You Are A Liar! Mr. President

I am really not good in giving directions but I know I can do better by not giving a direction like typical Ghanaians give.

Wherever you are coming from it doesn’t matter here, but when one manages to find his/her way to ‘Silver Cup’ around Silver Cup near Paloma Restaurant. There is a junction that leads to the office of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), but just before junction, you are greeted with a very big signboard of H. E, President J.E.A Mills posting a nice smile with an inscription ‘100 days of a Better Ghana” that can surely woo a woman. What do you think?

As a former student of Premier Productions Training School, I always ply that route all the time and any time I get into eye contact with that signboard, all I keep telling myself is that ‘what bloody 100 days of a better Ghana are you talking about sir’ of course with a frowned face but the smiling face of His Excellency on that signboard can be said to be that of a confused or a weak man who is under time bomb to deliver the numerous promises he made to the good people of Ghana.

‘There is no art to find the mind’s construction on the face’ says William Shakespeare. His Excellency who a lot believe was not ready to handle the mantle as the president of this land might appear smiling all the time but inwardly he is already burning out.

To add my voice to President Mills’ first 100 days in office, I strongly believe that President Mills and his NDC has achieved nothing within the hundred days that they gave themselves to fulfill some key promises in their party's manifesto.

Looking back at the first 100 days of the NDC in office it is as crystal clear that, not just the Opposition but to most Ghanaians. Even those who voted for that change, now acknowledges that the NDC was never ready for the leadership of this country as they said they were.

The NDC promised to hit the ground to reduce the rising cost of living, but we are seeing the cost of basic items increasing daily. One can go to the market today and find prices of food items soaring. Cost of living has gone bad that the poor is suffering. Most of the so called NDC bigwigs who worked in the background are now reaping the benefits to the disadvantage of the poor masses.

So what kind of 100 days of a better Ghana are they talking about? 100 days of Nepotism, fighting and confiscating KVIPs, increase in road accidents, seizing of lorry parks, infighting, or their lies to Ghanaians?

President Mills promised to be father for all but what happened when most of the pro-NDC newspaper were invited to the Castle for their so called; "100-days-of-a-better-Ghana briefings"?

Hate is a strong word I wouldn’t want to toil with but President Mills is not a fan at all. Does this ring a bell in your ears?

"I pledge to allocate 40% of all positions in government to women, should I be given the nod as the next president of Mother Ghana" What has happen to this joyous promise to women?

I am a respecter of womanhood, I strongly believe President Mills has deliberately, deceived the Ghanaian Womenfolk, he has failed by refusing them their 40% share in his government. Even by the woeful 11% as it stands, he has reduced it by refusing to appoint Mrs. Mills Robertson as the substantive woman police IGP.

Appointing the first acting woman IGP in the history of Ghana Police, the NDC beat their chest on high moral grounds that, they have better recognize the Ghanaian woman in policy making as compared to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in government.

Speaking with an illustrious Ghanaian woman who claimed anonymity based on her affiliation with the NDC said, "President Mills' behaviour towards the contemporal Ghanaian woman concerning his 40% promise which shucked to 11% and has now refused the only woman in a powerful position like the IGP leaves a big scare in his judgment on the Ghanaian woman in the policy making decision".

She further intoned, 'What is more worrisome is that, the then Vice Presidential Candidate Hon. John Dramani Mahama had to repeat his boss' pledge over and over again, when he had the opportunity to talk to various women groups in Ghana".

She continued “President Mills' reasons for failing this particular promise to women is funny, how can he claim Ghanaian women are reluctant to be in politics. I can name various platforms the then Presidential Candidate and his running mate was on to drum this same pledge on and Oh! Didn’t they know that NDC has few women or Ghana politics is bereft of women. For his lame excuses, no disrespect, but he needs some floggings".

She quietly murmured, "Atta adaada yen", literally means President Mills has deceived the Ghanaian women-folk.

Whether, all government appointment has been made or not does not make any sense whatsoever, because the president’s ‘lame’ excuse made us to believe that, his government cannot find any more knowledgeable women in Ghana apart from the few he has appointed. Interesting, isn’t it?

How can women join NDC, when they will be eventually flogged like school kids when they don’t endorse or support what the owner of the party says? What happened to Frances Essiam and Maame Dokono are still fresh in our minds.

Then candidate Atta Mills should have known this; he ought to have known that their party does not simply appeal to women anymore because we are not in the darker days and those primitive years, we are in a more free, open and an enlighten world now.

In all this, am disappointed I have not heard anything from Nana Oye Lithur, a supposed gender activist, who was very vibrant in the former NPP administration fighting the cause of women

By Ebenezer Anangfio Jnr. (Columnist, www.ghanalounge.co.uk and www.ghanaimage.com) email: eanangfio@hotmail.com http://anangfio.blogspot.com

Do Gospel Musicians Pay Payola?

The above named question sounds like a million dollar question but trust me am not that dumb to ask such a thought provoking question. I decided to write this piece because the question ‘do gospel musicians pay payola’ has been with me since I was that little-fun-boy and now that I have grown up and almost going bald. I get confused anytime I ask that question because I do not get the answer I was anticipating, and what answer was I expecting? Read on.

I ask that question because I have observed over the years that it is only in Ghana Music Chart (I stand to be corrected if am wrong) that you see only the music we call secular (worldly) music always topping the chart at the expense of the gospel musicians and it is even more strange because Ghana has a lot of gospel musicians and the number keep increasing day in, day out.

In a country of about 28 million, with 69% being Christians, how come gospel musicians forming the majority in the Ghana music industry not all that popular when it comes to distributing awards? Are we saying Christians themselves does not patronize the gospels songs? This trend should be worrisome.

Considering the large number of Christians in Ghana, even a lame man on the street would have thought that gospel musicians should be getting more than their getting now.

No single gospel artiste has been able to annex any big award in the country where majority of Ghanaians are Christians. This unfortunate trend tells the ordinary mind one thing, that even Christians do not patronize gospel musicians and their wares, looking at how difficult it is to come out with a gospel album.

Why? Why can’t gospel musicians also win the top awards? Why are the gospel musicians not getting enough airplay? Why are they not topping the chart? But one question comes in mind ‘is it because they do not pay payola’?

Payola we all know is a killer of talent. It is a disease that exploit and gradually kills musical talents. It is very disheartening to see both old and new artistes spend a lot of money and their energies to come out with ‘hit song’ only for DJ’s and presenters to exhort high fees from them before their music is guarantee airplay and when they cannot afford the payola, DJ’s stop playing their songs.

Is it sadder when DJ’s demand very expensive payola to enable the DJ’s buy cars, plot of lands as the artistes themselves walk, use trotro and taxis. Some people are of the opinion that DJs can do without musicians, so are we saying DJs and presenters can talk all day without playing any song? I do not need to remind readers how boring radio and television can be without music.

Looking at the secret nature of our stars, gospel musicians I spoke to, expressed their opinions passionately about ‘payola’ but of cause they all seems to be singing the same song ‘we do not pay payola’. But are they to be taken seriously though?

I feel really gospel musicians do not pay payola because no gospel musician has annexed The Most Popular Song of the year award with 10 years of Ghana Music Awards. Whether they pay payola or not is not my business but am worried why they are not topping the chart and why are they not getting recognition so far as the Ghana Music Award’s Most Popular Song is concerned?

The just ended Ghana Music Awards 2009 confirmed that no gospel song is at least fit or popular yet to win The Most Popular Song of the year accolade, the Ghana Music Awards has always ended with secular music as the overall winner, Daddy Lumba’s Aben woha in 1999, Kojo Antwi’s Tom and Jerry Aware in 2000, Lord Kenya’s Medo and Daasebre in 2001, Kontihene’s Aketesia in 2002, VIP’s Ahomka womu in 2003, Ofori Amponsah’s Otoolege in 2004, Obour’s Konkotiba in 2005, Batman (now Samini)’s Odo in 2006, Kwaw Kese’s Odiem in 2008 and Okyeama Kwame’s Woso in 2009, the closers a gospel musician has come to winning the overall award at the Ghana Music Awards was in 2001 with Daughters of glorious Jesus and in 2005 with Esther Smith and Prophet Seth Frimpong. And I know Ghana Music Award 2010 will follow the same trend, making it more difficult for the gospel musicians to win the overall award. So I can conclude and say that gospel musician do not really pay payola and if they do, they do not pay it like the secular musicians does. And what do you also think.

I came to a conclusion that gospel musicians does not pay payola as we were meant to believe initially but not until I met Eva, a budding gospel musician, and a backing vocalist who has toured the whole of Ghana with most of the popular gospel musicians like Grace Ashy, Christian Love, Philipa Baafi, Kwaku Gyasi and has featured in some their music videos.

She made me understand, that gospel musicians are not saints, they are actually the worst when it comes to who pay the most payola, and there is a misconception going on as to why gospel musicians are the worst when it comes to who pay the most payola, their reason was that ‘Ghanaians do not like gospel music, so in other for them to get the airplays and increase their sales, they turned to pay more payola. Unconvincing excuse, I guess. But does that mean the likes of Christian Love, Daughters of Glorious Jesus and etc all pay payola?

The effect of payola is there for all of us to see. It is always easy to see songs with uninspiring lyrics getting all the airplays because the artiste or the producer of that song has managed to pay enough payola whereas that good song is relegated to the background because they cannot pay payola. Have you wondered why Ads/Promos are done with foreign soundtracks? And you will know how bad payola can be.

During the Ghana Music Awards 2009, I placed GH¢1000.00 on a gospel artiste (Philipa Baafi, of course) to annex The Most Popular Song of the year and artiste of the year, with Okyeame Kwame being her biggest threat, should in case, that award escapes the gospel musicians again.

I know people might attribute Philipa Baafi’s inability to grab an award to politics but aside politics, ‘life must go on’ says Tupac Shakur. Her inability to win at least ‘Gospel Song of the year’ raises another issue all together.

By Ebenezer Anangfio Jnr. (columnist, www.ghanacelebrities.com )

Source: www.ghanacelebrities.com

Black Rasta Must Step Aside

I write to welcome the news of the disqualification of reggae artiste Black Rasta; of course this news was long over due.

Black Rasta, who is also a radio presenter on an Accra FM station, has no right to insult the Ghana Music Awards Organisation, and Charterhouse, the organizers of the awards just because of his song ‘Barack Obama’ was not nominated in the ‘Most Popular Song of the Year’ category, so far as am concerned Black Rasta does not merit to be nominated in any category in the first place not to talk of the Most Popular Song of the Year. He was even lucky to have been considered by the Planning Committee in the ‘Reggae Song of the Year’ category.

Black Rasta is one of the few radio presenters I detest and it is not only the Planning Committee of the Ghana Music Awards that has suffered in the hands of Black Rasta, notable individuals like the ministers, pastors, musicians, and even including the president of Ghana have all one way or the way suffered the unfortunate verbal attacks from Black Rasta and its high time we shoot him down.

This is a man who thinks he is a saint. I think the Planning Committee erred in nominating him for an award but It was indeed very regrettable for Black Rasta to question the professional capabilities and integrity of the committee members, and consequently calling them names, I think he should be condemn and force to apologize to the committee members, or dance to the music at the law court.

He is not even shy and ashamed of himself to advice callers to his programme to use the herbs, it amazes me that Black Rasta gets enough time to be on air and shows his tomfoolery, preach the use of drugs, when we all know the devastating effects of marijuana and why one must not play around it.

He attacked the likes of Daddy Lumbas, Kwabena Kwabenas, A Plus’, KK Fosus and etcetera because they decided to do song for Nana Akufo Addo, One pathetic thing about this chap is that he has chosen to do song for Barrack Obama, a man he will never see until he (Black Rasta) dies. Obama does not even know of the name Black Rasta.

Music is a full time business and a lucrative venture but I do not think Black Rasta in the same level as those artistes mentioned above, apart the radio station he works, which other radio station after the US elections ever played his Barrack Obama song?

Terrible, he was not even considered or invited to the Obama’s inauguration but later came out with a frivolous excuse that he was scheduled to perform in Kenya, Obama’s birth place.

No wonder chaps in the slum will only listen to his songs. Ghana Music Awards, which comes off this Saturday April 4 at the Accra International Conference Centre will go on with or without Black Rasta.

Regular users of the www.Ghanacelebrities.com site welcomes his disqualification and hopes he is disqualify or banned for subsequent awards till further notice to just serve as a deterrent to others.

Source: Ebenezer Anangfio Jnr.
www.ghanacelebrities.com

President Mills already feeling the heat?

This is clearly unacceptable on the part of the president, his spokesperson and communications director, why should they feel insecure that the good people of Ghana gave Nana Akufo-Addo a rousing welcome-back-home reception at the airport on?

Mills and his cronies does not have shame, even during the general elections, they accused NPP activists and sympathizers of being offered money to follow the Nana Addo and the NPP around like a ‘dog and its master’ and yet even in defeat we still follow him, I would be glad to know what they are thinking now whether they think we are still being offered money to follow Nana Addo even in defeat.

Of course this madness has gone on for far too long, and what is wrong if the Minority Members in Parliament thought, that the president has deceived Ghanaians with 'father for all message'? Mills feeling hot already? If Mills is already feeling the heat barely 50 days in office as president of Ghana, then indeed he is in for a good show and he again has the Rawlings ‘unnecessary raving and ranting’ factor to deal with. Mills does not need to talk like a president for us to believe he is his own man; he is nothing but a ‘remote control’ in the hands of Rawlings. Rawlings backs and he Atta acts.

Mills’ barking that “There is no other government in this country. There is no other president in this country… where you have people arrogate to themselves certain rights. Where people threaten that they are going to advise themselves and take the law into their own hands, I Atta Mills will not allow this to happen. “I respect civility and politeness and I believe that people have taken my respect for peaceful co-existence as weakness, timidity and inability to act,” was obviously unacceptable, very unnecessary, and a voice of a nervous and an incompetent man behaving like a baby who has just been refused break milk, consequently resorting to shredding tears to attract some attention and favour.

The UD$ is busily trashing the GH¢ mercilessly as inflation has moved to a whooping 20.3%, but what can Atta Mills and his cronies do, confiscate KVIP’s? They should be thinking of finding ways to deal with this unfortunate trend than talking unnecessarily. I thought KSM is the most guy in Ghana but President Mills is gradually pilfering that title. From Axim to Zebilla, NPP activists and sympathizers are being attacked and beaten till this very day just because they are not NDC, I had an encounter during the run off elections as NPP Polling Agent, after voting and ballot papers being counted, those NDC thugs nearly attacked me and my colleague just because a stupid voter voted for Atta Mills alright but used the index finger which was dipped into the ink to vote for Nana Addo, which automatically becomes an invalid or rejected as the rules for the game spelt out boldly but those rogues as NDC Polling Agents believes in another thing all together as if they were from Mars but I obeyed the rules and didn’t allow them to go away with it, since I believe every single ballot paper was equally important and that place nearly turned into a boxing ring had it not been for the timely intervention of the security men.

If Mills is uneasy because of a mere rousing welcome, then he should get ready to pee in his pants all the way to 2012.

We relinquished power to these thieves and they think they can bluff us but can somebody please tell Atta, that 4 years is not forever.

“You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.”

By: Ebenezer Anangfio Jnr.
eanangfo@hotmail.com

I STAND TO BE CORRECTED

I wish to be given a space to comment on the above named article, which appeared in the showbiz. Honestly, it was really boring reading the above name article but then I had to read it because people also read what I write over here and after reading it I was obliged to believe that the writer has spent greater part of last year outside the country, preferably in Nigeria [stand to be corrected though]. Because the issue of Ghanaian actors being rigid, their movies lacks flexibility, diversity is just to an extent and their movies can be predicted from scene one to the last scene is just a thing of the past and moreover it’s a fallacy after all there has been obvious and tremendous changes now.



The assumption that Ghanaian movies can be predicted of how event would turn out in the final part of the story is a wrong and a silly assumption because its not only Ghanaian movies that can be predicted, generally this prediction comes up when one is watching African movie as a whole because most times they all seems to have monotonous story line, same location, same customs and etcetera and the worst of this prediction is on Nigerian movies, they see Ghana as the flooding market so they will use the same story for about 30 movies and my compatriot patronize it at the expense of theirs, is this not foolishness on the part of Ghanaians? Am not a fan of Nigerian movies but I have facts to buttress this point and would be able to predict the outcome of 25 out of 30 Nigerian movies and those of you who patronize these same and boring Nigerian movies would concur with me that there is no single Nigerian movie without you see two people, men or women either on the farm, or on the stream or from the stream, or one doing the other one’s hair gossiping about people and I wonder if Nigerians are naturally gossips huh.



Those of us who patronize the foreign movies want to see something different not the usual killing, poisoning, witchcraft, wrecking of married, oh and this African stuff because so far as am concern watching Ghanaian movie is the same as watching Nigerian movie, so what’s the deal now, is it not the same juju, witchcraft, hatred and those African mentality. Simply put Nigerian movies are and cannot be better than Ghanaian movies and the only different thing about Nigerian moves as compared the Ghanaian counterpart is that its only in former film that you see an actress in a kitchen cooking but have dressed like she have a date with the president of the federal republic of Nigeria, president Olusegu Obasanjo or his vice Atiku Abubakar [sorry] Its bad, preposterous and uncalled for, for the writer to suggest Harry Laud and Bob Smith Jnr should invest their monies somewhere, I personally think they merit some apology, because no one has any right to choose where someone should invest, its strictly their business.



This Agya Koo movies are too much but hey it’s cool because at least it has halted the Nigerian invasion and its making sure we see less of the same story movies from Nigeria and people should leave Agya Koo to enjoy his reign now, is it his fault that producers are using him like that? Those complaining of the Agya Koo era were the same people who loved those Aki and Popor movies year back which weren’t even better than Agya Koo’s own and moreover Agya Koo will be better of them and most of the Nigerian comedian/actors like, the Mr. Ibus, Osuofias, Sam Loco Efes, Victor Osuagyes and the likes if he is able to say all those Twi stuff in the queens language and am sure he will be compared to the likes of Eddie Murphys, Rowan Atkinsons popularly known on our screens as Mr. Bean and etcetera. As an up and coming player in the industry I think the problems are



Wrong Casting: it’s done in how connected you are not how well you can act



Favouritism: people are favoured because they know or have close relationship with the producer or the director or someone close to these people… “Whom you know” seems to do the trick now, on the part of the producers, bad language, their popular saying goes like “there is no script so adlib” altitude are some of the problems with the industry now and people are ripping off money at auditions. I hope the president of the Ghana Actor’s Guide is not taking a nap yet.



© Anangfio : July 2008

WHAT ARE/IS THE CRITERIA FOR WINNING THE COVETED AFRICAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR ACCOLADE?

Africa is indeed a funny continent! And again the organizers of the Glo Caf Awards which was held in Lagos, Nigeria showed how funny, bias Africans can be. Adebayor African Player of the Year? Adebayor's triumph is clearly unacceptable and must be condemn in every quarter of the world.

I do now know the criterion for the awards but I can say the criterion needs to be looked out really with an eagle's eye and something done about it. When it got to the time for the African Player of the year award to announced, well meaning Africans or football lovers were anticipating for only one who stands out tall amongst the other nominee: Mohammed Aboutrika, this is a guy who won everything on the African continent so far as football is concerned, Aboutrika plays as a playmaker and attacking midfielder for Egyptian club Al-Ahly as well as the Egyptian national football team. He has been dubbed as the Egyptian Zinedine Zidane for his technical skill and excellent vision of the field.

He won the African champions league trophy with Egyptian club Al-Ahly, Adebayor didn't reach even the semi finals with arsenal in the UEFA champion's league.

He won the African Cup of Nation's trophy with the Egyptian national team and he scored that winning goal to hand the trophy to the Egyptians. Adebayor with his Togo team didn't even qualify for the 2008 tournament in Ghana.

He again won the African Super Cup, where Adebayor can only dream of, in a nutshell Aboutrika won every cup in Africa in 2008, Adebayor didn't even win a ''latrine container'', so why this favouritism in Africa?

Why is Africans bias in everything they do?

Adebayor triumph raises more concerns about the fairness of the awards. So is this why Issah Hayatou wants to be president of FIFA, when he has not put his house in order? CAF and the organizers are fraudsters.

HIP LIFE IS IMMORAL - EKOW MICAH

One of Ghanaian's ace a reggae artiste Ekow Micah says hip life is immoral, nonsense and needs to be scrap from the music industry in Ghana. The famous musicians with dreadlocks made the statement when he was been interviewed by Borla Ray, a co host on Music Music, TV3's number one entertainment music program in Ghana now.

'Music Music' is the biggest entertainment program in Ghana now and it comes off, every Saturday at Studio B with lots of fans. The new face of Music Music which started in September 2007 and it features 4 new set of artistes for each month, the public is given the chance to vote for their favourite artiste via MTN short code 1449 and at the end of the month, the votes are collated and a winner goes home with exciting prizes. The artistes for November are reggae musician Shasha Marley of Mata fame, Ekow Micah, Tinny, Kokovelli.

According to the ace reggae artiste, hip life is a complete waste and it should be scrap with immediate effect. He continued by saying hip life brings enmity between the artistes, create the unnecessary tension. Ekow, in a chat with the host of the program says he belongs to the rasta family, because he is a rastaman and believes in liberating Africa through his music and his latest album ‘Liberate Africa", which is yet to be launched in Holland says it all.

He moved from highlife to 'root life' and has been in the music industry for about 20 years believes that letting people know that the tragedy of Africa keeps worsening each day. Even though most African countries have attained independence, it is a Mickey Mouse independence because we are not free. So we express our dissatisfaction through music and to him Rastafarians in Ghana have the vision to do so many things but hip life is drawing the country behind.

Ekow really touched on something which really went down well with the people he said "every music should have a meaning, inspire, entice and strengthen an individual in the battlefields of life and its certainly not hip life which turns to protect alcoholism, womansing, immorality."

He said Ghanaian music is not making waves in the international scene because most of the music are in local dialects which people do not understand. Micah reiterated that, "hip life music is full of moral corruption, this means that most of the lyrics are profane and the words do not have any positive impact on people, neither does it inspire them to do positive things in life."

Here I concur with Ekow because the Nigeria musicians are fast taking our music industry by the fact that they sing in English, which the people understands. Well hiplife is mostly for school drop outs and most of them are qualify illiterates and they are bereft of lyrics.

If not why do some of them just insult and diss other people to sell their one hit album when there are thousand and one issues that they can tackle with their music, for example: payola, piracy, HIV/AIDS, child labour, rape, child abuse, and the advocacy by the chairman of the Ghana Aids Commission that prostitution should be legalize.

Why do most hip life instead go about buying and stealing already made music? Is it because they are illiterates, who can pen down their own lyrics? – what a shame. You listen to some of their lyrics and my God you go like what is this. However, I recently discovered that most of the people who are involve in this practice are new to the game who may have managed to get one hit track from their one and single album.

What a world of fantasy they find themselves in with their dissing and insulting lyrics. Now the big question is that will they insult and diss if they have something important to talk about? Do you think hip life should be banned?

Finally Ekow Micah has this to say “The beginning of everything is difficult but with punctuality, we will definitely get there, the future looks bleak for hip life and something urgently needs to be done”.

Can hip life be really scrapped? Is hip life all about womanizing? Is it all about drugs? This reporter tried to hook up with the originator of hip life, to respond on some of the allegations but it proves futile.

Ekow attended Premier International Preparatory and later attended a Music school. He has about ten albums to his credit. Some of his albums are Ashanti Reggae, Nasaye Wayefe, Masiwa Hemaa, Odo Kasa, 95 Cedis amongst others.

Still on the show, Shasha Marley, a reggae musician commenced as he managed to score a breakthrough over the Studio audience. Followed was Tinny, a hip life artiste. He brought a different atmosphere which was also acknowledged by all. Tinny known by his fans as 'AletseKanpke' managed to score a breakthrough with his Ga lyrics.

Then came Kokoveli, hip life artiste who also set the stage on fire. It all ended well as Ekow Micah, a reggae artiste with took turns. It was all fun as audience were standing and singing alongside each artiste.

Ebenezer Anangfio Jnr. www.ghanalounge.co.uk