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March 19, 2010
16:19
Anyone for Petrol in (Rural) Accra?
» ‎ Accra by Day & Night

First, let me define "rural Accra".

That is parts of Accra that are still undeveloped (read: no water; no electricity provision established) and probably taken over by Estate companies willing to charge pretty much an arm and a leg for a plot.

Well, would you believe it if I told you that there are parts of Accra where people still buy petrol this way?

If a picture paints... the proverbial, let me not do proverbs, and let it speak for itself!;-D

Have a good one wherever you may be.

15:36
Switzerland day of shame.
» ‎ Osabutey ANNY

It’s almost becoming a sick joke but the loud silence often shown by African governments over the mistreatment of their citizens abroad is really shocking.

Almost on daily basis, the story of an African abroad especially in the west beaten by racists elements dominate the news media and yet their governments keep mute.
They matter less to their home governments, who prefer to sing the praise of their European masters because of the excesses from the dinner table. Either seeking asylum or doing legitimate business, most Africans have been subjected to such embarrassing moments as if they are worse than dogs.

I remember somewhere in the late 1990s, a Ghanaian resident in Germany who was engaged with a white German woman and had a child by her was thrown out of that country. He was forced on the plane against the protestation of his girlfriend, bundled and chained behind like a shameless dog. The aircraft, unfortunately for the man, did not come to Accra directly. It had to go to Malta, a tiny European country.

The soldiers who accompanied him on the flight even refused to give him water to drink. They got to Accra and just dumped him and left. They were not arrested or anything. The man was rather kept in prison and locked up by the authorities.
It was only when he appeared on a radio programme than government foolishl

y came in, promising to take action. I didn’t hear anything and I wonder where the man currently is. I also remember how some British youths beat and killed a young Nigerian boy Demilola.

The boys behind his death nearly went off the hook until some immigrants decided to protest against the shameful mistreatment they often endure from the hands of the British authorities.I’m just reading another article on the BBC news website about the death of another African asylum seeker in Zurich, Switzerland.

The Swiss authorities, according to the report, are in the process of deporting more immigrants but had to halt the exercise following the death of the 29 year old man believed to be a Nigerian national. The man’s feet were shackled and forced, with 15 others, to a waiting aircraft. He however fell ill on Wednesday but the shackles were left to remain until he was took weak to look into the skies.

"They treated us like animals," said one, called Emmanuel.
"They shackled our feet, knees, hands, hips, arms and torso and made us wear a helmet like those worn by boxers. It was simply impossible to move," he was quoted by the BBC. .

Last year for example, the Swiss authorities made a special case to repatriate 43 persons from Switzerland, deporting some 360 people, mostly to the Balkans or Africa, according to the Swissinfo reports.

13:15
Nigeria is Shamefully a Fragment of Christians and Muslims put Together?
» ‎ Sarpong Obed-ready to chew

"By their fruits ye shall know them." It's a phrase we are all familiar with--it obviously holds more truth than we usually would want to believe. As for some of us, we are careful in concealing our real intentions. Indeed, others could conceal it so well so that the very discovery of what they are really is also so subtle. Such is the case of Muamar Gaddafi.

The Libyan leader has made headlines in Africa over the past few years after he took the "African Unity now" position. I'm for that position too but if that is the way we must go instead of regional blocks, we must also be prepared to do the underground creative work to fashion a system so ingeniously African, modernistic in its approach yet traditional, and most importantly humane. So I'm in Gaddafi's camp or he is in my camp.

But this is not the reason for which I write this piece. Nigeria continues to prove its critics right of her inability to hold the country together as one country, with one people! It is absurd, and appalling to see fellow Nigerians (fellow Africans) fight over nothing, BUT RELIGIONS IMPORTED HERE WHICH HAS BEEN USED TO DESTROY AFRICANS. Sometimes it makes one wish Christianity and Islam did not take root here in Africa at all. But it is hard given the fact that most Africans are now either Christian or Muslim--and they know nothing about their real selves. Don't get it wrong because within religion, law, humour etc is cast the traditions of a people. So if you have foreign religions--which was used as a medium to deceive and colonise you--it cannot be very good for you.

So here Col Gaddafi goes betraying himself and his beliefs in African unity by suggesting to Nigerians (his fellow Africans) to split the country along religious lines. This is sad. Nigeria is not Europe, western Europe!!! The Nigerians are really infuriated over the colonel's comments. Who wouldn't be? But isn't Gaddafi saying the obvious? Isn't Nigeria telling the rest of Africa and the sinile world out there that she is a country of Muslims and Christians (which is not true)? But who cares what is true? What we know is what we see! But Gaddafi is saying what most of the world is thinking of Nigeria.

It is important to know the root causes of the current situation in Nigeria. Nigeria was a highly traditional African society. Its people believed in their ancestors and they were democratic (check the Yoruba and their council of elders) up until the inception of Christianity and Islam. Then to compound everything, the British attempt indirect rule in the south of the country like they have been doing elsewhere. As if that was not enough, they sat in Berlin in 1884/5 with their colleague Europeans and Americans to draw artificial boundaries for the country and many others in Africa. REMEMBER AT THE MEETING NO AFRICAN FROM AFRICA WAS THERE!!!

So today, Nigeria is a fragment put together. I have no word for those living there because I'm sure they have enough proverbs to express their looming demise. They should change the song they are singing presently. Gaddafi meanwhile should watch his mouth, no he shouldn't so that we could see who he really is!!!

9:00
Cape Coast, Ghana, a photo journey
» ‎ This is Ghana

This is an old favourite from last year. If you're traveling to Cape Coast or Elmina, check this out. By the way, that's an STC bus in the picture directly below and this picture shows the corner of Hotel Junction off which Elimax's place lies.

When these women carrying beams of timber on their head passed me this morning I decided to chronicle the journey to work in pictures--it takes about 20 minutes in a share taxi (when it doesn't break down, take a detour, or get pulled over by police at barriers)--so join me in 20 minutes in the life...

...of my journey from home to work that starts here, on the side of the highway, where I flag down a share taxi and still catch myself awed...
...by the women (it's mostly women--and they usually have a baby wrapped on their back to boot) who carry heavy loads on their heads because there's no other way for them to get it from A to B: these women have Pure Grace, the slogan emblazoned on the mini bus's rear windscreen, as they are on almost every vehicle in the country that...
...stops to set down passengers who need a break...

...and almost exclusively have windscreens that look like cystallized spider's webs...

...with side mirrors to match...

...so it's best to gaze out the side windows to see the fishermen carrying nets for mending....
...where piles of Gari--ground cassava--sit in neat stacks on tables across the highway from the Ewe fishing villages...

...and fishermen's pirogues (for fishing is a male domain) sit awaiting their next dip into the ocean and nets sit stretched for mending...

...for several kilometres along the highway...

...and children sell "pure water" from aluminium basins on their heads by the highway where the Atlantic waves pound the beach...

...and billboards advertise the ubiquitous game...
...before you come upon the village where pirogues set the scene...

...and lone fishermen take stock...

...and communities of fishermen participate in a communal hand-over-fist dance to haul in the nets...

...before coming upon the lagoon at Bakaano where a thin strop of sand separates the lake from the sea...

...and you shortly find yourself entering Cape Coast proper where you can buy a timber bed frame on the side of the road...

...and avoid falling in the open sewage trenches...

...and buy an onion from a street hawker and mind the firewood that will soon become charcoal that most people use to fuel their small coal braziers over which they cook almost everything, including...

...pancakes that will soon be sold from that little green shed by a lady who piles them up in a glass case and wanders along the road until they're "finished"...

...and do a spot of chair shopping before the day gets going...

...and make a call for 25 cents from the yellow umbrella stand...

...and stop at the blue painted shop that sells stales like milk, of course, and sugar, rice, single tea bags, and other food stuffs in small portions from 5 cent sizes to $1 or more...
...and a bite of wakye (wah-chy), a dish of rice and red beans and sold in those large silver bowls along streets all over Ghana...
...so you can fill your stomach for a day at the office!
That was a 20 minutes in the life from Elmina to Cape Coast...

Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

7:38
As the Weekend Comes
» ‎ ANTI-RHYTHM

As the weekend comes
And this week dies,
Make the weekend really come
And let this week’s work really end
Find a soft spot
Somewhere, or in your mind
And float through it
With all the pleasures you can find.

4:22
Growing Up Against the "Norm" (Belated International Women's Day Post)
» ‎ Circumspect

My anticipation about writing a post on international women's day (March 8) has been building up so much, but now that I'm here, for some reason, I can't decide which route to take. I kid you not when I tell you that I have written and rewritten this at least 3 times! First, I was thinking of talking about feminism. But I think that deserves a post on its own. Then I thought about writing about how exasperated or "overdosed" I've been feeling about all this "woman" or gender business in development, but that started sounding too textbookish. So now, I'm just going to go with the flow. I'm going to talk about what being a woman means... to me :)
Growing Up...Against the "Norm"
Going with the norm, I probably shouldn't be here. I should probably be married by now, maybe onto my second, third, or even fourth child. I shouldn't be living alone, miles away from my parents and family. Heck, how dare I make certain "important" decisions on my own without consulting a man. Going with the norm, there are countless things I shouldn't be able to do, say or think. But thanks to Allah, I grew up against the norm.

Both my parents are educated and educationists, so the question of whether or not I or my sisters should go to school never arose. There were four of us, with my brother smack in the middle and me being the eldest. I realize quite often that having the kind of parents I do is an immense blessing. Some people barely know their parents or even if they do, they don't have the necessary parental support.

Having my parents support me in whatever venture I decide to pursue has helped build up my confidence and self-esteem. And yes, I think it is perfectly okay to acknowledge one's confidence. My dad tells me I was always quite adventurous, and now that I think about it, my willingness to try new things and to keep an open mind is because of my upbringing. My parents taught me to roll with the punches, make lemonade from lemons and learn from experiences. I was also quite the tomboy...for a while. And even now, I don't consider myself a "girly girl".

For most of my early school years, I had mummy right there with me. In school and sometimes in class. She taught English, Social Studies and Religious and Moral Education. I felt it was my "moral obligation" to excel in those subjects if nothing else. Hence, even though I was in a co-ed school for my elementary and junior high school education, I never actually felt threatened by the boys in my class. Quite the contrary, I thrived on the competition and was actually quite disappointed to find that college lacked that competitive edge. One vivid image I have of my mum is during an inter-section football (soccer) match at Alsyd. I was goalkeeping, it was a penalty shoot-out and she was right there on the sidelines cheering me on in what was/is a male-dominated sport.

After JSS, my dad signed me up to a Cisco Networking Course. I was the youngest in the class. And the only girl. Most of my classmates were university students or young professionals. But even then, I never really felt threatened. The issue of seniority is a big deal in Ghana and many African countries. When it comes to seniority between genders in my ethnic group, it's even more complex. As a young woman, you not only have to be 'respectful' to seniors, but even to boys your own age. Being in the kind of classroom setup I was in taught me how to grant my respect to people who earn it. People who go out of their way to prove their unworthiness get my civility and nothing more - ok, maybe the occasional benefit of the doubt.

There are many more childhood experiences that have shaped me into the woman I am today, but these are just some of the ones that came to mind immediately.

I Love Being a Woman!
I've often wondered what it would be like to be a guy. But come to think of it, I'm glad I came out a girl. Being a woman is the most amazing experience ever. Not like I have any other to compare it to lol. But for real, I love being a woman. I love getting dressed up or slacking in that department, because I feel like it. It's exhilarating to know that one day I'll have the honor of carrying a little child in my arms and helping him or her along this course called life. I enjoy being complex and not having to stick to just one identity. Most importantly, I love interacting with, hearing about and seeing the quiet strength of women. Whether it's listening to a sister talk about her struggles and crying with her, working from dawn till dusk to feed a husband and child, or even risking one's very identity as a woman and speaking against injustices, life as a woman is very inspirational. I know more amazing women that I could have ever imagined meeting and although this is a belated post, you are all amazing individuals. For your inner beauty, your silent fortitude, your sensitivity and your intelligence. For being exactly who you are: a woman.

What I Didn't Say
So you see, I didn't tell you that a woman's issues are everyone's issues. Take away the 'wo', replace it with 'hu' and you'll see for yourself that even the word "wo[hu]man" proves the point. That would have been going the "feminism" route.

Neither did I mention that: - According to the World Bank's '09 Urban Report, population is expected to triple in developing countries by 2050. Hence the key to urban development lies in engaging women (since they'll be having the kids), educating them on sexual rights, getting them to choose family planning options, influence how households are formed etc.
- UNDP's '09 Human Development Report expects migration is be one of the largest phenomena in our time. Not just between countries, but within countries, particularly African and Asian - the same regions where the population boom is supposed so happen. Again, women come into play (see above).
- UNFPA's '09 State of World Population pinpoints climate change as impacting women the most since they are the ones who - along with their children - go miles in search of water, firewood, etc, till the land for home food, etc.
No, that would be going the textbook route. Instead, I simply shared childhood experiences that influenced the woman I am today, and why the sisterhood inspires me so! And as far as equality goes, it's less about competing with the men, and more about being the best woman you can be and helping other women grow to be their best too! :)

Belated International Women's Day to all my lovely ladies + the men who support them.
--
Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5
2:43
The Letter Writing Project:: Thank You, But Can I Have My Life Back?
» ‎ Circumspect

"On this day of your life, Jemila, I believe God wants you to know that a point of view different from your own might be well worth entertaining. Sometimes it is not easy hearing an idea that is different from the one you advancing -- yet it might be that second idea for which you were actually reaching for.

Answers sometimes arrive in more ways than one. Sometimes they come through us, and sometimes they come to us. You will not have to think but a second to know exactly why you received this answer today."
- March 17 "Conversations With God" Email
-------
I got that email yesterday ago. A day after I received some really "harsh" feedback from my supervisor concerning an article I'd written. It's not easy hearing people critique your work, especially when you think that a piece of work is at its best. But take the pointers down I did. And then when I came home and read the above message, I figured I'd give the article rewrite a shot today.

Like everybody else, writers have good days and bad days. On a good day, you sit at a computer and the words flow out on their own accord. On a bad day, you sit at a computer and a sentence flows out every 30 minutes or so. Today, I sat at my computer and only got TWO sensible-enough sentences the ENTIRE eight hours I sat there! TWO! That has NEVER happened to me before.
Normally, I can switch myself into writing mode by slamming the earphones on and finding the right music or radio station. But the tunes just weren't doing it for me today. I tried, I promise, I really did. Impending deadline and pressure aside, I really tried to get into the insurance and risk mitigation mindset - I was supposed to profile a risk insurance agency - Usually, I'm able to fake it (aka sound intelligent and well-informed about a topic I just learned about a few hours prior to writing the article ) but somehow... I don't even know.
Towards the end of the day, my co-worker, editor and I were chatting and I mentioned how unproductive - or counter-productive as my co-worker said - today was. My editor stated that it happens sometimes. You just need to find the lede (introduction) and the rest of the article flows out. Which is generally true, the beginning of a project is usually the hardest. As we were talking, I realized this: my current pattern of "writer's block" didn't start just today. Today might have been the culmination, but it's been going on for about a week and a half now.
I have two main policies I adhere to when it comes to personal writing and blogging:
- Never feel pressurized or obligated to write something, only write when inspired.- If and when writing begins to feel like a chore, it's time to switch things up. Writing (and learning) should be fun and stimulating!
These have been great for staying true to myself as a writer. But the thing is, they only work under "normal" circumstances. The past couple of weeks have been far from normal. True, I have been quite busy between trying to finish up interviews, cover the Commission on the Status of Women in New York, try to plan out the next year or so of my life, and have a social life. Normal, everyday, hectic life right? Problem is, my mental faculties were far from present. My mind was somewhere in the future, leaving the rest of me to deal with the work piling up.
It's like sitting in a nice, comfortable car, driving around. Actually, you're not driving, you're being driven. Everything is going smoothly. You're enjoying the scenery. The latest R&B sensation is crooning on the FM. My bad, the satellite radio. Everything's going swell. Suddenly, someone throws ice cold water on your face. Wake Up! Yea. That's exactly the kind of wake up call I had today.
Morale of the Story: It's okay to anticipate things in life, but it's also important to make sure your head isn't in the clouds while the rest of your (headless) body is wandering around clueless on earth.

I owe some people a number of apologies, and I'll get back on rolling out those posts. Right now though, considering this is a letter to myself, thank you, but can I have my life back?
xoxo,J
P.S. Come what may, we're finishing that article tomorrow, so get your act together!

2:13
RESOLVING BITTERNESS
» ‎ Musings: Ben Hinson's blog

I just had an experience today that brought this subject to light. Bitterness is an ugly, ugly, ugly handicap that does absolutely nothing but destroy everything good, starting with you. It is dark, it consumes, it distorts thoughts, it does practically everything negative to separate you from fulfilling your destiny and maintaining healthy relationships with others. It may be something from your past, an powerful experience or the way a person may have wronged you...it may be jealousy by looking at others and being bitter that they supposedly "have" what you don't have. This thing destroys families, separates blood relations over the most trivial of issues...it is like a cancer that can destroy ones perception in all sorts of negative ways. Just today I was receiving some priceless business advice from someone whose opinion I highly value, but for some reason them giving me the raw honest truth that didn't always appeal to my ego left me strangely feeling angry which is very uncharacteristic of me. I had to step back, assess myself and what was happening before I lost control. I realized I had a bitter root that had nothing to do with this person, but was affecting my relations with the individual whether I expressed it to them or not. I had to quickly regroup, openly apologize for my thoughts and move on.
And that's how bitterness works. It is that demon on your shoulder just waiting for a chance to destroy you and everything meaningful in your life. It prevents you form doing what God intended you to do. And its just not worth your time to listen to its dark suggestions. If you're bitter about the way a person reacted to you or feel you deserve some amount of respect, get over yourself: nobody really cares. If you're bitter about some wrong someone did to you in the past, rest assured that it is most likely that you're the only one thinking about it while they're moving along. If you're bitter about some unfulfilled dream, or you're jealous that others seem to be having "fun" in this life and doing great things, trust me, only they know what they're going through behind closed doors. You're only wasting time by investing your thoughts on them. Reality and fantasy are two very separate things, and they may be thinking the very same things about you.
The cure? Get out of yourself. I know it may not be as easy as it sounds, but the core reason one becomes bitter is that they do not know how to escape themselves, which sometimes can be called selfishness. Forgive the person or situation in your mind, and if necessary reach out to them. If they spit in your face, its okay, you did your part and shifted the balance of power. Do your part and move on. Yes, some situations are harder to deal with than others, but when you overcome the tough stuff it only makes you a better person. Don't make assumptions on how others think, because you're not a psychic, and even they don't know anything. Assumptions open the door for that little demon to come sit on your shoulder. And most importantly, trust God. No man can take what God has for you, no matter how hard they may try. I say these things to you, as I also encourage and teach myself.

March 18, 2010
23:29
Why I hate black music
» ‎ Critical Point

What is this ‘black’ are we talking about? The black of Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil? Can we just say that all these people, from all these diverse countries and cultures just make one type of music. We can’t even talk about African music as if it were just one thing. In Europe and the USA ‘black [...]

23:14
Beauty is Truth
» ‎ Nana Kofi Acquah - Ghana Photographer

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty," - that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

- John Keats-

14:33
Are we training for the 21st century?
» ‎ Accra books and things Weblog

I don’t usually talk too much about work in this blog, though I do not hide the fact that I am a librarian both by occupation and profession. During the last few weeks I’ve been almost a “one-man band” or should I say “one-woman band” at work, as one of my colleagues has left for “greener [...]

10:55
The Best of Ghanaian Bus Preachers
» ‎ Wo se Ekyir...

Got an email from my good friend Q.

Q is the male version of me. And the cartoon above is an artist's attempt to capture his essence. I think it's about right. Q really wears those hats, and reads strange books . Conversations with Q usually centre around Ghana things, funny stuff, songs etc.When Q talks, I listen. If he recommends a book, I read it. If he recommends a movie, I watch it. If he recommends a fashion trend, I try it.

Q and I have been friends since 1999. Eleven years is a long time. He's one of those people that I think of and I laugh out loud, because invariably I'm going to be thinking of something funny that he said. If you think i'm local, Q's like 10 times that. Funnier too. He actually inspired many of the very first blog posts.

As things have gone on, he's gotten busy with his new books and life as a student in New York. But every once in a while, he pops in to check on me and to point me in new directions.

So I got an email from Q. Brief and to the point as always, it read:

You have to watch this and maybe write about bus preachers in Ghana.

So I watched it, and loved it. And scratched my head thinking...how could my writing possibly do this justice? Some things can only be experienced. So I'm sharing the video with you. Enjoy it. It's a slice of the Ghanaian life:

And if you really want to read what I might write if I wrote about bus preachers in Ghana, read about my account of a trip from Tarkwa to Accra that I took in 2006

But as I said, writing has its place.

10:40
NOOOO! CHELSEA OUT OF CHAMPION'S LEAGUE???
» ‎ Musings: Ben Hinson's blog

I can't believe it. Samuel Eto ruined my high aspirations for Chelsea. Samuel Eto and that damn Wesley Sneijder. I didn't think Inter stood a chance against the physical play of the Boys in Blue, but they proved me wrong. Walter Samuel manhandled Didier Drogba, and Inter's goalie seemed impenetrable. Even Chelsea having possession for 56% of the time had no effect on the outcome. It was shameful for Chelsea: losing at home, being kicked out of the Champions League and most of all, losing to their former manager.
I have to admit though, that I felt good for Jose Mourinho. I've always liked him (never understood why Chelsea let him go in the first place), and he and his team deserved the win. As I read in one article earlier today, "he's got a great team behind him, but once again Chelsea belongs to Jose Mourinho."

How true that is.
10:18
MY NEW NOVEL, part 1
» ‎ Musings: Ben Hinson's blog

Hello all. I have a new novel coming out. Its a project that I've been working on for quite sometime now, since August of '09. I wanted to do something that I found fun and on a subject that I find extremely interesting. While being fiction, it is a thriller based on actual events that occurred throughout Africa, the Americas and Europe from the mid sixties all the way up to the nineties. Its' theme? Mercenaries in Africa. The novel will be released through MUSINGS PRESS. It has been the most fun I have ever had on a writing project, and I believe it will be a great read: not based on my opinion but from the few literary gurus I have exposed its contents to already. Can't give away too many details right now, but I will put up an excerpt on this blog as well as divulge the books title closer to its release date.

Again, I thank-you for your support.

9:30
Are you MaD: All about fair trade!
» ‎ This is Ghana

This week's Are you MaD post focuses on fair trade. There is so much happening in that field, Are you MaD: Fair Trade. Click and check out the full post at www.g-lish.org. You'll see reviews of four excellent organisations and experience a relity check about the chocolate you're tasting too. You can read about one Ghanaian's terrible trip to the Ivory Coast in Facing up to an Ivorian gun runner to get a sense of how children and youth end up slaving on cocoa farms today.

This image which shows fair trade coffee is courtesy of william.neuheisel at Flickr.

This image on the left is of a Chinese/Mandarin language poster advocating fair trade by Oxfam. That's certainly one of the markets to target as far as lobbying for better working and trading conditions is concerned.

To read what four excellent orgnisations are doing, go to Are you MaD: Fair Trade.

Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.
Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

0:29
Kojo Antwi features Yvonne Nelson in his Adiepena video (Museke)
» ‎ Why so serious? Blogs of a MIghTy African

Mr. Music man, Kwadwo Antwi, has always had great music videos. In the first music video from his latest Mwaah album, Adiepena, he features renowned Ghanaian actress, Yvonne Nelson, in it.

Kojo Antwi features Ghanaian actress, Yvonne Nelson in his newest video, Adiepena. This is not the first time Ghanaian actresses have played major roles in Ghanaian music videos. The late Suzzy Williams featured in VIP's continental hit, Ahomka womu as well as Reggie Rockstone's Channel O award-winning video for Fame bone kye me (Ah) featuring K. K. Fosu. I'll like to see more of these where Ghanaian music and movies combine. We've seen the musicians contributing greatly to soundtracks and it would be great to see the actors and actresses play important roles in the music videos. It will go hand in hand to make both industries more popular in Africa and beyond.

In the video, Yvonne plays Kojo's love interest. The storyline follows most of the song's lyrics, which you can find at this link. The video looks like a mini-movie. We see Yvonne shouting like she normally does in various Ghanaian movies, we see her seducing and 'dancing sexy' in front of Kojo. If you've followed her recent movies, it's not far from some of her roles. This makes Yvonne almost an automatic choice for what Kojo wanted to do in the music video. Yvonne ends up getting hurt in the video and we see blood. That's not a marked departure from Ghanaian movie scenes these days as well.

I love how she's 'wearing' the Ghana flag in the video. Awesome. How lovely! Isn't a girl blowing a whistle kinda sexy? And she's handling one of the most beautiful footballs known to mankind - a Wawaba!

Yvonne Nelson must be loving this one, haven't seen any of the other major Ghanaian actresses in music videos. I wonder how much she was paid to be in this video. Or maybe with Kojo Antwi's popularity and pull, Yvonne didn't even get paid anything. It's a nice gesture for both Kojo and Yvonne, and it will endear them to each other's fans. The video is from Kojo's Quajo-Quajo stable. I think he's been directing his own music videos for a while now.

Watch the video here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb-QH1nLrMY

Nice video! I love it. It may end up winning a few awards. What do you think of it?

0:00
EXCERPT: Pretending to be President
» ‎ Ato Kwamena Dadzie Latest Blog Articles

Jobs for the boys and girls February 3, 2005 Countrymen and women, loyalists and opponents, I have already spelt out my plans for my second term on the Black Star Stool. I must warn you that things are not going to change much and so don’t expect too much from me ...

March 17, 2010
18:19
Okro stew, Kenkey and the DOLLAR BILL.
» ‎ Osabutey ANNY

I’m wondering if anyone has an idea where I could get some real good Okro-stew spiced with salt peter or ‘kanwey. I have a fight with a Philippino. I’m making some dollars out of the fight. It is a risk I have decided to take. Because the gentleman I’m going to fight is deadly as the python.

He is left handed; he has retired three boxers in our division, some of them equally deadly. But he retired them. One of them a British Ricky Hatton could not go beyond three rounds. He is smallish but a bully in the ring. He had beaten almost everyone else in the division. I know it was a stupid decision to fight him but I can’t let the money at stake evaporate into tin air. That is huge.

I’m from a poor West African country called Ghana. I come from Bukom in the Ghanaian capital Accra. It is a small but poor suburb with lots of unemployment and uneducated people. It is the home of boxing. The legendary Azumah Nelson honed his skills from there. Ike Quartey who also made a huge pay cheque after he was walloped by Oscar De La Hoya also comes from there. His loss against De La Hoya was deliberate.

He is no fool. I’m one of few boxers to get this lifetime opportunity and If my destiny lies here, I should not let the money slip by me. If my destiny is to be beaten by this smallish guy just for the DOLLAR BILL, I’ll certainly not let that pass me by. However I’m not going to allow him to waste my face like he’s done to the others. Hell no. my folks back home expect me to win the fight.

Especially my immediate relatives, but I’m not interested in that. What interests me most is the money, the DOLLAR BILL. Rather than allow him to reduce me to rubbles, I’ll rather eat some Okro-stew with kenkey, get into the ring and cover up my face till I’m able to cover the 12 rounds. That is my strategy. I’m no fool, folks, I’m no fool. Like I said it’s a risk I’m taking but the money involved is too much to be ignored. I’ll go for the dough, folks.

I surely will find some excuse to tell folks back home about why I lost the fight. Growing up one of the things I learnt from my relatives is that eating Okro-stew laced with salt-peter or ‘kanwey’ gives one stomach upset. I had tried one in the past and I think it better suits me to go back to it. So I headed off to Dallas, one of the cities in Texas, the venue of the fight, and requested a friend’s girlfriend to cook me some spicy okro-stew with kenkey. I’m feeling for it.

The fight is only 24 hours away and I guess if I’m able to visit the toilets from time to time, it will be a good excuse for me to tell the trainers something when I lose the fight. The truth is I can’t fight the former sugar worker. He is strong, smart and fast. After all he is the one giving me the opportunity to make some money.

But I’ll try to make sure he doesn’t retire me from the ring. I can’t wait to cash the money right into my bank account. I’m a rich man regardless of what my country men will say about me. They can talk ‘by-heart’ but I’m not bothered. They can say all things about waking up early to see me fight and I disappointed them. But do I care? I didn’t ask them to wake up and watch me fight.

Even if that happened, I had apologise to them so what do they want from me again, money or the title? I’m not going to eat the title, to be frank with you. Even when I was sitting on the toilet my mind was firmly on the money, not the fight. I was simply praying for the fight to just come to an end so I’ll go out there and cash my money. That was what I thought about and nothing else.

I’m I that stupid to allow my face to be destroyed by this tiny man and use part of the DOLLAR BILL to recover from hospital? I’m no fool. I’m in boxing to make money and not to joke. So if I could fight and lose but rake in that much money I’m fine.

The amount is payment for services rendered in barely an hour work. How many educated people back in Ghana could make that much money? All of you should just shut up and allow me enjoy my money. It’s my money and body so keep quiet. I’m not going to eat the belt and I’m sure you guys sure know that. Who cares about the belt when there is money to be made?

For the last time I’ll like to say that should such an opportunity come my way, I’ll go back to Dallas, look for okro-stew and kenkey so I can get enough sittings on the toilet if only I’ll make the money at the end.
Think about it again, folks!

17:40
Who Said Ghanaians Cannot Complain?
» ‎ Accra by Day & Night

Despite the fairly good-natured attitude of Ghanaians towards life (where those who believe in in something leave it to God, when misfortune strikes), Ghanaians can be as vociferous and articulate as you can imagine.

These two pictures are captured from the DAILY GRAPHIC newspaper of this past Monday and today respectively, and are from the "Letter's Page", which appear on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The first complaint is against one of the telco's in Ghana--TIGO, and the second against ATM provision by a French-Ghanaian bank SG-SSB, where I myself have had a very bad experience with them in November 2007!

labels: ghana banking, ghana complaints, daily graphic

17:10
Joshua Clottey: Questions and Lessons for a nation
» ‎ Prince of Adovoria - The Voice of a Ghanaian Progressive

In light of the Joshua Clottey “non-fight” with Manny Pacquiao I have a few questions and concerns that are begging for answers:

Questions and concerns:
1. Joshua Clottey’s Ghanaian lead trainer Godwin Dzanie Kotey could not secure a visa to travel to the United States in what would arguably be the “fight of his life”. What is the role of the Sports Ministry, the National Sports Council, and the Ghana Boxing Authority in helping the trainer secure a US visa? Why weren’t they successful? Would a trainer in his corner actually speaking his native language (Ga) have helped Joshua Clottey actually…ah…fight?

2. According to myjoyonline news; "Clottey blames defeat on Banku and Okro stew" - Given Ghana’s long history on the world boxing stage (Ghana being, arguably, the best boxing nation on the African continent on the professional level) shouldn’t our boxers have nutritionist or at least know what kind of food to eat before “the fight of your life”? I wouldn’t event Banku and Okra soup before playing tennis, basketball or ride my bike in my neighborhood because it’s such heavy food. Why should a former boxing champion like Joshua Clottey eat Banku and Okro Stew before a major fight?

3. According to an AP news article I read, “Clottey who like many of the country’s top boxers have endlessly criticized the GBA for a lack of support, confessed that he goes into the fight against Pacquiao feeling like he is fighting for Ghana for the very first time”.

For a country of approximately 20 million people Ghana has made a name for itself in the world of boxing – Azumah Nelson, Ike Quartey, etc. Most of the boxing greats come from Accra, specifically the Bukom, Chorkor, Osu areas of Accra.

What would it cost to have a boxing ring on every corner in Bukom.

What would it cost to build 2 extra large gyms with several training equipment (locally made) in the Chorkor area?

What would it cost to give every boy in Bukom a free pair of boxing gloves if they chose to pursue boxing either as a hobby or with the hope of making it as a professional boxer some day.

Had Joshua Clottey fought and won the Welterweight title the economic impact of his winning on the average Ghanaian’s standard of living would have been greater than Ghana’s entire parliament.

How about we don’t give each parliamentarian a $50,000 "car loan" next year. (are these still loans if they don't and are not required to pay them back?) . Instead build some facilities to produce more Joshua Clotteys and Azumah Nelsons.

How about reduce the "car loans" to $20,000 instead? Can I get an Amen?

17:00
Colonized minds? Or historical revisionism?
» ‎ Home Sweet Home

In my anthropology class we are reading a book about Ashanti women in the pre-colonial and peri-colonial days. This book presents a very liberated picture of women. My friend also says a foreigner who visited Ghana expressed surprise at how liberated women are in Ghana. Tsitsi Dangarembga (sp?) has waxed poetic about African women's sexual freedoms before the white men and their religion came to us.Thing is, I am not sure I buy that argument. And I don't know if my point of view is colored by misinformation also! I am not stupid enough to believe that everything was horrible before the white men and their religion came to 'modernize' and 'save' us, but I am not stupid enough to believe it was all fine and dandy either. Growing up in Ghana didn't give me a good opinion of the collective Ghanaian treatment of women. The older they were (ie, the less colonialism they'd experienced) the worse their opinion attitudes towards women were, it seemed.

As a Ghanaian woman, your every worth was (and in many ways still is) tied to a man. You may be the best most compassionate doctor, the sweetest person person, a wonderful and true friend, but you will be held in less esteem if you aren't married (why else would a legitimate reason for not nominate Alima Mahama as NPP VP candidate be "she's not married; she doesn't have children?) Oh yes - you better produce children after the first year or two of a marriage or else. Even if you and your husband are agreed to wait before kids, society won't let you be - the snarky comments will come your way (and those comments hurt! Sticks and stones will break your bones, hurtful words from your own people will break your spirit). Many women (some that I know, and some I've heard of) would rather be trapped in an unloved, abusive marriage than be divorced or single, because of the stigma. A childless woman is viewed as less of a woman. The book we were reading says that women were allowed to divorce a man if he wasn't givnig them children. Fair enough. But in reality, how many times have you heard of a case such as this? Is it not the men who are always clamoring that their wives are barren (can u imagine how many women had to suffer so much scorn when it was probably their husbands that were infertile?!) The book also says that in matrilineal societies, it was female children who were prized more. Hmm - but I have heard the proverb (supposedly from some matrilineal ethnic group in Ghana: please don't crucify me, I just said I've heard, not that I know for a fact), the proverb which is said at the birth of a child, when asking for it's gender: "Is it a human or a girl?" Doesn't make one feel very precious now, does it?

We vaunt Yaa Asantewaa as a display of female liberation. But according to the books, wasn't the only reason Yaa led the charge that the men were too chicken to do so? Wasn't that why it was so shameful to the men and so brave of her? She led the war because the men were emasculated. So Yaa ascended to the position of power when the MEN who held it had abdicated that power by being too chicken to fight the Brits. Not so liberating a picture now, init? Yes, matrilineal society, queenmothers are important, but in the end, is it not the Asantehene that is the highest authority of the land?

Women are expected to be subordinate to men in every area: work, home...life! You are never a woman by yourself. It is always in relation to your husband or children. It is true enough that many times it is women who identify themselves in relation to other people, but even so, identifying yourself that way should not take away from being a person too. A la Tsitsi Dangarembga, it's no use being taught secrets of sexual pleasure, if I can't marry someone of my own choosing, and even less if I'm married off to a man old enough to be my father. There's even less to be said for the rationale behind the practice of FGM. The treatment of widows....I could go on an on.

I asked the two other Ghanaians in the class with me what they thought of my opinions. After a bit of debate, and disagreements here and there, we came to this consensus: Even then (pre- and peri-colonial days) and now, what Ghanaian women have is CONTROL. We are the backbone of the economy (who's in the markets and running the informal sector: women). We are very outspoken and let our voice be heard. But all of this control doesn't translate into POWER, which is what matters. What is the use of being the backbone of the economy when the spending decisions are taken out of your hands? What is the use of being the backbone of the country if you have no say in running it? What's the use of being very outspoken if your words are given little attention or credence? What is the use of being elevated as a 'mother' in society when it is your husband that determines your reproductive choices? What is the use of being allowed to divorce your man when the society will hound you for it, or if he almost always divorces you first? What is the use of laws that uphold your rights if the in vast majority of cases your rights are not upheld? What is the use of a 'wife' being an important role if you have to live with abuse and no support (because 'that's how men are' or because 'God said so')? And the things I've seen, I've seen from 'Christians' and traditionalists alike.

And oh yes - one or two cases that show 'liberated women' do nothing. I can show one or two cases of anything to support my points. The measure of how liberated women are is in whether the majority of women are liberated. Having 10% of women liberated in the country doesn't mean much if 90% are still repressed - the country is a country of repressed women then. Showing that in 10% of cases the law upholds the rights of women doesn't do much when in 90% of cases, the law (which btw is supposed to uphold our rights 100% of the time) doesn't uphold those rights. Then for all intents and purposes, the law doesn't uphold our rights. If 10% of professors don't demand sex for grades, but 90% do, then the country can be branded as a place where sex for grades rules. Catch the drift?

No society anywhere in the world has fully 'liberated' women. But I do think that the western world has progressed furthest in giving women both control AND power. I do think that a good majority of African women are repressed, repressed by culture, society, religion (although there is a burgeoning set of 'liberated' African women). I do with all my heart believe we are less repressed now than we were back in the days before and during colonialism. No amount of lilterature will convince me different (at least, they have to try way harder than what I've read so far) because my experience bears me out. Mine eyes have seen, truly or falsely, they've seen for themselves.
So..... am I wrong? Am I thinking along the right lines? Or am I the product of a colonized mind?

PS: I found a disclaimer of sorts in the book which states that we should not assume from thepicture they paint that women weren't oppressed in those days. They note that women are also not necessarily more liberated today. It is just the the oppression manifests itself in different ways then and now. So some freedoms we had then, we don't have now, and some we have now we didn't have then.

14:49
Good hair
» ‎ Maya's earth

The hairstyle? Of course I had it done at Auntie Alice Salon and these days there seems to be less of a queue. I waited about 10-15 minutes before they started on my hair. Got there at 11:15 and was out by 14:20.

This time round I missed the morning devotion, but among the hens and dogs getting stuck in clumps of hair extensions, I managed to also catch a goat, aponkye!

10:12
Selfishness; Selfish-less
» ‎ Expression Poesy

Someone said to me yesterday (let’s call her P), “Takyi, when I’m successful, I’ll mention your name as one of the people who inspired me”. This declaration was unexpected and caught me off guard, and the best I could manage was a lame “Awww” (yeah, I know, lame; sue me!).

But this remark didn’t just cause me to make a slight fool of myself, it also got me thinking about the ramifications of our daily actions. As far as I know, the only contribution I’ve made to P’s life was randomly asking her how her day has been, or having a random conversation about her home in Kenya, or something of the like. Hence, for her to say something like that was not only surprising but also pleasantly reassuring. Reassuring that there are people whose lives are affected by the little things I do. By the choices I make to try to be nice to people (regardless of how undeserving they may be of my oh-so-mighty-and priceless-niceness, hehe), by the choices I make to give people the benefit of the doubt (when it’s so obvious that it’s literally playing Devil’s advocate), by the choices I make to be generous with compliments, by the choices I make to care about people.

Sometimes, people really only need a simple “you’re looking smashing” or “Are you OK?”, to brighten up their day (maybe even reduce the suicide statistics….think about it :D), and by being able to do that, you not only bless a life, I believe you bless two. God says, you do unto Him what you do unto others, hence, by being able to do this, you not only bless a life, you unconsciously bless yourself (Yay!).

Really, it’s not that hard to rid yourself of selfishness and fill your heart with concern for others…. actually, it is, given that we’re inherently selfish beings, but you’ll come to realize that it’s much more difficult and strenuous looking out for your own interest than caring for many; mathematically, that’s a bloody lie, but in truth, it is the truth.

Be blessed.

9:09
Trotro mate for a day: Photo
» ‎ This is Ghana

This slogan speaks to my directional decisions. That's me in the sunnies outside my old house in Elmina and my friend and former volunteer buddy. We were trying out being mates for a day, even though we weren't going too far in that old rust bucket. Kind of like many a trotro trip...!

Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying. Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

7:45
Between Love and Friendship
» ‎ ANTI-RHYTHM

The sun still throws a warm glow
And the stars, glint and glitter
The birds chirrup each dawn
And the days are lotused with laughter
A friendship buds like a Portland Rose
Will it blossom on this social side,
Or bloom across The Besotted Line?
There’s love in Friendship and friendship in Love
And then, there is Love, and there is Friendship.
7:15
Poetry - Between Love and Friendship
» ‎ ANTI-RHYTHM

This morning, I felt an old hunger - poetry! I wrote the poem "Between Love and Friendship. I hope you like it.

4:59
Sparrow Productions' back with CheckMate; trailer inside
» ‎ Why so serious? Blogs of a MIghTy African

Sparrow Productions is back with another movie called 'Checkmate'. And this time, they feature Nadia Buari for the first time. The movie's tag line is "play smart or lose everything". The movie seems to be centered around a 'chess game' which is nice. "Life is like a big game of chess, it really depends on the move you make". In the trailer, we hear KSM say "One more catch like this and your promotion is sealed!" How about that for encouraging the Ghanaian police force?

The movie stars Nadia Buari, Ekow Blankson, Naa Ashorkor Mensah Doku, KSM and introducing Khareema Aguiar, Kwaku Boateng and Senanu Gbedawo. I'm excited to see KSM in this movie as well. Which reminds me, is 'Double' out on DVD yet? In ASIAT, we saw Shirley Frimpong-Manso in a cameo which came as a surprise. Are we going to be surprised again with another famous Ghanaian actor? Actually, that surprise is Veeda. Yes, I saw her in one of the Checkmate photos. In fact, Veeda alone, is one reason to watch this movie. Why? Her music video on Youtube still probably has the most views of any Ghanaian musician. For real. I no dey joke. Real talk. Check this

After Life and Living it, Scorned, The Perfect Picture, and A Sting in a Tale (ASIAT), this is the fifth movie from Shirley Frimpong-Manso's stable.

A SHIRLEY FRIMPONG MANSO FILM...."CHECKMATE"....play smart or loose everything. This movie is starring Nadia Buari, Ekow Blankson, Naa Ashorkor Mensah Doku and introducing Senanu Gbedawo. Grand Premiere @ the National Theatre on the 1st of April @ 6:30pm and 9:00pm & @ the Silverbird on the 2nd of April.

Here's the movie's synopsis or story

Kwame has made all the right moves in his life; a good job, a beautiful devoted wife, an adorable child, and an impending promotion as a senior customs officer at the airport.

But what seems like a typical guys hang out on a weekend away from home in the company of his new friend and mentor, Kiki, turns out to be the one wrong move Kwame makes. After losing a game of Chess, he succumbs to a bet to seduce the attractive, sexy Caroline.

A few weeks later, the consequences of a dirty forgotten weekend pops up in Kwame’s life threatening to destroy everything he so dearly loves. But the games are just beginning when he realizes that Caroline’s demand for his love is nothing compared to the demands of a drug lord who will do anything to get Kwame’s assistance in smuggling drugs out of the country.

With his entire life hanging on a thread, Kwame must try to win the game or risk losing everything.

So you think you know the story. Good. Even if you do, you still should watch the movie to see Shirley's directorial brilliance at display. Watch it to see if Senanu is going to be a force to reckon with. Watch it to see if Nadia can really act. Watch it to see if Ghana's dondology crew are spearheading Ghana's movie industry to be a force to reckon with. Watch it.

The movie will be showing from Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 6:30pm to Friday, April 30, 2010 at 12:30pm at the National Theatre & Silverbird Cinemas Accra Mall. It's interesting that it's starting on April Fools' Day, are we going to be fooled in the movie? Is the trailer not really the trailer? I heard you are NOT allowed to pull April Fool's pranks after 12pm on April 1st so maybe that confirms that THIS is no prank. If you will be in Accra around then, go and watch folks, and come back and tell us what you thought.

Watch the trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THm5CXZiTV8
4:54
TEDxYouthInspire 2010 Press Release
» ‎ Why so serious? Blogs of a MIghTy African

Am excited about this event though I won't be in Ghana to attend. Will try and follow it on Twitter and through live streaming. You should also follow it on April 10. Ever heard of TED conferences? Now think of African youth. Bulls eye! :-)

Here's a press release from the organising team of TEDxYouthInspire 2010. Take time to read and enjoy, as you brace yourselves for this exciting African youth-focused conference

YOUNG SPEAKERS TAKE CENTER STAGE AT FIRST TEDx CONFERENCE EXCLUSIVELY FOR AFRICAN YOUTH

Inaugural TEDxYouthInspire will bring together those with "A Good Head & a Good Heart"

Accra, Ghana, March 15, 2010 – On Saturday, April 10, 2010, from 8:00AM – 6PM GMT, the inaugural TEDxYouthInspire conference will be held at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of
Excellence in ICT in Accra, Ghana. The free one-day event, a first for young African visionaries ages 14-25, will welcome a host of youth speakers, a Ghanaian dance ensemble and an Academy Award-nominated short film.

Organized along the theme "A Good Head & a Good Heart", taken from Nelson Mandela's 1995 autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, TEDxYouthInspire will exhibit how radical thought and integrity of spirit combine to create unlimited possibilities for a brighter future. "The outpouring of support for TEDxYouthInspire exemplifies the need for more events like this for young people," says Raquel Wilson, event curator, "As our speaker line-up suggests, youth everywhere are ready to solidify their contributions towards making the world a better place." TEDxYouthInspire welcomes the following speakers to give the talks of their lives:

Iyinoluwa E. Aboyeji, 18, a Nigerian teenager with a passion for philosophy, global politics and economics, is President of the Board for University of Waterloo publication Imprint. Using his weekly column "E is for Error" to discuss development and post secondary education, he aspires to be a tenured professor by age 25.

The Asanti Dance Theatre is a dynamic ensemble that combines traditional, contemporary and freestyle dancing along with drumming. Founded in 2003, the group raises awareness of prominent issues facing West Africa and is dedicated to developing and preserving the cultural heritage of Ghana.

Yawa Hansen-Quao, 26, is a women's empowerment activist and firmly advocates that "one cannot love an Africa one does not know." Believing that women must play a central role in spurring economic and social advancement in Africa, Yawa supports travel as a tool to "transform people without permission".

Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah is the host of radio station Joy FM's Super Morning Show.

Mac-Jordan Holdbrookes-Degadjor, 25, a social media activist, is passionate about Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D), youth empowerment and ending poverty through education. With three blogs to his credit, he often writes about global events, social entrepreneurship, traveling and how it feels to be a geek in Ghana.

Shirley Osei-Mensah, 18, is an Internet entrepreneur and student at Keystone National High School. Unable to attend a regular classroom, she takes all coursework online and uses her web exposure to inspire others, provide tips about entrepreneurship and advise on earning an income online.

Esi Yankah, 25, is founder and president of The Africa Mentor Network and creative director for Yankah and Associates. Cautious to always live a life that is cheerful and purposeful, she does not believe that entrepreneurs are an extraordinary breed of people; rather, as she explains, "We just back our faith with action."

Google Ghana Country Manager Estelle Akofio-Sowah will host TEDxYouthInspire.

TEDxYouthInspire is sold out; however, a live web steam of the event will be available online at www.tedxyouthinspire.org. Individual and corporate sponsorship packages are still available. Additional information about TEDxYouthInspire can be found by visiting www.tedxyouthinspire.org. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tedxyouthinspir
or Facebook at www.facebook.com/tedxyouthinspire.

0:00
TECHIMAN VRS ASANTEMAN: No one wins
» ‎ Ato Kwamena Dadzie Latest Blog Articles

A monarch’s intemperate response to a senseless crime has raised tensions between two ancient tribes to boiling point – for the first time in more than a hundred years. For decades the people of the Ashanti and Techiman kingdoms lived their lives without thinking much about what the other was ...

March 16, 2010
22:02
The calm compulsion
» ‎ Life...and living it

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In this short post I'm going to talk about my body, I know I know.
I'm so sick of it being such a big concern. I'm not body dysmorphic or anything but why oh why can't it just obey me and not flow, or protrude where it's not supposed to? I don't know if this is sounding like the most shallow post ever, but I really feel that I can't really talk about weight issues to my eat-what-she-wants sister or my eat!-eat! mother, and if you mention it to other gals, they just assume that you're chatting s*"t and fishing for compliments.
What I really want to know is how does one REALLY get over body issues? Put on or Lose weight 'just because' and not let it take over one's life? I find that when I used to stuff my face I was doing it with an attitude - 'I don't even care! I LUUURRVE my body'- and when (in final year of school) I used to starve myself and I lost weight, I was only temporarily happy with the amount I lost...so annoying!Maybe this is just a case of never human beings never being happy and I don't want to sound too neurotic, but seriously can anyone help to stop me obsessing about this issue, it hasn't got embarrassing yet, but I don't want it to get to the point where my favourite conversation starter is ' have you read about the ...... diet?' and my most profound thought is 'how many calories in a polo mint?'
The thing is although it is very present it's still quite quiet, I'm not physically stopping my life in order to devote time to scale-hopping, and I basically eat whatever (within reason) it just amazes me how it's always ALWAYS there, and has been for about 10 years!
Does anyone out there feel 100% happy with themselves and even if not, how has anyone ended the diet-cycle or the scoff-cycle?

HELP

20:57
Gjengtreff#3
» ‎ my funny little frog

På torsdag drar æ sørover - endelig!! En etterlengta tur vekk herifra. Vekk fra snøen, til mere snø regner æ med, for det e vel fremdeles ganske vinterlig i Oslo og omegn. Først skal æ til min kjære tante Anne og onkel Kristen i Sarpsborg. Fra fredag til søndag skal Vadsøgjengen treffes for 3 gang. Vi har innført en ny tradisjon som æ håper varer til vi e gammel og grå. Møtes en gang i året utenom vanlige ferieturer hjem til Vadsø. Vi møtes i en storby der det bor en eller flere medlemmer av gamle gode gjengen. I år ble det Oslo! Hipp hurra! Glæder mæ til en helg med KOS, stand-up, tapas, vin, shopping, skravling og sladring!

Vi e så flink som holder kontakten syns æ, og det skal fortsette om det blir opp til mæ.

Men FØR æ kan dra, e det vernissage på barnehagen. Eller kunstutstilling som barnan med rette kaller det. Det begynte med et lite ønske fra mæ om vi kunne stille ut litt kunstverk under neste foreldrekaffe på barnehagen. Nu e det blitt en vernissage av klasse, med kanapèer, musserende drikke, rosa, grønne og blå muffins, voksne og barn i sin fineste stas, klassisk musikk, ballett og masse fin kunst! Æ må få prøve å ta noen bilder uten barn på, for det må vises fram! :-)

Et vakkert bilde av gjengen anno 2003! En mangler og en e fotograf, og noen kommer ikke, men 10 stk blir vi! ♥

20:28
Frustrations
» ‎ Maya's earth

Dear friends, there's so many things I have wanted to write about but I have had a really frustrating week. If it's not Vodafone destroying my online social life, it's ECG doing the same to the real life, hospital appointments not coming on on time because they double booked patients (!), meetings being delayed by three hours, business partners taking us back to square one or staff not performing and then getting the company into trouble for it.

I wanted to do a whole countdown to the very special day that my daughter Em turned one (Hooray!) but for now I'll simply leave you with a picture from last Friday's celebrations.

Today has been a very testing day. I got back from the hospital apointment which was postponed (and of course I only found out after two hours of waiting), to find the phone line still cut off, the internet still not working (despite both being paid up), and half an hour later... (oh come on, you know the only thing that could top this off) of course... lights off!

After 36 hours off lights off this weekend, I couldn't take another minute and we quickly headed out to visit an aunty in Airport Residential. This evening, when half of our lights had come on, I decided to have a look at my photos and organise the ones I wanted to print at the Accra Mall. Turns out the last time I went to the photo shop at the mall, they erased my entire memory card, meaning I've lost at least a month of photos! As you can imagine, I am still feeling extremely sad about that and tomorrow I intend to go there, see what can be done and give them a piece of my mind.

Still, as always trying to be positive, I'm focusing on the delicious dinner I had this evening (prepared by moi) of lobster with garlic butter, potato puree with basil and a dessert of apple cinnamon cake (yes, I baked too, there wasn't much else to do with no electricity) and vanilla ice cream. I bought the lobster from one of those guys on Oxford street, in Koala's yard, and I'm surprised to say it was yummier and cheaper than the ones I usually by at Tema European Market! Now, after a quick shower, I'm going to watch some new episodes of Gossip Girl or Desperate Housewives, also bought in Koala's car park and hopefully by tomorrow, the loss of my photos will be a faded memory.

19:05
TEDxYouthInspire 2010 Press Release
» ‎ The Gamelian World

Here's a press release from the organising team of TEDxYouthInspire 2010. Take time to read and enjoy, as you brace yourselves for this exciting African youth-focused conference
YOUNG SPEAKERS TAKE CENTER STAGE AT FIRST TEDx CONFERENCE EXCLUSIVELY FOR AFRICAN YOUTH
Inaugural TEDxYouthInspire will bring together those with "A Good Head & a Good Heart"
Accra, Ghana, March 15, 2010 – On Saturday, April 10, 2010, from 8:00AM – 6PM GMT, the inaugural TEDxYouthInspire conference will be held at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of
Excellence in ICT in Accra, Ghana. The free one-day event, a first for young African visionaries ages 14-25, will welcome a host of youth speakers, a Ghanaian dance ensemble and an Academy Award-nominated short film.
Organized along the theme "A Good Head & a Good Heart", taken from Nelson Mandela's 1995 autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, TEDxYouthInspire will exhibit how radical thought and integrity of spirit combine to create unlimited possibilities for a brighter future. "The outpouring of support for TEDxYouthInspire exemplifies the need for more events like this for young people," says Raquel Wilson, event curator, "As our speaker line-up suggests, youth everywhere are ready to solidify their contributions towards making the world a better place." TEDxYouthInspire welcomes the following speakers to give the talks of their lives:
Iyinoluwa E. Aboyeji, 18, a Nigerian teenager with a passion for philosophy, global politics and economics, is President of the Board for University of Waterloo publication Imprint. Using his weekly column "E is for Error" to discuss development and post secondary education, he aspires to be a tenured professor by age 25.
The Asanti Dance Theatre is a dynamic ensemble that combines traditional, contemporary and freestyle dancing along with drumming. Founded in 2003, the group raises awareness of prominent issues facing West Africa and is dedicated to developing and preserving the cultural heritage of Ghana.
Yawa Hansen-Quao, 26, is a women's empowerment activist and firmly advocates that "one cannot love an Africa one does not know." Believing that women must play a central role in spurring economic and social advancement in Africa, Yawa supports travel as a tool to "transform people without permission".
Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah is the host of radio station Joy FM's Super Morning Show.
Mac-Jordan Holdbrookes-Degadjor, 25, a social media activist, is passionate about Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D), youth empowerment and ending poverty through education. With three blogs to his credit, he often writes about global events, social entrepreneurship, traveling and how it feels to be a geek in Ghana.
Shirley Osei-Mensah, 18, is an Internet entrepreneur and student at Keystone National High School. Unable to attend a regular classroom, she takes all coursework online and uses her web exposure to inspire others, provide tips about entrepreneurship and advise on earning an income online.
Esi Yankah, 25, is founder and president of The Africa Mentor Network and creative director for Yankah and Associates. Cautious to always live a life that is cheerful and purposeful, she does not believe that entrepreneurs are an extraordinary breed of people; rather, as she explains, "We just back our faith with action."
Google Ghana Country Manager Estelle Akofio-Sowah will host TEDxYouthInspire.
TEDxYouthInspire is sold out; however, a live web steam of the event will be available online at www.tedxyouthinspire.org. Individual and corporate sponsorship packages are still available. Additional information about TEDxYouthInspire can be found by visiting www.tedxyouthinspire.org. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tedxyouthinspir
or Facebook at www.facebook.com/tedxyouthinspire.

18:04
the changing climate
» ‎ A Fork in the Road

I had the privilege of participating in a community forum last week on climate change. Radio Ada, the radio station founded by Nyani’s parents, hosted a delegation from CARE and ONE who are visiting Africa to look at the impact of climate change and the work being done to tackle the issues. Radio Ada has been involved in community awareness raising activities on climate change.

In the global discussion of climate change there is often an emphasis on what will happen in the future. This forum, however, brought home what is happening now, or has been happening in the last year or in the last five years.

Communities in the Ada area are quite literally being washed away. Houses in the tiny community of Totope, for example, that were once a hundred and fifty metres from the shore are now buried in the sand. Island communities flood at high tide, and others like Azizanya are using landfill to try to rise above the waters. Cemeteries that once stood on high ground are on the verge of yielding their dead to the sea.

Debate over who caused the climate to change is a distraction from the simple fact that the climate has and is changing, and vulnerable communities are already feeling that acutely. A changing climate brings with it destruction of homes, a risk to traditional livelihoods like agriculture and fishing, but also cultural changes. In Ada some of the communities that have been partially destroyed, are resisting attempts to relocate them. Not only is the land they are being offered swampy and unappealing, to move will mean coming under the jurisdiction of a different chief, it will mean leaving areas that they have lived in for centuries, and mean leaving behind their dead and their history.

If you haven't seen them already, Nyani has posted a series of photos he took in three of the villages that have been hit hard by the changing climate. If you’ve ever heard the discussion about the impact of the sea rising by the predicted 2cms and wondered what that might mean, here’s an illustration.

17:16
TEDxYouthInspire LIVE in Accra, Ghana.
» ‎ Accra Conscious Forever

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On Saturday, April 10, 2010, from 8:00AM – 6PM GMT, the inaugural TEDxYouthInspire conference will be held at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT in Accra, Ghana. The free one-day event, a first for young African visionaries ages 14-25, will welcome a host of youth speakers, a Ghanaian dance ensemble and an Academy Award-nominated short film.

Organized along the theme “A Good Head & A Good Heart”, taken from Nelson Mandela’s 1995 autobiography; Long Walk to Freedom, TEDxYouthInspire will exhibit how radical thought and integrity of spirit combine to create unlimited possibilities for a brighter future.

The outpouring of support for TEDxYouthInspire exemplifies the need for more events like this for young people,” says Raquel Wilson, event curator, “As our speaker line-up suggests, youth everywhere are ready to solidify their contributions towards making the world a better place.”

TEDxYouthInspire welcomes the following speakers to give the talks of their lives:

Iyinoluwa E. Aboyeji, 18, a Nigerian teenager with a passion for philosophy, global politics and economics, is President of the Board for University of Waterloo publication Imprint. Using his weekly column “E is for Error” to discuss development and post secondary education, he aspires to be a tenured professor by age 25.

The Asanti Dance Theatre is a dynamic ensemble that combines traditional, contemporary and freestyle dancing along with drumming. Founded in 2003, the group raises awareness of prominent issues facing West Africa and is dedicated to developing and preserving the cultural heritage of Ghana.

Yawa Hansen-Quao, 26, is a women’s empowerment activist and firmly advocates that “one cannot love an Africa one does not know.” Believing that women must play a central role in spurring economic and social advancement in Africa, Yawa supports travel as a tool to “transform people without permission”.

Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah is the host of Joy FM’s Super Morning Show.

Mac-Jordan Holdbrookes-Degadjor, 25, a social media activist, who’s passionate about Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D), Networking, Youth empowerment and ending poverty through Education. With three blogs to his credit, he often writes about global events, social entrepreneurship, traveling and how it feels to be a geek in Ghana.

Shirley Osei-Mensah, 18, is an Internet entrepreneur and student at Keystone National High School. Unable to attend a regular classroom, she takes all coursework online and uses her web exposure to inspire others, provide tips about entrepreneurship and advise on earning an income online.

Esi Yankah, 25, is founder and president of The Africa Mentor Network and creative director for Yankah and Associates. Cautious to always live a life that is cheerful and purposeful, she does not believe that entrepreneurs are an extraordinary breed of people; rather, as she explains, “We just back our faith with action.”

Ghana Google Country Manager Estelle Akofio-Sowah will host TEDxYouthInspire.

TEDxYouthInspire is sold out; however a live web-steam of the event will be available online at www.tedxyouthinspire.org Individual and corporate sponsorship packages are still available.

Additional information about TEDxYouthInspire can be found by visiting www.tedxyouthinspire.org. Follow us on Twitter at @TEDxYouthInspir or Facebook at www.facebook.com/tedxyouthinspire.

Credit: Raquel Wilson

15:56
Win! Competition! Ghana travel guide giveaway!
» ‎ This is Ghana

We're giving 6 readers a chance to win our Insider's Travel and Living Guide to Ghana. Also great for expats!

One reader from each of the USA, UK, Canada, Netherlands and Ghana will win. We also want someone from another random country who can use Paypal. So, if you're not in one of those "Competition 5", but still want a chance to participate, email and we'll choose someone from outside of those 5 countries too.

There are two steps to this.

This sounds counter intuitive or downright dodgy, but it's not.

We have updated our payment processor and we're testing it in different parts of the world to make sure it works as we've had emails from customers trying to buy, but not being able to for some technical reason. So, we're seeking testers in different parts of the world to ensure things are working properly. For your efforts, you get the guide free.

We're seeking one person in the UK, one in the Netherlands, one in the USA, one in Canada, one already in Ghana and one somewhere else altogether to go through the purchasing process and let us know if you had any problems in the process. After the purchase is complete we'll refund your purchase amount--this is simple. We promise. We have a very good rapport with current customers and, indeed, just updated our guide and those existing customers are getting the updates as we write. You'll get all that, including the new language lesson MP3s included in the package. Free!

To be in the running, first, email us at gaylepescud@gmail.com and let us know where you are. We'll pick winners randomly.

We'll then ask you to test the payment facility and then refund the purchase price back to you once it pops into our account. You get to keep the guide package, but we'd like your feedback by email of how the process went and any glitches you may have encountered. We particularly want to know if there was anything preventing your purchase. If so, at what stage, how? What happened?

So, your chance to own one of our guides! Email away! The sooner we receive emails from all five locations, the better as we want to jump in and test ASAP.
This is the feedback I received about 5 minutes ago from one reader responding to the update link:

"Thankyou for your wonderful guide, it is making my trip much easier and much more rewarding, as I am visiting places I might have otherwise missed. I have your guide on my iPhone and recently was able to help some backpackers who couldn't find the info they needed in the Bradt guide."
Seriously high praise. We didn't make it up. We're getting similar comments from others almost daily.

If you don't make the competition 5, you can buy the guide for the new low price of US$8.15. NOW!

Stay tuned.

That stunning picture of Elmina Castle by night is by Aluka Digital Library.
If you want to see inside the Castle, check this out. The dungeons in Elmina Castle are among the most harrowing of places to experience in Ghana. I visited here in my very first week of arriving in 2005, as I used to live within walking distance along the main road of Elmina (I could swim to the castle!) and my first visit burnt itself into my memory.

Don't forget the competition though.
Looking forward to your emails. Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

15:20
Fighting Crime in Ghana, Here's How!
» ‎ Accra by Day & Night

If there is anything you could say about me this month, it is that I have been quite consistent about my coverage of the Ghana Police on Twitter, and by extension, blog platforms.

Yesterday evening, I witnessed a foiled armed robbery that reminded me of the poster I have captured here.

So, first step to fighting crime: KNOW the phone numbers to the police!

labels: ghana police, ghana crime

12:45
Raising the bar
» ‎ A Fork in the Road

My recent blog on Independence Day in Ghana prompted one of my readers to write a detailed comment encouraging me to ‘look a bit more carefully at how Ghana is doing’ and to appreciate the advances that Ghana has actually made, particularly in comparison to many of its African neighbours. He suggested Ghana has a lot to celebrate.

In the lead up to President Obama’s visit to Ghana last year, much was written about how well Ghana is doing, relatively speaking. What was interesting was reading articles from Ghanaian commentators saying that they don’t want to be compared to failed states, they want to be compared to success stories – set the bar high and encourage Ghana to excel.

It is a fascinating time to be here. You really get the sense that Ghana is at a fork in the road where there are some tough choices to be made. Sure Ghana is a hell of a lot better than many other African countries, but how good could it be? And what will it take to reach those goals?

Oil comes on stream in the second half of the year – a huge opportunity for significant growth, or perhaps the chance for a small group of people to skim off the top and get very rich. Corruption in Ghana may not be as bad as it is in other countries, but anecdotal evidence suggests it’s still bad. The Government has said they will tackle corruption and now they will be put to the test. Can the necessary legislative mechanisms be put in place that will protect oil revenue, and will they be adhered to?

Hard decisions need to be made about infrastructure – many suburbs have no running water and power cuts are common. The power utility is suffering both from drought (hydro electricity) and the fact the few pay their bills – government agencies included. Last week we had 24 hour stretches with no power, and the water was cut to half of the city for two days. The water (which only flows two days a week in our area at best) should have flowed on Friday but it didn’t, so this week we’re trying to make our supplies last another week. We’re lucky, we have a generator and water tanks; most of the city does not. One of the hospitals was predicting deaths due to the power and water restrictions. Can Ghana make the necessary investments, in order to give the country a solid and dependable base that will protect not only the business environment but also the health of its people well into the future?

Environmental management is a major issue at the moment. Rubbish, particularly plastic bag waste is a huge problem. At a time when other countries are getting rid of plastic bags completely, here they are everywhere. Over the past week we’ve been looking at the impact of climate change on coastal communities. Small coastal towns are literally being washed away by rising sea water. There are huge challenges here for both communities and government.

Ghana has a good track record on women’s rights. But there are also statistics suggesting that one in three women is the victim of abuse. We have heard stories of the prevalence of rape in schools – partly due to the fact that many schools don’t have segregated washrooms. Legislation exists that offers a framework for addressing these issues. Tackling them, however, will require also require social and cultural changes.

None of these issues are insurmountable, but addressing each one will require ongoing vision and leadership, good planning, innovation, community partnerships and sound investments in intellectual and physical capital, as well as hard work.

Without too much effort I could come up with twenty other African countries whose situation is even worse. But given the intellectual capital in this country, the education available, the resource base, the experience and indeed, the achievements to date, we should be benchmarking Ghana against the best of Africa, not the worst.

It reminds me of a story I once heard about a famous marathon runner. He said that you could tell a lot about a runner by watching what he did when someone overtook him. Some runners will dig a bit deeper and go after the person who passed them; others will immediately look back over their shoulders and calculate what they need to do to stay just ahead of those in the pack behind.

9:40
The Future has Arrived, and it Doesn't Look Good
» ‎ Nyani Quarmyne's Blog

(Click image to visit photo gallery.)

As someone who had never really been directly confronted with its reality, I tended to think about climate change in the abstract to a certain extent - yes, it's bad; yes, on an intellectual level I understand that it's happening; yes, we need to do something about it; yes, I try to make ethical decisions and live in an environmentally conscious way without straying too far from my comfort zone... Sure, I've read about islands in the South Pacific that are threatened by rising sea levels; I've seen documentaries on polar bears drowning as their habitat melts. So I agree that it's a bad thing over a beer with friends, and buy products from companies that plough revenues into global warming initiatives. It's cosy in my comfort zone.

Truth is, I've been guilty of viewing climate change as something of an impending reality, rather than an incontrovertible, immediate reality, and I know I'm not alone in this.

But then last week I went out to shoot a collection of images on the impacts of climate change on the coastal area around Ada, Ghana, ahead of a visit to Radio Ada by board members of ONE, some of their high-profile guests, and the CEO of Care International. And let me tell you, climate change is not an impending problem - the future has arrived, and it doesn't look good.

9:02
AIDS is looking for you on this highway in Ghana
» ‎ This is Ghana

An image along the highway on the outskirts of Bolgatanga. There was a political logo in the centre that I decided to remove since it just doesn't look too crash hot. Ghana has a serious dose of the funny signs, although there are very few in Bolga--this was my first. Incidentally, we don't believe AIDS is funny. The sign, however...

"Only in Ghana" as Mr KSM would say!

Hey, you've been warned!

Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying. Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

6:45
Sweet Rainy Morning
» ‎ ANTI-RHYTHM

In the showery, half-light morning, on the glistening arch arteries of asphyxiated Accra, the downtown drive is slippery, but smooth and swift. The breeze is brisk: barely beginning to bite. I would do anything for this dream downpour drive every morning.

0:00
JOSHUA CLOTTEY: Not losing guard
» ‎ Ato Kwamena Dadzie Latest Blog Articles

The days when boxing was used to assert national superiority are well and truly over. The earlier Ghanaians accept this fact, the better. Years ago, Azumah Nelson fought as much for himself as he did for the nation. Anytime he jumped the ropes to enter the ring, he did so ...

March 15, 2010
23:18
Is Kenya beating Nigeria in Internet Business Opportunities?
» ‎ Oluniyi David Ajao
This blog post is in reaction to The 3 Reasons Why Kenya is Beating Nigeria in Internet Business Opportunities as published by ICTworks.

I was perplexed at the title of the blog post. Could the author Wayan Vota simply be courting controversy as a means of drawing traffic to the blog? I would attempt to review the reasons listed in the blog post as to why the author is of the view that Kenya leads Nigeria in Internet Business opportunities.

1. Safaricom
Safaricom? When did Safaricom start offering Internet connectivity over a 3.5G network? Only recently. As at the last time I was in Kenya (February 2010), Safaricom was still offering a special promotion of unlimited Internet access for only 999 Kenyan shillings with each subscription lasting only a week. The promo was obviously a means of raising awareness on its new 3.5G network.

In contrast, MTN Nigeria has been offering super-fast Internet over 3.5G since the 2nd quarter of 2008. In addition, Zain and Glo Mobile both offer super-fast Internet using 3.5G technology covering all the top cities in Nigeria.

Nigeria may have more mobile phone players, and cheaper voice rates, but their 3G data services are no where near the quality and reach of Safaricom.

I used Safaricom’s mobile broadband service in Nairobi and Mombosa and frankly speaking, I have experienced faster Internet in Nigeria and Ghana. Safaricom’s service is no where near excellent. It disconnected intermittently and I had reconnect manually on several occasions. I have been too busy since I got back to publish a detailed review based on about 14 days of using Safaricom’s mobile broadband.

An AccessKenya Fibre ad on a road in Nairobi Kenya. AccessKenya is a leading ISP in Kenya. Photo by Oluniyi D. Ajao.

2. Seacom & Teams
Yeah. Seacom alone is a big deal. The hotel I lodged in Mombasa offers Internet connectivity using Swift Global. Swift Global is linked to Seacom. The speed was simply wickedly fast. Seacom was launched July 2009 and currently has an operational capacity of 100 Gbit/s. Considering Kenya (and the whole of East Africa) got their first taste of real Internet only recently, they still have some catching-up to do compared to their West African cousins.

Nigeria’s telecom sector is years behind. Yes, the Glo cable is coming, but with the current restrictive regulation, I bet it will still be cheaper for Nigerian companies to buy bandwidth microwaved over from Benin.

Really? The assertion by Wayan is highly inaccurate. Nigeria is presently the leading telecoms market in Africa with the most liberal telecom regime where several players are digging it in a highly competitive & dynamic market using various technologies. Nigeria is where GSM meets CDMA. Where 3.5G knocks head with EV-DO. Nigeria’s telecom not only offers a big basket of flexible options but is also the biggest in Africa.
Image via Wikipedia
Nigeria has been served by the SAT-3 cable (whether directly or via Benin Republic is inconsequential in this context) since 2002. SAT-3 has a capacity of 120 Gbit/s; however, plans are in place to nearly triple SAT-3’s capacity to 340 Gbit/s soon thanks to technological advancements allowing 2.5 Gbit/s wavelengths to be replaced with 10 Gbit/s wavelengths.

The author wrote about the Glo-1 cable with a heavy dose of pessimism. Glo-1 is powered by Globacom Limited, a privately-owned commercial entity. I wonder what “restrictive regulation” would stop Glo from pricing its broadband services competitively. Already, Glo Mobile recently announced new mobile broadband packages offering much more data for the same old price, leaving its competitors to play catch-up.

The author forgot to mention that MTN Nigeria (a private entity) recently won a bid for the rights to SAT-3 and by inference, the submarine cable would witness a much better management in Nigeria.

The author conveniently excluded Main One, another privately-owned submarine cable that is set to be launched soon with an initial capacity of 1.28 Tbits/s serving Nigeria and some other West African countries.

Yet another cable is ACE. ACE (Africa Coast to Europe) submarine communications cable is a planned cable system along the west coast of Africa between France and South Africa. Etisalat Nigeria (a Nigerian telecom operator) is part of the ACE consortium. ACE would become operational in 2011 with a minimum capacity of 1.92 Tbit/s.

Some vital stats
- Nigeria: 11,000,000 Internet users as of Jun/09, 7.4% of the population, per ITU.
  Population: 154.7 million (UN estimate).
- Kenya: 3,359,600 Internet users as of Jun/09, 8.6% of the population, per ITU.
  Population: 39.8 million (UN estimate)
3. Kenya Power & Lighting
If there is any single factor that would be the albatross of e-commerce development in Nigeria, it would be the lack of power. However, I am forced to reflect in this direction: if Nigeria could achieve this much as epileptic as power supply is, what wouldn’t it achieve when there is adequate supply?

I am far from being complacent and desperately hate the poor power supply in Nigeria but the modest achievements in the present hostile business environment deserve some commendation.

While it is true that Kenya is the regional IT hub in East Africa, Nigeria is the IT hub of a much bigger regional block (West Africa). In summary, Kenya does not beat Nigeria in the Internet business arena. It is a good thing that Africa gets more Internet connectivity but if there is any country to pitch against Nigeria in Africa, it is certainly not Kenya.

You have an opinion on this matter? Join the debate! Leave your thoughts in the comments area.

Related posts:
1. Challenges with Doing Business On the Internet from Nigeria I came across an article at NigeriaGalleria.com just now,...
2. Kenya: Mobile Web East Africa 2010. Free MobileWorld magazines. Nairobi, Kenya – Mobile Web East Africa, an event...
3. Poor Internet Service delivery in Nigeria. The need to take on the ISPs. I do not know why the government or its...
4. Another Fibre Optic Cable Internet Connectivity for Africa It appears Internet connectivity on the African continent especially...
5. Mobile Web East Africa 2010 for Nairobi Kenya Mobile Web East Africa takes place between 3rd and...
6. Nigeria: Internet Exchange, Making Money, Abuja, Political Endorsement, the Niger Delta We begin this week’s blog round-up with Timbaland’s entry...
7. MTN Nigeria, SAT3 Woes, IT convergence & Why West Africa needs more sub-marine connectivity The Internet is a very powerful medium of communication....
8. My expectations of Glo Mobile Ghana Glo Mobile is very likely to be launched in...
9. Erik introduces iHub @ Skunkworks in Nairobi, Kenya I was privileged to be at last night’s Skunkworks...
10. A review of MTN Nigeria Mobile Broadband service I picked-up an MTN Nigeria mobile broadband kit recently...

22:03
forever friends
» ‎ The English version of it all

I am off to Oslo on Thursday morning, to have a girls weekend with my friends from High School. We have spread all over the country but still keep in touch. We were a very close group of friends, and meet every time we go home for Christmas and other holidays. But, we are growing up, and working so we can't always come home all the time as before. Therefore we have started a new tradition I hope will last for YEARS. It's called Gang Meet-up. We called us the Gang (in Norwegian of course), and we were quite a solid group of girls. Now we have decided to meet somewhere in Norway each year. In a big city that it is easy to get to, and where some members of our gang live who are able to host some, if not all of us.

The coming weekend it's time for the third meet-up, and the first I'm able to attend! Yippie! 10 out of 12 are attending and it's gonna be a great weekend in Oslo. It's been ages since I spent time in the BIG city of Norway (with 500 000 inhabitants...haha). Just that big city feeling.... Shopping, good food, stand-up, a party, good times with friends who REALLY know you, from kindergarten. It's so relaxing. You don't have to explain anything from before, you can just start the conversation in the moment, cause you are so updated about their life up to now. We might not talk so much during the year, but when we meet we are connected right away. I love them!! I love it, and I hope when we are 40 we will still have our yearly meet-ups.

But, before I go, there are 2 more work days, BUSY work days. The art exhibit is coming up fast, and it means a bit extra work, and overtime. Today I was at work from 6.30am to 9pm... Not just because of the exhibit though. Tomorrow it means overtime, and Wedensday it means overtime. SO. I am writing this post to say: Hi, I'll be really busy and then going to Oslo so I don't think there will be more posts this week. Sorryyyy....I am sure you are all very sad right now. Anyway, I'll come back stronger and better!

20:47
Monday Rant!
» ‎ Baring Testament

Hey guys,
As usual it's Monday and I feel like venting. Here we go:
FIRST, of all I work part-time in a job I hate but essentially depend on while I am looking for something better....yada, ya, right? Except I just officially found out that I am entitled to about 3 days holiday because I was put on a contract that I DID NOT WANT of 16 hours. But most weeks I work a straight 40 hours. WTF?!?!?!?!
Since I started working in said shithole (a year and a half) I have taken NIL holidays because just as I was informed today...
A. The rest of the holiday period for this year has been taken up by other people I was first told...sucks for me, but fine, right?
B. I was just informed that someone has managed to get themselves two weeks holidays starting tomorrow. EH?!
C. When I went back to find out if I can get some holiday since I have not had any for a year and a half. Errrrrr...I got a big fat no. As I am not priority for holiday. Apparently a load of people have holidays to take by the end of the holiday year and since I am technically part-time and the holidays include days like Christmas I have TOO FEW holiday days left for them to worry about.
D. So basically I get no holidays for a year and a half, in a job that is murdering me from my brain out, slowly day by day.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
And one of the few people I do not want to kill in that job is ecstatic as she has left, another is leaving in three weeks and I go a new rejection letter from a job in my inbox. AND, yet again we lost our taxable bonus (I swear bonus' should not be taxable!)!!!
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
I HATE MONDAYS!

19:08
Salt, Soap and Coca Cola
» ‎ ANTI-RHYTHM

An unfinished domestic in a friend’s house cannot spout a word of everyday English, they say. She does not admit “salt” or “soap” or “television”. But she utters “TV”, “MTN”, “switched off” and “Coca Cola” on autopilot.

18:40
Bosom Friend
» ‎ tHe fLiRt FiLeS

She: But, you are my bosom friend...

He: Ho, have I seen your bosom before?

17:42
Guest Contributor Lady Mango on: Hot, Safe, Lesbian Sex
» ‎ Adventures from the bedrooms of African women
Well sisters, there are a lot of upsides to having sex with a woman. Of course the fact that you don’t have to worry about getting pregnant, that you can explore your love, lust, passions and get high between her thighs…but just like sex with men, the hottest sex is safe sex! You may have a low chance of catching HIV from being with another woman- but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t think about protecting each other from other STIs including genital herpes and Chlamydia, as well as thrush which can be transmitted between women. There is very little information for women who have sex with women out there when it comes to health and safe ... Related posts:

16:29
Even With the Absence of Ghanaian Streetlights...
» ‎ Accra by Day & Night

...Ghanaians certainly do enjoy their night-life. This was taken in the heart of Accra somewhere a few weeks ago. Despite the absence of well-maintained streetlights, this did not prevent fun-seekers to enjoy themselves and fill their stomachs at the same time.

I guess it's about getting used to the situation?

Not really: despite serious challenges to life in Accra for a large part of the population, Ghanaians are no longer just "getting by" passively; they are complaining about utilities and service providers.

Later this week, I will show more of some of these complaints.

labels: ghana complaints, accra by night

12:32
Food and vitamin supplements for life and travel in Ghana
» ‎ This is Ghana

Supplements can really help your energy levels and boost your immune system when traveling in developing countries. Here are a few of recommendations based on my experience. Let us know if you have some favourite strategy for keeping healthy on the road and which products or supplements you prefer.
Acidophilus powder. This is “good bacteria” for your digestive system. It is excellent to prevent upset stomachs whether traveling or during normal life. You can buy it by the bottle as loose powder to be taken by the spoonful or in capsule form. Some require refrigeration is it’s a live culture but others have been formulated so as not to need refrigeration. It can also be found in some yoghurts, but my naturopath in Sydney explained that the powder form is way more effective than yoghurt from the supermarket (and she wasn’t selling the powder). In my experience, those designed to be chilled are more effective. I carried mine wrapped inside a freezer bag (like you use to chill beer) when I first came to Ghana and this kept the bottle chilled for a good 40 hours between home and my final destination.
Protein powder.This helps ensure you get enough protein each day to support travel-weary muscles. Unlike acidophilus powder, this doesn’t need refrigeration, but it’s still important to get a good brand. Protein powder has little taste and you can add the recommended spoonfuls to plain water or juice or to oatmeal or a shake. Protein bars are also popular alternatives.
Liquid iron.Iron gives you energy. When you don’t get enough of it in the diet you can really begin to feel tired. If you get malaria, your iron levels will drop even more. Fortunately, you can buy liquid iron in pharmacies in Ghana for between 2-9 Cedis. It’s called “blood tonic” and the more expensive, I noticed, the more effective. One good brand is called “Feroglobin”.
Chewable Vitamin CIf you take these in combination with liquid iron, the iron is more easily absorbed into your bloodstream. Incidentally, calcium inhibits the absorption of iron into the blood so don’t drink dairy before taking iron supplements (which is why I thought it was weird to see milk with iron supplements added to it—as a selling point!) You can also buy these in pharmacies for about 20 pesewas a strip or bring your own.
Top quality multi-vitaminsIf you can get hold of a good all-round multi-vitamin you will also strengthen your immune system for the down times and maybe even avoid serious illness. I advise women to get tablets especially formulated for women to help during the monthly cycle.
I’ve been out of the developed world loop for several years now and would love to hear of any new health products for improving well being while traveling. Thanks in advance.

Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

10:35
100 truths about me
» ‎ Altius Tendo

I stole this from Love Was the Egg and L Hash Jay. So out of sheer boredom and as a procrastination tool to avoid my mountain of marking, here goes:

1. Last drink→ Pineapple juice w/ a hint of ginger (Blue Skies baaaaaby!)

2. Last phone call→ The Musician (completely unexpected)

3. Last text message→ My friend's mother thanking me for my mothers' day text

4. Last song you listened to→ Melt my heart to stone- Adele

5. Last time you cried→ Last week at work. Reeeeeally embarassing.

SIX HAVE YOU EVER:

6. Dated someone twice → Haha yes.

7. Been cheated on?→ Hell yes. See The Musician.

8. Kissed someone?→ Is this a trick question?

9. Lost someone special?→ Yes. Unfortunately more than once.

10. Been depressed?→ Yes, particularly for the majority of 2004 and 2009. 2010 will not follow these God-forsaken years!

11. Been drunk and threw up? → Yes

LIST FOUR FAVORITE COLOURS:

12. green

13. mustard

14. purple

15. black

HAVE YOU:

16. Made new friends → Many different times

17. Fallen out of love → Yes

18. Laughed until you cried → Once or twice

19. Met someone who changed you → Yes

20. Found out who your true friends were → Still finding out....

21. Found out someone was talking about you → Yes and I've also heard them doing it when they thought I was asleep. Oh the joys of boarding school/ university.

22. Kissed anyone on your friend's list → No!

23. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life → Six

25. Do you have any pets → Nope

26. Do you want to change your name→ I did when I was about 10 but I love all my names now.

27. What did you do for your last birthday → Absolutely nothing but Friday's Afro, Afrocentric, and Nsoromma all took me out for dinner at various times during the week.

28. What time did you wake up today → 5:10 a.m

29. What were you doing at midnight last night → Watching old episodes of The Office (US Version)

30. Name something you CANNOT wait for → 2nd April. Yes just that date. I don't have to say why do I? :-p

31. Last time you saw your mother→ November but I saw my Daddy last week.

32. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life →I can't limit it to one.

33. What are you listening to right now → Waving Flag byK'naan

34. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom → Yep. Went to school with quite a number of them.

35. What's getting on your nerves right now? → Smelly people who feel no way in assaulting you with their B.O. at 6 in the morning. They should be arrested under a bio-hazard act imho.

36. Most visited webpage → Google Reader and BBC

37. What's your name→ Sankofa. The real one will not be revealed on these nets :-p

38. Nicknames→ Domzy, Nanz

39. Relationship Status → Single (again)

40. Zodiac Sign ---Libra

41. Male or female or transgendered→ Female

42. Primary----- St. James'

43. Middle School → I'm not a Yank

44. High school → Again, I'm not a Yank but my secondary school was Ardingly College

45. Hair color → Brownish blackish

46. Long/medium/short → Medium

47. Height → 5"6/ 5"7 I swear it alternates between these every time I get measured

48. Do you have a crush on someone? → Not a soul at the mo. It might liven things up a bit though...

49: What do you like about yourself? → My lips I guess

50. Piercings → Many

51. Tattoos → One

52. Righty or lefty → I'm so right-handed it's not funny. I feel for my left hand sometimes.

FIRSTS :

53. First surgery --- Last year's oral surgery

54. First piercing → ears

55. First best friend → Henrietta from Madonna Primary School

56. First sport you joined → Netball

57. First pet → have never had one

58. First vacation→ does moving countries count? If it doesn't then I guess it would be Dusseldorf, Germany

59. First concert → Brighton's Party in the Park with the likes of 911, Craig David, Jamelia, Westlife (when they were called Westside) etc. Oh the days of Southern fm

60. First crush → Nathan from Isleworth

RIGHT NOW:

61. Eating → Waakye

62. Drinking..... Water

63. Already missing→ London shopping and cooler weather. Yes, really.

64. I'm about to → Start marking

65. Listening to → singers on American Idol

66. Thinking about → How I really need to start my marking and how I've wasted my weekend once again

67. Waiting for → Godot

YOUR FUTURE :

68. Want kids? → Sometimes it's yes, sometimes it's no. I think I want at least one though. I think...

69. Want to get married? → Definitely

70. Careers in mind → Publishing, literary agent

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?

71. Lips or eyes → Lips

72. Hugs or kisses → Kisses all the way. I'm not too big on hugging

73. Shorter or taller → The taller the better. Ideally 6"3/ 6"4

74. Older or Younger → Older

75. Romantic or spontaneous → Can't I have both? I guess romance lasts longer but I get bored easily...

76. Nice stomach or nice arms → Stomach

77. Sensitive or loud → After Koforidua Boy allow sensitive men, so I guess loud wins by default

78. Hook-up or relationship → The original anti-relationship girl is growing up so definitely relationships here.

79. Trouble maker or hesitant→ Trouble maker

HAVE YOU EVER :

81. Drank hard liquor → yep

82. Lost glasses/contacts → More than I can even count

83. kissed on 1st date – yes

84. Broken someone's heart → So they claim

85. Had your own heart broken → Severely bruised

86. Been arrested → Yep. The days of doing stupid things out of sheer boredom are now over (I hope)

87. Turned someone down → Yes, yes, and yes. Usually every time I had to venture out to Woolwich a.k.a "Little Lagos"

88. Cried when someone died → No

89. Liked a friend that of the same sex? → Not in that way

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

90. Yourself → Yes

91. Miracles → Yes but not those ones at church when the pastor is screaming prayers at you, bathing you in his spittle whilst simultaneously pushing you to fall down so you can prove you "caught" the Holy Ghost. [[[side eye]]]

92. Love at first sight → Hell no

93. Heaven → Yes

94. Santa Clause → I din't even believe in him when I was 7. Like my parents are going to allow a fat, old, white man to take the credit for their presents. KMT

95. Kiss on the first date? → Yes

96. Angels → Yes

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:

97. Is there one person you want to be with right now? → Yes

98. Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time? → Nope. If you actually get me to commit, I'm a one-man woman. If there's no explicit commitment however, well then....

99. Wish you could change things in your past?→ Yes

100. Are you posting this as 100 Truths? → I guess so

Currently listening to: Death- Nneka

8:15
"Made in Ghana" scares me.
» ‎ Nana Kofi Acquah - Ghana Photographer

Have you noticed there is something about contemporary Ghanaian design, art and arts that just doesn’t sit right? The best designs, art and music Ghana is known for, were all pre-independence or early post independence. I wonder why.

I saw Apostle Kwadwo Safo’s Made in Ghana car at the Trade Fair yesterday and I was impressed by his ingenuity but as expected, underwhelmed at his design sense.

The Kente, Adinkra, Akuaba Doll, Earthen Ware, Fufu Pestle and Mortar and quite a number of locally made art and handicrafts are of far superior design than what most of our university educated artists and designers can ever figure out. Why is that? Actually, quite a number of modern Ghanaian design is just a recycling of the ones listed above.

Look at how flawless Kente is. Compare that to the last dress or shirt your Ghanaian tailor /dressmaker made for you.
Do you have a “Made in Ghana” website? How does that compare to your free blog that you didn’t have to pay a dime for?

How many modern Ghanaian movies can take “I Told You So” on boot for boot?

Most modern Ghanaian musicians and actors make far more money than Bob Cole, King Bruce, Oscamore Ofori and Araba Stamp made together in their life time but the quality… it is just not the same. Why?

I’m quite aware there a minute few exception to this post but 99.9% of modern Ghanaian art just stinks and would be grateful if you can tell me why?
Why?

7:49
FINALLY, YOUNG NIGERIANS GET ANGRY!!!
» ‎ Oluniyi David Ajao
Join young Nigerians to demand for a better Nigeria. Find below a release from a youth movement in Nigeria.

Fellow Young Nigerians,

Did you know that in Nigeria, young people are in the majority? Did you know that young people below 35 make up more than 70 per cent of the population? That means that we have the power to actually make things happen!

So how come we are doing nothing about the many problems that have hit our nation in the past few months? Is it enough to make noise on Facebook, Twitter, websites, BBMs, blogs and others where no one is listening? How come it is the Wole Soyinkas, the Femi Falanas and the Tunde Bakares that are fighting for us? Why do we allow ourselves to be branded as the do-nothing generation?

We are going to borrow a quote from the youth wing of the Save Nigeria Group: How can we be so talented individually and yet so disillusioned and disdained collectively? We all know the reason – we have been told a lie that we cannot do anything about the status quo because the cabal is too strong.

We have become cynics and complainers rather than change agents. But the time to “siddon look” is over… Will you stand up and counted or will you stay bound to the tyranny of the present? We have made our choice. We want our country back. And we must get it. It is time for our voices to be heard, and heard loud and long.

Therefore we are organisating a first-of-its-kind rally right there at the seat of power in Abuja. However, this rally is unique because it will be completely powered by young people – young professionals, young celebrities, students, activists etc. We want history to record that this was the point that the young people in Nigeria began to drive fear into the hearts of our leaders and began to make change happen. It is going to be a MASSIVE rally of hundreds of young Nigerians from across the country saying #enoughisenough!

We invite you to sign up to join this rally now if you are angry about Nigeria.

DATE: TUESDAY, 16 MARCH 2010

VENUE: NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, ABUJA

RALLY TIME: 11AM

A Save Nigeria Group rally in Nigeria. Nigerians are rejecting bad governance and together we are DEMANDING for GOOD GOVERNANCE.

OUR DEMANDS: 1) End the fuel scarcity now! 2) Solve the electricity problem! 3) We want to see our president and we want all those who have been involved in the grand cover up around him to be investigated, arrested and brought to book!

If you want to be part of this movement, register on www.whereisyaradua.com now. The registration form is there, and further information and updates are there.

To get any further information, send a mail to info@whereisyaradua.com and info@thefuturenigeria.com.

There are cynics who will say it cannot work and nothing will change. They lie! Our history shows that civil disobedience has worked and has forced change. Added to that, after this rally, other activities are planned to keep the government on their toes. However this massive rally to make a statement is the first step.

This is our country; our duty; our future.

Join this movement now!

SIGNED:

Toyosi Akerele (Rise Networks), Audu Maikori (Chocolate City), Chude Jideonwo (The Future Project), Tolu Ogunlesi (NEXT Newspapers) Amara Nwakpa (Light Up Nigeria), Adesubonmi Plumptre, Segun Demuren (EME Music), Al Kassim Abdulkadir, Omena Daniels, Shade Ladipo (Avienti), Bisola Edun (Tae), Alex Yangs (Testify Music), Abimbola Ayorinde, Jibola Ayana Olubiyi, Wale Ewedemi, Cheta Nwanze, Ohimai Amaize (Youth Media Intitiative), Alex Yangs (Testify Music), Adebola Williams (The Future Project), Otoide Ayemere (2digiuts), Ijeoma Okeagu (White Rabbit Concepts), Stanley Vito Achonu, Balkiss Adesokan (Green Nigeria), Aziza Uko, Shade Ladipo (Avienti), Michaela Moye, Onomarie Uriri (BrookStone Consult), Ifedigbo Nze Sylva, Emilia Asim-Ita (The Future Project), Gbenga Sesan (Paradigm Initiative Nigeria), amongst others.

Source: enoughisenoughnigeria.com

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7:03
Australian Rules
» ‎ A Fork in the Road

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Watching a movie about violence and race relations and domestic abuse is never a fun experience. It is all the more confronting, when it’s an Australian movie, at an Australian film festival, in a foreign country, and you’re one of the few Australians in the crowd.

I only managed to see one movie in the Australian film festival in Accra and it was a difficult movie to watch. Australian Rules is set in a small country town in South Australia and centres around the town football team in the lead up to their premiership match. It is a team consisting primarily of Aboriginal men from the mission community. They are allowed on the team for their talent alone, not because they’re considered a part of the town. The whites like to think of the blacks as thieves and louts and yet the white community is riddled with violence, domestic abuse, substance abuse and poverty.

Some of the worst aspects of Australia are portrayed harshly for all to see. And yet I’m sure many in the audience missed the subtleties that make the picture even worse, like the fact that the bar in the pub was segregated – with a whites only area. We were active opponents of apartheid, and yet such practises still remain in Australia. Go to many country pubs in Australia and you’ll find the white bar and the black bar. And more often than not, the black bar will be the one with the bare concrete floor and minimal niceties.

In many ways it is not a side of Australia that you would want the rest of the world to see – particularly in a showcase forum like a film festival. And yet, I believe it is a film to be proud of.

I am proud that there are film makers in Australia willing to portray these issues, and that there is the financial backing available to make such films. Proud that Australian film makers are exposing the issues and by putting them in the public arena making them more easily discussed and hopefully addressed. And proud too that we have the depth of acting talent to be able to carry off such a collection of characters without turning them into caricatures.

It would be nice to think that only developing countries have poverty and violence and poor race relations, but Australia certainly has its share. I was in New Zealand when the film Once Were Warriors was released. It portrayed a painful side of the Maori community that people didn’t want to talk about. And yet in its honesty, paved the way for a step towards healing. I hope that this film makes a similar contribution in Australia.

In putting together a film festival it is easy to err on the side of caution and stick to safe films. I think the High Commission is to be commended for showing that Australia is not two dimensional; that we are more than just kangaroos and Nicole Kidman. In doing so too it acts as a reminder that when we enter into dialogue about poverty, and violence and race relations in an international context, we do so not because we’ve got it all sorted out at home, but rather because we understand the issues, and appreciate the importance of tackling those issues wherever they occur.

March 14, 2010
22:41
Movie Review: Jodhaa Akbar
» ‎ Home Sweet Home

">[wallpapers.oneindia.in] [wallpapers.oneindia.in] />This past week, a lot of my time (when not playing foolish games on facebook, or staring at the ceiling or reading nonsense novels) was spent watching Bollywood movies - some old faves, and some new ones. I figured I'd do a review on some of the ones I watched.

I love Bollywood. I can even carry on simple conversations in Hindi because of Bollywood. I grew up watching 'Hindi movies' on TV3, and we'd talk about them in school on Monday, after discussing the Sunday Ghanaian or Nigerian movie. and then when I went to LCS, made Indian friends who would lend me their copies of movies (without subtitles - that's how dedicated I was) and watched some more Bollywood movies.

So anyway, we've established that I love Bollywood, and that I fancy I can speak Hindi (hah!). Now Bollywood produces at least 800 movies per annum, most of which are not too good,But there are a few good ones, fewer great ones, and some truly excellent ones. In 2009 I heard of a Bollywood movie called 'Jodhaa Akbar' and the rave reviews it was getting. I didn't pay too much attention for two reasons: 1. It was a period piece , so I thought, "meh" and 2. It didn't have any of my usual faves (Kajol, Shahrukh , Rani, or Preity). So I let it pass. You have to understand, unless it's really, really good, or you have a ton of time on your hands, you don't want to watch a bollywood movie. They are long! And this was a period piece (translation: even longer).

To stock up for spring break,I checked out Haverford's Indian movie collection in the library and was pleased to find that they had Jodhaa Akbar. Then a friend told me she loved the movie, so I got more excited about it and set out to watch it. It took the whole afternoon (3hours 33 minutes of running time). It was well worth it. The movie is simply breathtaking. It is an epic in the class of Gladiator, that's how good it is.

Jodhaa Akbar stars
">[aishwaryawedsabhishek.files.wordpress.com] [aishwaryawedsabhishek.files.wordpress.com] />Hrithik Roshan as Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Mohammed Akbar
Aishwarya Rai as Rajput princess Jodhaa
Amitabh Bachchan as the narrator in the beginning (he doesn't play a part in the movie, but his voice is damn sexy!)

Jodhaa Akbar starts with a fairly long narration of the background story, so we know the history behind the whole thing. It basically boils down to this: Generations of Mughal emperors set out to conquer India, the most successful of which was Jalaludin Mohamed, who was later given the title Akbar (meaning 'great'). The Mughals were muslims, so of course, the Indians, who were Hindus, were not too keen on being ruled by Muslims. They also weren't too keen on being forced to give up their autonomy to a foreign invader either. One of the ways Jalaluddin cemented his hold over India was by making an alliance with one of the royal families of Rajput. He married the Hindu Rajput princess Jodhaa, not out of love, or compassion, but because then Rajput was one less kingdom he had to worry about and he could spend more time trying to gain a hold over the rest of India. The movie is the story of how amid all the political intrigue, Jodhaa and Jalaluddin find love in each other.
">[dearcinema.com] [dearcinema.com] />

Ok. Now for the analysis. First of all, who isn't fond of love stories where everything ends happily ever after? Exactly! So that is the first indication that this movie is going to be fun.
Second.....Hrithik, Hrithik, Hrithik. The man is fine! And there were lots of scenes of him strutting, strolling, prancing about just looking his wonderful tall, sexy self. One particularly memorable scene is when he's practicing his swordsmanship bare chested....I wanted to swoon! Ah the man is fine! He is was perfectly cast as the earnest, young, true king who is trying to do right by his people (even though the people didn't appreciate their land being annexed by force), and who has the makings of greatness.
Ashwarya did well as princess Jodhaa. She carried herself well and was believable as the willful and stubborn princess Jodhaa.

The dialogue was ell done in some places and laughable in others. Can you imagine an emperor of the 15th century saying to one of his most trusted guards "you rape our female prisoners of war, and kill male prisoners of war, and that is wrong":yeah, no. i am not buying that. It was also a bit unrealistic to me to see how patient Jalaluddin was with Jodhaa. He acceded to all her demands and even told her he wouldn't try to consummate their marriage until she was ready. Yeah, right. Which ruler in the 15th century would have acceded to a woman's demands? And not just that - the demands made him look weak in their eyes. How at all could he have agreed to having a hindu temple built for her in a muslim fortress? It was bad enough that he was marrying a hindu! And then after all that trouble, to have her resist at the wedding night! Yeah, so I didn't buy the historical accuracy of how gentle he was, but accuracy schmaccuracy, who cares when Hrithik is looking so divine?

The cinematography and the costuming were what made this film epic. Beautiful, Intricate, elaborate, opulent, ostentatious. The necklaces the King wore , his shoes....the fabric of the princess's clothes, her shoes, her sleeping quarters (I swear her bedroom alone was the size of a three bedroom bungalow in Ghana). Extravagant, that's what it was.

The songs were beautiful, but not catchy :( which is a shame, because it would have been nice to get a new set of songs. All the ones I know are from older movies.

My favorite scene and song (haha, two in one) was the scene where Jalaluddin and Jodhaa finally acknowledge their love for each other and consummate the marriage in a massive bed in a massive room. It goes something like this. Akbar says to Jodhaa, 'walk with me, I have a question for you'. They walk to a room filled with mirrors and a massive bed. Akbar waits till the sunset hits the mirrors, which lights the room golden, and asks, "Do you love me?" Of course she says yes, and he admits to loving her too.....the sunset gives way to darkness and the song begins. Of course its Bollywood, so you don't get to see the consummation, but the song and 'dance' sequence that led up to the bed was whimsical, quite beautiful, really.

All in all, it is an epic movie, an Indian epic movie. It doesn't appear as 'larger than life' as other bollywood movies have appeared, but this was still quite......epic in its proportions. I would put it in the league of Gladiator any day. And the message of religious tolerance it carries with it is wonderful too. So there you have it: great scenery, even greater costumes, a beautiful actress, a handsome, gorgeous, majestic PULCHRITUDINOUS (hehe) actor, a winsome moral woven through..... what more do you want in a movie?

I rate this movie: 9/10

22:27
Upgraded Guide to Ghana with MP3 files
» ‎ This is Ghana

In addition to the Easy Print and Easy Read versions of our guide, as of this very minute you get 5 audio MP3 files too.

This includes two language learning files--one for Twi and one for Hausa--which are both around 8 minutes in duration and include basic greetings, how to state your name and where you're going, and also how to haggle in the market. It's Godwin speaking by the way!

And there are two "haggling" files in which Godwin and I role play street scenes.

That is, in one he's the taxi driver and I'm negotiating the taxi so you can hear what to expect and practice yourself.

In the other I'm attempting to buy pineapple on the street! Easy you say! Hah! Listen to this hustling trader and see for yourself. This is a typical exchange with a market trader and shows how to handle the sometimes thorny issue of not being too ripped off as a visitor. Stand your ground!

We also have a welcome audio file which tells you a little more about us, the guide and also a small competition we're running for guide purchasers exclusively.

We have loads in our fabulous, up to date and honest guide. There's a map showing journeys across Ghana. We include about 13 of these maps to help you work out how A and B (and C and D and E) connects to make your planning so much easier and save you loads of valuable travel time and money! You can see what readers are saying in the comments on the right. We look forward to hearing from you, too!

We hope you like the new cover too. It's a collection of photos from across Ghana and a mug shot of yours truly.

Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.
Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

20:36
Tribute to Sweden
» ‎ The English version of it all

Hello.. I'm in bed, waiting for my hubby to get in so I can sleep. But he ain't coming. What to do? Blog.
Today we have come to the letter V. I knew we would need a Scandinavian song for this letter, and I landed on the lovely "Vill ha dig" by Drømhus (trans. "I want you" by Dream House). They are Swedish, they are late 90's? They were big and when I saw the video in YouTube right now, I really remembered the dancers in the white outfits... Ok, we are back in my youngster years, but you couldn't expect more of me on a Sunday night.
Good night!

17:23
A taste of Ghana (pt.1)
» ‎ Life...and living it

When I first came to GH, I spent a lot of time taking pictures of food. Yep- food. It was just so refreshing to see the "real" versions of so many of my favourite dishes after years of being forced to cope with the budget versions. These pictures of food were slightly awkward to explain whenever people decided to look through the pics on my camera. Since I don't generally like to advertise the fact that I blog to randoms, I eventually resorted to just saying "a friend wanted me to take pictures of what Ghanaian foods look like" as a means of explanation. It's not technically a lie....Well I realised that my long-promised "food" post had not materialised (sorry Afrocentric!) and so what better time to remedy this than now?

Tangerines: When I first saw these, I was like "why is this woman trying to palm us off with unripe fruit?" Let's just say that I finally saw the light when I took them home and got under their bright green skin. Yummy's not even the word. Here they are in my fruit basket with one random "normal"-coloured tangerine.

Oranges: I have a sliiiiiight obsession with oranges but I've never really taken to English oranges- too tasteless. In the ATL, the oranges from the Korean supermarket were a fave because they tasted "like Ghana oranges". So here's the real thing and they're a dream for a lazy cow like me because you can get them ready-peeled! This is a before and the after after I completely demolished it, complete with lip-gloss marks....

Alasa/ Adaswa: I literally screamed when I saw these. I remember them from when I was little and I hadn't had them since my mum randomly brought a couple back from a holiday when I was around 12/13. When ripe, these are quite sweet and they have about 4 shiny black seeds inside each one. Smallish in size, if you chew the flesh for a while it turns into chewing gum! How cool is that? They can also be incredibly sour when not fully ripe; kinda like any sweet from the sour section in a pick 'n' mix. Everybody tells me they're called alasa but I swear down I used to call them adaswa or something like that when I was little. Can anybody help me out with this?

Mangoes: I kept meaning to take pics of the small Ghana mangoes you rarely find in the UK but um, they never lasted that long. Ghana mangoes are my all-time favourite fruit so that's my excuse.

Pineapples: Eating pineapples in Ghana makes you steadily pissed that you've been spending money on impostor fruit that can't hold a candle to the ones here. Sweet is not even the word. Amaaaazing and the taste is simply sensational. Cutting pineapples, however, is not the business....

So here we are for starters and hopefully I won't take the piss in producing a part two!
March 13, 2010
22:42
I Like You...But I Love Somebody Else!
» ‎ Life...and living it

This is the wonderful Tic Tac line from Kwani Kwani which me and the other girls love so much. In fact I have always wanted to say it to somebody. Which actually sounds quite mean however, I don't want to say it to be mean...well actually....errmmmmm...look right, THAT IS A LINE AND A HALF!

Anyhoo, as per Nsoromma, this post is gonna be all confused about love. You see, recently I (er-hmm) acquired a toy boy. And apart from not being overly broad, he is the physical definition of my type and SOOOOOO cute. And sweet. And adorable. Awwwwwwwwwwwwww. Jheeze. He approached me when he caught me making eyes at him. Can you believe I actually got caught? S-L-I-P-P-I-N-G! Jheeze!
But now the gloss is dissipating because his situ is somewhat messy. He has a clingy ex and a long-time-friend stroke love interest. Now tbh, I can't really complain to much about that but I will as my attention is more than a little divided. You see there's this dude my family has been tryna set me up with who I'm surprised I actually quite like. He's intelligent, kind, funny, cheeky and oddly sexy even though he's not physical my type much.
I guess I'm just a bit confused as the second guy seems pretty much perfect which scares the crap out of me but I know that with work the youngie has potential. The problem is that the second guy moves sooooo slow, something he warned me of but in real life, W-O-W, it's pretty much incomparable. Do I wait for him, as it seems the wait may be well worth it, as he has admitted to liking me?
But to limit myself from liking him too much whilst he moves like a snail I've been giving up a lot of my time (in retrospect, probably WAY too much) to the youngie. He's cute, he's sweet and I'm a bit bored so methinks why not. But now he has said 'I LOVE YOU'. Oh dear. I just kind of hug him and change the subject. But he knows I'm avoiding it.
Anyhoo, the reason I quoted the relationship guru that is Tic Tac (Muhahahahahaha!!! Mad crazy laugh time!), is that truly I like both guys and while I have been WAITING years to use this line. I'm starting to get scared that I may just have to!
Oh and in related news...the ex who shall forever remain hated is actually in a relationship with the girl he cheated on me for and in what feels like returning to a past life I am starting to fancy a promoter friend of mine. The wickedest thing is that I make cracks about it all the time to him, but now it's actually true.
I can only sigh and smh at my self.Yours,Nsoromma...COTH xXx

22:12
Anybody out there?
» ‎ Altius Tendo

I feel like hanging my head in shame. I don't know what happened but I guess I lost my urge to blog for a while there so um Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Ghana Independence to everybody out there! Not that there hasn't been anything to blog about. Far from it. I finally managed to get a job here which I like and hate alternatively (but more on that later). I fell in like and had a brief relationship with a man who was ultimately yet another disappointment (more on that later too). So my first foray into dating after The Musician was ultimately a failure but at least it wasn't too damaging.
My apathy towards blogging seemed to extend to commenting on my favourite blogs but reading them kept me going and I'm now ready to rejoin the blogosphere. The writer of my new favourite blog Rantings of a Man-hater has unfortunately decided to abandon me but the old faves like Ramblings of a Procrastinator, Wo Se Ekyir, Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women, MighTy African, and of course, Life... and Living It held me down.
My own brand of twi (the most widely-spoken Ghanaian language) that I like to call "twinglish" has improved immeasurably so yay for me! I'll end here and I'll be back with tales of men and (mis)education but not before I leave you an image of the sun as it was seen in Ghana a few days ago. Isn't it luvvverly? Don't know much about the science behind it and I don't much care I just liked the pretty.

Here's Chris Daughtry of American Idol fame smashing Gaga's Poker Face to sing us out!

Currently listening to: Africa- Amadou and Mariam ft. K'naan (chooooooon!)

20:15
Let's Sell The Government too
» ‎ Sarpong Obed-ready to chew

This has been on my mind for some time now. Why do we in Ghana have a bad past of selling our home-grown companies to foreigners at all? I'm so irated so that I cannot do a full write-up on this topic.

We sell everything that we have not proved capable of managing. But is that the way to go about these things. Do we want to improve as a people, or employ consultants from overseas who only corrupt us the more, or sell half shares of our properties to other nationals who only shortchange us?

If there is anything to sell at all, we should sell the government of Ghana to the dogs!!

19:43
The Scrotum Flavour
» ‎ tHe fLiRt FiLeS

At the ice-cream shop,
The girl in front of me asks the assistant:
Which ones have the nuts,
And I join her conversation, and say
The "scrotum flavour".
It just pops out of my mouth.

19:25
Captain Hook’s Spell
» ‎ ANTI-RHYTHM

An urbane, cosy restaurant in the Labone/Cantoments neighbourhood in the City of Accra. Its specialty is sea food, and its menu shows both a wide-range fare and healthy high, advance-knowledge prices. It has, how shall we say, maritime decor with mammoth turtle shells, and ‘ship timber’ and ... is that whale bone I saw on the walls? But the one thing that does marvels for my hunger is the sexily short skirts the waitresses wear; and we know the ancient spell that the waitress casts.

13:55
Ghana travel guide discount sale
» ‎ This is Ghana

div style="text-align: left;"Discount on Insider's Guide to Ghana for next 48 hours. Now selling for 40% off or US$9.00! br / div style="text-align: left;"br / See what others are saying at a href="http://gisforghana.blogspot.com/"This is Ghana/abr / br / a href="http://www.g-lish.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Ghana-Guide-Sample.pdf"Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana/ab see inside the guide/b before buying. /divbr / br / /divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"div style="text-align: center;" div style="text-align: left;" a href="http://www.g-lish.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Ghana-Guide-Sample.pdf"Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana/ab see inside the guide/b before buying. /div /divimg width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8826326494207776999-6579565946197485603?l=gisforghana.blogspot.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ThisIsGhana?a=u0uZSmlCxYc:q9co8j4xPJg:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ThisIsGhana?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ThisIsGhana?a=u0uZSmlCxYc:q9co8j4xPJg:qj6IDK7rITs"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ThisIsGhana?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ThisIsGhana?a=u0uZSmlCxYc:q9co8j4xPJg:gIN9vFwOqvQ"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ThisIsGhana?i=u0uZSmlCxYc:q9co8j4xPJg:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ThisIsGhana/~4/u0uZSmlCxYc" height="1" width="1"/

12:58
non-Monday Rant: The BNP is an affront to this country!
» ‎ Baring Testament

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Am I the only person who thinks that it is a joke for the BNP to be forced to accept non-whites and then claim they are therefore no longer racist?

Their propaganda is disgusting:image">[ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com] credits

Their ways are revolting:image">[www.newsoftheworld.co.uk] credits
A technicality in race-relations law has now been pushed down their thoughts and they want to claim they are now equal opportunities?! I know this hit the UK news a few weeks back now, but I had not had the chance to post this and voice my outrage. They should not be allowed to exist altogether!

But yesterday while watching the best show in the world (Newsnight), I see that they were taken to court because their ammendments are not in the 'spirit' of anti-discriminatory law. All new members will be subjected to a two hour home 'interview' to assess their suitability for the party. The authorities correctly saw this as an attempt to bully, intimidate and discourage new non-white potential candidates and they have been forced to further ammend their constitution.

While I applaud the work of the Equality and Human Rights Commission who have now landed the BNP with a wacking great legal bill of £70k, I do wonder what the point is of it all. I mean as a black person I could never join them. What could they possibly mean by insisting members continue in the creation, fostering, maintenance and existence of the integrity of the indigenous British'? WTF?! Who the hell are the 'indigenous' British? In my opinion, there is no such thing in the melting pot of ethnicities and nationalities that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland...but the debate continues. The BNP are an inflammatory a scourge on this country and I HATE THEM! But while I recognise this, I'm worried about those who could be brainwashed into joining them. It would almost buy this pack of losers some kind of veil of decency and THAT would be really worrying!
It rare for me to support The Sun newspaper, but this is honestly accurate:image credits

11:54
These brilliant photographs are courtesy of
» ‎ This is Ghana

These brilliant photographs are courtesy of Raysto at Flickr. He has developed a brilliant folder of Ghana photos taken this year.

The transparent blue and blue-green beads in these photos are made from recycled glass bottles which are first pounded, then melted and set in moulds. The colourful, dot beads are individually hand-painted by beadmakers too. This tradition is focused in the Eastern Region between Accra, Koforidua and Kpong in a kind of triangle. You can visit bead makers and watch them at work. We have a lot of information about this in our post Ghana Highlights Part II: Eastern and Volta Region

This is a stunning photo of Lake Volta from around, I think, Akosombo Bridge or somewhere high in that vicinity. If you stay at Aylo's Bay you will be privvy to this amazing landscape and you can also paddle a canoe along the river for a few hours if you wish!

I want to say thank you to Raysto for making his photos available to share. If you want to sneak a peek at something brilliant, but a little naughty, check out this very African lady.

Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying. Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.
11:00
Are you MaD: Peace Building, Post-Conflict
» ‎ This is Ghana

This is the third post in our series about Making a Difference at G-lish. You can learn about three organisations doing their very significant part to improve condition after a war has ended, to help ease conditions during war time, or to try and prevent conflict from occurring in the first place. The three organisations reviewed are Akawelle Jewellery, a Liberian jewelry designer (and so much more) using bullet casings to design pendants, Pennies for Peace, the organisation of Greg Mortensen (Three Cups of Tea), and Peace One Day, founded by the amazing Jeremy Gilley. Check out Are you MaD: Peace Building.

Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.
10:41
A-Z of everything I wish I'd known about Ghana before I left home
» ‎ This is Ghana

To kick off a week of the best of This is Ghana posts for new visitors or anyone who missed out before, we start with the A-Z of Everything I wish I knew about Ghana before I left home! This post underpinned the extended section on Preparing to Go in our Ghana guide.

Like your average trotro journey, this list kept growing and growing…and here it is. Copy, paste and take it with you. Send me a message if you have any questions.

Akpetushie: Pronounced “Appehtooshie” is the local moonshine and could forgivably be confused for nail polish remover mixed with pure alcohol. Drink with caution. It will give you the best/worst hangover of your life.

Books: There is one bookshop in Accra Mall which stocks an airport-style range, and a good second-hand bookshop in Cape Coast called Blackstar Bookshop near the castle (and next to the Baobab Café which, by the way, has great banana bread and supports a good local café. The German manager can be rather grumpy, though). My advice is to bring any books you really want to read and swap them when you’re finished! Aiden Hartley’s autobiographical The Zanzibar Chest is an “Africa” favourite. My copy, much read and swapped, is just hanging together by tape. The other is The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover—the scenes of local village life in the DRC (uncannily reminiscent of Ghana) are spot on. Chinua Achebe is an African great and perfect introduction to African writers. Things Fall Apart is a must-read classic. Of Ghanaian writers, Ama Atta Aidoo is worth reading.

Birkenstocks: You can find original ones in Accra Mall for the usual price, second-hand ones all over the country for about 10-20 GCs, and rip-offs for about 10 GCs.

Caning or “beating” students: Caning students is common practice at schools. Many Ghanaians still believe this is how you “correct” poorly performing students. I was not warned about this when I went to volunteer at a school and it was quite shocking. The caning was quite violent, not “soft”, as if teachers were acting out some kind of abuse they’d experienced themselves (which they probably had). If you protest against it, Christian teachers will invoke the Bible: “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” Worse still, parents might urge you to beat their children. If you want to oppose it, you have to remain strong. Ghanaians have virtually no knowledge of learning disabilities. Dyslexia is almost unheard of. Consequently, struggling children (much as they have been elsewhere) get beaten and verbally berated and made examples of for not being able to complete some task that requires reading and writing. The teachers have no idea that their violence doesn’t help. So, brace yourself for this if you plan to teach as a volunteer. There are a handful of schools where teachers don’t beat: the difference is startling. A teenage girl died recently after a beating at school which put the issue on the national radar for a few weeks. Opinions were roughly divided between for and against. I was very against. I shall write a separate post on my experience as well as potential strategies you could use at school to stop or reduce beating. Look for “caning” as a key word.

Clothes (second-hand): Obruni wawu means “dead white man” and is used to describe the prolific second-hand clothing sold everywhere. There is a myth that no citizen of a developed country would wear the clothes of a dead person, so it’s dead obrunis’ clothes that are sent to be sold as second hand clothes—they couldn’t possibly be from the living. This, often very good quality, second-hand clothing is a bargain: T-shirts for 2-5 GCs, gypsy skirts for about 10 GCs and new jeans for 10 GCs. Trying them on over sticky bodies beside open sewers is another story…

Condoms: Sexually transmitted diseases are rampant. While the rate of HIV/Aids is about 2.9% across the country, it’s much higher in urban areas. Use condoms. You can buy them in pharmacies, supermarkets and gas stations from 10 pesewas to a few Cedis.

Drinking Water: You can buy “puuure watah!” just about anywhere for 5 pesewas—look for the blue ice boxes sitting all along the streets. Just how pure it is, however, is anyone’s guess. You can buy bottled water at shops everywhere too for about 50 p.

English: It is the official language and is spoken almost everywhere, except in the most remote villages. And, while it’s the official language, it has its own idiosyncrasies. Written standards are pretty poor, even at university. If you’re coming to teach, anything related to literacy or the basics of grammar for the level you’re teaching would be helpful. Children love colourful story books. You can buy mass produced ones here or bring your favourites from home.

Feminine Hygiene: Tampons/tampax are not widely available other than in supermarkets in Accra so bring your own. Pads are the norm and are available everywhere. Due to environmental conditions and some malaria medication, a few women suffer from longer or more painful than usual periods. Ensure that you’re prepared for this. Due to humidity and antibiotics, it’s not uncommon for women to suffer from yeast infections. Fortunately, treatments are available in pharmacies everywhere. Don’t be shy asking for personal items in shops or pharmacies—Ghanaians are not embarrassed by such things.

Flip-flops/thongs: called “slippers” in Ghana. You can buy them everywhere for one GC or so. Still, having one good quality pair to support tired feet is worth it.

Food: In a nutshell, the standard dishes are heavy on the carbs—yam, plantain, cassava, rice—and light on greens, if at all. There is usually pépé (chilies) in dishes, but you can avoid it. I have IBS and was super cautious of everything, but I have had less stomach troubles here than at home—possibly because most food is unprocessed; it’s a challenge to find “junk” food. I’ve eaten salad everywhere except off the street. Sunshine Salads in Osu (just ask anyone near Koala supermarket) or in Labone are heaven sent if you’re craving great salad. You can buy all the basic garden vegetables at most markets. Bean dishes are plentiful. It’s easy to be vegetarian or vegan—ask for soups without meat or stick to the non-meat dishes.

Football: You know how Canadians are with ice hockey; Aussies/Indians/Pakistanis are with cricket; Kiwis with Rugby; and North Americans with basketball? That’s how Ghanaians are with football. Chelsea, Manchester and Liverpool are the teams of choice. Some also support Barcelona. Kids, especially boys, love anything football related as gifts. You can buy footballs and team paraphernalia on the streets everywhere.

Friends: It’s easy to make friends with Ghanaians. However, quite a few Ghanaians I know could talk all four legs off every donkey on the African continent. So if you approach someone for a chat, make sure you have time to kill because Ghanaians almost always live up to their friendly reputation. And they always ask for your number. Be selective about handing out your number unless you don’t mind two a.m. phone calls. Ghanaians like to take advantage of free or hugely discounted calling rates and call each other at all hours of the night without a second thought, and you will certainly not be denied this honour.

Fruits: Oranges (green in colour and the tastiest ever), pineapples, bananas and coconuts are abundant all year round, but coconuts and pineapples are grown in the south and trucked up north. Mangoes are bountiful in season too (now).

Gifts: Aside from football and stationery mentioned elsewhere, people love colourful stickers. Also, several friends brought bubble liquid and blew bubbles to the delight of children and adults everywhere, and handed out bottles out to the kids. Old clothes: many Ghanaians value clothes you leave behind or clothes from home you no longer want. They’re good to give to family/friends when leaving.

Greetings: (also see Language). Ghanaians will spend the first few minutes upon meeting asking after the other, then family, health and work, before getting down to the issue that they have come to discuss. No one ever responds in the negative and says they are not fine (or I am yet to hear it anyway), even if they’re clearly suffering. Ghanaians make the best of it, which keeps things moving and people smiling, no matter what. If you need to approach people to ask for help, it’s more appropriate to say, “hello, how are you?” and wait for a genuine response and then ask your question, rather than walking up and saying, “how do you get to…?!” without first acknowledging the person.

Hair cuts: The last time a hairdresser cut my hair was early 2007 in an excellent tiny salon in Phnom Penh. I cut it myself now. I usually use nail clippers—I figure I can’t do too much damage that way. When I’m feeling brave I use sewing scissors. If you’re not ready to take that leap of faith, there is a woman at Labadi Beach Resort in Accra who cuts Caucasian hair. Ask for the “Madame”. If you have African hair—lucky. There are salons literally everywhere! Braiding is relatively inexpensive and costs about $5 for a head of braids. Extra if you want fake hair braided in! (Although I cut my own hair, I’ve never had it braided…pain!)

Hospitals/clinics: It’s very hard to find quality medical treatment outside of Accra. In fact, it’s not easy to find it in Accra. You can get some kind of treatment in other cities, towns and villages, of course, but I’ve had many issues with doctors defaulting to malaria, no matter what you present, and just not caring. If you’re coming for more than three months, have all important check-ups before leaving. Cocoa Clinic in Accra was probably the most organized and reliable clinic I’ve been to. You still have to wait, of course.

Jeans: Contrary to recommendations, jeans are OK in Ghana. They are nothing if not sturdy, comfy, and you can wear them for a week without washing…if you have to!

Kokrobite Beach gets a special mention as it’s notorious for robberies. While Ghana is very safe overall, everyone I know who visited Kokrobite, bar one person, got mugged on the beach or their room was broken into—or it was attempted. Usually a group of young boys surround you on the beach and demand your backpack. Most people hand it over. So, if you go, don’t take anything you will mind giving up.

Language: The official language is English, but most Ghanaians speak the language (or two or three or four) of their home area. Learning simple phrases in the local language of your area will create a connection with and respect among local people. Ghanaians place great stock in greetings, by the way, and it’s a safe bet to always greet everyone when entering a room or vehicle and always return a greeting, wherever you are.

Laptops: It’s safe enough to bring one, but exercise caution. Don’t carry it around in a flashy laptop bag; use a backpack with a laptop compartment instead. Always unplug them when not in use to protect them from power surges. (See: Power.) Finally, the environment is harsh on laptops: salty and/or humid and/or dusty. Keep them covered when you’re not using them as they sometimes protest and just stop working.

Malaria: It’s so common that it’s “like catching a cold,” as Ghanaians say. Unfortunately, this is true. It is common but avoidable. I recommend bringing mosquito spray to prevent bug bites and always sleep under a mosquito net. Certainly obtain one of the standard anti-malarial medications from your health provider before coming to Ghana and take it as directed. The various medications have their pros and cons and I know people that have gotten malaria on all the main ones (Larium, Doxy, Malarone, etc)—none of them are failsafe. If you run out while in Ghana, they are widely available in pharmacies everywhere and much less expensive than in your home country (although made in India or China—if you’re ok with that). If you fall ill (although it’s unlikely), please inform someone immediately. Malarial symptoms are any or all of: extreme fatigue, hot or cold fevers, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and dizziness. Virtually everyone I know who had it felt the extreme fatigue—a tiredness that you cannot imagine if you haven’t felt it before. Many had a sensation of feeling “sunburnt on the inside”—radiating heat even if you’ve been inside all day. You can have tests for malaria at clinics or laboratories which are common in major towns and cities for anywhere between 2-10 Cedis. Even if you have malaria, the tests can be faulty and come out negative. The lesson in this is that the tests are often wrong so if you are presenting the symptoms, please strongly insist on receiving treatment. The treatment is widely available and you can get it over the counter at pharmacies—ask the pharmacist. It is best to have it recommended from a doctor or specialist.

Mapouka: Is both the name of the bottom shaking dance originating in The Ivory Coast now hugely popular in Ghana and the local version of rather alcoholic Irish cream. Not bad for a $2 bottle.

Men: If you’re a woman, be prepared for lots of attention, especially if you’re on the curvy/large side. My favourite strategy for deflecting marriage proposals is the one guaranteed to get laughs: “Well, I already have seventeen husbands, but if you don’t mind being husband number eighteen, yes, I will marry you…” Men and women alike will shake with laughter. Warning: Using this in a moving vehicle where the driver may swerve into oncoming traffic as he shakes can be dangerous. Now, some men will actually agree to be husband number eighteen. To which I say: “Ok, but you have to wait for the first seventeen to die.” This invites more laughter. Sometimes I offer to give some of my husbands to other women in the vehicle which invites great guffaws. Ghanaians have a great sense of humour and find any excuse to laugh. Some men will just walk up to you on the street and propose. On one occasion a world-weary old man came up to me and said, “If I were to be a younger man, I would like to marry you…” He looked so sad! And, some will hassle you more than is comfortable, but not often. Just tell them you’re waiting for your “husband”. If they ask where your wedding ring is, say you left it at home. Most women I know used these tactics at some point and they work.

Money: US dollars, Euros, Canadian and Australian dollars are easy to change at the numerous large and small exchanges dotted around the major cities. It’s reasonably safe to bring cash and keep it locked up somewhere in your room or in a safe, if you have one, and exchange it when you need it. You cannot use Mastercards. NO MASTERCARDS!! You can use Visa cards and withdraw cash at ATMs. Make sure you know your PIN. Now, do NOT use your credit card to pay for anything anywhere if you can help it. Indeed, there is no “plastic” culture here. Although you can use your credit cards at certain guest establishments, restaurants and retailers, I would try to avoid it. Credit card fraud is a huge problem. Someone may copy your card number and details if there is an imprint or record of the card left where you paid for the product or service. Traveller’s cheques are accepted although the rate is not as good as changing cash and banks can be very pompous about handling them. The easiest option is to bring cash and change it and/or a card you can withdraw with.

Obruni: This has become synonymous with the idea of “foreigner”, and is shouted at you almost everywhere in the south of Ghana. It means “white person” and can understandably annoy African American or Asian visitors who get the Obruni treatment as much as any other foreigner. I had one British African friend with long gorgeous braids who was called “Rasta ‘Bruni!” She had a sense of humour about it—useful in Ghana. In Tamale and Bolga you’ll get called “Solomia”, in the Volta: “Yevu”, and in Bawku or Hausa speaking areas: “Nasara”. There is no ill intention behind this, Ghanaians are just pointing out the obvious as far as they’re concerned, not being rude or racist, as the same treatment might be perceived at “home”.

Pens: School children value pens, pencils and notebooks very much. Instead of hauling them all the way from Australia, though, I could have bought them for a fraction of the cost in Ghana, which would have supported local traders and freed up space in my luggage. There are little stationery stalls everywhere.

Petty Crime: While reports of bag snatching, mobile phone snatching and break-ins are on the increase, Ghana is still very safe. Basically, have your wits about you. Don’t leave your bags wide open. One thing that my former boss alerted me to was bag slashing in crowd situations. A thief might slash the bottom of your bag or its straps and grab the contents, so if you’re in crowds hold it tight. Pickpockets are common in crowded areas. Don’t be afraid to get physical if someone tries to pickpocket you.

Pharmaceuticals: are readily available over the counter all over the country, again, for a fraction of the price you’d pay at home. A strip of 10 tabs of doxycycline is about one dollar. Cypro, general antibiotics, Immodium, and candidiassis treatments—tablet or creams—are widely available and inexpensive.

Photographs: Ghanaians are fascinated by photos of you, your family, friends and home. If you’re staying with a family, they will love to see an album of photos from home. They will also love to show you theirs. People love to be “snapped”. If you have the means, giving people photos of themselves is a popular gift.

Power: I’m not talking about the type mining companies like to wield around small African nations. I’m talking about the type that tends to cut out several times a day when you’re in the middle of something important. Here’s a tip: Unplug all electrical equipment when you’re not using it, or turn the power point off. A few weeks ago a surge hit the whole country. I awoke to the smell of burning rubber. The surge protector itself had blown up. Fortunately, it protected the electrical equipment. Countless times I’ve written a long email only to lose everything when the power cuts. Another tip: open Word or Notepad alongside the web browser, save in Word as you type, and then paste it into the browser. If the power cuts, it’s still there in Word or Notepad when it comes back on. Alternatively, I type it on a laptop at home, take it by pen drive to the café, paste and send it.

Power plugs: The British type. You can buy multi-socket thingamajigs in towns and villages.

Socks: You can buy socks cheaply on streets everywhere. Ghanaians do really like socks as gifts—or turn them into hand-puppets for kids at schools.

Sunblock: You can buy it in Accra, but it’s probably easier to bring your own.

Telephones: Mobile phones are everywhere, as are the "chips" (sim cards) you need to make calls. New basic mobiles cost anywhere from 30 GCs and up. Vodaphone and Nokia have deals going most of the time. Chips cost 1 GC (yes, one) for most networks. It costs about the same to call an overseas mobile as it does within Ghana, and most calls are cheaper late at night. You can text virtually anywhere in the world for as little as 5 pesewas.

Time: Forget everything you know about time and “how things work”. Life in Ghana rocks to its own unpredictable rhythm and has its own way of working itself out—which can be exceedingly frustrating at times. I have occasionally felt as if I were participating in a chaos theory experiment with malaria and upset stomachs thrown in just for fun. Long waits for buses scheduled to leave hours earlier and slow responses to anything bureaucratic are normal. It’s life. It will teach you to go with the flow. If you need to learn patience and inner calm, just come to Ghana and buy a ticket for anything with a start time. There’s nothing you can do about it so my advice is to leave assumptions and presumptions at customs, and you’re more likely to enjoy one of the friendliest nations on earth.

Toiletries: Face cleansing wipes are brilliant for not only removing dirt from your face, but for “washing” during water shortages. You can buy “obruni” shampoo at shops in Accra, Cape Coast, Kumasi and Bolga.

Toilets: Well, I write a lot about toilets. If you had IBS, you would too. Overall, they are conspicuous by their absence in public settings. Metro TV recently stated that twenty-million Ghanaians live without access to modern toilets (they use drop toilets). Of those, three million have no access to any at all. There are twenty-three million Ghanaians. So much for the former government’s “Ghana at 50” pledge to build more “public places of convenience”. They were going to build toilets every fifty kilometers on the main roads. It’s more like every five hundred kms—if you’re lucky. Basically, don’t expect to find any at trotro stations—although there are a few. Fortunately, STC now has really nice toilets at all its stations (not long ago it was rather distressing). Most hotels have facilities that you can “borrow” if you have to—be nice to the reception people and pretend to be interested in a room.

Transport: Ghana has one of the highest incidents of road accidents in the world. I can’t count the amount of times the vehicle I’ve ridden in has almost crashed. (Touch wood!) Trotros, the crowded minibuses, are the worst. However, it’s virtually impossible to avoid trotros and taxis if you plan to travel around, so take a few precautions. Try to travel during the day. Try only to take coaches like the STC (State Transport Company) or the Metro Mass Transit (the orange buses). If the driver is taking dangerous risks, Ghanaians will often shout at the driver. Don’t be afraid to shout out yourself or ask someone next to you to do so. In taxis I’ve often told the driver to slow down or not overtake into oncoming traffic.

Vegetables: You can buy cabbage, carrots, eggplant/aubergine, lettuce, potatoes, avocadoes (called “pear”), tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, green beans, onion, ginger, garlic, and many other veggies besides, at markets all over Ghana, some only in season.

Viruses: the IT type; Internet café PCs are riddled with them. Many cafes still do not use anti-virus or, if they do, they’re often not up to date. So, if you’re planning to stick a pen drive into a PC, you need protection. I recommend downloading a free antivirus programme before you leave home and store it on your pen drive. It sounds like overkill, but you only have to lose everything once to understand the value of having antivirus on hand that you can upload as needed. Internet connections are still quite slow, at least to download anti-virus, and power is so erratic that it often cuts out half-way through a download. So bring it with you.

Visas: You may receive a one year visa in your passport from the embassy in your country, but this is irrelevant in Ghana. At immigration you will get a 60 day visitor stamp no matter what your visa duration. You must extend your stay before the end of the 60 days by applying for an extension for the amount of time you need at an immigration office in a capital city. You need evidence of a return air ticket to do this, two passport photos, and I think it’s about $10 per month (although it may have increased to just under 20), and a sponsorship letter from an NGO or supporting org, if you wish to renew. Be nice to the immigration staff no matter what. You can get visa on arrival in Accra, but I know some people who were refused boarding on Delta in New York because they didn’t have a visa before they departed. I had no problem with Emirates. The process need not be as precarious as crossing Kakum ropeway bridges outside of Cape Coast.

Vitamins: are also available everywhere. Those chewy orange vitamin C tablets sell for 20 pesewas a strip. You can get iron syrups over the counter which helps to build up strength after a bout of malaria.

Volunteering: If you’re looking for a serious volunteering organisaiton, it’s best to plan before you leave. Idealist.org has an excellent database of projects. You can also go here. However, you can find projects when you arrive by word of mouth or online—but it’s kind of nice to have someone meet you when you arrive.

Water: The water supply is erratic in many areas: on and off at will, it seems. Having some set aside in a bucket is always smart. Bucket baths are normal in regional areas where many people don’t have plumbing. In some places children have to carry water in buckets from a distance to fill up a larger reserve in the house where you’re staying so you can use it. Be mindful of that.

Zip/pen/jump drive: Bringing a 1G drive is invaluable. Use it for storing or transferring photos, writing email in Word and uploading it at a café later. You can buy a 1G drive for about $10 in Ghana.

If you have any brilliant tips of your own you would like to add, or corrections, or anything at all, please write a comment!

Packing image above courtesy of Stuart Frisby at Flickr , Kakum National Park image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

March 12, 2010

Permalink for 'old dust made new - Daniela Elza'

22:58

old dust made new - Daniela Elza

» ‎ One Ghana, One Voice

22:52
Author Profile - Daniela Elza
» ‎ One Ghana, One Voice

Biography:

Daniela Bouneva Elza has lived on three continents and crossed numerous geographic and cultural borders. Writing has been a faithful companion no matter what country or language she found herself in. To date she has released more than 120 poems into the world. She just completed her full length poetry manuscript and is also working toward the completion of her doctorate in Philosophy of Education. She lives with her family in Vancouver and blogs at [strangeplaces.livingcode.org]

Five Questions with Daniela Elza:

1. What great images you conjure up in "old dust made new"! More generally, though, how did you receive the harmattan each year in Northern Nigeria? With excitement? Relief? Frustration?

It was part of life. People wore hats and scarves in the early mornings. I wore a coat over my short sleeve uniform on the way to school. I was curious about how the haze made the familiar less familiar, the strange halo around the moon at night. The Harmattan was mostly a mystery to me. How it would steal into the house. Every morning a new presence, one that arrived from far away. The smell of the dust was most memorable. I clearly remember having difficulty breathing, not being able to go to sleep. It was so strong. My mom made me and my sister little gauze masks that she dampened and put on us at bed time. There was an ointment called Robb that I would rub on my temples, forehead, even under my nose, and the smell of eucalyptus and camphor helped. My favourite part in Rob's harmattan poem "Under the Harmattan Sky" was where he said we "write no poems." Interesting. Poems for me are very closely related to breath, so that sense came through for me. Looking back though my childhood lens, "mystery" is what best describes the Harmattan for me. Now even more so when on last week’s poem one of the readers mentioned the Harmattan did not come this year.

2. Your poems use space very intentionally. The size of the space between each word, and each letter of each word, seems very intentioned. What drew you to writing in this way? Did you have any other writers as points of inspiration in developing this style?

The words in my poems started to pull apart years ago. It was like coming to a place and feeling at home. I recognized it as my form. It has helped me address rubs and struggles with language and how we are in language. How we inhabit it. The form became an outward expression of this journey. It spoke to me, I learned from it. These spaces are breath, are missing memories, are blanks in our knowledge. They are reminders that our world is not seamless and ordered. There are silences we cannot ignore. I can go further: my order is not your order. We also get lazy and complacent with habitual arrangements of words. A word apart from others can take you on its own journey at the same time as it is part of the community of other word.

An important aspect of the spaces is inviting the reader to come in, take part in this co-creation. As readers, we have a tremendous responsibility reading and interpreting another’s words.

Language is like a net with which we try to catch the slippery fish of experience. It is the fish I am after. Yet, language is seductive. We can end up just playing with the net, be mesmerized by it. So this form for me always reminds me of the permeable membrane that exists between word and world.

I am inspired by people who take risks with language, test its limits and what it can achieve. I am humbled by the fact that no matter how hard we try we cannot put it all in the words. I am curious where the breaking point is. The fine line between the discomfort of chaos and the comfort of order. Or, perhaps for some, it is the other way around: the comfort of chaos and the discomfort of order.

3. These aforementioned spaces in words seem to function in two ways: they enact the words (i.e. "s l &nbsp o &nbsp w") and they create or isolate new words (i.e. the "us" in "d &nbsp us &nbsp t" and "ho &nbsp us &nbsp es"). Then there are some words that are subtly stretched for reasons that are less clear (i.e. "w e r e"). What leads you to playing with the spacing of particular words and not others? Do you feel it intuitively or do you think/map it out very cognitively?

The next logical step was the letters pulling apart. For different reasons. Like in "slow" it is the pace, or it could be for emphasis, or to invite the eye to linger with letter combinations. My latest exploration is highlighting words within words. For instance, in houses and dust, what struck me was that they contain us. We also get blurred by the dust. I see it as a way of adding an extra layer of images/ideas, subtexts, meta-content. I could easily be in danger of overdoing it. But, hey, if I do not overdo it, how else will I know I have gone too far? In the case of "w e r e": I saw we’re in it. And wondered if the reader will see "we’re memory" at the same time as "dust" and "desert" being memory. For me this poem is very much about memory, haunting us like the dust. How it renews itself, and us. Or, perhaps, "w e r e" is one instance of pushing too far. This is a new poem. I have to be patient, trust the balance will be established over time. I hope in each poem the technique responds to the content and continues to be an exploration, instead of a set form or path.

We spend so much time arguing around and about words. So many battles today are fought on the level of words (political, academic, ideological, religious). Yet, the words only fragment something whole (a thought/feeling) that is trying to come through. So I fragment the words. Meaning is in the words, but also not in them. Are we in control of the words or are they in control of us? Language is a slippery slope and can be treacherous. At the same time it can present us with many gifts.

4. Both of your poems featured thus far on OGOV have been written in couplets. Is this a general style of yours, a particular style you prefer for your African poems, or merely a coincidence?

They both took that shape, but may not have. This one was more premeditated than "Savannah Rain, West Africa" since it begins with the cold and the dust coming in couplets. That set the tone for me. This also goes back to the previous question: of how much is intuitive and how much is planned. Can we separate the two? I like to premeditate some. Yet, once the poem is loose on the page I am also prepared to flow with it, see where it leads. Gaston Bachelard in his book The Poetics of Reverie says: “The word lives syllable by syllable in danger of internal reveries.” If I cannot learn something from writing a poem, I am not interested in writing it. Perhaps an analogy might be: the teacher who knows when to abandon the lesson plan and follow the opportunity that a classroom serendipitously presents her. It is a fine balance between structure and flow. I am happy to embrace that in my practice. Some serendipity may grab my attention and then I can work that in the structure.

Now, for the reader the premeditated might appear coincidental. What was coincidental may be so seamless and graceful that it appears premeditated. For instance, the lack of punctuation was premeditated. I imagined how in the haze such little signposts will disappear first. However, if I had not said this you can come up with your own explanation/s (and you will) irrespective of what I intended, or did not intend. We are just that kind of creature. And that could lead to new serendipities and creations.

If I planned everything out before hand I am unlikely to venture into unknown territory. The sense of play and discovery is lost. And there is so much negotiation to do between word and world, and it could be done in an infinite number of ways. To quote Bachelard again: “What a lot of minor conflicts we must resolve upon returning from vagabond reverie to reasonable vocabulary!” In the complex laboratory of reverie and writing it is difficult to distinguish all these aspects.

For me writing is organic. It flows and changes and I let myself be at the mercy of what wants to come through. Of what possibilities are inherent in that moment of writing. Most of the time I find that a lot more interesting from what I planned. Again Bachelard nicely puts it: “For a dreamer, a dreamer of words, they are all swollen with insanities.” It is a constant back and forth between what the words want me to say and what I want to say with the words. In that process, I believe, both the word and the writer are enriched.

5. What new things have happened in your life/writing in the year since our readers first met you and your writing?

2009 was a busy year. It started with writing collaborated poems, four of which got published in Mutating the Signature issue of qarrtsiluni. Along with that in February my first poem went up here on OGOV with an interview. There were a couple more interviews last year, one with The Peak, and one with The Cascade. Press 1, BluePrintReview, Matrix, Vallum and ditch, poetry that matters gave a home to another 12 poems. The anthology A Verse Map of Vancouver housed another two. I won an Honourable Mention at the SIWC Poetry Contest. The highlight was the 4 Poets book in which Mother Tongue Publishing showcased the work of four emerging British Columbian poets. I had a lot of fun launching it. I must have read at least 25 times last year all together.

In the summer I completed my comprehensive exams in Philosophy of Education and in the Fall presented at the 2nd Symposium on Poetic Inquiry (Prince Edward Island). I had a chapter published in the book Poetic Inquiry: Vibrant Voices in the Social Sciences(comprising of 12 poems). Finally, I completed my first full length manuscript. This spring I will be the feature poet in The New Orphic Review, and I had my first micro story accepted for the BluePrintReview. As of January, I took on the volunteer position of Vancouver/Lower Mainland Representative for the Federation of BC Writers. Phew. It feels like a lot. But it is what I enjoy doing.

Contact Daniela:
Email: daniela(at)livingcode.org
Website: [strangeplaces.livingcode.org]

Author Photo © Frank Lee

21:02
Glir forbi
» ‎ my funny little frog

For dem som kjenner meg, er det vel ingen hemmelighet at jeg sliter med en smule ubestemmelighet (arvelig!), og ikke vet HVA det skal bli av meg. En ny søknadsfrist for skole til høsten nærmer seg med stormskritt, og nå MÅ jeg jo gjøre noe med livet mitt. Eller? Jeg klarer jo aldri bestemme meg for hva jeg vil.
Jeg har en bachelor fra NTNU bak meg, og det frister nemlig ikke med 2-3 år til på skolebenken, og mer lån frister heller ikke, og det frister absolutt ikke å leve på 6000 kr i mnd igjen, etter å ha jobbet i noen år... Skal jeg fortsette å jobbe, skal jeg studere noe jeg ikke vet sikkert at jeg vil, skal jeg gjøre begge deler?

Jeg vil gjerne leve av å gjøre noe kreativt, men det er ikke så mye kreativt man kan studere som man kan leve av i Norge. Tenk å kunne sitte hver dag og lage ting...pynte, årne, fikse, og få lønn for det?

Huff. Avgjørelser er skummelt.

Og samtidig blir venner ferdige med master, kjøper seg hus, får seg skikkelige jobber... Og her sitter jeg. I dag da jeg gikk hjem fra jobben, spilte de Jaa9 og OnklP's Gli forbi. Den traff meg midt i hjertet! :-)
Hør og les! God helg!!

Før var jeg selvsentrert og innadvendt
For faen, jeg er fortsatt selvsentrert og innadvendt,
så ikke tro den vinden er vendt
Jeg bare roa ned og tatt det chill når ting har hendt
og plutselig så ser man verden glir forbi og ting er glemt

Forsvinner hit og dit med hvert sitt talent
Det virker som alle har en plan for hvor dem skal hen
Og jeg er 27 år og fortsatt like langt på vei
Står enda stille til jeg finner meg noe interessant, og nei
Tror ikke på at dere tenker så langsiktig
valgte retningen på VK2 og gjorde valget riktig
Inntil videre sitter jeg her jeg sitter ass.
Skål til alle de som sitter fast

Du ser dem har hus, du ser dem har bil
Du ser dem bare glir forbi
Du kan se de har jobb, og at de aldri har fri
Du ser dem bare glir forbi
Du ser dem har kids, du kan se dem har et liv
Du kan se dem bare glir forbi
Du kan se de har alt, det vi driter så i
at vi lar dem bare gli

Jeg bare sitter her og følger med på verden
Er fem og tyve år og men føler meg som 16
Åpner øya og får realiteten i fleisen,
jeg burde vært oppe i toppen,
er ikke halveis opp i heisen
Fortsatt gråe hår for mor og far,
dem kan ikke tro jeg gjør det samme nå jeg gjorde da
kunne vært skolesmart, men var ikke skoleglad
i stedet tok jeg tak i saker som jeg gjorde bra.
Tja. Jeg ender ikke opp som en av dem
kids og masse gjeld og honda 91-modell
Bakerst i lokalet, ser på alle som blir gamle
en 95 kommer ikke på tale

Du ser dem har hus, du ser dem har bil
Du ser dem bare glir forbi
Du kan se de har jobb, og at de aldri har fri
Du ser dem bare glir forbi
Du ser dem har kids, du kan se dem har et liv
Du kan se dem bare glir forbi
Du kan se de har alt, det vi driter så i
at vi lar dem bare gli

For hverdagen er rolig om man selv er det
Suksess det er visst ingen garanti for velvære
Skal også finne oss en vei og gå når vi får tid,
men inntil da så ser vi heller bare verden glir forbi
Utdannelse det burde jeg tatt, mens du er ferdig med skolen
gammel og underbetalt, ey yo det kunne vært smart
og ta seg tid og bare skli som vi og sitte og smile
og se på alle de som glir forbi

Du ser dem har hus, du ser dem har bil
Du ser dem bare glir forbi
Du kan se de har jobb, og at de aldri har fri
Du ser dem bare glir forbi
Du ser dem har kids, du kan se dem har et liv
Du kan se dem bare glir forbi
Du kan se de har alt, det vi driter så i
shit vi lar dem bare?

17:50
If you're an Ghanaian ( read African) living in the US, here's two for your consideration.
» ‎ Wo se Ekyir...

Hi Everyone,I've got two things to share.
1. An Event Relevant for Ghanaians happening at Columbia University Next Weekend
Next weekend Columbia University will be abuzz. Talk about business in Africa will be plenty. Speakers include our own Aisha Obuobi, creator of the Christie Brown Clothing label, and Magatte Wade, founder and CEO of Adina World Beverages (for which she raised $20 million) and Tiossano Tribe Inc.
See the complete list of speakers. It promises to be a great event for entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs to learn about what works in our part of the world. All these discussions will be part of Columbia's 7th Annual African Economic forum. I know...sounds official:) Seems to me this is Columbia's version of the better known, Africa Business Conference organised annually by our folks over at Harvard Business School. I heard from a friend now at MIT that this year's ABC was full of so so kɛkyɛ (tr: posing) and posturing. I anticipate that Columbia's version will be more down to earth, and maybe more relevant for people who just want to do something in Africa but are not necessarily business school types. Like me, I guess. The theme of the event is Africa Turning Golden - How a Continent is moving forward: Wish I could go. I wish they'd bring this event here, where the action is actually happening. Those of you who are in the US should go, and let us know how it went.
I was checking this blog's stats a week or so ago New York city tops the list of cities where readers live, followed by Accra, then London, and then more US cities. Not bad, right? Accra peeps are not slacking koraa o. Looks to me we could actually have a "what your mamma never told you" party in NY. Maybe we should. One of these days, when I visit. Where was I even going with that?....Oh yeah, I was saying since o many of you who read this blog live in NYC, you should check out this event and let the rest of us know how it went. I'd give anything to hear the Wade lady speak.
Here's a video
2. REACH - An NGO focussing on Improving Health Care in GhanaI know. I know. Does Ghana really need another health-focussed NGO? And even if we do, how is an NGO which meets in Washington DC going to do any good for those of us who have to use the broken health care systems they propose to fix? Do they even know the issues on the ground? Is this another case of people abroad proposing solutions for problems they don't know intimately? These are the first questions that came to me when I first learned of REACH Ghana. REACH stands for Representatives of Equal Access to Community Health-care. They launched about a year ago.
You know, my first instinct may be right. But things get more interesting if it's not. Also, maybe I'm just a disillusioned healthcare person who moved to Ghana to work on a project aimed at improving healthcare which never took off. So now I've given up on saving the world and have fun for a living. Maybe I need to lose the cynicism and dream again. So let's do exactly that.Say we give REACH the benefit of the doubt. Say they actually are able to achieve their vision. What would that changed system look like? Quite exciting actually!
*engaging dreamer inside*
They wish to improve healthcare by supplementing health-care resources, empowering REACH members, as well as promoting and aiding the development of sustainable health delivery methods. To this end, they're already working on 2 projects: One which has to do with HIV intervention and the other enhances health education.
Visit the REACH GHANA website for more information and to join or support with a donation. The website is a little academic-sounding and not quite where it could be aesthetically but it's a start and as we all know it's easier to talk, and to criticise than to do. These Ghanaians are trying to do something. Maybe that alone is enough grounds on which to fully support REACH GHANA
If anyone reading this has more information about either the Columbia event or REACH Ghana, please tell us more.

17:08
U guessed it
» ‎ The English version of it all

eeey...eeeey..eey .. Under my umbrella, ey ey ey.. and so on. I'm gonna give you Rihanna's Umbrella for the letter U. But not her own version. I couldn't help falling for the Baseballs who have transformed lots of pop music into real 60's swing music. It's very funny. And well done.
Here you go! I've kicked Hubby out and spending the night with a girl friend and Mexican food! ♥

16:11
Why, Thankyou, but Sorry!
» ‎ The Trials & Tribulations of a Freshly-Arrived Denizen...of Ghana

Apologies
It's a cool, Friday afternoon and I am feeling rather bad: I am no longer unable to comment on my favourite blogs at work. Not that it distracts or anything, as most of the time, I sacrifice my lunchtimes to do commenting and whatnot. The truth of the matter is that given the execrable bandwidth provided by VODAFONE GHANA, our IT officer has seen it fit to "temporarily suspend" social networking sites, and blogger.com! It seems like since this was done w few weeks ago, the speed at work has greatly improved, so I suspect it's going to stay! This means that short of running across the street to a hotel, where I can get unlimited access to blogger comments, and the weekend, where I do other things than commenting on blogs, there will be a lapse in commenting. Just wanted to say "thanks" to all those who have been commenting, like DANIEL and MIKE of GHANA Hall of Shame, and ESI CLELAND. I shall be your way in hopefully more-innovative ways soon. Sadly, the mobile is not very friendly to blogger.com, and it takes quite some time to load pages.

We shall see!!

BBC SUPERPOWER
Am currently listening to BBC Worldservice's "Business Daily" programme, referring to the BBC Season of how the Internet as transformed our lives. If you have not checked their site out yet, do so; it's a wicked read: [www.bbc.com]

GHANA POLICE ON SPINTEX ROAD
I took a picture of that police dispatch rider to indicate how increasingly well-behaved the Ghana Police is becoming. Yesterday, they had police directing, and disciplining (yes, even this morning, they ordered an impatient driver to return from the long queue he jumped!!) drivers--private and commercial vehicles alike--to the extent of providing the much-needed sanity on that legendary strip they call the Spintex Road!

Labels: spintex road, ghana police,

15:23
Not Quite a Free Visa to FIFA2010 World Cup!
» ‎ Accra by Day & Night
Despite rather good relations between South Africa and Ghana, it is never going to be so good that they decide to waive visas for us. There are, ofcourse, conditions, and here are the five-fold ones:

Processing for the 90-day visa, which is expected to take five days to complete, starts on April 1 – barely two months away from the world's biggest football festival.

To qualify for a visa,
- the fan must possess a valid passport which must not expire by end of the June 11 – July mundial;
- have a proof of a return air ticket,
- show enough evidence of taking care of oneself for the period of the event or stay,
- acquire a ticked voucher from the Ghana Football Association (GFA) or FIFA,
- as well as having a proof of a hotel/hostel accommodation.
Ms Lallie advised applicants to show up personally at the High Commission and cautioned them about the activities of potential "charlatans (visa contractors) who could take advantage of the situation to swindle unsuspecting victims."

She dissuaded fans who have the intention of settling in South Africa after the World Cup to disabuse their minds of such plan. "Much as there would be an extremely friendly environment in South Africa, I don't think the authorities are necessarily going to relax or renege on their responsibilities as far as security is concerned," she cautioned.
from: [news.peacefmonline.com]

What about where you are right now? How difficult--or easy--is it for you to get your ticket to FIFA?

Truth be told, I'm quite happy watching from the comfort of my home (and office, when Ghana starts playing!!)

14:39
Facing an Arms Dealer in the Ivory Coast: Part II
» ‎ This is Ghana

div style="text-align: left;"We posted Part II of the story of a href="http://www.g-lish.org/writing/arms-dealer-part-ii/%20"facing an arms dealer in the Ivory Coast/a today at g-lish. You can see it by clicking on the link.nbsp; br / br / a href="http://www.g-lish.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Insiders-Guide-to-Ghana-Sampler.pdf"Download a free sample of the Insider's Guide to Ghana/ab see inside the guide/b before buying. /divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"Download a sample of the Insider's Guide to Ghana here: [www.g-lish.org] width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8826326494207776999-3476596330867195490?l=gisforghana.blogspot.com' alt='' //divdiv class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ThisIsGhana?a=AZbd2btsQyU:-eK__XS_uyw:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ThisIsGhana?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ThisIsGhana?a=AZbd2btsQyU:-eK__XS_uyw:qj6IDK7rITs"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ThisIsGhana?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ThisIsGhana?a=AZbd2btsQyU:-eK__XS_uyw:gIN9vFwOqvQ"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ThisIsGhana?i=AZbd2btsQyU:-eK__XS_uyw:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ThisIsGhana/~4/AZbd2btsQyU" height="1" width="1"/
14:20
Facing an Arms Dealer in the Ivory Coast Part II
» ‎ This is Ghana

Can you imagine what you'd do if you left home to teach English only to find yourself face to face with a gun runner instead? The story picks up from the cliffhanger we left on in Part 1. You can read part 1 here or go straight to Part II here.

Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.
Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

7:58
My predictions for the Ghana Music Awards 2010
» ‎ Why so serious? Blogs of a MIghTy African

The nominees for the #GhanaMusicAwards 2010 are out and Sarkodie, Ayigbe Edem, Wutah, 4x4, Bradez, Becca, Ohemaa Mercy and Obrafour lead the number of nominations for the awards ceremony slated for April 10. Music fans have asked many questions about them and asked why artistes like Samini, Ofori Amponsah and Kwabena Kwabena missed out. CharterHouse, the organizers, released a press statement responding to various criticisms as well. In this post, I'll offer thoughts on who should win or who would win when the winners are announced next month.

You can click the songs and artistes below to learn more about them.

Artist of the year
This is a very closely contested one. I am not sure of the best way to judge this category. Sarkodie will win because he has the biggest following these days this but I think the winner should be 4x4. They had two surefire hits and featured on other big songs as well. I'll like to see Bradez win it too. I was surprised Samini wasn't nominated. Surely, his nationwide tour had to count for something?

Most popular song of the year
Kotosa proved Wutah came back really strong after a hiatus. People think it's their best song ever. However, I think the winner here will be and should be Simple by Bradez. It was huge in Liberia as well and ruled the charts in Ghana as long as some of the other nominees.

Discovery of the year
Sarkodie will surely win this one, though the feel-good choice would be Ayigbe Edem. Mimi may end up being the most successful of them all

Hip hop /hiplife song of the year
Kasiebo and The Game both nominated? Who would have thought? This category is probably a popularity contest. I hope Kasiebo wins but I think You Dey Craze by Ayigbe Edem will win. The synergy and energy on that song is simply super.

Hip hop/hiplife artist of the year
I believe Sarkodie would and should win this one. Ayigbe Edem did release 3 music videos though.

Gospel Song of the year
It was surprising to see Ohemaa Mercy get these many nominations when her album arrived late. I believe Aseda by Ernest Opoku will and should win this award.

Gospel Artist of the year
Why only three nominees? And none for Ernest Opoku? Celestine Donkor had a good year but I don't see her beating Ohemaa Mercy.

Highlife song of the year
Never heard King David's Born to Win but if this Ghanaian song's not on Youtube, it probably wasn't that popular. Kotosa was a huge hit and would/should win this award.

Highlife artist of the year
How wasn't Kojo Antwi nominated here? Is he now a reggae artist? What about Kwabena Kwabena? I think Kofi B would win, he had the biggest hits amongst the bunch.

Afro-pop Song of the year
This is where the awards get weird. VIP, 4x4 & Bradez nominated for Afro-pop song? Isn't Run away by Irene Logan an R&B song? I suppose they adjudged these songs to be here because it's mostly singing than rapping. I think World Trade Center by 4x4 should win and probably would win.

Reggae Song of the year
How wasn't Wutah's Burning Desire nominated instead of Jah will be there? Adiepena as a reggae song? I'm not sure Kojo Antwi is too happy about that. Funny thing is I'll like to see Adiepena win an award and this probably will be it.

Best Collaboration of the year
This category is tough! You dey Craze by Edem/Sarkodie/Kwaw Kesse would probably win but I think the creativity with Kasiebo should see Obrafour and Guru carry this gong.

Best Rapper of the year
Like many others, am wondering why this category has been introduced while we have the hiplife artiste of the year. Sarkodie's seen as the best rapper today and will win. Bradez also have some sick flows.

African artiste of the year
This may look like a straight contest between Bracket and Wande Coal but I think Midnight Crew should win. Their gospel song, Igwe, has been so popular that it's played in the night clubs. Imagine that for a second. Haven't heard of performing in Ghana and that may work against them. I think Wande Coal will win though.

Record of the year
I love this category because it allows a song that wasn't that popular but just really well-done to be honoured. I never heard Love Zone but I really like Nyonorvidade by Ayigbe Edem. I hope it wins but I have a feeling Run Away by Irene Logan and Asem will win.

Album of the Year
I also love this new category since it honours our musicians for putting in the work to produce albums and sell CDs. Makye is already one of the best hiplife albums to date and it would and should win this award. Also loved Ayigbe Edem's Volta Regime.

Song writer of the year
Obrafour should win this award for Kasiebo and I believe he will win it. Dark horse will be Asem for writing Run Away.

Best Male Vocal performance
The kind of year Wutah had should ensure PV wins this category though Ernest Opoku could steal it (gospel musicians hardly ever beat out their secular counterparts for awards anyway).

Best Female Vocal Performance
It's interesting to see how Becca released one song and it carried her to multiple nominations. I'll like to see her win this but I believe Irene Logan will win. Speaking of Irene, has anyone seen her lately?

Who do you think should win the awards?

6:54
Accra Crime Alert – The Case for DIY?
» ‎ ANTI-RHYTHM

When a domestic doodad breaks down, and you allow in wandering workmen to repair, they may not only come calling; they may also come casing! The Police says the risk runs even with imposters invested in utility company coveralls. Since security-check results are a Haley’s Comet, maybe this is a case for DIY, in the City of Accra, no?

6:26
The Girl Behind Ghana's Looming Energy Crisis
» ‎ Nana Kofi Acquah - Ghana Photographer

If you live in Accra, you should be questioning why your lights keep going off, why "energy crisis looms" and why your taps don't flow.

Well, yesterday in the Volta Region, I saw this young woman fetching all the water from the Volta Lake. Yes. She's the guilty one :) I doubt she pays water bills but she fetches all the water. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty as hell.

Don't you wish the problem was as simple as that?

On a more serious note, I think Ghana can no longer depend on Mother Nature to run. We need to be proactive. We are too intelligent and too blessed as a people to be depending on rain to grow our crops, rain to get electricity, rain to get water to drink. And in the midst of all these perils, we keep chopping down our trees. What is wrong with us? What happened to those trees infront of the Kama Conference Centre in Nyaniba? Whose bright idea was it to start chopping them down?
I still haven't forgiven whoever chopped down that big tree at the Togo Embassy Junction in Cantonments. It's hard to forgive them when they put up such horrible art in that place. I still wonder whose brilliant idea that was.

And please can someone tell them to remove those "Millenium City" signage around the Independence Arch, I bet anybody who sees those will think we have no good artists, architects and designers in this country. Sometimes, it does get embarrassing.

We are already 24 million and rising. Now we need, less talk and more action. Even if the action is going to be "slow but sure" please let it happen. We can't go on like this.

March 11, 2010
20:41
Google’s Gmail offering Free SMS to Ghana, but…
» ‎ Mobile Africa

Gmail users in Ghana who logged into the free email service would have noticed a pop-up message today:

The message read:

New! Free SMS in Gmail
Send free SMS directly from Gmail – just enter a phone number and click Enter. SMS replies come right to your Gmail inbox.
This service is now available for mobile phones in Ghana.

The free SMS can be sent directly from within Gmail once the user logs in, as seen from the screenshot below:

Free SMS in Gmail. Snapshot from Gmail.com

According to Google:

Sending a message is free from Gmail to any phone. When replying with an SMS from phone to Gmail, you will be charged a regular SMS rate by your mobile provider. Gmail SMS is currently available in Ghana with MTN, Zain, Tigo and Kasapa.

However, efforts to try out the new service on MTN, Zain and Vodafone have so far failed as can be seen from the screenshot below. The numbers were whitened due to privacy concerns but the network codes can be clearly identified:

Gmail free SMS to Ghana failing so far.

Gmail is a free, advertising-supported webmail, POP3, and IMAP service provided by Google.

17:27
promises
» ‎ The English version of it all

Ok. I admit this "singing our way through the alphabet" is taking looong. Not as exciting as I had hoped for. Gotta get through it fast! Another Tracy Chapman song gets the honor today. It's a song that has been with me for a long, long time. And has been a very appropriate song when I have been missing my boyfriend when we were far, far away from eachother. The Promise. Love it.

17:12
Giving it up for Ghana Police!
» ‎ Accra by Day & Night

Finally, Ghana Police got their act together this morning, and showed up at a major point on the Spintex Road. Let's keep our fingers crossed for Friday!;-)
17:06
Giving it up for Ghana Police!
» ‎ Accra by Day & Night

Finally, Ghana Police got their act together this morning, and showed up. Let#39;s keep our fingers crossed for Friday!;-)brbrimg title="Samsung-ekb-0786.jpg" alt="Samsung-ekb-0786.jpg" src="cid:ii_1274e2e064713e4e"br clear="all" brbr div class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/26927428-4504875829947024080?l=accradailyphoto.blogspot.com' alt='' //div

13:16
Glory beckons Joshua Clottey
» ‎ Osabutey ANNY

When Ghana’s Joshua Clottey mounts the ring on Saturday March 13th in arguably one of his biggest fights against Manny Pacquiao, it will raise the number of his record to 36, and for most boxing pundits that is really an impressive record.

Especially because he has a decent record with 20 knockouts, so far. However, the question on the lips of most boxing lovers is; does he have the fire power to stop Manny Pacquiao who has been in such a devastating form, reducing British pride Ricky Hatton to rubbles and that of Miguel Cotto, the man who beat the 32 year old Ghanaian for his welterweight belt last June.

Clottey, known by his fans as the hitter, is not alarmed by what Pacquiao can do in the ring. After all he is just a boxer like himself, he told boxing writer Lem Satterfield in a recent interview.
"Manny Pacquiao is a human being, like everyone else. He's just a really good fighter who is out there now who is No. 1 now," said Clottey. "I don't know how he's coming to fight me, but I can tell you that I'm a different fighter altogether than anyone else that he's faced. I'm a really difficult fighter, you see."

Pacquiao, a left handed or southpaw as they say in boxing, is said to have accumulated enough fire power and speed since moving up weight, and had gone 11-0, with eight knockouts since his last loss by unanimous decision to Erik Morales in March 2005 as a super featherweight (130 pounds).

He has since stopped his last four opponents in such devastating circumstance, David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and, Miguel Cotto.

Clottey is however refusing to be added to the list and as he mount the ring at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on March 13, he will also be excited about one thing; that, unlike previous fighters such as Cotto and De La Hoya who had fought Pacquiao and lost, he will be allowed to fight the 147-pound weight limit rather than, according to Satterfield, being contracted by Pacquiao to fight at catch weights of 145 pounds like Cotto and De La Hoya.

"It is good for me to be at 147. I'm a very big welterweight, so it's not really easy to make 147. I'm going to be big," said Clottey, beginning to warm up. "But I'm going in there and taking it like, 'I'm just going to go in there and do my thing and make people happy.'"

Ironically Clottey did not enjoy such a move in weight since his last fight against Cotto, whom most boxing experts say appeared dazed almost anytime he received a punch from Clottey but the Ghanaian failed to take advantage and allowed him to take away his belt.

He has since buried that disappointment behind him and against Pacquiao he is certain the past mistakes will not be repeated.

"I don't throw punches that get blocked. I don't respect that. I want to connect good. After the fight, Cotto's face showed who won and who lost. That's the way I'm coming to fight Manny Pacquiao."

For Clottey a win against Pacquiao will not amount to an upset but a victory with one of the most respected boxers in the welterweight division.
"I've never left the ring feeling like I lost. I feel like I'm undefeated. If I win this fight against Manny Pacquiao, I will never feel like I beat the best fighter in the world."

"I will feel like I had a fight with Manny Pacquiao, the best fighter out there, and I won," he said. "So even if I beat Pacquaio, and people talk about it like it's a big upset, I'll say, 'It's not an upset, but a win.'"
Clottey has been training in Florida with a new trainer DeJesus when his Ghanaian trainer could not get the entry visa, and was optimistic his plans are turning out well.

"Today, I sparred 10 rounds with four-minute rounds and a 30-second rest in between. I'm not really even tired after I'm finished," said Clottey. "I'm in shape. I want to prove to the whole world that this is a fight that I can win, and that they should be careful not to write me off."

Clottey has never been stopped. His resiliency and durability are not in dispute, and against Pacquiao on Saturday the question that is still waiting to be answered is when the smoke of battle has been cleared. Will Clottey be the man to call off the bluff of Pacquiao?

9:00
My town: Bolgatanga, Upper East Region, Ghana
» ‎ This is Ghana

Continuing the theme of places I've lived, I’ve pulled the photos I feel tell the story about life in Bolgatanga. What strikes me is the dust and the green—the difference between the dry and the wet season. I love Bolga during the wet but it tests you during the dry—now!

Download a free sample of the Insider's Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying. Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

7:45
What if your Partner...
» ‎ ANTI-RHYTHM

If you discovered that your devoted “Darby” or “Joan” of three years had been dribbling deliberately into your dinner or drink every time they were disconcerted by you, what would you do?

0:00
The IGP’s concerns
» ‎ Ato Kwamena Dadzie Latest Blog Articles

Hello Mr. IGP, I am sure you’ve taken your salary for this month. I am also sure that you’ve been having a lot of fun riding in a luxury car my mother’s ‘bofrote’ taxes contributed to buying and fuelling for you. You must be having a good time. But, being ...

March 10, 2010
23:19
A selection of Africa Movie Academy Award nominee trailers
» ‎ Why so serious? Blogs of a MIghTy African

We've been having some discussions about some of the tasteless trailers for some Ghanaian movies recently. It's sad that that's the way some movie producers are choosing to sell their movies. It's almost like we have to get it wrong before we can get it right or the industry is just not that mature. Watching trailers for some of the other African movies nominated for the Africa Movie Academy Awards, you can see the best ways to sell movies can be the trailers and they can be done in tasteful ways. See what award winning movie trailers look like. Watch some of these below.

See info about Perfect Picture, I Sing Of a Well (ISOAW), A Sting In a Tale" (ASIAT), Heart of Men (HOM), Sin of the Soul (SOTS), reviewed on this blog.

Figurine aka Araromire (Nigeria) directed by Kunle Afolayan
From IMDB - "The synopsis of Figurine (Araromire) shows that it is a story of two buddies and a girl...all down on their luck have their lives changed when one of them discovers 'Araromire' a mysterious figurine in an abandoned shrine which, according to legend bestows seven years of good luck. But no one told them about the next seven years." Movie website
Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ym2XtmMaCQ

Imani (Uganda) directed by Caroline Kamya
"In the course of just one day, we venture into the lives of three characters within the diverse landscape of contemporary Uganda. Imani provides a refreshing look at Uganda post Idi Amin, post LRA (Lords Resistance Army). A fresh new talent, director Caroline Kamya, gives us an intimate portrait of the lives of a child soldier, a maid and a hip hop dancer living in Uganda today." Movie website
Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOAgCebSrVE

Seasons of a Life (Malawi) directed by Shemu Joyah
"This is a moving story about sexual abuse; the rights of women; the triumph of hope over despair; and the enduring spirit of motherhood." Movie website
Here's a scene from the movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW6esRJCYU4

The Tenant (Nigeria) directed by Lucky Ejim
"The Tenant is a multi award winning and critically acclaimed film, written and produced by Jude Idada and directed by Lucky Ejim. Shot in Nigeria and Canada, it explores the issues of immigration, socio-political ethos and economic justice."
Movie website
Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMcz06dZq8s

Togetherness Supreme (Kenya) directed by Nathan Collett
"TOGETHERNESS SUPREME is the story of Kamau, an artist, Otieno, a hustler, and their shared love interest for Alice, a preacher’s daughter. All three live in Kibera, east Africa’s largest shantytown, home to a million people in Nairobi, Kenya. All three are from different tribes but are searching for tribal unity. The film follows these three characters in their quest for change in the community they live in, their fights, challenges and victories. After the 2007 Kenya presidential elections, Kibera is torn apart by conflicting tribal loyalties and so are the three characters." Movie website
Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ8m7TZts58

21:31
Somewhere over the rainbow
» ‎ The English version of it all

Things take time in my world. All of a sudden Wedenesday is about to end. This week is gonna run fast. It has been running fast at work, cause we are really busy implementing a plan I had: Having an art exhibition at the kindergarten for the parents to come and see. It was my little, little idea which has now grown in to a biiig project, and we are gonna have a fancy vernissage, with canapes and sparkling drinks, classical live music and a lot of beautiful (and less beautiful) art works made by the kids. Yippie! So the days are flying by with Yngvild covered in paint, glue, glitter and plaster, and the evenings just disappear into nothing and all of a sudden I find myself tucked in and ready to sleep...

But I'm gonna share with you a song today. A very beautiful song from The Wizard of Oz, here sung by a young Norwegian talent, Nora Foss Al-Jabri. Just love her version and her voice. And I let myself be impressed by children with amazing talent. Somewhere over the rainbow.

15:17
All Roads Lead to Tema !
» ‎ Accra by Day & Night
This is what wikipedia says about Tema:

Tema, population 209,000 (2005), is a city on the Atlantic Ocean coast, east of the capital city of Accra, in the region of Greater Accra, in Ghana, West Africa. Originally a small fishing village, it grew after the construction of a large harbour in 1961 and is now is the nation's largest sea port. It is also home to an oil refinery and is an important centre of manufacturing. It is linked to the capital by railway and a highway. Tema is one of Ghana's two deep seaports; Sekondi Takoradi is the other. Tema is the nearest city to the geographical position of 0 degrees latitude and 0 degrees longitude (which lies several hundred miles south in the Bight of Benin).

This is my view: one of the best-designed communities in Accra. In fact, it is the only residential community that remains the best well-planned. It has more than 10 "communities", some of which link up to the famed Spintex Road. It has an indigenous "Tema Development Corporation", clearly making quite a bit from developing Tema to the beautiful, verdant and organised city it has obtained the reputation of being.

This is what fellow ghanablogging member Kajsa Hallberg Adu wrote of her adopted hometown:

Let's start my exposé on Tema with Nkrumah's own words. We go back to February 10th, 1962 and the Official Opening of the Tema Harbor. Kwame Nkrumah walks up to a podium and gives his speech.
"By taking advantage of the river systems of West Africa, it should be possible - again, by concerted action - to connect the hinterland, far outside the boarders of Ghana, with this great port of Tema. Thus, in this harbour of Tema, we see a unifying force and an essential requirement in the progress towards African Unity"
Hence, Tema was just one part of the grandiose plan of Africa rising. Tema should be a harbor not just for Ghana, but for Africa. Still today, Burkina Faso, Mali and other landlocked countries are highly dependent on the Tema harbor. What whould they be today without this sea port?

Nkrumah continued his speech with comparing the existing Takoradi harbor "designed by the colonialists to facilitate the exportation of the wealth of the country" to this new sea port. He said:
"Tema is the sign post of the future. It represents the purposeful beginning of the industrialisation of Ghana. It is the signal for industrial expansion, a challenge to our industry and intelligence and a hope for the future."
Finally, from one US academic Dr.Renford Reese's page:

"One of our visits was to the bustling cargo port of Tema. Nkrumah built this city in 1960 as a manmade harbor. Today, it is Ghana's industrial center and the most important trading port in the country. As a populated city, Tema is the closest to the crossing of the Prime Meridian and the equator, a special treat for our three geography majors"
from: http://www.csupomona.edu/~rrreese/nonfla/GlobalCPP.html

Have you got the message how important Tema is to Ghana now?

Labels: tema, nkrumah

14:50
These are a few (100) of my favourite things
» ‎ A Fork in the Road

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Before leaving the US I bought a copy of Vein of Gold, one of Julia Cameron’s books on exploring creativity and talent. While it’s not as good as some of her other books – the Artist’s Way in particular – Vein of Gold offers some great wisdom and fun exercises for poking around in the dusty corners of your creative mind. One I found a lot of fun was a challenge to list 100 things that you love.

It’s a great exercise for a quiet afternoon; an opportunity to reflect and explore and to put yourself in the middle of your life. With a target of 100 you need to really delve deep, to explore the natural world, friends, family, experiences, spirituality, travel, or less physical experiences – sights, smells, tastes and sounds. The more specific you can be the better. Sure you may love irises, but which ones? The ones in a huge vase on your kitchen table mixed in with a bunch of daffodils? Sure you like that particular aftershave, but on whom? And where were you when you first smelt it…?

Go on, give it a try. Number a page from 1-100 and start writing. Guaranteed, by the time you reach the 90s you’ll be mining some real gems. Give yourself an undertaking that you won’t show the list to anyone, ever, then see what additional items you come up with!

12:28
Facing an Arms Dealer in the Ivory Coast: Part 1
» ‎ This is Ghana

You can read the first half of Godwin's personal story at G-lish today: Facing an Arms Dealer in the Ivory Coast. This story isn't glamorous by any stretch. It highlights what happens when you're caught in the poverty trap and the choices you have to make.

Download a free sample of the Insider's Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying. Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

7:53
A review of MTN Nigeria Mobile Broadband service
» ‎ Mobile Africa
I picked-up an MTN Nigeria mobile broadband kit recently and have used it heavily, since then. Find below my review of the service.

The entire kit cost N18,650:
- HSDPA USB stick: N8,500
- MTN SIM: N150
- Airtime: N10,000 (24/7 monthly plan)
The MTN agent asked for an ID and passport photo. As I had no prior knowledge they would demand this, I was only fortunate that I always carried a driving licence and spare passport photos in my wallet everywhere I go, for times like this. Be informed. Also, I was made to sign a fine print containing their terms of service.

The device

MTN Nigeria 3G pack

Branded as MTN F@stlink E156G, the USB stick is essentially a Huawei E156G with the following specifications:
- HSDPA/UMTS 2100MHz – it can connect to just about any 3.5G cellular network in the world if it were unlocked.
- EDGE/GPRS/GSM 1900/1800/900/850 MHz – it can connect to just about any GSM cellular network in the world if it were unlocked.
- HSDPA service data rate up to 3.6Mbps – real life speeds would vary
- SMS service – users can send and receive text messages when using the bundled software
- Micro SD card slot – it can take a Micro SD of up to 4GB capacity and thus double as a USB drive
- Plug and play – there is no need to install software from a CD. The software bundled on the device would have to be installed though, for PCs and Macs.
Before you decide to buy, the device has the following system requirements:
- Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista. I am safely assuming it would work well on Windows 7. Also, I got it to work on Ubuntu 9.10
- Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5 with latest upgrades
- Hardware system should meet the recommended requirements for the installed OS version
- Display resolution: 800 x 600 and above
- Standard USB interface
The software
Branded MTN F@stlink, it offers 7 tabs, namely:
- Connection: this is where the user initiates a connection or disconnection to/from the MTN network
- Statistics: offers a detailed break-down of data usage and includes a graph
- Message: enables the user to send/receive text messages and manage existing messages
- Phonebook: an address book that saves contact details.. Record include Name, Mobile Number, Office Number, Home Number, Email address and Remarks.
- Airtime: enables the user to check and load airtime. It is divided into postpaid and prepaid, to cater for both market segments.
- Internet: a click on this loads the default web browser
- Bundle plan: enables the user to select which of the bundle plans to subscribe to, and check the status of an existing bundle. This service is for prepaid subscribers only. The confirmation is via a text message.
The bundles
MTN Nigeria offers 3 data bundles:
- 24/7 Monthly Plan: this is the ultimate plan from MTN and comes with a 3GB data cap but is available 24 hours every day within a 30 days period. It goes for N10,000 per month. This bundle is ideal for heavy users.
- Nite Plan: this is usable only from 10pm to 5am and also comes with a 3GB data limit but costs only N2,500 monthly. This bundle is ideal for surfers who have a day job and can afford to stay awake all night.
- 24 hours Daily: this is clearly targetted at the occasional web surfer and comes with a meagre 50MB data cap. It costs only N500.
The service
I subjected the mobile broadband service to a speed test at the time of writing using speedtest.net; the following screenshot shows the highest speed I got. Note that speedtest.com used Vodafone Ghana’s server for the test.

The results shown in the screenshot above just about represent an average of the several tests I carried out. It shows that MTN Nigeria offers a download speed of about 0.43 Mb/s and a miserable upload speed of 0.06Mb/s as well as a high latency of 366ms.

This means, upload heavy data using the mobile broadband service would be a slow experience and making phone/video calls via the Internet would be less than ideal due to the high latency as seen from the ping test.

The coverage
It is critical to confirm 3G coverage in your locality before opting for MTN’s mobile broadband service for therein lies the key to the advertised speeds. From the marketing flyer attached to the kit:

3G service is currently available in most part of Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Kano, Benin, Ibadan, Kaduna, Onitsha, Aba, Asaba.

MTN also offers an extensive EDGE coverage that is even more nationwide. EDGE which offers a fairly fast connectivity is available where there is no 3G coverage.

The bad
The MTN mobile broadband service was not without hiccups, at the time of extensive use.
- Intermittent disconnections: The service simply went off occasionally and connection could be re-established by disconnecting and re-connecting from the network. At other times, the downtime lasted over an hour.
- SSL traffic: Occasionally, it was impossible to access secured websites. All access to URLs starting with [https:] were in possible and thus secured chatting programs like Yahoo Messenger and Skype failed to connect too. This error typically occurred at mid-mornings.
- Not all websites were accessible: Even when the mobile broadband service was at its peak of performance, some websites were not accessible despite repeated attempts. The persistent error message was: “No suitable nodes are available to serve your request.” A work-around this was to use a proxy server.
- The offered data bundles are not very flexible as users’ choices are limited. Heavy users are forced to subscribed to the 24/7 monthly plan for N10,000 even if they would need less than 3GB monthly.
- It is difficult to know the status of usage after crossing the 1GB milestone. Checking your data usage via SMS thereafter does not offer an exact figure of used data but simply states that 2GB has been used. It is thus difficult for the user to know when usage is getting close to the 3GB limit.
The verdict
MTN Nigeria’s mobile broadband service offers high-speed internet connectivity much of the time and is worth buying where mobile connectivity is needed or fixed broadband options are not available provided the user can live with the few annoyances highlighted above.

Note: it is possible to enjoy the broadband service from MTN without buying their F@stlink modem. One could either browse on the (smart)phone itself or use it as a modem. When using the phone as a modem, the user would need the following:
- a 3.5G-capable mobile phone
- modem driver & dialling software: these are typically provided on a CD bundled with the phone, by the phone manufacturer, or can be downloaded via the Internet
- a means of connectivity the phone to a computer: whilst bluetooth is usable, USB is ideal. Infrared is archaic.
- an MTN data bundle subscription
Backstory*:
- I have used the MTN Mobile Broadband service extensively before buying their F@stlink modem, using Nokia smartphones as modem and have experienced the high speed in Lagos, Ibadan and Kaduna. EDGE worked in Zaria.
- MTN branded complimentary gift items accompanied the broadband kit: a pen and a writing pad.
- I did not have enough time to read the terms before signing and so not sure about what it contains.
*The info in the “backstory” section, are what I considered too trivial to add into the main body of the review but useful enough to share with you.

Did you find this review useful, feel free to share this blog with others. Do you have an additions or questions about this review, add these using the comments area.

7:34
The Four-Wheel-Drive Complex
» ‎ ANTI-RHYTHM

A Jurassic Jeep driver flies past me on the dirt-rocky Spintex Road at 6 a.m., at full, bitumen-surface speed, and cuts into my lane. A sand truck rockets a little rock which cracks the jinxed Jeep’s windscreen. The junk Jeep driver chases the truck...for what?

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APPRECIATION: ‘Pretending to be President’
» ‎ Ato Kwamena Dadzie Latest Blog Articles

I’ve never shaken so many hands and signed my signature so often in just one day. That was the day my maiden book ‘Pretending to be President’ was officially launched. It was a launch like no other. I didn’t want an official ceremony where the first copy of the book ...

March 09, 2010
21:24
PDF Travel Guide to Ghana for sale
» ‎ This is Ghana
What is it?It is a 278-page, instantly downloadable PDF guide to travel in Ghana.
This is a travel guide that lets visitors benefit from our inside knowledge and experience. A guide that is:
- Up-to-date on prices, names and numbers (Updated versions and separate pages showing specific changes will be emailed to you free for 12 months from the date of your purchase.)
- Written by a Ghanaian and a foreigner who lives and travels extensively in Ghana (we got lost so you don’t need to—but it’s often a fun learning experience if you do)
- Explains clearly how to get from A-to-B (or C and D and E if you like)
- Includes the best attractions and accommodation (so you can save time and money)
- That also explains what Ghana and Ghanaians are really like (so you’re not completely in the dark when you find yourself without a toilet, for instance)
- With extended culture, costs, health, preparation and dangers sections (to put you in the most prepared and confident position before you leave)
- And includes our “insider’s” tips throughout every section (so you can visit “hot” spots in your first week, instead of taking months to accidentally discover them)
- With an audio file of basic greetings and words in Twi and Hausa (by Godwin!) so you can learn to say “hello,” “I’m fine,” “How much is it?” and other useful every day phrases in the two major language groups in Ghana. You can even listen to it on your I-pod before touching down to prepare for your first encounter with a taxi driver! Don’t worry—it’s not difficult and Ghanaians really admire your attempts to speak their languages, even if you’re trying to reduce a price.
- Godwin (our Ghana half of the team) and I (Aussie half) will also add some words of advice about how to haggle with a couple of examples (we are going to role play this one in English) so you can hear what to expect when you buy souvenirs or any products in the markets. He’ll be the trader, me the buyer. (*Note: These two audio files are “in production” now. You, and existing wonderful customers, will receive this as a separate update via email shortly if we haven’t already zipped it with the guide when you buy it.)
Who it’s for: The Insider’s Guide to Ghana is most suited to
- First-time visitors
- Second- or third-time visitors who may have spent limited time in Ghana previously
- Visitors whose last trip to Ghana was more than two years ago
- Anyone who lives principally in one area, e.g. Accra or Cape Coast or Kumasi, and who will travel to other parts of Ghana but may be unfamiliar with those areas.
The guide is not suited to
- Anyone with extensive travel experience in Ghana
- Anyone who has a guide that they’re already content with using
Reality check:The guide won’t solve all your Ghana problems, but it will make life and travel a whole lot easier, especially regarding transport, health, accommodation, culture, and how to get from A to B.
This is what readers are already saying about the PDF guide:“Reading your guide has been SO helpful in preparing for our trip. Your writing skills are exceptional and your knowledge shared is appreciated.” D.N. (USA)
“I’ve been to Ghana several times (9?). I consider it my second home in some ways. Such a deep love!!! What I like about your book is as I read it I’m saying to myself, ‘Yes, exactly! Amen!’ Lol!” A.G. (USA)
“The guide looks AMAZING! It will definitely come in handy for our trip to Ghana later this year. ” T.O.
“Hi Gayle and Godwin, Thanks very much for the guide. It is the best tourist guide book ever!” S.B.
“Hello, First of all I’d just like to say a massive THANK YOU!!! I’ve just finished reading the The Insider’s Guide to Ghana and The Insider’s Guide to Volunteering and found them both to be interesting, informative and helpful.” L.M. (UK)
You can buy our Ghana travel guide here.
Download a sample here.

Here is an excerpt from "Arriving"

Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

17:34
[nt]
» ‎ Osabutey ANNY
17:21
Will Bob Geldof end charity campaign because of ‘cash for arms’ revelations?
» ‎ Osabutey ANNY

The news that funds raised by former rock singer and now anti poverty campaigner, Bob Geldof in a charity event called ‘Band Live’ to support starving Ethiopians a little over twenty years ago, has become a bit more of a shocking news. The first time I came across the story was in the British ‘Times’ newspaper, at least the online version.

The story claimed that a BBC documentary had uncovered the extent to which substantial funds raised during the charity programme had gone to aid a rebel movement in the Tigray province in 1985 to buy arms to execute their rebellion.

Though the BBC consistently maintain that it stands by its story, Geldof also maintains that there is “not a shred of evidence" Band Aid or Live Aid money was siphoned off. I listened to programme last Sunday on the BBC ‘Assignment’ programme presented by Martin Plaut. the World Service Africa editor.

The presenter admitted he was young at the time and looking back there were couple of ends he ought to have tightened up. But he did not because he was then a young reporter and pretty much inexperienced. But is that an excuse, Martin?
Mr. Plaut is one hell of an amazing journalist, surfing through some of the most difficult leads to make stories look good.

I want to believe Geldof is as exasperated as admirers especially looking at the amount of work and efforts that went into such an exercise and for news report to emerge that substantial portions of the money ended up with rebels who used it to kill their own citizens facing starvation.

I’m wondering the rationale behind the BBC story; is it to spite Geldof and his works over the years or just alerting him to be more proactive and keep an eye on funds he intend raising for similar projects. He has insisted he’ll sue the Ethiopian government if it turns out the story is true.

16:13
Vodafone Ghana ignoring calls to restore internet to Bolgatanga
» ‎ This is Ghana

I'm posting from mobile since we still have no internet. Despite repeated requests for Vodafone Bolgatanga to restore a full, stable connection to our town, and Vodafone Accra's assurances that it already IS fixed...it's not fixed. Unless "fixed" means 1 hour in 5 minute snatches per day while Vodafone continues to charge monthly fees to cafes thatnow have no customers 23 hours a day. Net cafes are going broke in Bolga. Is this happening anywhere else in Ghana? When will Vodafone fix the connection? Download a free sample of our Travel Guide to Ghana see inside the guide before buying.

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