which is 72 feet high and 160 feet wide.
Joseph Agbeko lost his world title. Ghana doesn’t have any world champion. The task looks arduous. However, it can be achieved with determination and zeal. Previous upsets like what James “Buster” Douglas did to Mike Tyson in Tokyo in 1990 and Hassim Rahman over Lennox Lewis in 2001 are there to inspire Clottey. It would be more than welcoming for Joshua Clottey to utilize this opportunity in carving a boxing niche for himself and cementing Ghana’s legacy as the finest boxing nation in Africa.

ANGOLA 2010: THE BATTLE FOR AFRICAN SUPREMACY

Africa’s biennial soccer fiesta is here again. The continent would be the focus of the sporting world this month as sixteen African countries battle each other superiority and for the coveted Orange African Cup of Nations in Angola. It will also serve as a platform for African nations that will be at the World Cup in June to fine-tune their teams.

Since its maiden edition in Sudan in 1957, only seven countries have managed to win the trophy with Egypt leading the pack with six triumphs—two in the last four years. It would, therefore, be interesting to see if the non winners and the perennial underachievers of this tournament would rise up to the occasion and alter the status quo or allow any of the previous winners to add up on their titles.

With Tunisia hosting and winning in 2004, Egypt also doing same in 2006, the Palancras Negras (the Angolan national team) backed by home support ranks among the favourites to win the trophy. An achievement of this feat would be the first official trophy for this nation who qualified for its first FIFA World Cup appearance in Germany in 2006. This ‘dream’, however, might be pushed into the future as they are drawn with power houses, Algeria and Mali. Qualifying for the World Cup at the expense of Nations Cup Champions, Egypt, the ‘Desert Warriors’ of Algeria have reignited the form that made them dominant in the 90’s. Though they missed another World Cup train, the Malians are far from pushovers looking at the talents they have in the likes of Barcelona’s Seydou Keita, Real Madrid’s Mahamadou Diarra, prolific striker Frederic Kanoute and Juventus’s midfielder Mohammed Sissoko.

One of the most confident teams that would be in combat in Angola is the ‘Super Eagles’ of Nigeria. Having made the trip to South Africa 2010 on the last day of the qualifiers, the self-belief and confidence of the Nigerian is at its highest. Ably supported by its vociferous fans, this Kanu Nwankwo led team would be aiming to brush aside all opposition to win the third Nations Cup for Nigeria. This goal would be spurred by their inability to win the tournament for the past sixteen years.

Despite their lack of success in this competition over the last decade, Cote D’Ivoire or Les Elephant as the team is known is now arguably the finest team on the African continent. Narrowly losing to hosts Egypt on penalties in the finals four years ago, the men from looks poised to go one step further this time. Also importantly, the Elephants would like to use the Nations Cup as an opportunity to display its firepower as it has been drawn in a group comprising of the likes of Brazil and Portugal in the World Cup. With Didier Drogba marshalling the attack, Yaya Toure creating in midfield and Manchester City’s Captain Kolo Toure shoring up the defence, the Ivory Coast has been tipped by many pundits to win their second African Nations Cup in Angola.

Another nation that also looks set to reaffirm its soccer prowess in Africa is the ‘Indomitable Lions’ of Cameroun. Finalists two years ago in Ghana, Cameroun would be one the teams to beat at the tournament. Making their first appearance at the Nations Cup in 1970, it has been one of the domineering forces of this tournament with its four triumphs. Also with veterans like Rigobert Song and Samuel Eto’o still playing, they boast of a vast knowledge of experience to transfer to young stars like Alexandre Song of Arsenal, Stephan Mbia and Bennoit Assou-Ekotto of Tottenham Hotspurs.

The Black Stars of Ghana are also expected to make a push for their fifth Nations Cup glory in Angola though having a relatively young team. Coach Milovan Rajevac’s team would be without skipper Stephen Appiah, Laryea Kinston and Sulley Muntari, but the experience of John Mensah, John Paintsil and Eric Addo can be blended with the youthful zeal of Andre Ayew, Dominic Adiyiah and the likes to achieve glory. The ‘Carthage Eagles’ of Tunisia would also try to wipe the tears of its supporters after losing out on the World Cup on the final day of qualifiers by winning the Nations Cup.

Coach Hassan Shehata would be chasing history in Angola to make it an enviable three consecutive triumphs. Though that looked farfetched on paper, no team plays the African game better than the ‘Pharaohs’. With chunk of the Egyptian squad playing in their national league, their cohesion and similar play style is unparalleled on the continent.

Usual of any tournament, the underdogs are there inevitably to cause upsets. This task falls on countries like Togo, Burkina Faso, Benin, Zambia, Gabon and Mozambique. Any of these countries would be out there to prove a point in order to make the finals in Luanda and perhaps win the trophy. It hasn’t happened in a very long—when an underdog wins the Nations Cup—but there is a first time for everything.

Looking at the various talented African footballers in all the major leagues in Europe, this month long football festival in Angola would be not short of spectacular and excitement as all the best African talents would be on display. Also it would reveal which country out of the six African countries that will represent the continent at the World Cup that will have the bragging rights of being the African Champions going into the first ‘African’ World Cup.

THE AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS IN ANGOLA: A PREVIEW

The prying eyes of the world will be on Africa (for football reasons though) this weekend and throughout the month as its premier football showpiece kicks off. With the desirable record of being the first winners in a new decade firmly at the back of the minds of all participating teams; this biennial football fiesta which would take place in Angola promises to be keen, exhilarating and competitive.

Playing hosts for the first time in the history of the Orange African Cup of Nations, the Palancras Negras of Angola would be hoping to achieve what the Black Stars of Ghana failed to do in the last edition by winning the trophy on home soil. A stern test stands in the way of this dream from group competitors Mali, Algeria and Malawi.

Despite failing to make the FIFA World Cup, the Eagles from Mali go into this tournament as one of the must- watched teams. Coached by one of the present best African tacticians, Stephen Keshi, the likes of Frederic Kanoute, Seydou Keita and Mahamadou Diarra can turn the fate of matches the Malian way on any given day. Algeria would be seeking to prove a point that their qualification ahead of Egypt to South Africa in June was no fluke. A strong performance would not only reinstate their African football prowess but also go a long way in boosting their morale for the World Cup. Nations Cup whipping boys Malawi completes this interesting and unpredictable group.

It’s a West African affair in the Cabinda based Group B. Touted as the “Group of Death” of the tournament; the Black Stars of Ghana, the Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire and the Hawks of Togo would be battling for West African supremacy. Much as they would be battling themselves, these West African giants seek to win the coveted trophy that has eluded any West African nation since Nigeria won it in Tunisia in 1994.

The Didier Drogba led Elephants of Cote D’Ivoire come into the tournament as the huge favourites. And rightly so! Take into account the talents they have in Barcelona’s Yaya Toure, Manchester City’s captain Kolo Toure, Salomon Kalou of Chelsea and the many others who are performing creditably well in their respective European clubs. However, more often than not, this favourites tag has turned out to be a curse in disguise for teams in the past. The bulky nature and physical strengths of the Burkinabe would pose a threat and Togo would do what they love best: being the bogey boys. Much cannot be said of the Black Stars winning their fifth Nations Cup title in Angola because injuries to most of its key players, however, the hunger for success on the part of the bulk naïve players in the squad
cannot be underemphasized.

One would be right in easily picking Nigeria and defending champions Egypt to make it to the quarterfinals out of Group C that would be based in Angola’s second most famous city and self- appointed cultural capital, Benguela. Yet Mozambique and Benin would be no pushovers in the group. ‘The Mamba’ of Mozambique dramatically eliminated Tunisia from World Cup participation in South Africa on the last day of the qualifiers and with veteran players like Tico Tico still strutting their stuff for the national team, they look set in causing another stir in this tournament. In an interview with BBC, Beninois striker Razak Omotoyossi was quoted as saying the Nations Cup in Angola would be platform for the Eagles of Benin to upset the odds. Having not made it to quarterfinals before, he believes they are strong contenders now due to their team spirit, attacking football and the perception that they are minnows.

Group D concludes what is set to be an interesting tournament with four-time champions Cameroun battling it out with Gabon, Zambia and perennial contenders Tunisia. Gabon and Cameroun will rekindle their recent World Cup qualifiers rivalry where the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun pipped the Azingo National to qualification. Tunisia would be looking to get over their recent World Cup ache and add another title to the trophy they last won in 2004. Captain Rigobert Song would love to put his last Nations Cup nightmare (his mistake led to Egypt’s lone goal in the finals in Ghana two years ago) behind him as leads a young Indomitable Lions comprising the of enterprising Arsenal midfielder Alex Song, Stephen Mbia of Olympique Marseille and Nicholas Nkoulou of AS Monaco to glory.

Egypt would be seeking to achieve an unprecedented three consecutive Nations Cup triumphs. The five African teams who have qualified for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa would also be looking forward of being African Champions going into an African World Cup. The minnows as usual would be looking for significant upsets. With all these prospects expected to unfold this month in the land of the “Palancras Negras”, Angola 2010 would be more than interesting!

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.