Wednesday, 09 January 2008
AN attempt by a driver to save the life of a stray dog early yesterday morning, resulted in the death of the two people on board his vehicle and the injury of a seven-month-old baby.
Controversy is what I enjoy most! Sounds crazy huh? But it gives me the pleasure to articulate my unsolicited views. No wonder I follow controversial celebrities on social media all the time just to bring you that, and the ‘useless’ aspect of their lives.
By Stephen Kwabena Effah | |
Monday, 19 November 2007 | |
Twelve graduates selected from across the country to participate in the first ever educational reality show, were named on Friday. The show is designed to give bright, ambitious Ghanaian university graduates the opportunity to win three post-graduate scholarships at leading universities in the United Kingdom. They were selected out of more than 2,000 university graduates based on their academic excellence, leadership competencies, character and creativity. They include: Jojo Chartei Quansah, Joan Selorm Tsorhe, Thomas Kofi Arboh, John Kesse Quarshie, Joshua Adom, Sheila Addo and Belinda D. Oduro. The rest are Seth Asiedu Miah, Esther B. Quaofio, Lily B. Atutiga, Lisboa Quarshie and Nana A.Twum-Barima. They will be given extensive personal and professional development training and compete against each other in a series of weekly tests, task and quizzes in management, leadership, creativity and U.K- Ghana trivia. Dubbed "The Challenge," the show being organised by the British Council, in collaboration with Charter House Ghana and Tigo, will be telecast on TV3 on Sundays, Tuesdays and repeated on Saturdays. Each week, one of the 12 will be evicted by the viewers through Short Messaging Service voting (texting) to cut the number to four, who will compete for the grand finale. The ultimate winner will take home a 40,000 pound scholarship to pursue postgraduate course at the University of Westminster, fully paid accommodation in an international hostel, monthly living allowance and a brand new laptop among others. On completion, the winner will have a pre-arranged lucrative job placement and a brand new Tata Safari car The two runners up will receive one year postgraduate scholarships and accommodation from London Metropolitan and Thames Valley Universities, in addition to a return air tickets and living allowance. Launching it, Nana Akomea, Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment, lauded the organisers for introducing such an innovative and educative reality show which he said would focus on raw intellectual and mental ability. He wished all the contestants the best in their endeavours to win the prize at stake. The British High Commissioner, Gordon Wetherell, said Ghana and the U.K or years have productive relationship in all aspects of Ghana’s economy, noting that education has been a key area in the relationship. He said that British Council underpins the fruitful relationship between Ghana and the U.K, adding that the British Government through the council has helped many Ghanaian students and is committed in helping a lot more in their education. He indicated that a large number of Ghanaians living in the Diaspora are in the U.K studying and making significant contributions to their home country. Mr.Wetherell observed that British education is now the most sought for in the world. |
Nine years after the release of his last album, one of Ghana’s evergreen highlife stars, Ben Brako, last week Friday launched his latest album in Accra, which he described as “much more modern”.
The nine-track album titled ‘Adende’, features three of Ghana’s prominent hip-life artistes; Tic Tac, Soni Bali and Papa Flava, who add a youthful touch to the songs on the album.
It has songs like Dance With Me, Adoma, Yesu Beye, Serwaa, Love, and Enchie.
Before the launch of the album by Dr.Charles Wereko-Brobby, Chief Executive of the Ghana @ 50 Secretariat, Ben Brako, backed by Adez of the TV3 Mentor fame, thrilled the audience with some of his popular old songs as well as his new songs.
Patrons at the launch demonstrated their verdict by taking to the floor.
Ben Brako told the Times that he has been developing and writing music for the past nine years that he has been away from the music scene, adding, “It takes time to come out with good music.”
He explained that the featuring of the hip-life artistes on the new album is a strategy he has devised to attract the youth into highlife music, which seem to be on low patronage by them.
He said that he will soon embark on a nationwide and international tour beginning from the Central Region, to entertain his fans who perhaps have missed his music for sometime.
Launching the album, Dr. Wereko-Brobby observed that highlife music that was once the reigning genre of music in the country is now taking a back seat.
He said it is important for Ghanaian highlife singers to strive and ensure that they revive and sustain it because it is one of the things that could be used to identify the country.
Maybe he wasn’t joking when he said he intends to establish a highlife night club and museum in the country to be called “Charlie Wote”.
Dr.Wereko-Brobby underscored the need for Ghanaians to take pride in their rich culture and promote it.
Ben Brako hit the highlife music circle with his debut “Baya” in 1987 winning him the Leisure Foundation album of the year 1987, and Musician of the year 1987. He has five albums to his credit.
By Stephen K.Effah | |
Saturday, 17 November 2007 | |
A new museum, that gives a pictorial account of the infamous slave trade in the country between the 15th and 19th century housed in at the Ussher Fort in Accra was inaugurated on Wednesday. Situated along the beach of James Town, the Ussher Fort Museum, tells the story of how slaves were brutally captured, dehumanised and transported to Europe to be used as labour in a pictorial and sequential order. It features a miniature ship which transported the slaves to Europe, different types of shackles and other weapons used in carrying the heinous trade, as well as pictures of some people fought for the abolition of slave trade. The GH¢420,100 project was initiated by the Ministry of Tourism and Dias-poran Relations with support and funds from UNESCO and the European Union respectively. Mr Stephen Asa-moah Boateng, the sector minister, in an address read on his behalf by his special assistant, Abeiku Dickson, said, Ghana’s tourism potential is found among others in its history, culture, ecology and its people. "Our recent history is dominated by the advent of Europeans, the trade in gold, arms, salt and the heinous trafficking of human beings across the Atlantic to the then new world and colonialism," he said. He said the slave trade has been described in certain circles as the "darkest spot" in the development of man, which he said has become the focus of intense research and studies among scholars of history and archeology. The tourism industry has an obligation to let the world experience "whatever relics and monuments we have relating to the search," he said The ministry he said, has for sometime now placed much emphasis on things that strengthen the advantages in the slave trade niche market segment as part of effort to attract more visitors to Ghana. He also urged Ghana Museums and Monuments Board to ensure that the museum is managed well and sustained to achieve its purpose of establishment. Mr.Ceriani Sebregondi, head of the EU delegation in Ghana, pointed out that besides acting as a reminder of Ghana’s past trade-links with Europe and legacy of its colonial past, the Ussher Fort is an important part of the recent history of Ghana. "It was used as a prison until 1985 and I know many Ghanaian political leaders and activists from independence to recent time have been jailed in this structure," he added. He said the EU is fully aware of the importance of cultural heritage and its potential role for local economic development, hence its decision to fund the museum. "Indeed, we agreed on the huge potential of James Town for the development of cultural tourism but regretted that accessibility by tourists was hampered by the deplorable state of the site and the lack of cultural institutions and facilities such as functional museum," he indicated. He said the museum would offer additional opportunity to harness education for cultural heritage development as well as attract tourists to stay in Accra before going anywhere in the country. Mr.Sebregondi said the EU has found some additional money to help to clean up the James Town area to create spaces for boutiques and shops for petty trading in goods and services to aide the improvement of their livelihood. The Organiser of the Museum, Sarah Bucknor, said the Gold Cost played a significant role in the Trans Atlantic trade because of its location on the continent, adding "the real history of Ghana must be told and shown to our young ones and to all who visit our country," "Even though monuments of some political personalities have been erected all around the nation, the history of Ghana is still not complete for those who do not know," she pointed out. For any nation to move on, its citizens must know, appreciate and preserve its history so they can learn from mistakes of their ancestors irrespective of their political affiliations, he said. Mrs.Bucknor said that the slogan ‘never Again’ will have more meaning after one has visited the new museum. |