Accra Floods - Apeteshi Spot

For a country so obsessed with building gutters that end nowhere, I am even amazed that we Ghanaians had not anticipated that a little bit of rain would result in the submergence of half of Accra in filthy gutter water. Uncle Atta, our forthright president said in his address to the nation yesterday that he believed our flooding problem would be solved if only he could get his residents in Accra to pay property tax. Although I am never one to bash a government who wants to squeeze every last penny out of its people so that it can pamper the budget and wisely spend on more 4×4 cars; I want to suggest that AMA’s lack of funds may not be the root cause of our problems. Instead of looking to find more money, I think the focus should be on using the cash that we have wisely and aptly planning to meet the infrastructural pressures created by the chaotic urban sprawl that is occurring in Accra at present.

We are always giving out contracts to build gutters meanwhile we do not have any city plan of where the water that these gutters are supposed to be channeling should flow to! We leave huge piles of refuse in the streets and clog our gutters with pure water sachets so that they cannot hold any capacity come the smallest levels of rainfall. We are cement obsessed, covering every inch of the capital with cement blocks instead of grass and foliage that will help absorb any overland flow and lower the fatality rate when we do have periods of heavy rainfall. All in all we need our town planners to think and implement a strategy for Accra to be a robust city, plan our roads so that traffic flows and build our gutter so that water flows. We as a civil society need to stop blaming our woes on the perceived fact that we don’t have money and instead hold accountable those who have our money and are just lacking common sense!

“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr

As I watched the bbc news displaying gruesome photos of the last moments of Col Gaddafi, and the jubilant tenants of 10 Downing street pat themselves on the back for striking off yet another head of state. I asked myself; ‘So what is it that makes and breaks an African Tyrant?’ That’s easy, I hear you retort. Declaring yourself as President for Life is usually a good starting point on the road to Tyranny. Hoarding ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ is another that might lose you a few friends within the popular circles in international diplomacy. These usual justifications however seem to be just the tip of the iceberg and often fondly described as the founding pillars of bbc news.

In the case of Col Gaddafi, he flitted in and out of the good books of Western Global super powers for 42 years even though Libya’s foreign policies remained pretty much the same. So how does one create conditions to be overthrown? I would like to suggest that the first issue is the fact that political leaders, Africans and Non-Africans alike lack ideas, which usually results in them implementing policies which justify civil unrest and restrict freedom of expression. Especially those herald as liberators. Their policies usually start off as refreshing, but once overwhelmed by the sweet taste of power; such radicals overstay their welcome, refuse to reliquish power and thus run out of ideas ending up mimicking policies of the regime that they fought with a positive aggression to overthrow.

One defining factor specific to an African Tyrant, I observe is the fact that they must have been able to execute a systematic program of syphoning their countries money and depositing these funds successfully in foreign banks without undergoing any line of scrutiny by the international community during the act. It has been reported that Col Gaddafi has died leaving more than $30billion in UK banks! Therefore: IF THE TYRANT IS THE HEAD, THE CAPITALIST BANKS OF THE WEST ARE MOST DEFINATELY THE NECK THAT SUSTAINS IT.

Especially during this time of economic uncertainty, I am sure that the governments which protect these institutions have been more than happy to see and support the uprising of the common African against perceived dictators as the outcome is always the same. If a dictatorship falls the power vacuum that remains gives opportunity for America and Europe to assume ownership of previously state owned infrastructural institutions. It allows for hoards of African money to be successfully inherited by those who protected it within the four walls of their coffers. And provides suitable conditions for the repatriation of these initial stolen monies to be gifted back to the African nations in question under the guise of humanitarian aid or loans.

I am sure that people such as Mugabe have turned off their tv sets in the recent months and are hastening the speed to which they channel Zimbabwe’s last pennies to Italy. I want to make a plea that going forward if we African’s, are to suffer at the whims of any more dictators, that these “Kings of Africa” should at least reform their financial policies. Do us African taxpayers a favour by at least holding our pilfered cash somewhere on the continent. Let’s say for example in the safe keeping of reputable banks such as those to be found in Ghana and Nigeria, thus allowing us too to get involved in democratic crusades and like the West enjoy the profits to be made from the misfortunes of others.

We delight in the beauty of a butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve such beauty! -Maya Angelou

Everyone at one time or another shall be gifted a nexus of legacies that has no other purpose than to act as quick sand burying those battling valiantly at the frontline of change. Be it inheriting an old car on its last legs, to being dashed a nation with empty coffers. Such troubling situations are often fanned by dishonored systems and usually trigger an internal review of our personal abilities to overcome adversity; giving airs to a Pandora of concerns and breeding self-doubt.

In such a situation one has only two options;
1. To bow to the pressures of inherited problems and do nothing to challenge or enhance the current status quo.
2. To take it as a project to initiate a change, implementing innovations, driving on virgin soil and actively bullying into remission those who fervently argue that; “this is how we’ve always done it” is the only way to execute a task.

It is interesting that once the ball is in motion and the successes start to be revealed that those who once upon a time where against, almost immediately start to suffer from chronic amnesia. I have learnt that a voice of reason and a clear plan for action can mobilise resources into a mob for reform. All that is needed is for an individual or a group of people to have the courage to lead. Although this is no easy feat, once the culture is such that those who cannot justify their inclusion feel exposed, then they too shall take the necessary steps to transforming themselves into agents for action, and aspire to make originations that will dissolve archaic hindrances.

When executing an agenda for change it is all too easy however, to get caught in the details of where we are now and constantly dreg up past misfortunes. I allude that now it is time, time not only to reflect on our blessings for which we all have many. But also to understand that a positive mental attitude is the key to unlocking the door to every success and overcomming all challenges.

To those who have fire I give more fire and to those who have might I want to give a might mightier than man’s. I want to sing a song of hope to the despairing; to breathe the breath of love that will chase away all hating. I believe, my devoted, that right will ultimately conquer wrong, virtue conquer vice, and harmony take the place of discord
Extract from a Letter by James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey (1875-1927)

It has been argued that; ‘when people go to work, they shouldn’t have to leave their hearts at home.’ So I ask you now, do you love your job? Is it possible for you to respect yourself and appreciate your own value if day in day out you spend the majority of your time counting the clock? Are you more fearful of economic instability than enduring an eternity doing something that you do not enjoy and a job that is void of all passion?

In a recent documentary revealed by Ghana’s most controversial undercover investigator Aremeyaw Anas, he investigated those to be defined as “Enemies of the State”. This sought to catch on camera, individuals working in our nations ports and at customs, who were deemed to be partaking in acts of corruption. Such impairments of integrity, virtue and morale principle are unfortunately not uncommon in Ghana. Across our nation people too frequently fall prey to “adding weight” to paperwork to enhance the speed for which applications are processed. Suggestive phrases such as “We dey for you!” and requests for people to “Do something!” other than the right thing are so recurrent that they have become a mainstay of our national humor.

In order to fight against the corruption, which is chewing away at the morale foundation of our society, we must first understand the terrain to which it has laid root. After many months of deliberation and careful observations; it has become evident to me that many of the processes in society which need to be followed in order to achieve even the most basic of objectives, have become so ambiguous that the corrupt option has in some situations turned out to be the only process. But how did this happen? I believe that it has a lot to do with the fact that the majority of people in the country are working purely to ‘Chop’ a little money and therefore have settled to attain employment in jobs for which they have little pride in or attachment to. I argue that if an individual does not have a morale connection to their job, or see a legitimate, direct path for progression and investment in their personal development, that they can easily be transformed into an instrument used in executing corrupt practices. This disrespect of their own situation can also have a domino effect, allowing these same actors to influence others to sideline legal practices, and cut corners to attain results by using ‘quicker, easier, and more lucrative’ means.

The greatest tragedy in life is that the majority of people have accepted to be less than they were born to be, and are thus accomplishing far less than their true inward capabilities.

I would therefore like to propose that in order for us as a nation to; shake the foothold of corruption in society and drive the productivity of our labor force that it is imperative to encourage our ‘economic foot soldiers’ to follow their passions. That there should be clearer advice given to people as they embark on their career path allowing for individuals to know what options are available, and make informed decisions matching their passions, skills and aptitude to their chosen career. As a society we should be proactive in making available funding to stimulate and support entrepreneurship, training programs and personal development of all thereby also allowing individuals to earn a living wage whilst exploiting what gives them joy.

All in all, if you recognize that you cannot give your all in the job that you have. If you believe that your talents are being wasted. If you are unmotivated and looking for ways to make a quick buck. Then do the right thing and move into a job, that you can respect yourself for and fulfill to the best of your ability. Decide what you want. Continue to learn. Believe it can happen. A happy worker is a productive worker and therefore the most potent tool to driving the development of a nation. So in the words of George Elliot: “If what you are doing is not your passion you have nothing to lose!”

By this definition I hope to define myself as a dangerous woman. For I am very much a dreamer of the day, and like most, my dreams span far and wide. I dream for myself, I dream for my family and I dream for my country. It is interesting in the dawn of Samia Nkrumah being appointed as flag bearer for CPP that some may say that she may perhaps seek to forge a reality of the dreams of her father.

As Ghanaians, we live in a society fuelled by superstition and dreams. One observation made is that we are always so quick to respond to the bad dreams, and have been highly innovative in fending ourselves against perceived ‘evils’; thus fuelling the markets for gimmicks such as ‘back to sender’ concoctions. However we become dull and sluggish in our retort to defining an agenda for action, aimed at driving our aspirations and the hopes for our communities as inspired by the virtuous dreams of the masses.

In a recently lecture Presented by Baffour Agyeman-Duah: Reflections on Poverty and Wealth Creation in Ghana, he makes the assertion that; “Ghana should not be poor.” He continues by suggesting that the current disarray of our nations affairs may somewhat be attributed to the conditioning of our minds as a people. He argues the premise that;

“The more we believe and think poverty, the more poverty will come to us! The more determined we are to fight poverty the more poverty will come so we can continuously have a fight. Therefore instead of thinking and fighting poverty, we should rather be thinking to create wealth!”

A disheartening revelation was made in today’s Business and Financial Times. The headline declares that; “Jobs are our greatest worry!” In this article by Leslie Dwight Mensah; the biggest weakness of the economy is defined as the “chronic joblessness of a vast proportion of the people”, he continues to reveal that 50% of graduates who leave our nations universities will not find jobs for up to two years after their national service.

So what is the link between, wealth creation, my dreams for a nation and our agenda for action? In an economy abundant in mineral wealth and human resources what is hindering us from harnessing our revenues, employing our people, enabling all in society to meet the standards of basic human needs and investing in national infrastructure?

Baffour Agyeman-Duah continues to suggest that our greatest obstacle is the “Poverty of the Mind”. This condition of ignorance is hindering us from building the capacity to making appropriate decisions. I argue that such ignorance breeds an environment allowing for parasites, to good governance and against a prosperous civil society to flourish. These parasites most commonly; corruption, no public accountability, the absence of transparency in procurement processes, poor sanitation, lack of respect for the environment and disregard for the rule of law, are ever increasingly becoming characteristics of our national schematic.

So what are we to do? I believe that first we as a people need to say no to ignorance and inspire our people to want more for themselves!

We should take pride in learning, create a society where access to information is free and easy. Strengthen our education system to ensure that what we are teaching our youth is practical and gives them the foundations to not only find employment, but to compete with any other individuals from every other nation!

We need to name and shame those in public positions of power who are proven to value personal wealth over the best interest of the country!

We need to start innovating, broadening our dreams to being more than that of just poverty reduction!

We need to emancipate the masses by communicating a clear national agenda, thus mobilizing the local communities to exercise their democratic rights and vote for economic prosperity against tribal allegiances, thus buying into the directive of wealth creation furthering the prosperity of Ghana!

We need to implement policies with speed and efficiency, , streamline processes and invest in structures to mobilize our industries!

We need to leverage the funds of foreign investors, moving the burden away from government coffers and link planning permission to policies designed to attain maximum benefits for the infrastructures available to the native communities!

We need to Dream with intent, Think with resolve, Plan with consciousness, and Do with vitality!

Define Madness – To love someone more than oneself
Define Freedom – To wake up every day to do what you love
Define Violence – The refuge of the incompetent
Define Peace – The inner tranquility of the soul
Define Action – An integrity of purpose
Define Fear – A blind emotion intensified by ignorance
Define Love – A fear of loss
Define Purpose – To live with intention
Define Happiness – To play with abandon
Define Hurt – To choose with regrets
Define Knowledge – A compassion of thought
Define Wisdom – To listen without defending
Define Success – The talent of persistence
Define Truth – To speak without offending
Define Me – A complicated melody

London's Burning

I Predict a Riot, I hear you Cry!
But why? With heavy burdened conservative sighs.
Some may say it stems from economic suppression, police oppression, or unfair succession.
In a year where the perception of ‘terrorism’ has taken off its turban, and donned on its Hoodie.
Footlocker, Tescos, Oxfam gone down! Smash in the window no police on the ground.
Is the face of civil unrest a Black Man? Shot down in London Town,
Can this be the reason to raze the place to the ground?
“No!” I hear you cry that cannot be why!
“It’s cause they’re all pikeys and can’t be arsed to try.”
Smashing up their own areas, burning, looting and shooting.
God save the Queen, forget the people they’re hooting.
What of the solution? Ban Facebook? Ban Twitter?
Or Grab yourself an iphone and continue to litter?
A civil society getting ready to crack.
Parents of these kids deserve one big smack!

“The greatest tragedy in life is that the majority of people have accepted to be less than they were born to be and thus are accomplishing far less than their true inward capabilities.”

The even greater tragedy is that whole economies can be rendered stagnant if their civil societies fail to recognize that the current framework for the creation and adoption of global industry standards is Euro-centric.  Creativeness can be expressed in any shape, form or industry.  However in Ghana our fear of diversity and change is holding us back. Instead of encouraging our compatriots to innovate and embrace changes in society; which prove to inspire the maturity of Ghana-centric standards and technologies, (far superior to that of our imperial fathers), we choose to imitate the industry standard for ‘Africans’ and ‘Acting Black’ as defined by western media.

According to this Industry Standard, It is considered ‘White’ for a black person to annunciate their words properly.  It is considered cool for one black person to refer to another black person using derogatory terminology such as “Nigga”.  This same standard upholds the notion that if an African is given the chance to go abroad that they won’t return. It limits our heroes simply to Oprah, Obama and Jay Z and helps us to ignore as Africans the individuals that we meet each and every day who inspire us and drive success in our own realities.

We as Ghanaians need to quash the tide of insistence and unyielding obedience to which civil society is conforming to standards not positive to the endorsement of Africans as global innovators!

We as Africans need to wake up and sponsor black consciousness, thereby soothing the fears that catalyze conformity to the colonial ideals of what we can and cannot achieve!

We as a race need to hold ourselves to a higher standard!

“Beep your horn! Beep your horn! Ah…Y U tink u b in abroad!….My friend, dis is Ghana…Here, when  tro tro crosses u…u beep da horn….when a goat runs infront of ur wheels…u beep da horn….when you see ur friend b passin in da street…u beep da horn!”

My head is now spinning, with every beep I can feel my brain cells being abolished.  How did I wind up in this situation?…Couldn’t I have just learnt how to drive in the UK like everyone else?  My mind slipped away dreaming of a land where people only drove one way down a one way street…a land where it is a normality rather than a luxury to drive a car with working brakes merrily along a smoothly tarred road.  In an instant I am jutted back to my reality.  A woman proceeds to scrape the side of my car with her ‘big bummer’, weaving between the bangers on the road to sell a bag of freshly fried plantain chips to a passenger hanging out of the death trap immediately to my left.  I continued to wait patiently for an opening to squeeze my obnoxiously conspicuous fluorescent yellow driving school car into lane.  The beady eyes of the street hawkers pierce through my window, more ferociously than the Saharan sun, blinding me as I struggle to balance my GHC2 Osu sunglasses on my flat nose.  I feel my palms begin to sweat.  I am being judged by the driver of menacing silver SUV as it edges closer and closer to my rear.   I can almost hear his four wheel drive taunting my Tico with the threat of bullying us off the road and into the gutter.  

“Don’t let him pass!”  Screamed my driving instructor.  He started to bounce excitedly in his seat at the prospect of a faceoff.  “Beep ur horn 4 him 2 know dat we are here!”  It seemed like an odd request, ofcourse he knows that we are here, we were right infront of his car and he was staring right at us as he revved his engines ready to run us into the ground.  My driving instructor rolled down his window ready to display a perfect rendition of what he would describe as ‘defensive offensive driving’.

“Wa bo dam!! (Are you mad!!)….Or did da government build da road for u alone?” He began.  I could see the face of my burly opposition tighten as once again he edged his monster truck closer, nearly touching the paintwork of my car.  After turning to assure me that he had dealt with many a bad drivers in Accra, my instructor continued to aggravate the situation once again hurling a tirade of abusive slogans upon the other road users in my vicinity.

“A Space…Ders a Space….Move ur car ooooh!!!”  These instructions where imposed upon me from an unfamiliar voice.  I franticly scanned the traffic choked, litter ridden, dusty road ahead of me desperately searching for a space to slot my car in, out of the demolition path of the SUV.  But it eluded me.  “Oooh ho! Da small girl was too slow, she missed her chance.” Another random spectator added.  As he passed by my window a felt a nauseous whiff of his body odour and thanked my lucky stars not to be the person sitting next to him as he proceeded to flag down a 37 tro-tro and jump in. 

Still surrounded by an unyielding traffic my driving instructor now fiddled with the radio, attempting to overcome his boredom brought on by my driving (a fact which he felt comfortable to confirm vocally over and over again that even his grandma in the village drove faster than me).  I was now twenty-five minutes into my thirty minute driving lesson and had covered a distance of roughly eight hundred metres.  My instructor proceeded to fill out in his lesson plan to illustrate how he had successfully covered the all the essentials of Accra driving; the beeping of the horn (aggressively)…the changing of lanes (aggressively) and inflicting abuse on other road users (less aggressively… as it was more than likely that in the near future one would discover that the insulted party would infact turn out to be a close relative)….Check!

As I lowered myself down onto the half eroded ‘seat’ I felt an air of defiance  masking over the countenance of my chicken wielding , fish mongering, Circle bound via bush road tro tro companions.  Loaded to the brim with Ghana’s working masses the ‘bus’; which once upon a time may have passed for a mini van…. (Now sufficiently demised in it grandeur, after enduring one too many debauched body and engine lifts) started to bounce defiantly over the pot holes that plagued the road.  Not long into this routine rollercoaster the mate ceased from dangling his roughened body outside the window of the moving vehicle, instead preferring to utilise his nasal voice:

“Frontt!” He screamed, pestering those passengers sitting next to the driver to cough up their hard sought after Ghana Pesowas.

“Ahen?…(how much?)” Retorted back one man who towered menacingly over the mate as he squeezed to adjust himself into a more comfortable position wedged up against the gear stick.

“ε yε One Cedis!” The mate asserted.  His body language in an instant mimicking that of a hyena preparing to feed on its pray.

Upon hearing this, murmurs of rebellion hissed through the van.  The wave of descent built in momentum until the shrill voice of the woman sitting next to me was elevated above all others.

“εbei! One Cedis! For What? Mate Mi n pε saah!  ε yε seven five!”

The remaining commuters gestured to the mate in frantic agreement.  Myself included as I had taken the same bus only the day before and paid Seventy-five Ghana Pesowas pε!

The mates’ face was now etched with anger…He began to stutter out a bullyish argument insisting that the bush road fare was without a doubt standing at one new Ghana cedis.  He continued by suggesting that all those who thought otherwise should drop from the car immediately and fend for themselves in the middle of the nomadic treacherous bush road, finding other ways to reach their final destinations.  (A feat which of course would have proved impossible, as all the other busses which had passed us already were setting precedent for riding severely overloaded).

Then things started to get really interesting.  Democracy in action!  A citizens revolution led by one gangly weathered lady who stood up, removed a bundle from her back, finding space to park this big cheeked baby boy firmly on my lap and turned to address the bus.  In the familiar style of a in-traffic  roaming preacher she began by greeting her audience.

“Good morning…I greet you all….It has been said that it is a sin to do bad…..but it is even more of a sin to watch the actions of the wrongdoers and keep quiet.   The mate and his driver are cheating us!…Everyday i take this tro tro…just a few months ago it was 50pesowas…then they told us the road was bad so the price increased to 65pesowas….then the rains came and once again we were forced to pay 75pesowas…Now he is telling us to pay One whole Ghana cedis….and I am asking…for what!” 

The tro tro cheered in appreciation of her speech….All eyes were now poignantly fixed upon the mate…once again he dangled his body out of the car, a pretence masking his growing insecurities, attempting  to ignore the anarchy that was unfolding in his realm.

The lady now sat down and reclaimed what i believed to be her grandson, and another disgruntled passenger took up the baton.

“The air conditioned cars that leave from the saaaame station charge two cedis…if you make dis car one cedis i will rather save up and travel in style…besides those other passengers always look so happy!”

“Yes…dey look happy oooh… as if dey chop champagne 4 deir car!” a third rebel added.

The driver now sensing the futility of the mates efforts to collect the bus fare joined the debate.  He began by hurling a few derogatory insults at his mate for not being able to manage the passengers…(all animosity directed at tro tro mates are always warmly acknowledged, regardless of their context).  He then continued to win the crowd by expressing his condolences to those who were about to part with their final pesowas…confirming that the price was still at one cedis.   He subsequently blamed the increase in price on, firstly on the government; then assigned inflation to being ‘Gods Will’; and finally stated that the extra 25pesowas was infact going to be used to pay the vagrants whose occupation was to loiter at the station and help load various cars.

This final part incensed the crowd.

“Ah…so you’re trying to tell me dat my hard earned money is being used to pamper de pockets of those lazy boys!!!!” The woman to my right was once again spearheading the dissent.

“Why…has the price of Apeteshi doubled?” Another man quizzed the driver, extrapolating a common assumption that those proved so inadequate within society that they cannot even manage to unearth a job as a proper mate, settling instead to simply help load, were most definitely victims of alcohol abuse.

The tro tro fell silent.  Caught in a dignified stalemate.

“Fine den…If you won’t pay…I shall turn my bus around and go back to station!” Threatened the driver…we are all born equal, but in his mind some were more equal than others…and as he was the one driving…he had the power to call all the shots.  He sat unyielding in his chair chuffed to have asserted his authority on the situation, taking the continued silence as evidence of peoples realisation that if they wanted to get to work on time that they had no other choice but to submit to the demands of their oppressors.  The mate once again became alert, jingling his tattered purse full of small change in anticipation of receiving payment.

His merriment however was cut short when a voice catapulted from the back row; “Take us back then and let us settle the price with the station once and for all!”  The man to my left wearing an ill-fitted beige suit anxiously glanced at his watch, only to realise that it was already 8.45am and he was certain to be late for work regardless.  Although i spotted a few other frowns of uncertainty at this suggestion, the tro tro folk once again rallied together to fight for their rights as consumers, calling the bluff of the driver.   My knee hit a jagged piece of metal that jutted out from the side of my seat as the bus was violently motioned into a U-turn retracing its steps.

Back at Sakumono junction,  Kwaku  (the driver) who we had all by now familiarised ourselves with, cut the engine sharply.  Both he and the mate galloped off shadowed by the self-appointed tro tro spokespersons to engage in debate with the station management (who were perched leisurely on a wooden bench under a tree).  A few harsh words were exchanged before it was announced by a loud speaker, borrowed from the man selling de-worming potions, that the; “Circ…Bush Road..Circ…Bush Road” tro tro fare was now set at seventy-five pesowas.  A cheer erupted from the mouths of my fellow passengers.  Many of whom were now disembarking from the van, deciding that whatever urgent business they had to do in Circle could be reserved for another day.  The driver now returned to his seat, gifting the remainder of us with a large grin.

“Eh…you dis people ….u be too hard oooh!”

Larabanga Mosque the Oldest Building in Ghana

A furtive gravestone bathed in anonymity,

A secrecy accepted by guilt intrinsic to the make-up of our foundation.

Where are the empires and writings of antiquity?

Now we stand, exposed.

Parasites, subsiding on aid.

Ever afraid to ask for more than just grain.

It is a mystery our history

Ghana our new land or just a gift from “The Queen”?

Immaculate conception brought forth from the brains of Kwame Nkrumah.

The cradle of humanity here before Christopher Columbus and explorers of old?

Or did the Black face appear as the story was told…

Born for the slave ships? To pick cotton abroad,

Please detectives tell us the truth!  If the Pharaohs built the pyramids what was our roof?

 It is a mystery our history

An osmosis ended, stories too cryptic for Gold Coaster’s to retell,

Generations lost.

Absently fed new tales of coups, famine, democracy and mtv,

What of our chieftaincies, warriors and gold?

Are they freed from the culpability of our opulence?

Forgotten is their language replaced by lazy tongues and stagnant minds.

 It is a mystery our history

Obligations imposed upon the shoulders of the rehabilitated,

To fill the yawning crevice of our past.

Brighten the Black Star with flaming scores and inscriptions of our own impression,

Wash away an ignorance of thought that Africa is here to be bought!

To follow blindly is to abhor the suffering of those who wanted more,

What blooms in the future is the real mystery to be adulated by the preservation of one’s true history.

Boy 1: “Chale let me borrow ur phone oh”

Boy 2: “Y u b calling some girl?”

Boy 1: “Yeah Chale she b feelin my Swagga!”

Boy 2 hands over his the slim shiny silver microsized phone and immediately puffs out his chest when he notices that all his friends around are admiring the fact that he is rolling with the ‘Latest’ mobile in town.

Boy 1 swiftly dials in a number den lets da phone ring: ‘Ring Ring! Ring Ring!’… Then quickly before giving Akosia, Abena, or Akua the lucky feat of a third ‘Ring Ring,’ (defined by Ghanaian standards; as time enough to actually pick up the phone)… he hangs up.

Confused, Boy 2 asked: “Chale, y u flash am?”

Boy 1 retorts: “Chale, don’t b bluffin, between all of us here we have less than 20 pesowas credit!”

It is estimated that 16.3million Ghanaians out of a population flitting around 26million people are owners of at least one mobile phone.  It is a social norm however for an individual to posses at least two or three; one for each network provider, so as rational consumers we can benefit from every deal offering “A Wonderful World” to  “Express yourself”.

“Technology is rapidly changing Africa and at the forefront of the impact of that change is access to broadband Internet. Broadband would be to an economy in the 21st century what electricity was in the 19th century. Empirical evidence has established a correlation between broadband and gross domestic product (GDP) and the growth effects of telecommunications.” Eric M.K. Osiakwan www.thebftonline.com

The potential which the telecommunications industry has to add value to the lives of Ghanaians is enormous.  In terms of access to information, for example schools and universities being able to access online libraries….to increasing the availability of goods, through enabling projects such as ShopAfrica53, where someone sitting in Accra would be able to buy wares at the click of a button from a trader in a village near Bolgatanga…..to improving healthcare systems, with people being able to call to receive emergency medical care over the phone or dial emergency services from where ever they are.

I am definitely an advocator of anything that adds value to society but I think that perhaps our service providers are now starting to overstep the mark.  When I arrived in Ghana the whole country was yellow for MTN, then later a splash of purple and green of Zain was added to the mix.  Just recently I was informed that even one of the walls at the Elmina Slave Castle has been painted Vodafone red (slightly insensitive, plus we Ghanaians should refrain from engaging beacons of our national heritage in advertising campaigns).  However Ghana does need a good lick of paint.  I am growing weary of looking at houses that are suffering from neglect.  Without the incentive of free paint on offer from our telecoms giants, at present people only seem to paint their houses when there is a funeral!

I shall now propose that advertising campaigns up their game.  To paint someone’s home or fishing boat to promote a brand is one thing.  But what we Ghanaians really need is an investment in the community.  I want the telecoms industry to consider putting their paint to better use by embarking on projects such as that of the Firmenza Foundation.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with their campaigns they ” support the creation of striking artworks in unexpected places. It collaborates with local people to use art as a tool to inspire, create beauty, combat prejudice and attract attention.”  They have recently just painted some favelas in Rio de Janerio.  This project involved employing the inhabitants of a favela to paint their own houses according to a pre-arranged pattern. It turned their community into an artwork of epic scale and produced an explosion of colour, joyfully radiating into the world. Visible from the center of Rio, ‘O Morro’ it aims to draw attention to the city’s deplorable social situation, while instilling pride and joy in those at the bottom of the social hierarchy.

Favela Painting in Brazil

David Saccoh Wright, Sierra Leonean in NY commented that:

“They say…”behind every successful man, there is a wise woman”. So, here we are talking about African Presidents. How successful are we under their leadership? Apart from being corrupt, they have failed to re-energize the productive capacity of the African people and provide them with the most basic necessities for their survival and livelihoods. Instead they provide jobs for their immediate families. They buy homes overseas, steal and invest oversees, and worst of all, save stolen money in foreign banks. As they have failed to invest in health and education for their people, they send their kids to schools oversees, while the ordinary citizen suffers and dies due to hunger and poverty. They attempt to change constitutions so that they stay in power and continue to exploit the natural resources of the land. Next to him is his wife, who is supposed to be more compassionate and motherly, Right? No! They are even more wicked as they condone, encourage and support their greedy husbands. A good woman would never stand behind a tyrant who only seeks the good will of his immediate family, when he is in a position of responsibility for all the people of the land. I have no respect for them and would not even shake their hands. Go ahead, enrich yourselves and steal the people’s wealth. The time will come when you will all pay for your evil ways…..in the meantime, Yes, you are wise for standing next to a thief and benefitting in the process. Enjoy while it lasts…..”

On the Other Hand…Ken Katuma, Lilongwe, Malawi rejoiced for the work done by his first lady suggesting that;

“We are so lucky to have Madame Calista as first lady in Malawi. She is so strong and courageous. I recall when she was the Minister of Tourism, she served the country with much dedication and then in the parliament, the opposition was so hostile and destructive but she was among the few women who could stand firm and bring constructive ideas. We love you our madam. We wish you long life….”

Zambia’s Thandiwe Banda is a firm advocator of the creation of a special office or post to facilitate and enable first ladies all over the world to carry out their hearts desires in the arena of philanthropic activities.  I suggest that first ladies do not have any right to demand recognition for the fact that they may (or may not) have struck it lucky by managing to marry a President.  However I do believe that they are in a position to exert a significant influence over how the country is run and can prove to be strong positive role models in African society (which more often than not strives to lessen the achievements of formidable women).  If capable a woman in this position should not abuse her privilege by squandering the countries money during frivolous shopping trips to Europe.  Neither should she participate in actions which publically undermine the basic principles of women’s rights, such as allowing herself to become Jacob Zuma’s 7^th or 8^th wife.  If they crave power they should attain adequate qualifications and sufficient respect to run as an entity in their own right (preferably not at the same time as their husband is in power) for office such as Hillary Clinton. 

Although I would like to describe myself as an idealist…at times one has to be practical and accept reality…in the future if I happen to find myself married to the President, it would be almost impossible to stop me from planting ideas into his head, in order to fulfil personal feats.  Therefore I propose that the role of the First Lady should be to adjust her priorities, aligning them with long term developmental and humanitarian objectives for the betterment of her nation.  In other words she should refine her pillow talk to;

 “Darling let’s not empty the coffers this Christmas to fund our shopping trip to Italy…Why don’t we build a hospital to support the impoverished community in Sodom and Gomorrah instead?…Please Darling wouldn’t that be nice!”

In light of the number of atrocities that African first ladies have either witness and kept quiet over, or have actively supported and participated in; those of us in Ghana here can sleep easy in the merriment that our First Lady has even less of an interest over the political  and economic direction of our beloved nation than her husband (which is a pretty difficult feat).  Instead she prefers to spend her time with her dogs (Tandy, Max, Candy & Sweetie Pie), not worrying about the activities of the president or the needs of the country. (Pheeeeeew, God Bless our Homeland Ghana!)

Here’s a Few of my Favourite Ernestina Quotes:

“I talk to my dogs as I would to other Human Beings and they understand me.”

 “Did you know that some Plants are Poisoness?”

“The birds in my garden have very powerful voices”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8685438.stm

Have any of you heard of the term good governance?  For those sitting in the Ghana Ministries I shall now take the time to define it, as it is evident that such a concept has proved foreign to you.  In my mind good governance involves the effective management and allocation or scarce resources; the development and implementation of a vision to direct the future of a country so as to achieve its full potential; where necessary to provide frameworks supporting the growth of industries and commerce, and to establish successful public welfare systems. 

So why do I have such little faith in the competence of those directing our future at present?  I shall tell you.  Today it was revealed that the government of Ghana spent a total of $15million on the 2010 world cup.  Not only was this a gross overspending, of an already ridiculous initial budget of GHC18million. It does seem slightly suspicious that we are being told the same old story that; the money we won is “finished!”.  Or is it just a coincidence that we nearly spent to the penny of what we earned. Of this $15million, $4.5million was used to cover the cost of the 1,500 Ghanaian supporters who were gifted a free holiday to South Africa to cheer on our valiant Black Stars. 

“Touching on the decision to send supporters to South Africa for the World Cup, Sena Dansua defended the decision of the government adding that “it was not a waste of resources”. She said though the direct benefits might not come with immediate effects, the nation stands to gain immensely as well as benefit in the near future, due to the exposure the nation had at the competition. She however conceded that there were some hiccups in the organisation of the event, “but they were blown out of proportion”, she added.” http://ghanaweb.com/

Here in Ghana, although it is a beautiful nation, we are screaming to be freed from the ignorance of our leaders and the shackles of poverty.  Only 45% of  households in Accra have access to running water.  60% of the population live in slums and unsanitary areas.  Our children are going to school without so much as a pen in their pocket.  Instead of the government proritising and using the little money that we have on investing in projects to raise the living standards of the masses and on long term developmental objectives.  We squabble over what has already been spent and then spend more than we have on superfluous endeavors.

 All in all…What we need is simple

We the people want to know how much money we have…

We the people want to believe that those in power are spending with the best interest of the nation in mind…

We the people want transparent methods to evaluate how our money is being spent…

We the people want those who make jest with the allocation of our scarce resources to be questioned and publicly held accountable for their errors!

How much does happiness cost? Is it worth more if born out of turmoil?  Does it glisten like gold?  Is money happiness?  Can happiness bring money?  When wondering nomadic and starving can one be blessed with the happiest of moments?  Or is the smile on the face of a pauper simply a mirage to appease the excessively rich and justify gluttony?

What does happiness bring? Do we work to be happy? Or are we happy to work?  Does a career bring more happiness than just a job?  Does doing what makes us happy enable us to live a fulfilling life?  Or do we have to have lived a life of sorrow, hardship and pain before we can be equipped with the attributes to do what makes us happy?  Does happiness bring us pride and sense of accomplishment?  Or is it instead what we wear as a mask to disguise confusion and fear?

Can you share happiness?  Is it a sin for one to smile in the face of someone else’s misery?  Can a  cheerful father and a gloomy mother run a happy household?  Can someone who is sad give advice on how to attain happiness?  Can someone who is happy give advice on how to leapfrog the sad?

Is there a time for happiness?  Is it wrong to put happiness today on hold, instead preferring to wait for a promised happiness tomorrow?  What happens if tomorrow never comes?  Or if tomorrow brings nothing but sad?  Do you value it when other people are happy on your behalf?  Or do you drown in the loneliness of your distress?  The right to pursuit happiness is the most basic of necessities…But If you don’t catch it yourself can someone else catch it for you?

My mind is then set into action trawling through memories from the past year, those of;

Paddling my hand carved wooden canoe, through crocodile infested marshlands on my way to the strikingly isolated Nzulezu village on stilts.

Village on stilts

Bushwhacking Kakum’s thick West African tropical rainforests, tip toeing across the seven oscillation bamboo bridges connecting the tree tops of some of Ghana’s most menacingly tall trees.

Kakum National Park

Meandering mesmerised along the hypnotic beaches in the Western region – Axim & Busua, spotting endangered Green Turtles suspended in the crystal clear water.

Axim Beach

Watching fishermen dispatch their nets from flat wooden plank boats, into the mysterious meteorite impact crater at Lake Bosumtwi, the resting place of the Ashanti souls.

Fisherman in Lake Bosumtwi

Dancing with the jollof rice hawker on the first Saturday of September, in the streets of Cape Coast during the Oguaaa Fetu Afahye festival – gawking at the host of Fante Chiefs, who paraded around town protected by the might and grandeur of their intricately designed umbrellas.

Chief in his Palanquin

Allowing myself to be beaten by the tirade of water flowing from the gut of Wli – West Africa’s tallest waterfall, shooting 80metres into the Volta region skies.

Paragliding off the Kwahwu mountains, touching clouds, soaring higher and faster than the most talented of aerial predators at their five day Easter fête.

Landing my Paraglide

If all this isn’t enough for adrenaline junkies planning on “Doing Africa”… I also suggest that they try Ghana’s version of Alton Towers;

“There’s something for the whole family, with tons of terrific rides, amazing live shows and weird and wonderful costume characters.  Guests of all ages will enjoy an abundance of fabulous, fun-packed activities – you can scream, let of steam, ride and slide” www.altontowers.com

Bush Road - Ghana's Number 1 Amusement Park

Basically I recommend that they travel tro tro style braving the gauntlet (that of Ghana roads…a true testimony to our dedication and support of tourism and commerce)…One has the option of facing their Nemesis on the Bush road connecting Spintex with the Beach road…or experience zero gravity as you swing up and down on the Achimota road (the stretch connecting Pokuase with the rest of the world, nine years and counting – a road that even Indiana Jones himself would find difficult to cross).  Inflight entertainment includes the roaming pastor, who hitches a ride to any destination which screeching  Genesis to Psalm 125 will buy him a seat…Or the dodgy mate veering out the door of the speeding boneshaker whilst simultaneously trying to do a Suarez with your change! 

….its Unimaginable…its Incomparable….its Unforgettable…its Ghanarama!

Kind Regards

The People of the Republic of Ghana

So much has happened in a week…Even more has happened in this last month….but it has all led to the final held earlier this evening between the Netherlands and Spain.  The final of what can be herald as one of the greatest world cups of all time.  Neither the Dutch or the Spanish had ever won the world cup before.  Only West Germany back in 1974 had ever managed to hold the title of both World and European Champions.  At this point in time it is almost difficult believe that the Spanish lost their opening game to the yodelling Swiss!  It has truly proved to be a world cup of wonders…with France, Italy, England, Brazil and Argentina all failing to live up to their expectations…it left room for others to shine.  Most of all that of Diego Forlan who has been named as the Best Player in this world cup (winning the golden ball).

Although the final in my opinion was anything but a classic…thirteen yellow cards and one red between twenty two players without a doubt significantly hindered the flow of the game.  The Spanish were arguably the better team on the night even though the Dutch still managed to string together a number of clear cut chances to win the tournament.  Iniesta proved the hero when his efforts saved the Spanish from a penalty shootout and rewarded them with a goal just a mere four minutes till the close of extra time.

In the presence of Nelson Mandela…watched by the whole world…and showered with a magnificent elaborate array of fireworks I present to you Spain as FIFA WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS 2010!

World Cup Champions

Today Ghana welcomed back her BlackStars with open arms by throwing a parade and concert at Independence square, where each valiant warrior was bathed with well wishes and cheers to cushion the blow and wash away any loitering traumas from our showdown with Uruguay.  Ofcourse we here in Ghana knew that Uruguay were not going to enjoy their victory over the Blackstars for long (or should I say Forlan)!

Today as I made my way into central Accra in every corner people were huddled together, plotting and debating the score of this evenings Semi final match between the villains of South America and the Netherlands.

“Oh how I wish Uruguay were to face the Germans!” I heard one man confess…”The Germans would score them at least 4-0”  The crowd around all clicked their tongues in agreement.

“Don’t worry maybe the Dutch will score some last minute Hand of God goal!” Another man added

“Yes…Let them feel our pain…Maybe Forlan go 4 miss penalty!”

As more people joined in to add their version of innovative and painful ways for Uruguay to get knocked out of the world cup. It actually dawned on me that Ghana had been only two games away from being in the world cup final (A reality I hope to experience one day in the imminent future).  Back to reality…I was sitting at my desk…My mind wandering to dream of John Mensah lifting the world cup trophy for Ghana…imagining the anarchic jubilations that would ripple throughout Africa in such an event.

So when Van Bronkhorst struck one of the best goals to have been slammed into the back of the net in this 2010 world cup to take the men in Orange into the lead, I felt strangely appeased.  However as the clock ticked to half time one could feel a creeping sense that Uruguay may pull one back as the Dutch were starting to slow in their step. And just as predicted…Diego Forlan and that foot of his found an inch of space to score…Once again he had single handily brought his side back in the game.  During the break Ghana was silence.  We waited.  We dreamed. We hoped.  Hoped for the Dutch to find their form.  One of the joys…to support a team in which everyone and anyone can score…So when Van Persie, then Robben followed adding two more goals to the scoreline I knew that they had just bought their ticket to the final.  Even though Uruguay did manage to pull one back in extra time as the referee took forever to blow for full time (I think he needs a new watch), It was to be an All Orange victory!

At this point I shall predict a Dutch v Deutsche Final…A fitting showdown for such an exhilarating world cup…However I’m sure that David Villa will not agree…So we shall see if Spain are ready to rumble in the jungle.

Forlan & His Men..Down & Out

]]> http://valerielabi.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/bye-bye-uruguay-you-just-got-van-hammered/feed/ 0 valerielabi netherlandspost-matchceleb20100706_576x324 _48274804_uruguaysad_ap http://valerielabi.wordpress.com/2010/07/03/black-stars-the-pride-pain-%e2%80%93-world-cup-day-22/ http://valerielabi.wordpress.com/2010/07/03/black-stars-the-pride-pain-%e2%80%93-world-cup-day-22/#comments Sat, 03 Jul 2010 10:35:25 +0000 valerielabi http://valerielabi.wordpress.com/?p=322 ]]> Well where do I begin?  Ghana Land of Freedom and Justice yesterday evening was a thriving cistern of activity…with roads blocked off….big screens setup…live bands playing….flags waving…vuvuzelas blowing…I once again adorned myself in red, gold and green…and like the rest of my fellow countrymen, prepared for the battle that was to be had.  Forlan, Suarez and the rest of the 3 million population of Uruguay were the target.  To score one more goal than our adversary was the aim.  To play Netherlands in the Semi-finals of this 2010 world cup was to be the ultimate reward!  But nothing could have sufficiently prepared us for the match that was about to pass. 

From the kick off one could feel that, “Yes!” the Black Stars had come out to fight…We had possession…We pressed the Uruguans to retreat…We fired shot after shot at the South Americans….Until finally…(A Lethal Bizzle…”Pow!”)…Sulley Muntari smashed his strike into the back of the net.  The crowd erupted.  1-0! Ghana was winning 1-0!  Within seconds of this joyous event the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half. 

In the interim half time break I, like most other Ghanaians in the world broke out my best dance moves…At that point we were ahead of the game, leading in the Quater final of a world cup.  It was even difficult to believe…But the best way to express it was to move my body to the beat of “Aha Ye Do” and blow my vuvuzela accordingly.  My mind drifted back to the half time break in the USA game and I fondly recalled the excitement that echoed around the stadium in Rustenburg and could only imagine what  merriments where going down in Soccer City (Joberg).

The players return to the pitch, the crowd like the players once again regained their focus.  A free kick for Uruguay.  Forlan stood menacingly over the infamous Jumbalani ball.  He executed his strike with composed prowess that was like a dagger to my heart.  The ball bulleted passed Ghana’s last line of defence and eluded our keeper, Kingston.  The score was now level. 1-1 in the 55^th minute of the game.

What was to come next…is even painful for me to write about.  Although Uruguay equalising was a shock, the Black Stars continued to thread together intricate passes and press for a winning goal.  A goal which should have come in the dying minutes of extra time…That was until Luis Suarez handled the ball on the goal line, pushing out with his palms the goal that was destined to take Ghana into the Semi-finals.  A red card and a penalty kick then followed.  Gyan our most trusted penalty taker put the ball on the spot and 3-2-1 and bamm!…he sent the ball crashing against the bar…and out.  He had missed in the last kick off the game.  We however had already started celebrating our elevation to the next round at the exact that moment Gyan struck the ball….so it wasn’t until the people closest to the screen began to drop down stunned into their seats that we realised that the score was infact still 1-1….and that we were infact heading to a penalty shoot out.  Ghana was whipped with the crack of silence.  As I looked around I could see people looking to the heavens for assistance.

Gyan atoned himself and put any doubts to one side when he hit a brilliant penalty kick to open the score for Ghana.  The Uruguans’ smashed their subsequent penalties home.  Then John Mensah…stepped up as Captain of the Black Stars….A Miss….I felt the game slipping out of our grasp.  Then another gift was thrown at us in the form of a miss kick by Uruguay.  If we scored the next penalty we would be level…..That was not to be the case…Another missed penalty by Ghana and we were out.

After the game, Suarez instead of feeling ashamed of his cheating actions announced that Maradona’s Hand of God goal in the 1986 World Cup no longer holds the divine title:

“It was worth it to be sent off in this way. It was complicated and tough. We suffered to the end but the hand of God, it’s mine now.”

I would like to take this moment to say…that football although it is just a game…international football is about much more….It is about drive…honour….and pride.  I am proud to be a Ghanaian.  I felt the drive and the passion that the Black Stars assigned to each kick and every tackle for 90minutes and beyond.  I feel honoured that the Black Stars played with an integrity of purpose. An integrity that obviously eluded Luis Suarez.  I am proud that my Black Stars had the strength of character to give everything for their country.   Although our world cup has come to an end I shall remember this 2010 African Affair till the end of my days.  And I now zealously await our return to glory in the next world cup Brazil 2014!!!

Remember...Cheating Never Pays...What Goes Around Comes Around!!

In the final few matches in the round of 16 the Slovak’s faced Netherlands.  The Eastern Europeans had so far experienced a delightful world cup after knocking out the current world champions of Italy.  In the first international tournament which this country had enter (as previously was part of Czechoslovakia) they had already exceeded all expectations.  However against the Dutch this was not to be the case.  Slovakia was pressed from the start and I can honestly say at no point in the game did they look as if they were going to be able to conquer the orange army.  In the 93^rd minute it looked like their world cup dreams were over, as the Netherlands were winning 2-0.  That was until last minute drama and the Slovakian’s were awarded a penalty.  In that moment as one looked around the stadium it was possible to see the hopes and dreams of the Slovak’s reignite!  Everyone was calculating if they score now…they could possibly have a few more minutes to pull back an equaliser…..In a world cup of wonders anything is feasible.  Then… BAMM!! The ball was in the back of the Netherlands net.  Excitement intensified as Vittek ran to collect the ball to rush the game into play once again. Referee blows his whistle…The last kick of the game was to be a goal…dramatic…but meaningless… just enough to send the Slovakian boys home.

For Paraguay the last kick of the game could not have had any more of a contrasting significance.  In their 0-0 tie with Japan the game hurtled towards penalty kicks as it did not seem that either side was going to be able to break the deadlock.  Kick after Kick these two teams who in my eyes had fought equally as valiantly were still tied.  That was until Komano’s miss proved devisive.  In the last kick of the game Paraguay had to score to ensure that they sent the Asian Tigers home.  A task which was executed in the coolest of manners, sending Paraguay into the next round to face Spain (since they knocked out Ronaldo and his boys)!

The Quater-finals is set to provide some exciting matches.  Netherlands v Brazil, Ghana V Uruguay, Germany v Argentina, Paraguay v Spain!  The most outstanding players of the tournament so far has been; Villa (Spain), Tevez (Argentina), Ayew (Ghana) and I look forward to seeing more of their majesty in the coming rounds.  Now my time in South Africa is coming to an end.  I shall watch these games back in the hustle and bustle of Accra. 

Before I leave I want to thank South Africa for being such great hosts.  You have been the stars of the continent and have put Africa on the map.  It is a beautiful country on a beautiful continent.  And now the whole world has seen it with their own eyes.

Ayoba!!

 “Awful England” can offer “no defence”

“Ref…U should’ve gone to Specsavers!”

The debate for video technology to be introduced to the game of football has once again been ignited, after a pitiful decision by the referee denied England an equalising goal, as they trailed 2-1 behind Germany.  Although the ball clearly crossed the line the quick action of the German keeper in scooping it out of the goal before the officials could say ‘Bobs your Uncle’, prevented the linesman from flagging for the correct decision.  A goal or not a goal…Such debates should not be happening at this level of international football…Lampard amongst others have blamed this disallowed equaliser suggesting that it was the point of no return for England. 

So more heartbreak for English fans.  2010 is not to be the year to emulate the glory of 1966.  To be honest the Golden Boys of the premiership had a pitiful display at this world cup.  Players like Rooney and Gerrad just did not seem to want it enough.  The boys just could not seem to fuse together any semblance of intelligent football.  England’s back line hosted Grand Canyon like crevices which allowed the Germans to weave a web of intricate passes around tormenting the team and the nation.  “Dont mention the Score”…. 4-1 really did not do justice to the German prowess, as I feel they could have belted home a few more before the final whistle.

Back to the drawing board for Capello.  Despite calls of “FabiGo!” the players seem behind their manager to stay.  Up until yesterday’s came I felt that Capello had done the best he could with a bad bunch…That was until England were in desperate need of three goals and he substituted Defoe for Heskey!!!!!  At that point it was obvious that England were Dead and Buried.  Germany now face Maradona and  his boys in what is set to be an exhilarating game of brute force,  astounding skills and preposterous goals.

 Click to view slideshow.

The Power…the Finesse…The  Dedication…The Teamwork….The Skills…The Goals….And The Glory!!

“1 Black Star of Africa defeats the 50 Stars of America!”

The road to Rustenburg has not been plain sailing for the Black Stars; a win against Serbia, a draw against the Socceroos, and a loss to Ze Germans, all led to a head to head with the USA.  In the car on the way up my Ghana companions and I (plus 1 adopted South African) had the highlife pumping…the flag flying and the vuvuzelas blowing.  Each time we stopped in traffic we were paraded with shouts of support from our South African hosts and other nationalities round and about in town who were all like us praying for Ghana to triumph.  Even on the bus in the park and ride the well wishes and chants for Ghana were deafining…(regardless of the fact that we were the minority to swarms of American supporters).

“Its good to be a Ghanaian” boasted the flag waving supporter a few seats away as Kevin Prince Boateng silenced the Americans with his outstanding bullet strike in the 5th minute which gave Ghana the lead in the early stages of the game.  A boisterous chorus of “Ah ye De!” erupted around the stadium as the Black Stars continued impose their dominance on the game.  By half time I had lost my voice as it was working overtime during the first 45minutes due to pure the euphoria we African fans were expressing.

 62minutes – A “Weapon of Mass Destruction” was unleashed on Ghana in the form of a penalty kick in favour of the Americans.  Donovan slammed his penalty passed Kingston.  And the Star Spangle Banner once again rang out.  The next 20 minutes was nerve wracking, the USA started to gain control of the ball, as the Ghana midfield was beginning to show signs of wear and tear.  Then to the rescue…on came Appiah, his presence on the field cemented the cracks that were starting to show and Ghana continued to grow from strength to strength.

90minutes – Extra time and all to play for.  Gyan fought his way past two American defenders breaking the 1 goal barrier to which has haunted Ghanaian football for the last 12 international games and his finish was emphatic!  His strike hit the back of the net with such vigour and insistence which encapsulated the mood to which our Black Stars had played every minute of this last 16match.  It was a moment that shall go down in the history of our nation.  One of pride and victory.  I would like to thank the boys for their efforts and pray that they can replicate such majesty against Uruguay in the Quater Finals!  We are now only two wins away from the final and I hold firm in my belief that this 2010 world cup has been brought to Africa and it is here to stay!!!! 

 U.S. coach Bob Bradley lamented his side’s failure to match their opponents’ strength.

“I thought at 1-1 we had a chance, but we didn’t have enough freshness against all of Ghana’s power,”. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/football/06/26/world.cup.usa.ghana.report/index.html?fbid=eblSeVe-guH

“on the count of three I shall jump and end my pitiful life”….

So he began counting aloud….One…Two….Two and a Half….At that moment another man jumped out from the bushes and hurriedly picked up the tramps discarded shirt…”I haven’t had a new shirt in ages!” he declared jovially…

In haste the tramp recognized his stupidity and clambered back down the tree to reclaim his shirt.  He realised that it is not what you have that defines the value of your life….rather it is how one utilises his or her resources…the appreciation of ones worth and the acceptance that there are always going to be people who are better off….also but the acknowledgement and sensitivity to the fact that there also people alot worse off….. the determination not to give up but to continually seek to improve whatever situation one finds themselves is the key to success.

This resolve and vision to improve one’s own situation is a message that is core to the principles of Black Consciousness as preached by leaders of youth movements in Soweto during the 70s.  I spent my day today in Soweto…One of South Africa’s most notorious townships…Where the struggle against the draconian rules of Apartheid began…I read the stories as displayed at the Hector Pieterson Memorial Museum, of children, some of them as young as eight years old who were machine gunned down during the Soweto uprising.  I saw the houses of Nelson Mandela and his close neighbour Archbishop Desmond Tutu the focal points of many civil society movements.

Due to the efforts of the grassroots movements in Soweto, those suffering from similar oppressions in townships all over the nation were also inspired to uprise against injustice.  Such actions started the ball rolling to the end of apartheid.  Soweto today is a far cry from the township in which Mandela grew up.  In my opinion it is a much more economically vibrant region even to that of some West African capital cities such as Lome in Togo.  The world cup has meant that large infrastructure projects are being implemented in this area…Not only was a new state of the art stadium built, the potholes have been eradicated and a much needed low cost public transport system is nearly complete.  For recreation, one can even go bungee jumping from the top of Soweto’s notorious “Twin Towers”.  The government is also continuing and dedicated to the process of providing free housing upgrading  the quality of life of those otherwise living in corrugated metal houses and squatter-like situations.

However, regardless of my tour guide proudly pointing out to me the first black owned mall complex in the centre of Soweto, there is still a long way to go before black South African’s will step out of the shadows left by the legacy of Apartheid.  It seems that nearly 30 decades on from the uprisings, that the standard of state education (mostly subscribed to by the black population) is not that much better than it was in the 1970s.  Society is still very much segregated with black people, “coloured” people and white people living in clearly defined areas of each city.  Although opportunities of the black population living in the poorest of townships has not blossomed sufficiently I believe that the aspirations of such peoples are ever rising.  The social movements of the 70s have had a lasting significance on the mind-set of future generations, but one must remember that such revolutions were just the beginning and they still need to continue and evolve addressing the social issues of present day. 

‘The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.’   Steve Biko

USA’s Injury Time Sensation!

France’s…Je ne sais quoi?

Ghana Champions of the African Game!

In a tournament which has failed to alight the footballing prowess of the African Nations.  Ghana has once again taken the aspirations of the whole continent on her shoulders, with our boys being the only African nation to progress to the last 16.  In the true spirit of the “Rainbow Nation” Africans regardless of creed or colour now stand as one, behind the endeavours of the Black Stars.  Praying, dancing, singing and vuvuzela blowing their well wishes in the direction of Ghana’s imminent face off with the USA.  It was also interesting to see in the Ghana v Germany game the head to head between the two Boateng brothers who had each decided to play for opposing countries.  This illustrates how the game of football is changing with the definition of nationality as people now can freely choose to associate themselves with more than one nation.  Although my Black Stars have still failed to score in the competition without the aid of a penalty, concrete perfrmances by Andre Ayew and John Mensah to name but a few have carried the team to glory.  I am sure that we shall break our goal drought in this next game and relish the opportunity to smash Obama’s boys.

Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole, I thanks whatever gods may be, for my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of fate, my head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears, looms but the horror of the shade, and yet, the menace of the years finds, and shall find me, unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishment the scroll, I am the master of my fate – I am the captain of my soul.  A poem that Inspired Nelson Mandela to overcome all difficulties when staring in the face of adversity.

Ghanaians @ Germany Game

Table Mountain Cape Town (View from the Pub)Yeah!!!

Yeah!!!

Cape Town….Absolutely incredible….From the moment one steps out of the airport and presented is with the majestic backdrop of Table Mountain to first sight of the astonishing Victoria and Albert waterfront.  This city is a culmination of my three favourite places….It has the vibrancy of Rio, the infrastructure and skyline of New York, and the cultural significance of a new London.

Yesterday was a most important day…As the nation of South Africa prepared to dispatch their Bafana Bafana team into battle against the French (World Cup 2006 finalists).  Town had the feel of a national holiday…or Nottinghill carnival as people of all nations and walks of life drowned themselves in green and yellow and disappeared early from work, in an attempt to find a front row spot to watch the match. 

I was lucky enough to be taken to the hottest spot in town by a business associate in Cape Town.  A meat feast called Mozeli’s….Notorious for putting on an exquisite traditional Brai (grilled meat of all kinds…from lamb chops to goat tongue)!  This hub was to be located deep into the heart of one of Cape Town’s infamous townships…that of Guguleto. The townships can be described as beautifully saddening (as it has a charisma that cannot be emulated anywhere else in the city). 

Townships are settlements around most of South Africa’s major cities which were effectively established under the Apartheid regime as ghettos for the city’s black population. They haven’t changed much over the years. Buildings made entirely of wooden palettes and sheets of corrugated iron are the norm, linked by networks of dusty streets and communal washing lines.

The front of the pub resembled a butchers, with fresh steaks and mounds of unidentifiable slabs of meat protruding out from under the counter.  I was then informed that you have to point at the meat you want, after which they hand you this bucket filled with your raw chops…you pay at the counter….then have to hustle your way through the wall of other hungry customers and convince the guy infront of the log fuelled grill to chuck your meat on the fire.  Only after this was achieved did I exit the kitchen discovering a large garage like area, where I efficiently located the bar and an array of tv screens.

The French team had had a dreadful world cup so far and it was further exacerbated when Bafana Bafana smashed home two goals in the first 45 minutes.  The orchestra of vuvuzelas that were blown into my ears I am sure have left permanent damage to my internal organs.  The dance moves that were displayed by my newly adopted Bafana family looked like they were straight out of a Missy Elliot video!  At half time the air in the township was electric even considering the score at this point in the Mexico v Uruguay game was 0-0.  All South Africa needed was just one more goal to qualify for the next round.  With the whistle for the second half South Africa received a few blows….A series of near misses and a spiteful French goal….News that Uruguay was beating Mexico 1-0 once again lifted the crowd to urge their team to capitalise on their chances.  But in the end their efforts did not manage to provide the much needed win by at least 3 goals.  The fans however were by any means despondent and continued to celebrate into the early hours of the morning.

Although South Africa now holds the record of being the first hosts to go out of the world cup in the group stages, the Bafana boys fought valiantly against the French and can leave the competition with their heads held high.  The French on the other hand shall now return home to face a hostile rabble, which I am sure are waiting to see a few heads roll after such a indisciplined and disgraceful world cup performance.

Sandton - A little bit of Downtown Johannesburg

Nelson Mandela's Statue in His Square

 Today after an eventful morning in which my tickets to the Spain v Honduras match where pickpocketed!…. I decided to do the next best thing to watching the match in the stadium….Instead I paid a visit Nelson Mandela’s square in the heart of Sandton one of the most affluent areas of the city, which not only hosts an array of exquisite boutiques, it has also been transformed into the hub of football fans who have flown to South Africa from all over the world.  As I pulled up a chair next to a table of jovial Brazilian fans i heard one of them announce proudly that;

“Our win was just the first step to restoring order in this world cup!”

You see…Serbia beating Germany was something, Switzerland beating Spain was something else…New Zealand (ranked 78^th in the world) scoring first, as well as holding the reigning world champions (the Italian Stalions) to a 1-1 draw proved to shatter perceptions in the footballing world.  At the start of yesterday it seemed that Europe’s established footballing nations…The Germans, French, Spanish, English and the Italians were all struggling to find form in one way or another.

After pondering over his statement for a moment, It dawned on me that he was infact referring to Brazils 3-1 defeat over the Cote D’Ivoire.  Not long after that the final whistle blew on the most scintillating world cup game to date, notably Portugal’s 7-0 demolition of North Korea.  The atmosphere in the square continued to escalate when the South Americans (Chile) slotted one goal past the ten men of Switzerland (ending their run of glory).  In just a mere 24 hours it seemed that the underdogs were now falling allowing the favourites to return to form in superlative style. 

The last game of the day was that of Spain v Honduras at Elis Park.  In the build up to the game, I spotted pockets of hopeful Honduras fans, each praying to emulate a Serbian style upset.  However this was not to be the case.  Although Spain did not butcher their opponents in the same manner as the Portuguese, the score line of 2-0 does not adequately represent the number of chances to which Torres and his band of brothers had to absolutely burry the Hondurans.  Danny Alves in particular I am sure will regret missing out on his hatric when he shot his penalty wide of the post.

I think that order does not need to be restored in terms of the “traditionally acclaimed footballing nations” dominating those from fresher corners of the earth.  I would like to suggest however that the real area in which some sort of regulation needs to occur is that on the referees.  There seem to have been so many controversial decisions have been made by the officials since the kick off of this tournament.  I think one too many red cards…Too many missed handballs….Wrong calls on offside goals…Inconsistencies in reprimanding players for fouls commited.  I could  go on and on.  I think that if Fifa does not restore order within the ranks of the game officials that this shall taint the quality of football that is being played and may distort the true results of which team deserves to be crowed as the “Best in the World!”

Tomorrow I am off to Cape Town….So let us see what excitement is in store for me in another one of SA’s signature cities

Ghana Fan :p

The atmosphere in the stadium yesterday was once again electric with the commotion of vuvuzelas and drumming from both the Africans and the few aborigines’ that could be spotted. However the composition of the crowd had very much changed to that of the Ghana v Serbia game, in which we were the overwhelming majority. I felt against Australia that the Black Stars first battle was to overcome the hostile reception of the Socceroo fans. In what was a stadium with a fan count over 34,000 people, from what I could see there were probably only around 2000 Africans out of which only around 1000 were actual Ghanaians!

Although the match began in a relatively jovial manner, when the Australians found the back of the net i had this horrible feeling that Ghana was going to further add to the woes of Africa’s world cup. That was until we were gifted yet another penalty from a handball in the box, from a foul commited by Australia’s Harry Kewel. Without hestitation Gyan stepped up and executed his second fireball penalty to bring Ghana square.

With over 60 minutes left of the game and the Black Stars facing only ten men I was sure that they were going to pull off a magnificent win and be only the second country in the competition to qualify for the knock-out stages. However there proved to be a gaping crevice between my dreams and that of reality. For the rest of the game our players lacked every essence of creative flair in the final third of the pitch and preferred to adopt an ill-directed shot and pray approach. In the end the Australian team fought valiantly to hold us in a 1-1 draw and in the last tem minutes of the game threw on all the tall players they could find in a final attempt to score an aerial goal winning all the long balls to be had on the field. Now Ghana must beat Germany to secure without a doubt their place in the next round….But if Serbia can do it I don’t see why we can’t follow in their footsteps.

Today around the world people shall wake up and celebrate fathers day. They shall thank, rejoice and appreciate the influence to which their fathers have had on their lives. I want to take this opportunity to thank my father. My passion for football and the world cup developed from a little seedling that was nurtured in the afternoons to which we’ve spent together watching Arsenal in the pub. Furthermore my acumen for writing developed from the daily exercise to which he instilled in me when I was just four years old of writing my diary everyday. As we took this journey down to South Africa I feel blessed to have him as my travel buddy and am looking forward to the many more matches that we have to watch and debate over together.

 “Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad”

My Dad...Man of the Match!

Well, were do I begin…I think I shall address the  intensifying competition in group D…After the German machine pulled out all the stops annihilating Australia 4-0 in their opening game, the world believed them to be invincible.  However this envied mechanism was quick to rust under the harsh conditions to which Serbia threw at them.  In a match brimming with controversy the world first witnessed Miroslav Klose ,the prior golden boot winner sent off after receiving two yellow cards in quick succession.  Then Serbia brought the ten man Germany to their knees after the 35 minute match winning volley by Milan Jovanovic was sent crashing into the back of the net.    Just when we thought it was all over Germany were flashed a get out of jail free card in the form of a Vidic handball, however this only resulted in a disappointing missed penalty.  Now as Ghana prepares for their game against Australia, the pressure mounts, since in the final round of matches its seems that everyone is still in the game.  I hope that my presence in the stadium shall spur on my beloved Black Stars to an emphatic victory!

The Desert Foxes (Algeria), proved to the world that no team should be underestimated in this world cup.  To the distain of the 30,000 English fans who flooded into Cape Town for what they expected to be a hammering of the North African team by their braveheart Three Lions, this was not to be the case.   Predictions were turned on their head when the lacklustre efforts by the English side where suppressed by the valiant defences of the Algerians in what finished up in a 0-0 draw.  What England can take from this game is to never write off your opponents.  Rooney played what can only be described as a “Rooobish!” game and he let his fustrations show time and time again culminating at the end of the game to which he blasted the English fans for their disloyalty.

All I can say is that I am loving the twists and turns of the tournament so far…And hope that the red cards keep dropping in Ghana’s favour (bye bye Cahil and bye bye Klose)!