H4P MELODRAMA: “NOT ALL GOLD GLITTERS”

The H4P group, headed by Apostle Charles Hackman, held their third, and biggest, play at the National Theatre and, despite the fact that they are not well known, the turnout was quite huge and the play was a success.

The H4P group made up of 4 people was formed in January of this year which makes their success an even huger one.

“Not All Gold Glitters” is a musical which centers on the themes of material wealth versus spiritual wealth and true love versus love for wealth, with a strong Christian undertone. Dionne, a flighty character is promoted at work and raised from a state of poverty to comfort. She hopes to marry the mysterious Chairman of the board whom no one has ever seen, not for love of him but for love of his money. Meanwhile she falls in love with her houseboy, a very comic character called McDiamond. In the finality, she had to choose if she was to lose her soul to love or to money.  The other characters that spiced up the comic melodrama were Dionne’s confidante, Diana, and her sister, Jesse. 

The costuming of the characters was directed at showing the beauty and creativity of African fashion.

However, the performance was not limited to drama alone. They used the platform to showcase other talents was such as Salsa, music videos by the H4P group which raised awareness on the devastation of malaria, the necessity of being a ‘real and independent woman’ and many others. They left the undeniable message to all to tap into every talent one might have.     

Quite a number of important personalities graced the occasion: the ambassadors for Sierra Leone, Cote D’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Benin, Guinea and the resident representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). It also drew people from outside Africa to watch what was to be their first Ghanaian drama and they were impressed. The audience was so entertained that when the program came to a close, people yelled “Oooh!”

However, there were quite a number of drawbacks such as the problem of too much adlibbing. It got so horribly wrong when the Dionne began a relentless repetition of   “Can you imagine?” so much that it drew no more comic response and was at times meaningless. This chant was then picked up by Diana and Jesse and you could bury a person eight foot under the ground with the copious number of Can You Imagine’s! There are a few repetitions that are usually inculcated for comic effect to leave the audience with a memory of the play. However, “Can you imagine?” just became such an exhausted redundancy. But this problem was countered with what would be the popular phrase of the night that the audience walked away with which was, “It is unfortunate.”   

Also, the lead character could have made you quite dizzy with her incessant march up and down the stage continuously on every line with no motivation to move. It got to a stage where, if every character was sitting, they would each stand up when they have a line to deliver as though it were a primary 6 play! Dionne and Jesse constantly ordered McDiamond to get drinks and he constantly went backstage for their drinks when a bar had been set up on the set. That could have been used to draw more reality.

The play had some pretty good punch lines that made the audience roar with laughter, however, at times, it tipped over the edge to become so dry they were met with an embarrassing silence. Finally, Dionne goes through a sudden one-dimensional change and no longer wants to marry for money but for love. The epiphany is lost on the audience, and no explanation is given for this lightening speed change of heart. All the audience is told about her vanishing act and inexplicable reappearance is that this very headstrong money-conscious woman has suddenly realized the error in marrying for money, and all praise be to God Almighty. Amen.

All in all, H4P greatly entertained their audience and left them with many mementos: a crown opener, a sweet card thanking them for their presence, “It is unfortunate” and, most important of all, valuable life lessons. The actors and all backstage hands definitely deserved the standing ovation they received.

ALEX EVICTED FROM THE BIG BROTHER HOUSE :(

Alex’s return to Ghana this week marked the end of the race for Ghana for this season of Big brother. However, it can be argued that it has been quite a successful race. The two charismatic people sent to represent Ghana left their marks in the Big Brother House and would surely be missed by the rest of Africa.

A Press Conference was held at The African Reagent Hotel to welcome Alex and the opportunity was used to find out about his experiences in the house and much more. Questions about his background, his status as the “Ladies’ man”, his feelings about being evicted, his best moments in the house, his plans for after Big Brother, his heavy eating habits and even his sexuality were but a few of the many things the press learnt about Alex.

Describing himself as the “quiet dude under the radar”, Alex gave an honest and sincere rendition of his background to allay the mysteries and numerous questions about who he was. Unlike Confidence who is very well known in Ghana as the divalicious CEO of the arguably hottest club in Ghana, Aphrodisiac, nothing was really known about Alex. However, he set forth to put Ghana right on who he was.

Ghanaian-born Aquarius, Alex lived in Ghana for ten years before moving to the United States. He attended Achimota, popularly known as Motown, while in Ghana and said he had been in the Boarding House “all his life in school”. His father had been a diplomat and this contributed most to his international experience. He turned down the many opportunities to switch citizenship while in the States, because "it never felt right". He was raised in a family that taught the importance of appreciating where he came from and he did just that. A highlight of his sojourn abroad was his internship with the former Russell and Kimora Simmons, with their hot, world-acclaimed label, Phat farm. His progress as an intern to Executive marketing during this period of time is a feather in his cap and proves him hardworking and creative. Nevertheless, this fairytale came to an end due to a few problems with information, including jail. What marked his return to his motherland was the passing away of his father. He came back on a mission to find his roots and reconnect with his people. What better way is there to reconnect with your people than representing them proudly in a massive, continental competition as Big Brother? 

The prospect of Big Brother could not have come at a more opportune time in his life, arriving as it did during his first few months of returning home. His mad interest in reality shows lit the flames and he went to audition, though with the fears that he may not be picked. But he was and the rest, as they say, is history!

Moving on to the juicy topic of him being a Ladies’ man, Alex stated emphatically that he did not play any of the girls in the House. His strategy was to be genuine with the women. He “liked them all” individually for their uniqueness and connected with each on a different level. He followed this up by saying that as far as the women were concerned, he set some standards men can follow about how to treat their women. However, on the subject of Woeza, he said that he was “going to make myself fall for her” just for the game and the entertainment of the viewers. This view was echoed in a later statement, “It’s a game. We’re not here to get married,” when asked about the coldness between him and Luklei.

On the subject of his eating a lot in the House, he said amusingly, that a person was living in an all-expenses paid house and this was combined with his genuine love for food and cooking. He enjoyed the opportunity to eat and learn about different food from different cultures and it was a golden opportunity to connect with the women. He also ate food to stay away from alcohol, which may have caused some nasty surprises.

“Boomaye” (as he is affectionately called) felt that the heavy task of being imprisoned in a house with no contact to the outside world was made lighter by the social and emotional strings attached to it. He genuinely connected with all the people in the House, male and female, on different levels, and for this reason, he would sorely miss them all. One of his biggest challenges was the Tarantula Task Big Brother set them, to eat food with worms, spiders, etc.

He did not expect to be evicted, though he knew he was to be nominated. However, he is glad to be back home and not in a rush to go back to the House if he was called anytime soon. He said in his warm, hearty way that “It doesn’t matter what I did. It was entertainment. I don’t believe that I screwed up.” If he had the chance to go back, “It would be worse for them!” We’re not really sure who ‘them’ is referring to!

He has plans of establishing himself in the Ghanaian entertainment industry; continuing with his First Love, fashion, working with Team Alex (a group formed in honour of him that focus on giving back to society), and is open to any opportunities in the Entertainment world, be it acting or another reality show.

Alex was presented with DSTV mobile with a one-year free subscription

Alex is a remarkably humble, cool and collected person, and such a person was a pride to have represent Ghana in the Big Brother House. He has the been the only Ghanaian to stay in the House for as long as he did and for that he shall always be remembered for breaking a record.

PRAYER CONCERT IN CITIZEN KOFI

Pastor Jonathan from Lifestyle Tabernacle broke all boundaries between the secular and the holy when he organized a prayer concert in Citizen Kofi on the 7^th of July.  When asked why such a controversial location, he answered that he was “doing what the Lord told him to do”. The theme of this exceptional prayer concert was “Lord, I need your autograph”, and true to the theme, the worshippers that showed up sought the Lord’s autograph on their lives in various ways.

The concert commenced with a period of worship and praise to put its attendants in the Spirit to receive the bible teaching that followed. A great Acappella group, called the Rhythm Ambassadors, sung true to their name, when they harmonized their different voices so beautifully they commanded their applauses. A poetry recital colored by a lot flowery actions by the poet, preceded the performance by Kesh 3, Diva finalists in Vodafone Icons. Their performance was so moving the attendants were waving their hands to the glory of God.

The night also featured remarkable artwork in painting and sculpture, two blessed professionals who were using their hands to show off God’s greatness. The painter, inspired by the theme of the concert, was painting God, with a crown on his head, signing the petitions of men throughout the world that call unto Him. An hourglass stood nearby to signify the timelessness of God. The sculptor also sculpted God’s hand with the Index finger sticking out as though marking something. Beneath the hand was the ‘Gye Nyame’ symbol that emphasized that “it is only when God autographs your petition that you would be blessed”.  Kesse, from Mentor, made his presence felt and people put on their dancing shoes throughout his performance. 

The night was great despite the fact that, Joselyn Dumas who was to be the MC could not make it, as well as, the much publicized appearance of Trigmatic. No explanations were given for his absence. Stella Seal graced the concert with her presence.                                                            

MOVIE PREMIER - BED OF ROSES

Bed of Roses, directed by Pascal Amanfo, was premiered at the Accra Mall on the 8^th of July. The movie starring Ghanaian acting goliaths such as Majid Michel, Adjetey Annang, Yvonne Okoro, John Dumelo, Martha Ankomah and Joselyn Dumas manipulated this advantage to create very good publicity. Thus, the crowds that were drawn to watch to the premier were indeed large.

Bed of Roses, apparently based on a true story, is about a woman whose husband was cheating on her with her half-sister. The half-sister was played by Martha Ankomah, while the loving wife was played by Yvonne Okoro. The cheating husband was played by John Dumelo. To this true story were added many embellishments to make it into the action movie it turned out to be:

First of all, the character of Majid as an underground, all-knowing, all-powerful, gangster used as a sword of justice.

 Also, there was the inclusion of a mysterious and dramatic pair of narrators who directed the story and its events using a nine-lesson scheme.    

Next, there was the inclusion of Martha’s best friend and her husband who cheated with a nanny of sorts.

A love story between Adjetey Annang and Martha Ankomah was inevitably coined in. 

Finally, the revenge of the wronged sister crowned it off.

Despite the movie’s examination of important life truths, such as betrayal, revenge, unfaithfulness, and death, there were too many knots untied. In the director’s bid to establish a heavy tone of mystery and suspense, he fell into the common mistake of exaggeration and leaving some stones unturned. For instance, a complete stranger walks into a person’s living room and the owner of the house asks “who are you?” sitting comfortably on a swivel chair, placed oddly in front of a couch, with her back turned to the stranger! In one scene, Majid locks two girls up in a house yet the keys are not outside the house but right next the bodies inside! So how then did Majid get out? In one scene, Martha, in a house with two of her friends, orders them to call up more girls for a party. She was going to take them all out and in fact “the party starts here!” As soon as she says this, a bevy of girls come from nowhere and music turned on full blast from nowhere.

Perhaps, there are suitable explanations for these but it simply means there was a poor attention giving to Continuity.

Another major hitch, in the otherwise interesting movie, was the needless display of woman flesh. Martha Ankomah really did not have to be barely covered to go and arrange for a spy for her sister. In one scene finds Martha sitting across the spy’s thighs (Majid) and rubbing lips on his face. There was no previous notice that there was going to be any sexual relations between the two, nor was there any continuity of this out-of the-blue sexual devouring. In another scene, the camera zooms in needlessly on girls’ buttcracks and breasts. Nudity can be used advantageously in a film in a realistic way that would enhance ideas of sexuality truthfully. Nudity can also be used cheaply to draw public attention in order make sales.

The love scenes between Martha and Adjetey were quite corny and a perfectly good love story was paralyzed with clichés.

On the whole, however, most of the actors in the leading roles were very good. There were problems of exaggeration but that is the African cross worldwide. Martha really caught everyone’s attention in her role as paralyzed. She truly drew pity and some moments of disgust when she acted out her incapacity for speech and movement.

The movie ended with lesson number nine, “You can’t know everything!” Perhaps this is the answer to our questions above!

Pascal Amanfo would be premiering another movie on the 29^th of July, titled Single Six, starring the controversial Mzbel.

SWAG

How would you define Swag? Who would you say has swag? What is it to swag up or swag down?

Swag, in generally agreed terms, can be defined as either a mixture or singling out of the following qualities: style, charisma, uniqueness, savoir-faire, class, coolness. It can be the way a person presents themselves. It can be the way a person carries themselves. The common denominator to all these lies in Confidence. In oneself and one’s natural possessions.

There are many people that are generally defined as having swag for the various reasons above: 50 Cent, Snoop Dog, Lil Wayne, Missy Elliot, Beyonce, Mary J. In the acting world, Denzel almost always pops up as a man with swag, Angelina Jolie, Sharon Stone (In her hey days), Halle Berry and Marilyn Monroe is definitely a topper. This is just a minor Swag scale. Let’s bring the swag scale to our motherland, Ghana. People like, Gyedu Blay Ambulley (who many claim to be the godfather of rap worldwide) are names that come up a lot when looking at the older generation. This is followed by the likes of Reggie Rockstone who has swag in his appearance, in the way he carries himself and what he says. Sarkodie, Trigmatic are a few of the latest ones. What do you say?

In some periods, to swag up means to be gangster in the typical 80s and 90s American rapper way: Big sagging Jeans, huge bling, walking with a limp, a girl on each arm, and money to spend. Even before this, coolness in the 50s was judged by men at times perming their hair to look like the white man’s, wearing colorful, bright zoot suits, and shiny pointed shoes. But these superfluous images have toned down to an image of intense classiness, and dark colors. A man with swag is classy in his outlook inside and out. It may not necessarily be an Armani suit and a Rolls Royce!

For ladies, to say she got swag is to say she’s got a subtle sexiness, not over-the-top to become whorish, or too little to be plain. A serious confidence about her in everything she does. No one, especially of the opposite sex, dictated to her how she should live her life. Ne-yo’s “Miss Independent” is a good description of a lady with swag. Gabrielle Union plays that role really well in the video clip as well as in “Deliver us from Eva”.   

Swag even permeates to the sporting world. Basketball Stars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant Dwayne Wade, and of course, the legend himself, Michael Jordan, add some extra swag to the court. The whole sport of Basketball involves swag but these guys “excite you with their athletic abilities, make what they are doing look real easy and smooth when it is not” said an ecstatic Basketball junkie.

The great thing about Swag is that it is everywhere and in everything, even in politics. One cannot deny that it is Obama’s swag that carried his speech, “Yes, I can”, all over the globe. And coming down to our own front, J.J Rawlings is also unquestionably a man of swag where charisma and confidence is concerned. Kwame Nkrumah is beyond doubt a man of swag. He had such buckets of the rare gold that he even pissed off the CIA!

People with swag are people who are externally and internally comfortable in their own skin, can have a charismatic confidence to pull followers, are generally listened to and respected in whatever fields they have the most swag in.

Swag can mean different things to many people. So what does it mean to you? What do you mean when you say that he/ she has got ‘killa swag’? Who, in your eyes, has swag?

GHANA GOSPEL INDUSTRY AWARDS

The maiden edition of the Ghana Gospel Industry Awards made history on Saturday when it broke the focus on the irreligious music awards, to recognizing the hard work of the Ghana Gospel Industry.

The theme of the Awards Ceremony, organized by Adom Fm, was “Celebrating and rewarding excellence in the gospel industry”, and the night really succeeded in doing that by recognizing every faction of gospel music-making: from sound engineering and producing, to performance. The decision of who wins what was reached at in two ways: a public voting category and an Academy voting category.

The night was a huge colorful success as crowds came to support the gospel musicians that moved them the most. It was launched bydance choreography by the Spirit of David. Performances by Gifty Osei, Nacy, Cecilia Marfo , Ernest Opoku, No Tribe were but a few of the performances that raged a storm in the audience. The Awards was also graced by the pioneers of the Ghana Gospel Industry in the likes of Mary Ghansah, Stella Seal, Amy Newman and the Tagoe Sisters. These Godmothers had the audience waving their hands, dancing, singing along and shouting in joy in their different, unique ways: Mary Ghansah in her soft breathless voice, Amy Newman countering in her strong voice singing a few of her hits. Stella Seal, in her high soprano, with an orange flower in her hair, had the audience to their feet before she came on stage. The Tagoe Sisters celebrated their 30yrs with twin African prints and silky blue sashes and a gleeful audience.

PUBLIC VOTING CATEGORIES

New Artiste of the Year nominees

Cwasi Oteng, Herty Borngreat, Frimpong Brothers, Nana Akosah

Winner: Cwasi Oteng

Album of the year nominees

Faithfulness (Cecilia Marfo), Three (No Tribe), God Never Fails (Florence Obinim & Princess Ifeoma), No Fears (Christiana Love), Onyame di Hene (Ernest Opoku)

Winner: Three (No Tribe)

Song of the Year nominees

Afunumu Ba (Cecilia Marfo), God never fails (Florence Obinim & Princess Ifeoma), Bohye (No Tribe), Onyame di Hene (Ernest Opoku), Waya Awie (Ceccy Twum), Woafra me ntoma (Gifty Osei)

Winner: Afunumu Ba

Artiste of the year nominees

Cecilia Marfo, No Tribe, Ernest Opoku, Ceccy Twum, Christiana Love

Winner: No Tribe

Popular Vidoe of the Year nominees

Bohye (No Tribe), God Never Fails (Florence Obinim & Princess Ifeoma), Waya Awie (Ceccy Twum), Nyankopon wo yenmu (Nana Akosah), Afunumu Ba (Cecilia Marfo)

Winner: Bohye (No Tribe)

Alternative Gospel Song of the Year nominees

My Life (Trigmatic), Somebody (D Black and Kwabena Kwabena)

Winner: Somebody (D Black and Kwabena Kwabena)

Alternative Gospel Song of the Year nominees

Somebody (D Black & Kwabena Kwabena), My Life (Trigmatic), Maseda (Obrafour)

Winner: Maseda (Obrafour)

Collaboration of the Year nominees

Waya Awie (Ceccy Twum & Nacy), God Never Fails (Florence Obinim & Princess Ifeoma)< Afunumu Ba (Cecilia Marfo and Ernest Opoku), Asafo Yehowa (Cee, Isaac and Ampong)

Winner: Afunumu Ba (Cecilia Marfo and Ernest Opoku)

ACADEMY VOTING CATEGORIES

Male Vocalist of the Year nominees

Ernest Opoku, Kwaku Gyasi, Nacy, Cwasi Oteng, Lord Osei Bondzi

Winner: Nacy

Female Vocalist of the Year nominees

Christiana Love, Cecilia Marfo, Cee, Lizzy Ockrah, Celestine Donkor

Winner: Cecilia Marfo

Choral Group of the year nominees

Winneba Youth Choir, Tema Inspirational Choir, Harbour City Mass Choir, Accra Philharmonic Choir

Winner: Winneba Youth Choir

Best Video of the year nominees

Dromo soo (Eddie Kwei & the Tabernacle Choir), Mercy (Cwasi Oteng, NO Fears (Christiana Love)

Winner: Dromo soo

Record Label/ Executive Producer of the Year nominees

Frimprince Productions, Cebex Productions, Pat Thomas Productions

Winner: Cebex Productions

Gospel Sound Engineerof the Year nominees

Nacy, George Forrest, Nick Baeta, Daddy Ro Ro,  Dan Bassey

Winner: Nacy

Gospel Producer of the Year nominees

Nacy, Shadrach Yawson, George Forrest, Nick Baeta, Dan Bassey

Winner: Nacy

Best Gospel Song Writer nominees

Afunumu Ba (Pastor YawBoamoah), Meda Wase (Florence Obinim & Princess Ifeoma), Kramanfu Ba (Pastor Love Hammond), Woafra Me Ntoma (Gifty Osei and Kwesi(the Late)), Mercy (Cwasi Oteng), Aseda (Uncle Ato)

Winner: Afunumu Ba (Pastor Yaw Boamah)

Pastor Azigiza Jnr. played an amazing Master of Ceremonies, letting the audience laugh, shortening the boring moments and covering up the technical problems very nicely.

The co-sponsors of the program were NDK Financial services, KPMG, Voltic, Ange Hill Hotel, In Charge, HFC Bank, ezi Savings and Loans limited, Crystal Oasis, Flex Newspaper, Jireh Eye Clinic, Tobinco Pharmaceuticals, Sidalco Company Limited, Setnat Computers and Blue Jeans Energy drink.

The night can justly be named a product well thought of, planned and executed with finesse