Sunday, April 24, 2011

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.

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