The Flower behind the Mossy Stone

Think of all the fairytales; The sleeping Beauty awakens to the kiss of her Prince Charming, the ugly duckling transforms into the beautiful swan, Snow White's beauty is finally no longer hidden in the shadow....it can go on and on.....

But this is our very own Ghanaian love story...the beautiful and incredibly talented SHE, a flower behind a mossy stone, who after years of hiding in the shadow, has finally spread out her wings to fly high into the Ghanaian horizon and beyond!

She, whose real name is Yvonne Ohene Djan, is a diamond in the rough. Her voice is one that is known to many ears (you know, that incredible voice you hear in many songs, but never know the name of the person, because she's always in the background?), singing with Ghanaian legends such as Kojo Antwi, Daddy Lumba, Ofori Amponsah, Samini, Kwabena Kwabena and many more.

Well, she has decided to push her days of being in the shadow in the background, and is stretching out her powerful melodious wings and boy is it stirring hearts! A movie about her life, KWEIBA,  is to be released on the 30th of March at the National Theatre at 6pm.

What seems to be a love story, set in the delicious Afro days of the past, this movie stars KKD, David Dontoh, Emelia, D-Flex, and the sweetly dimpled She herself.

Tickets go for GHc 25 regular and GHc 50 VIP. Call 0571111111 or 0244479242 for tickets.

Fabulously Flavoured Felly

Daaaammmnn! Y’all heard bout Felly? Hot, female rapper/ singer/ writer on the Gh Block!

I heard her single, “Naughty Gurl” and it was as though someone had glued my feet to the beat she had my hips and legs moving to. The song is infused with some kind of urgency for some dangerously exciting hanky-panky, if you know what I mean! Rapping the whole song in whisper, Felly’s lyrics are tight with rhyme and rhythm in the right place, injected with an incredible amount of sexual innuendo that would definitely make even black skin blush purple (pink is pushing it a bit far), Felly comes across on this track as the irresistible Femme Fatale. Just listen to these words, “I come in different flavours/ Take what you want boy…back to back/ you know I like it like that”

Her other single “Follow me” brings dancehall and pop together, throws Felly in yet another madly interesting light. What you hear is the femme fatale become the hard female gangster, shouting orders for her audience to “Follow me”, like she says, “Felly no be rookie”. The “Rap Queen of Accra” she orders, she stamps, she winds, she intrigues, she hypnotizes. Before you realized, you would be dancing to her magic rhythms, completely losing track of where you are till the song ends!  Featuring E.L, this track is definitely club banger.

“Make it work”, featuring Bertha, gives us an almost surprising image of a mellow, but still confident Felly. Doused in the complexities of a relationship hanging on a thin rope, Felly, with Bertha’s incredible voice in the chorus, speaks sotto voce about the importance of working on a broken relationship. “let’s do a surgery on us/dissect every problem and work it out/ ‘cos that’s what relationship’s about boy/ reminisce those times/when I dey write rhymes/you inspire my lyrics/ now you want to leave/But what we had/was chemistry and physics”. With Bertha on the hook, this song is madly emotional, but inspiring at the same time.

What makes Felly the real deal is that she writes her own lyrics, a near rarity to find these days! Her immense creativity spills over into her songs, her lyrics and interests. An amazingly bubbly personality, Felly is the kind of girl who knows everyone, the life of the party, and her own taste in music goes beyond the average to classy, elements that would inevitably be embedded in her own music.

Would be releasing these singles out soon, so watch out, and tell me what you think!

CELEBRATING KING AMPAW

The 2^nd Annual National Film and Television Institute Lectures on the Ghanaian Motion Picture Industry organized a series of Panel discussions, workshops and film screenings, to facilitate research on the industry and provide a platform for students, academics, professionals and the public at large to share and exchange views on the industry. The NAFTI  lectures were also intended to recognize and award film and TV producers who have contributed significantly to the development of the motion picture industry.

Film screenings were aimed at celebrating one of Ghana’s legendary film directors, King Ampaw. Thus films screened were films such as Juju, African Timber, Kukurantumi – Road to Accra, No Time to Die and Cobra Verde, taking us back to days of old and postcolonial Ghana, exploring themes such as slavery, a young and growing Accra, poverty in Accra and other such worthy themes.

The audience present had the chance to interact with King Ampaw and Peter Bringham during workshops discussing topics such as the opportunities, obstacles and the way forward in the Ghanaian Film Industry.

The Lectures were crowned off with an Award ceremony to award and recognize King Ampaw for his contribution to Ghanaian Film Industry.

LADY J AND SIA TOLNO ROCKING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Allianz Français was definitely on fire on International Women’s Day, a bonfire of the creative arts which its patrons definitely could not get enough of!

Supported by the African Women’s Development Fund, activities on that very special day for women were divided into two main categories: an art exhibition and a musical concert, starring the beautiful Lady J and Sia Tolno from Guinea.

Central theme of the art exhibition was an artistic presentation geared towards connecting young women in Africa to inspire the future. It featured exceptional young female artists, Adwoa Amoah and Fatric.  Adwoa Amoah, centering on the phenomenon of communication through connecting energies, explored profoundly complex meanings and implications of communication, through paint and picture. Exploring with pictures of eyes and lips connected in the form of waves or with rope strands, her internal message of communication and world connectivity was intense. Her works titled, “Info Info” (after the famous Ghanaian child game), “Waves”, and “Connecting Energy” created quite some traffic!

Fatric Bewong featured the following pieces: “Self Within”, “Standing Stall”, “Yes we can” and “Amen”.  Fatric plays with abstraction through color and her pieces were intended to inspire the young African woman. “Healing the Scars” was a piercing creative exploration with shades of red, blue and purple featuring a person painted in red, seemingly in meditation, surrounded by blue energy. “Yes we can” was very inspirational portraying a woman holding on to a rope and climbing up a hill and yet, looking back to help another person climb up.

After this wonderful exhibition, the musical concert was commenced, with Ama K. Abebrese as MC for the night. She was great at engaging with her audience, hyping their spirits and making them laugh. A Spoken Word performance which was to whet the appetites of the audience was performed by a representative from Fly by Mike, a non-profit organization which seeks to reach the world through the magic of Poetry. Her performance had her audience awestruck, focusing on topics such as the being Haitian, being Black, poets being the backbone of the world, God’s direction in human lives. She had her audience whistling and catcalling at intervals during her performance.

Lady J

A brilliant forerunner, Lady J was introduced on stage and did she blow her audience away! Breathtaking in an array of different Afrocentric designs, merged with her wonderfully husky voice, she exuded a passionate energy which rightly connected her with her audience. Singing away through hilife and soul, the band that performed with her was amazing. A great dance track brought out everybody’s azonto skills, Nana Darkoa temporarily stealing attention on the dance floor. Slowing it down, her next performance, an R&B track, mixing the twi and English was madly emotional, creating goosebumps, and tears down the performer’s own cheeks. “Between the Sheets”, her final performance for the nights spiraled the audience to a romantic lovemaking environment. Singing “Me do wo” with a baby in her hands, it was a pretty emotional end.

Sia Tolno

After a brief interlude, Sia Tolno from Guinea, and her band from Guinea sent the night to the stars. In a shiny gold outfit, Sia Tolno kicked off her performance with a flute duet. She had a powerful ringing voice. Informing her audience that she chose to be a singer to use her singing to send a message, Si Tolno continued with a song about festivals in villages, (a very energetic song, complete with ululations). A performer with much of her emotion showcased on her face, she followed this up with a love song, complete with dimming of stage lights. At that moment, her powerful, crooning voice and the shower of gold on her body made her look like a Siren, seductively beautiful and powerful, arguably a spiritual embodiment of Woman. Wailing “God save Africa” in her next song “Black Awareness”, she drew an even louder applause than before.

A surprise collaboration between Sia Tolno, Lady J, and an incredible African American singer in the middle of Sia Tolno’s performance was the greatest highlight of the night. Singing “If I never give up, I will succeed”, goose bumps were definitely raced onto skins that night, sparking the fires of motivation, calling out to the African Woman to reach into herself, her capability and her powerful future.

This moving performance was toned down as Sia Tolno switched to storytelling through song, about a blind Samaritan who helped a poor man. This then slipped in to a guitar duet which was so soulful, everyone was awestruck into silence, simply watching and listening. The only time movement was revived was when her performance ended and there was a roaring applause.

People of various nationalities were present for this august occasion, including notable personalities such as Esi Sutherland, Joseline Dumas and the FOKN Boys.

AWDF, organizers of this programme, is a grant-making foundation which is to support the work of the African women’s movement. The fund was set up by three African women who have been active in various institutions within and outside Africa, and who have a track record of successful empowerment interventions which have helped strengthen the African women’s movement. The vision of the AWDF is for African Women to live in a world in which there is social justice, equality and respect for human rights.

The night was truly a celebration of the African Woman, of who she was, is and can be.

Nana Darkoa

When a Lighted Candle Dies Out

There is only one time in living when our hearts can be said to really stop - when death takes a loved one.

It never really hits you with that fervent bang when it is not close to you. You always seem to feel it best when someone close, someone powerful, someone who changed the way we run our lives stops breathing, does not respond when you ask for help or ask a question. Eyes are empty of soul staring into a horizon which finds its beginning and end not in this world.

It is therefore with the deepest grief that we try to assimilate and understand the death of a great and influential man, Godwin Kotey - A man whose mind is the seat of phenomenal creativity, which seeped through his being and inevitably touched and changed, in miraculous ways, the creative world and people around him.

His thirst for quality, reality, and authenticity in artistic expression was evident in everything he did. Pushing borders and re-etching them in new ways were tenets that Godwin portrayed in his actions, his speech, his opinions and his deeds. A man who hated pretentiousness, Godwin was the man to go to for brutally honest and unbiased views and encouragement. Working with the youth and encouraging them, it may be cliché to refer to him as the guiding light in the lighthouse, cliché but so true that cliché ceases to exist.

Eyes staring into a distant horizon, beginning and end are places that are non-existent in the real materialistic world. Angels shall cry, sharing their grief with Ghanaians for a man whose very essence is was the crux of our artistic being. Not many pass through lives and leave indentations. And the very few who do, are to be stamped on our lips, hearts, words, pages, books, films forever.

Falling like living pieces of souls, dispatched, parted, in fragments, Angels would cry for Godwin, who mastered the God in himself to move a mass of people.

Death is man’s tyrant. He looms and threatens man in his lifetime, deriving sadist pleasure. He abuses his power from time to time taking away life when it is sweetest to a man, relishing the wails of distress. But the secret man does not know is that he has power over death, for he wields a weapon Death can never be triumphant against: The immortality of memory. Death may take the life of a loved one but they still live in you for as long as you live. In that man’s tyrant is defeated and Death is finally overthrown.

                                                                                 Homebase TV

KUKURANTUMI - Road to Accra

King Ampaw, Director

Talk about Ghana in the eighties, right after the revolution, and you got it and more in this movie! Made in the 80s, Kukurantumi, Road to Accra tells a true-to-life story of the mass migration of people from the villages all over Ghana to Accra. Accra was the bustling glamorous modern city which fed into the deception of its being the land of milk and honey – a major thrusting issue this movie sought to highlight.

A road story, this movie tells the story of a lorry driver, Addy, who carries passengers to and from his village, Kukurantumi, and the supposedly glamorous city of Accra. His lorry belongs to an Alhaji who seems to be the meanest and miserly boss one can ever have. Addy soon loses his job because of the meanness of this boss, and refuses to go back to farming in Kukurantumi, because his job as a driver in Accra had earned him some status in his village. To go back would be a shameful step down the ladder. He manages to buy, on credit, a broken down lorry from a rich man called Mensah, which he fixes up, painting the appropriate words “No Time to Die” in the back.

The story of Addy, the lorry driver, is intertwined with two other tales, making the plot quite complex and interesting to follow: The love story between Bob (played by David Dontoh, this being the very first movie he ever acted in) and Abena (Daughter of Addy), and the desperation of Abena to move to the glamorous city of Accra and be a part of the story of the wealthy ‘Accranians’.

Commencing with the love story, Abena and Bob seemed to be very much in love, however, as with every love story, there are serious conflicts they have to overcome to achieve happiness in themselves. Abena’s father, very grateful to Mensah, promises his daughter to the rich, much older man. They come all the way from the city only to have Abena storm out in anger and tears at this blatant disregard of her feelings. Pouting, she persuades Bob to run away with her to Accra, which drives the story to yet another interesting turn.

In Accra, they go to live with a friend of Abena’s who is a prostitute and who has in the past, tried persuading Abena to try making money herself by sleeping with men willing to pay. With such a person as a patron, who seemed to be living the very good life, wining and dining in expensive nightclubs, wearing the fashionable styles of the time, poor, vulnerable, star struck Abena could not help but be seduced. Her enticement became a driving need, and that driving need successfully pushed away any innocence she had, including her “love” for Bob. Instead what replaced this was a deep yearning for wealth so much that she would sell her body for it. She eventually became the mistress of Mensah, a man she who she initially refused in her purity, for clothes, hair, make-up, and the general symbols of  ‘living the life’ in Accra.

King Ampaw, director of this phenomenal movie, brings the reality of the ugly Accra to life in this movie through the character of Addy, who struggles to make ends meet dividing his small salary with his two greedy creditors, Bob who joins China Wall queues of unemployed seeking jobs in Accra, women who have to resort to using their bodies to feed themselves, a great aerial view of a developing, crowded city struggling to get on its feet.

The story does not resolve its issues properly, however, it could be because, till date, resolutions have still not been reached and the problem of mass poverty in Accra not been dissolved.

Though a movie released in the eighties, its message still speaks of our times, unearths and tells the stories of kayayee, beggars on the street, street hawkers, hustlers in various forms and from all over Ghana who have to perform various forms of magic everyday to stay alive in Accra.

 Kukurantumi, Road to Accra is a masterpiece in quality storytelling, portraying the complexity of human lives, internally and externally in its weaving of solid plots, conveying factual messages and in that inspiring a redressing, introspection and reassessment of life.

THE GOOD OLD DAYS - SUFFERING TO LOSE

Dedicated to Mother Africa and all witches camps, Suffering to Lose is a nostalgic trip down memory lane into the unpretentious, happy and uncomplicated past. However this episode goes a step further to assess flaws in our tradition, and throws light on the need to hold on to tradition but with a conscientious eye.

Starring Akofa Ajeani Asiedu, Ekow Bingo Baiden, Albert Jackson Davis, Ekow Smith Asante, Akosua Agyapong, Portia Asare Boateng, Agnes Dapaah and Emmary Brown, Suffering to Lose brings to its audience the picturesque Ghanaian family unit: a hardworking man, his dedicated, housekeeping wife, six intelligent and lively children. The vibes you got were people who live by the book and rules, everyone was always simply smiling. If the actors weren’t, you were because of how happy and pictorial the movie was. The character of Paa Joe introduces a new family unit and the story progresses to portray how loving families can help other families, in marital problems, and in financial problems (Kofi and Ampoma). Complete in sepia tint or black and white shades, there was adequate delivery of the image of the Afro, part-a-line-in-your-hair, kelewele-wrapped-in-leaves, renting-a-bicycle-to-visit-the-girl-you’re-crushing-on days. Everyone was just so good and helpful to each other, till the pictorial breaks and Ampoma plays the Ghanaian stereotype of blaming the widow for her husband’s death. Then the horror begins when goodness done in the past passes away into the extreme shortness of human memory.

The story was very slow and flat however; one straight line of inaction (attempted action did not break the monotony of the movie’s rhythm). The characters were quite one-dimensional and not complex, which made them hard to believe in because of the inevitable fact that humans are naturally and irrevocably complex. They delivered the expected reactions, the lines were cliché, the emotions were delivered in the everyday manner, and there was really no creative innovation where acting was concerned. Akofa’s portrayal of grief in the character of Sophia, however, upon the discovery of her husband’s death, was amazingly different and poignant. There was no stereotypic screaming and hands on the head reaction, it was a simply and powerfully quiet rendition of a grief-stricken and disoriented woman.

Back to the story however, one would fall asleep and wake up and would not have missed much because it dragged so much. Probably, one could argue that the slowness and uncomplicatedness is symbolic of the slow-moving, uncomplicated days of the past. As I said, it can be argued. It will probably sit much better as a documentary of “the good old days”. Things started to stir up, more like a solid conflict was revealed, when Paa Joe was killed in the car accident. Then we saw the villain, as well as the conflict that needed to be resolved in the blaming of his innocent wife, Sophia. From then, the questions that help the audience to follow a movie and stay interested, emerged: ‘what’s going to happen next?’, ‘will she be driven away from her own home?’, ‘how would this conflict be resolved?’ etc. 

The plus side of the movie was the inclusion of pretty intense flashing images meant to strike the hearts of the audience at the pure inhumanity in the treatment of widows who were branded as witches. Included scenes which showed what would happen to Sophia were: throwing her out of the home she helped her dead husband build, her young children pushed out of the only home they’ve known all their lives, and finally, Sophia being shaved bald to mark her to all as a witch who killed her own husband. This was a marvelous inclusion that conveyed the main message in a resounding manner – the best way to get people informed and emotionally responsive to traditional atrocities.

Kwaw Ansah is a phenomenal film director, written into the history of Ghanaian legends. With timeless movies such as Love Brewed in an African Pot and Heritage Africa, he has established himself as the director who would use his abilities to enhance pan-Africanism and love for one’s origins. This message still rings in his latest series The Good Old Days, and for this reason first and foremost, we proffer the highest salute.

INDEPENDENCE DAY FORERUNNER: MAD COMEDY AND LEGEND-MAKING MUSICIANS

Basketmouth

There is nothing like a mad comedy session to laugh away the chains of life obligations and come out for a deep breather of freedom. Accompanied most harmoniously by rich, good music, CharterHouse definitely solidified their position as the prime entertainment and event organizers in Ghana.

The night was one of class and glamour, women dolled up in shiny jewelry, many of the men looking really good in African prints. Adding to the class was the music selection for the night: jazz and nothing substandard in music quality when it came to singers selected for the night: Efya, Irene, Emmanuel, Omowumi. The Jazz band treated the audience to all genres of music in expert style, taking their more adult audience through the blues, funk and even an azonto track (“Agyeei”). Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable”, Lionel Ritchie’s “All night Long” were a few of the world hits that had the audience clapping exuberantly to the talented musicians on stage.

Emmanuel

The very first act after soaking in the great jazz band, was Emmanuel, Stars of the Future winner, who commenced his show with an incredible rendition of Adele’s “Someone Like You”, hitting the high notes, catching his voice just in time, playing with adlibs, and slipping in and out of different keys. His great performance was met with a rousing applause, not at the end of his performance only, but in the middle. He was amazing. After this performance, he performed his own single, which he calls his winning song, and definitely won him some more fans that night.

Klint Da Drunk

Klint Da Drunk was phenomenal as an MC for the night. Tapping into his gift of comedy and obvious intelligence and creativity, Klint Da Drunk had the whole audience in a standing ovation upon his entrance. Causing his audience to stamp their feet and clap in uncontrollable laughter, he shared his frustrations with phone networks problems, the harder job of comedians as compared to other performers, the latest fad of Botox and the Ghanaian Black Star. His expert way of gauging his audience, involving them, preaching against facetiousness and pretentiousness through comedy, picking true to life scenarios, or simply creating comedy of the current situations, without any fumbling, rumbling or falling into repetition made him arguably a much better comedian than the star comedian for the night. His hiccupping version of Efya’s “Best in Me” definitely needs to be recorded as a new hit single!

The Sensational Efya

Efya, back from Nigeria and looking wonderful in a black above-the-knee dress accessorized with a stunning red necklace, took her audience to different levels of music appreciation. A tribute to music legend, Whitney Houston, Efya sang a madly innovative rendition of Whitney’s hit, “I Will Always Love You”, in a jazzy blues version. Words cannot describe the loud appreciation she deservedly received from the ecstatic audience. The tone of her show was jazzy blues which she maintained with “Best in Me”. Working wonderfully with the great band, the feeling one got was that of a legend being born, of a human reaching deep into themselves and finding their innermost power.

Irene

The night was a night for Charterhouse Stars of the Future discoveries. Following Emmanuel and Efya, Irene swept up on stage with her powerful voice. Telling her audience a story, typical Blues style, of Akwasi the Casanova, she was dressed up in a red blouse and jeans. Red seemed to be the signature color for all CharterHouse discoveries that night. Following the intriguing story of Akwasi, she dove into her hit song “Runaway”, performing it with finesse and outrageous ability. Her single, popularized by Adam’s Apples, “My Heart Dey”, switched the atmosphere to a sizzling seductive mood; lovers reaching for hands, hearts warming, eyes closing.  However, somehow , in the end, she managed to make a song of lovemaking sound like gospel. Have absolutely no idea how that happened though it still did sound very good!

CharterHouse definitely sent the message through Irene, Efya and Emmanuel about their penchant for quality and difference.

Gordons, another Nigerian comedian on the bill who had the audience on their feet as he came on stage, changed the rhythms to comedy once again. His genre of comedy was of the mad kind, talking about a range of things from sex jokes, hazardous jobs, to the invisibility of the police in Nigeria during Boko Harram attacks.

Omawumi

Omowumi from Nigeria waltzed onto stage, a ball of confidence and energy, immediately commanding attention from her audience when she sang the Ghanaian National Anthem, accurately and extraordinarily soulful, so much that her audience was clapping long before she reached the chorus. In African print shorts, and to the tune of the comedic night, she herself cracked a few jokes during her performance that got her audience laughing – endearing themselves even more to her. She then proceeded to perform danceable tunes which had quite a number of people dancing in their seats. Her total comfort on stage, supported with amazing back-up singers, made hers was a spectacular performance.

 Finally, the reason why most had gathered that night appeared: Basketmouth in a grey fitting suit, with his signature lackadaisical hair. He shared what he had noticed about the differences in African and western lifestyles, termed as ‘Black and White”: Differences in parenting, first kisses, cheating spouses, differences between African ways of dealing with dangerous situations as compared to the seemingly fearless whites were but a few of the issues he shared in hilarious comedy that had his audience holding their sides in laughter. Seemingly hindered by the presence of children in the audience, he cracked a few sex jokes, gave true-to-life tips to both males and females about lovemaking, as well as sugar daddies. Going beyond the funny dynamics of male-female relationships and black-white differences, he joked about the female obsession with Brazilian hair, homosexuality, poverty, expensive school fees, and most importantly, the “lie” of female’s appearances.

Basketmouth distinguishes himself in that behind the guise of comedy, he shares universal messages and advice. However, his performance on this night seemed as though he was quite unprepared. His organization was quite poor; starting a joke, stopping in the middle of it to start another. Some jokes also seemed to have no point really and there were times he seemed to be fumbling.

All in all, the rlg Independence Comedy Jam was an amazing night!