Of Forest & Sea Meetings

For July 12

Spectacular forest greenery; thick, lush, beautiful vegetation, and then when you turn around, a splendid view of the ocean in light aqua; expansive marine against a turquoise clear sky! I looked around the property itself; manicured lawns, precision built wooden cabins with decks complimenting the environment. And it was all illuminated with a bright sun, whose rays shone on a glorious day. We had arrived here the night before. Joshua, Beatrice and Dora, staff at the guest house helped take our bags to our rooms. Even from up the hill, where mine was, I could hear the buzz of the waves of the ocean.

There’s nothing worse than not knowing a location and making your way there at night. Setting off on the 5-odd hour trip around 3pm from Accra, we got to the outskirts of Axim just as the sun made its last wink. Paul, the owner of Lou Moon Lodge, the coastal facility we were going to spend the weekend, had mention on the phone that the last stretch of road, which was un-tarred, had developed some really bad ditches, owing to the recent rains. That should have said ‘nasty craters’!

The sound of crickets rose with every single second, making it seem later then the 9pm or so we went off to bed, but not before dinner had been served. Grilled or poached fish; snapper, cassava or pampana, accompanied with fried yam chips, vegetables, and fried plantain. It was a luscious affair for a first night, and it set the tone for the weekend. We were all so very impressed with Chef Raoul’s cooking, both ‘M’ and Uncle Fii, as well as myself, Andy, Marcia, Vinny and Jas! This morning, the sight of the scenes before me here, is just… enchanting!

The lodge itself, built in the most eco-friendly manner, lends itself to much admiration. Owner, Paul, himself a designer – furniture and such – did a fantastic job incorporating everything, making the place look and feel so integrated.

Each of the bathrooms is unique, with either an etched slab of wood, or concrete for a sink! The rooms are simple, with clean, crisp white sheets and cool with air-conditioning facilities! There is a great big generator that supplies power at varying times.

There are no tv sets, no radio, internet, newspapers or magazines. Only stunning views and tranquility! As Axim records the highest rainfall in Ghana, it rains often here as it did our first morning during breakfast which started, as always, with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, and fresh cut mango and watermelons! Soon after, the sun emerged to give us a superb day!

Large glass windows overlook the bay, with the ocean rolling in waves that are so mild it creates a pool, ideal for leisurely swimming! There’s a peninsula with two luxurious bungalows giving extraordinary aquatic views! The sand at the beach here is bronze, like ground stone, a good exfoliate and I did much walking in it. Everywhere you turn here, something exciting grabs your attention, from nature, as well as from Paul’s clever use of building materials and design.

This place just resonates with my soul!

It was Uncle Fii’s birthday on Sunday, and we had a special lunch ‘event’ set up for us. Paul and his amazing team, in what seemed like an effortless try; spread our meal out on the coast, on the sandy shore under wide brim umbrellas a few meters away from the tide. It was magical! We had a whole snapper grilled in a bed of prawns, with lobsters and an avocado salad, accompanied with baked potatoes and vegetables, fried yams and kelewele! It was hearty, with Champagne to wash it all down, and for dessert, a mango tart.

It was all so mellow, and like I said, life here rolls in slow motion! In the evening, we sat under the shade of the trees to watch the sun go down. We were leaving back to Accra the following day, and we were missing the whole experience even before we had left it. I know I was! Same time the day after, driving down the Kasoa road into the capital, this taxi cab swerved, and came in front of us in the fast lane, galloped on in slow motion, coughing up billows of fumes at us! Sure, we were back in Accra alright!

Of Two Generations of Moviemakers and a Famous 5

For Apr 30

Not that there weren’t things happening in town over the Easter, but I only managed to see the two new movies premiered by our two generational filmmakers, contemporary Shirley Frimpong-Manaso’s ‘Adam’s Apple’ on Thursday, and the legendary Kwaw Ansah’s ‘Papa Lasisi Good Bicycle’ on Saturday night.

On Friday night, there was the Peace FM event dubbed ‘Famous 5’ which for the first time saw both Amakyi Dede and Kojo Antwi on the same stage! They were among five top acts elected by fans of Peace FM who wanted to see the two of them, as well as No Tribe, Five5 and Kwabena Kwabena the most, given the choice. I saw excerpts on TV. The stage looked stunning, and the atmosphere, as I imagined was electric. I learnt it was staged by new events management entrant Evolution, and I dare say, that’s another feather in their cup!

And then the day after there was the Fabolous concert engineered by, another new, event house ‘233 Connect’. According to eyewitness reports, that was yet another successful show. Drew a younger crowd than the one the night before, and on that same night, at the National Theatre, many were those who throng in to see Uncle Kwaw’s latest addition to his many laurels. While the crowd at the Conference Centre where the Fabolous concert took place brought the house down with screams of excitement upon being entertained to music on very loud speakers, the more modest set that crammed the National Theatre to see Kwaw’s movie, were more sedate, a number of them walking with the aid of a stick.

No, no, I don’t mean they were all Methuselahs! After all, I was among that set, and I, most certainly am not dotard. But, it most certainly was interesting to see many of our more senior citizens who are advanced in age make the effort to come and see the film. I was just wondering why that is the only, or one of the major entertainments they would opt to be part of and not, say, come and see Shirley’s movies, I mused out loud to the hearing of my pal Kweku.

This elicited the age-old argument again; that Shirley’s movies are too foreign, not Ghanaian enough. I wondered what was “not Ghanaian” about them. The actors? Was the film not shot and produced in Ghana? Or maybe the storylines don’t reflect any aspect of how Ghanaians live today? He struggled for answers, but still insisted that, there was something missing from the Sparrow flicks, something that didn’t quite cut it out as a ‘real’ Ghanaian film, much like Uncle Kwaw’s!

Unfortunately, the view is being held by many people, including especially, some of our some of our state institutions, that if our arts is not depicted in the traditional form, displaying images and dialogue of how we “used to” dress, and act in a thespian manner, than it was un-Ghanaian.

So what, I argued, as continual as culture is, did he really expect that as many more people now lived the trendy, cosmopolitan existence in Accra today, we are to shove that reality under the carpet? As if they didn’t exist? That their stories should not be told too? Did he think all those new high-rise flats and town houses and estates in the plush Cantonments, and ‘Airport Hills’ were occupied only by foreigners? No, I reminded him. They were lived in by Ghanaians whose aspirations for such lifestyles thirty years ago.

Their formative years, spent in Europe and America, where they went to study, and begin their early life inculcated a certain way of life, and have made them become the urbane people they are today! That is something you cannot take away from them. That is the new Ghanaian! And yet, even as we speak, a newer breed is being groomed, which will manifest in another, say, twenty years, and that breed, if steps are not taken to inculcate more of what we are as a people in them, will never say ‘Agyei’ when they trip, again, but say, ‘Ouch’! And that will be their reality!

I was most excited and intrigued to see the mother character in the Shirley movie trying to persuade her daughter who was contemplating divorce from going through with it. If that is not a strong Ghanaian woman I saw, just because she was wearing a pink dress, then I don’t know. Those are the values we must hold dear, methinks.

This is why I’m all for the big call for our arts to be reignited. For more people to write, to put our narratives too out there! Just as we are, a dynamic people who remember the morals left to us by our forebears, even if we have been influenced to dance the salsa instead of the adowa! But, there’s hope yet, with young writers like Elizabeth-Irene Baitie, who has penned a fantastic book set in a ‘time and space’ in Ghana as it is today, dealing with themes that show that all is, indeed, not lost. More on Baitie’s ‘The Twelfth Heart’ coming next.

Of Incessant Bloggers and Adam's Apple

I had heard a lot about the pizza from Mama Mia restaurant at Osu and I have just had my first fill of some. It’s crust is crispy, just the way I like it, and the centre where the tomato sauce was spread and topped with the pepperoni and cheese is soft though the bread base is thin. Well, let’s just say, from what I had, it lives up to its bill.

I am enjoying it here at home where a bunch of cyber freak friends of mine, including MacJordan, a young lad who is carving quite a niche for himself as a social networking buff, have gathered. From the Degadjor tribe, he’s a blogger, that is, someone who produces ongoing narratives on a Web site. The site is called ‘Accraconsciousforever’ – one word, and he writes about things he is interested in, things happening in his local Accra, although he currently lives and works in Takoradi as an IT consultant. He’s here to bring me up to speed in this very cyber tech age.

He has another site – on the Web – called ‘Ramblings of a Ghanaian Blogger’. Here Jordan describes the blog as a solution for ‘technology, social media, entrepreneurship & open initiatives from Africa’. In this modern world where competition is rife it seems modesty is getting a phase out. Whereas in the days of yore one needed to have someone else sing their accolade, it is very pragmatic and imperative that you do it yourself today. Especially when you are presenting yourself on a platform or medium as interactive but impersonal as the ‘World Wide Web’! You need to paint a grand picture of yourself – truthfully – I dare say, but not in a conceited way.

How things are changing! Jordan is a modern man. Living a digital life, he is totally adapted to what I am not. He is a geek, a nerd, and he describes himself as a “social blogger and world traveler”. And believe me, the lad travels! He is always out to some digital technology conference – speaking or just participating – in some far away place on any of the five continents.

His telephone rings and being on speaker we all hear him converse with a lady who says she has just seen a Tweet - - about him helping a client redesign his blog, and that they are interested in interviewing him on Al Jazerra TV as part of a program to highlight people sharing social media and technology, so they will be in touch to proceed if he’s interested!

What do you know! This is how the man lives! In a globalised world! He’s just a phenomenon. And he’s only just turned 27 years! So this is how he gets to travel all around, for if Al Jazerra doesn’t come to town for the interview, they’d probably send him a ticket to go to them. How cool is that! I only recently met Mac. Not quite three months ago, but he’s already been to a conference that saw him traverse the east coast of the United States, and he’s scheduled to go to Germany to receive an award for his blog next month. How times are changing!

With the speed things are moving, one clearly looses out if you don’t adapt. That’s what got the house of meticulous filmmaker Kwaw Ansah launching a series of movies that centre on a theme that will run over a period, but will show in cinema houses. His is not like that Kyeiwaa type that runs onto part twelve of the same story, cutting the feature length movie into short bites with elaborate repetitive scenes that is so laborious to watch! His is a series of complete unrelated stories but set in a certain era, much like a TV series, only it will launch and show at the cinema first.

Enter prolific and contemporary filmmaker Shirley Frimpong Manso also. She’s joined in the new movement, and is premiering her series of chapters of the antics of the Adams family, a 10-part cinema epic that will be released monthly from now till February next year.

I saw the first one, titled ‘Adam’s Apples’ the other day. Like most of Shirley’s takes, it is very modern and current, depicting the life and times of the other half of Ghanaians who earn a little above average and live in those new apartments and town houses in those urban suburbs in the capital. Colourful, with intertwining storylines based on the protagonist, a rich widow played by seasoned actress Anima Misa, and her three daughters, Adam’s Apple’s draws a long list of cast which includes some very interesting characters, like Yvone Okoro, Jocelyn Dumas, Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku, Adjetey Anang, John Dumelo, and Benny Fiifi Eshun and many new exciting faces. KOD also make a cameo appearance as himself. Adam’s Apple’s premieres at the national Theatre on April 21 before it goes in general release the day after. It's Easter, give yourself a treat. Go see it.

Of Culture and Highlife's Groove

In the week that we celebrate the diversity in our musical culture, I’ve just come across the UN charter on cultural diversity, and reading it, I affirm for myself why there is a need to deliberately preserve and promote our culture. Lately, there is a greater call for more in depth dialogue, greater discourse on the direction of our culture, and I am pleased with that. I know the UNESCO office here in Ghana is planning just such a conference sometime later this month. This is such welcome news.

Drafted at a meeting in Paris in 2005, the charter affirms that cultural diversity is a defining characteristic of humanity, and that is it also conscious that cultural diversity forms a common heritage of humanity and which should be cherished and preserved for the benefit of all. I couldn’t agree more.

I am most intrigued with the document. It defines “Cultural diversity” as referring to the manifold ways in which the cultures of groups and societies find expression. These expressions are passed on within and among groups and societies and it is made manifest not only through the varied ways in which the cultural heritage of humanity is expressed, augmented and transmitted through the variety of cultural expressions, but also through diverse modes of artistic creation, production, dissemination, distribution and enjoyment, whatever the means and technologies used.

Like many people working in the creative industries, I would like to see culture given much more attention by our government. Encompassing such sectors as technology, tourism, entertainment and the arts, which employs directly or indirectly more than 50% of our population, it is amazing that not much attention is given to it.

We (in the industry) believe that the creative industries can on its own help raise the GDP of this country. Take tourism for instance. It is one sector that has the potential to increase wealth in many communities as well as provide much needed revenue for the government in a variety of ways. But, isn’t a shame how it is not enjoying more attention than usual? I mean, it is not as if the government doesn’t know. There’s been talk about it in many quarters over the years, how tourism is the no. 2 or no. 3 top earner for the country, still the tourism bill is yet to go to parliament.

Then come to the entertainment sector. The current rise in the popularity of High life music is, on its own, offering its own greater opportunities, which need government intervention to help protect musicians. You see, besides Highlife’s magnetic pull as dance music, it is also best listened to live, and in that vein offers more than just mere entertainment, but also direct employment because a number of musicians have to play it, as opposed to if a DJ is engaged to provide music for an event!

And we all know how Highlife so defines us a people that it fits us squarely on a world music map, attracting people to make trips to Ghana to learn more about it and experience the rhythm in our entertainment centers. Go to the Ebo Taylor headed music department at the University of Ghana and you’ll appreciate what I am talking about.

Talking about Highlife music always gets me excited. We have such a winner in that music genre which is, perhaps, the only one we can boldly called our won, something indigenously Ghanaian that we can also export, thereby, making more money from. Tonight when all the performances at the MTN Ghana Music Awards are done, I am pretty sure many people will hail the maestro, the legendary CK Mann’s delivery. The man just delivers good, clean, danceable music and it will be edifying. And I am so glad we get to see him perform again, even though he has pushed on in age.

Highlife music is synonymous with live band. Live band calls for dancing. And dancing begs getting down and moving to the groove! Right now, Ghana, after years of searching, has her groove, Highlife music, right back, where it belongs. Question is, how jealously we will guard it, advance it and flaunt it when we have to?

I explore this question on the state of Highlife in an article I have submitted to the magazine for the MTN GMA, which will be distributed free at the awards event tonight at the Dome. Get a copy. Or should say, grab a copy now!!!

Of touring parks and a place called Hillburi at Aburi

I had to go back there. Ever since my first visit about two months ago, I’ve had balmy reminisces of Hillburi; the fabulous destination that’s selling relaxation up the mountains in Aburi.

This is a place that is after my own heart! Serene, the place just resonates with me like nothing I’ve ever felt! The temperate earth colors of its walls; the scenery with the green of the nearby undulating hills, the setting at the place itself with its rock gardens and the accent of deep blue amid the neutral earth hues, the simplicity of its décor in natural woods, stone and wrought iron, the cuisine, and the welcoming service by Mr. Addo and his team! Pleasant memories, and I’ve longed to experience it again. So I jumped on the chance to go there again at this opportunity when a group of friends from Germany came to town and I had to show them around.

We went to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park first. We did the tour there, surveyed the still waters in the pool, and signs telling of trees and the dignitaries who had planted them, only a few had no trees to . As exciting as the place is, it looks so dull and for me, it being my umpteenth visit, I was bored to death! Nothing has been added to the exhibits there, there’s no provision to even turn on the frigging fountains when visitors come just to illustrate how the place works! We’ve had to inculcate in the tour commentary how we lack a maintenance culture so that this facility that was built only a few years ago in 1992 is decaying.

The wreaths on Nkrumah’s grave in the mausoleum looked pitiful! We have flowers in this country but, for such a place we put bland dreary ribbon wreaths! Inside the museum, the same old photos! There seem not to be anything being done there to attract us locals! Why, Kwame Nkrumah interacted with so many people. There must be several other photos of the man, why just can’t there be special exhibits of other themes about him, in addition to the permanent one mounted?

Anyway! We moved up to the botanical gardens at Aburi. I must confess, the place looked tidier than I have seen it. It was green with many of the flowers in full blossom. It actually looked nice. And again, I wondered why this place too never really devices seasons or themes to attract more of us. They’ve just left the visitor flow to visiting tourists from abroad and some school children. I hardly hear of any concerted effort to try and draw in a crowd of flower enthusiasts. My mind went back to the year I visited Kew – Gardens in England – twice! In spring to see the blossom of spring flowers and in the summer! And all this was excitingly talked about with bounce in the media I read and listened to. Anyway, we do things differently in .gh...

Just before we boarded to leave thou I saw something that annoyed me. Here was a bush of traveler's palms, with dead leaves hanging down making the whole thing look rather tedious. It erased all the beauty of the other nice trees and plants we had just surveyed and shuttered the whole experience! Especially as one of my German friends passed the negative comment about it! Meanwhile, in a room nearby, a bunch of the workers, some of them on the window sills, sat chatting, loud enough to the hearing of all around.

There was no one in uniform, no welcoming courtesies, only a man who tried to sell us a guided tour as we got off the bus! I declined, even though we wanted one. What would have been nice was for him to have welcomed us and invited us to the reception or welcome centre, given us a intro or orientation of the park and offered us what options there are.

All these seem obvious enough, but on the ground, in Ghana, we tend to think it doesn’t matter. Even the way he said:

“Ah, well, it would be nice too if you got someone to take you around o. to show you all the trees.”

As if, take it or leave it. And we left it. This is why, with a little effort, like is shown at Hillburi, the experience of touring becomes a whole new ball game, complete! The security-man ran to open the door to the main reception as we got off the bus. Yet another person showed us the bar and balcony, and ushered us down to the restaurant!

The waiters said hello as you passed them, and they all had clearly visible name tags! So we all hit it off in an instant, calling Prince and Asamoah to bring us water or the other! Hillburi has quickly set itself apart as Ghana’s newest ‘open’ destination secret! Those who know, know that what is on offer there is the height of relaxation.

Of Impulsive Old School and the terrace at Fiesta Royale!

Finally, good old school music has got a home in Accra. A brand new joint that has all the trappings of a fabulous disco! The rotating mirror ball and great heavy bass sound. It’s called Impulse, in Nyaniba Estates. And do you know the great thing about it? The DJ on Fridays is Blow! Yep, the very same who used to spin ‘Old School’ tunes on Atlantis Radio on weekends. He’s found a new habitat on Friday nights at this Impulse joint, and if what I experienced last Friday evening is anything to go by, the capital is in for a rollicking time from now on.
He brought it all back to me last Friday. After dropping one tune after the other going through Jimmy Cliff’s “Brown Eyes”, Shalamar’s ‘There It Is’ Brothers Johnson’s ‘Stomp’ and Dynasty’s ‘Love In The Fast Lane’! It was when he dropped ‘Mercy Mercy’s’ “What Are We Gonna Do About It” that put paid to the man’s dexterity! He plays in eras, you see, moving from one decade to the next. I remember that song so well. It was like an anthem at Keteke Disco at one point. And each time it started, the siren would go off, as if to call everyone to the dance floor. And true to form, by the time the song’s moves into full swing, we’d all be packed on the floor, gyrating this way and that, throwing our hands in the air and snapping our fingers like we had no care in the world. And maybe we didn’t! Gosh, those were some fun times. The disco days! In the clubs of the day ...Babylon, Keteke, Cave du Roi, Balm Tavern, Black Caesar, Maharani! Those were the good old days!
You know, as bad as we think these days are, they will be the good old days for today’s youth, as the ‘Keteke’ days were for my generation. I can just see my nephews going on about what great times they used to have at Cinderella’s and Boomerang and Aphrodisiac! And all that have come and gone in between! I’m definitely going to be swinging this Friday when the doors at Impulse, upstairs at El Gringo Restaurant, open at 6pm, to relive those disco years. They don’t even make music like they used to. Music that had sweet melodic lyrics, meaningful libretto you could even sing to your mama and she would smile. Today, try singing any T Pain, 50 Cent or some such act, and if they are not insinuating sex, it would be some other unsavory discourse.
Next weekend the Joy FM Old School Reunion comes off at the Trade Fair Centre. I am looking forward to it. It is one event that attending makes me feel giddy! Because I would get to see many old school mates, and also make some new friends. Being from the 80’s generation, what I don’t like about it, however, is that too many 2000’s ‘kids’ come these days and makes the place look too juvenile. It didn’t used to be so previously. But the fun thing about it is, those kids are the ones who have big fun, gang up in groups and sing their ‘old school cameradie’ in beautiful tunes! The friendship that bubbles at this event is so infectious and if your spirit is good, you get to make some new friends too. Kwamena, whom I met ‘there’ in 2004 when the event was based at the Aviation Social Centre and I are very good pals today. He’s now part of my network and we share writing and design ideas, and connect each other work opportunities. I bet you might have a similar story. And make yours just as worthwhile as mine. I dare say, if the network is not beneficial, as in work wise or even on a social level, cut them off! These days, the last thing you want to have is a link that draws you back. Yes!? We are moving forward. Now where did I hear that!
So I’m sitting at the Terrace at Fiesta Royale hotel at Dzorwulu this Tuesday evening, sipping a glass of Tonic Water with lemon on ice and soaking it in as the jazz band dishes out some melodies. So out of my way, I hardly visit the Fiesta, and I’m glad Vic called for us to meet there. Vic’s another network and this evening, amid the tuneful strings of a jazzy ‘Take Five’ as interpreted by the house band led by Wellington on lead guitar, we shook hands, happy with the outcome of our meeting. Wellington’s band is a groovy jam that plays some really cool stuff. I was impressed. And on a Tuesday evening, that’s an interesting addition to the musical landscape of the capital. Now I know where to take guests, and meet for after hours networking on a Tuesday. The hotel itself still looks so new. Everything is so clean, fresh with some rather smart waiters, who I heard calling guests by name, a feature I thought was really nice as it makes guests feel at home. You should have seen the gentleman, all smiles and engaging the young waitress in a conversation about what was on offer for dinner.
The ‘Mansonia’ their restaurant is, what you might call, cute. Brightly lit, it’s not very big and looks very much like a very neatly decorated eatery with a wine bay and the flat screen in the lounge nearby in sight. I bet football buffs, in particular, would like to entertain here as they can catch a glimpse of what’s cooking for their teams even as they may be sharing a moment with their partner. I like the Mansonia. I promised myself to sample their food and share the experience with you sometime. That’s it! See you soon. At Impulse next Friday, or at the Old School Reunion on Saturday, at dinner with me sometime, or tonight at the re-run of KSM’s ‘Castle or Suicide’ at the National Theatre!

Of Trotro Drivers and an Ampesi Dish!

It was an ampesi dish accompanied with some really tasty nkontomire and garden eggs stew. I hadn’t had this very delicious and nutritious local fare in a while and I was glad I opted for that combination. I was surprised how often I had passed by this joint and not noticed it. Up on the first floor at Trust Towers, it’s not the most glaring. And it is a shame because with this quality of taste, and the fact that it is kept warm all day in a buffet style spread, mouth-wateringly in a professional buffet tray makes it all the more worthwhile.

I can’t remember the last time I had nkontomire out in a restaurant. It’s amazing how we seem to be losing all our indigenous fare to such foreign foods as fried rice and chips! These days, all you hear children, in particular, asking for is burger and chips! And the mothers too oblige. I can bet there are some children who have not even had a dish of boiled cassava before. With the nutritious value of cassava being so high, I wonder why it’s not a major feature for meals in many homes. I love cassava. I have it with salted palm oil, usually with kaco and salmon. It’s an Ahanta delicacy. I guess it was created on-the-job at-the-farm as a ‘fast food’. Occasionally, it is done at my mom’s when I visit. It’s at Asanka Restaurant on Ring Road, next to Bus Stop restaurant, that I get some cassava dishes. It’s not on the menu but when you order in advance, they make it for you. And I guess they would do it here at Big Mama Choo’s too, up Trust Towers.

I was quite impressed with the variety at Big Mama Choo’s. Set up on a terrace, you can watch the traffic inch by on Farrar Avenue if you get a seat near the balcony’s short wall. Like a homely patio, the bamboo and cane décor with plants complement each other and also help to make the food go down better. And to think that even at 3pm, the food was still warm. That’s more than you can get in many places, if the food will be ready on time at all!

Well, I am always intrigued how clever playwrights and poets and other writers are. The way they twist language and make the things they say, and do, seem like child-play. But when you think about it, you can see how much thought has gone into the twist. I thoroughly enjoyed Uncle Ebo Whyte’s twists. I have this habit of thinking about the writer or creator of a piece of art when I’m watching it. How they came up with the sort of humour and banter they present in their work. Take KSM too. ‘Castle or Suicide’ was just apt. And he has this technique, where he seems to digress during a scene. It’s amazing how he does the same thing every time! It makes you realize just how much work was put into the whole thing.

I couldn’t laugh much during his play because I was paying attention to was he was saying, his being pertinent and contemporary social commentary in political satire! He was on point about how our political leaders behave, and it is true, as he says that they should lead the way in diffusing the tensions that are mounting around political activities. Good Lord, let’s remember what politically inflamed antics have done to Rwanda and co, and recently Kenya! We need to progress, not retrogress!

But Uncle Ebo Whyte’s play hit the nail on the head! He did say it would be enlightening and I dare say, even unmarried me got my fair share of advice about how to conduct myself should I ever opt to take part in that institution! As he sums it, it was a culmination of 20 years of counseling capsulated in a two hour crisp and clear yarn, laden with humour and wisecracks which will serve every married home anytime.

You should have heard me advising my cousin Ebe yesterday. He offered that his wife is accusing him of being a flirt and threatening to leave him. I had so many sensible things to say to him, quoted directly from the play, but made it mine. He thought I was great, to know all these things. Well, I said, it was easy for me because I was looking in from the outside, and while I appreciated that he was the one living the barrage of accusations – which can indeed sometimes get downright tiresome to take – he should remember how much his wife is worth to him! Hmm! I was glad he lives in faraway England, for if he were living here, he’d have gone to see the show too and would have caught me out!

But, really, the theme of Uncle Ebo’s ‘Unhappy Wives, Confused Husbands’ is just so relevant to today, and the acting was also pretty excellent. Particularly Smart Abbey’s jovial character!
Acting is such a technical exercise, and it’s a shame how little training people get of the craft around here. You don’t see many good actors and that is sad. I often turn off the TV when a local movie is showing and the actors are showing off their bad skills! Aaagh! That kills me. There are only a few good actors around.

Talking of good actors, I know of one, my elder brother, Kojo, who runs BG Talent Institute. A founder member – with Kofi Bucknor – of Talent Incorporated, that drama/dance ensemble which rocked Ghana in the 70s with their musical ‘African Connection’. I was the youngest member of the group. We used to perform all over the country, at the universities and secondary schools. I had some many fans, who would scream each time I did my solo dance session. We performed with a live band, recited poetry, sang happy songs and danced to the delight of many audiences. We were even selected to represent Ghana at the 11th World Festival of Youth & Students in Cuba in 1978. Well, Kojo’s institute trains acting talent and is run at the IPMC place on Ring Road. There’s actually an open day today, maybe you want to check it out if you like that sort of thing.

Have you gotten the hang of Facebook? It’s the latest internet networking portal. It seems to be so popular, I’m finding all my old friends on it, and I’m getting addicted. I always find and chat with friends I haven’t heard from for several years! How small the world is becoming! This internet! And what fascinates me is the sort of reflections people write for themselves on FB. Yesterday, Charles said, “Be still and know there is God” and Harry wants “to live in a space between spaces...” Me, I’m just glad I ignored that last trotro driver that crossed me on the road!