P SQUARE CAUGHT RED-HANDED

(c) bestclips.fr

 Is P Square creating a new dance from Ghana’s internationally acclaimed Azonto? Well from the looks of things they have. The Azonto dance is now the most popular dance in Ghana and this magnetic dance is fast pulling the attention of the world towards Ghana.

Azonto has moved from the shores of Ghana into Africa and its entirety and a couple of months ago, James Coomarasamy of the BBC was videoed learning the dance in the former home of The BBC; Bush House. Azonto has fast become a global phenomenon, it being used as a fitness dance routine in gyms across the world.

The streets of London and subways in America have become new dance stages of Azonto, quiet recently Azonto started featuring in music videos of  highly acclaimed African artist like Sarkodie.

P Square, arguably the most selling double recording artists in Africa recently released a new song called “Allingo”. The dance in music video looks like Azonto. It follows the same basic moves of Azonto. When see you the “Allingo” music video, you think the dance is Azonto, at least I made that mistake. Apparently, the Azonto look-alike-dance it is called Alliongo, an imitation of Ghana’s Azonto.

So this sets in moral questions about the reason why big Nigeria will do an imitation of a dance that Ghanaians feel proud off to share with the world? And why should P Square of all people seek to plagiarize Azonto by doing a song for Allingo, a line in the song goes “Girl you got me dancing alingo”.

Ghana and Nigeria are buddies; people who do not know the geography of West Africa sometimes think we share a common border. The question is will they bully as, by taking something from us, use it and not give us credit.

(c) dailyguideghana.com

At least I am happy to know that I do not share this opinion alone, my brother gave me Samini’s latest release, it is a cover of P Square’s Allingo. In the cover song he questions why P Square danced Azonto yet called the dance Allingo. The link to Samini’s cover song is below.

 This move looks like Nigeria is bent on stealing the momentum Azonto and Ghana is making across the globe and shift the Azonto spotlight to themselves and their imitated Azonto.  So what next P Square? Pangnam style?

 http://www.ghxclusives.com/samini-azontoprod-by-ephraim/#.UT5DmoGKy_I

By: Andrew Tetteh

CECILIA GYAN; Asamoah Gyan's Late Mother.

The Late Cecilia Love Mensah Gyan with her family.

A week today, Cecilia Love Mensah Gyan will be laid in state. She is the mother of Ghana Black Stars Skipper, Asamoah Gyan and former Ghana Black Stars International, Baffour Gyan.

She died on 6^th November, 2012 after suffering a fatal car crash while driving her Toyota Highlander. Her demise occurred at the Ridge Hospital when she was rushed there after the accident which occurred when she drove into a pillar at the Teachers' Hall in Accra.

She was an educationist by profession having retired in 2011 as the headmistress of one of the JT Cluster of Schools located at Mataheko. She was a woman of zeal and vision, after successfully raising four children; three boys and a girl with her husband, George Gyan Baffour Mensah and retiring gracefully, she ventured into the sachet water business bringing out sachet water called Love Ice. In her time as an educationist she also engaged in trade, specializing in maize.

Aunty Love, as she was affectionately called in her neighborhood; New Gbawe was disciplinarian and everyone who did anything for her or with her makes mention of her meticulous nature.

“I was on my way home from Kasoa, when I was told of the death of my dear friend. It was a deep surprise for me, much unexpected” Mrs. Sarah Fenny told me in an interview. She is a longtime friend and neighbor to Aunty Love for close to twenty one years, their houses are opposite each other.

Remembering some of the time they have spent together, Sarah Fenny said Aunty Love never went three days without barging into her house asking of her. “Aunty Love was supportive of her and she genuinely loved the people around her. I remember each and every day and sometimes I wish if I walk right across the street and go into her house, I will see her sitting there waiting to have conversation with me”.

Ceiclia Love Mensah Gyan will be laid to rest on 16^th March, 2013 in Maponteng Cemetary in her hometown.  She was survived by a husband George Gyan Baffour Mendah, four children (Mavis Danquah, Baffour Gyan, Nana Opoku and Asamoah Gyan) and eleven grand children who loved her dearly, she was sixty one (61).

I will be keeping a live blog during the funeral, sharing exclusive pictures and videos right here.

May your soul find Perfect Peace, Aunty Love.

By: Andrew Tetteh

Women: Nation Builders

I have always been glad for my birth month; March. As a Ghanaian, I share a birth month with my country and as a human being; I share this month with all women across the globe. March 8 is International Women’s Day. It is a day set aside to celebrate women and their enormous and priceless contributions they make to make this planet a better home for all of humanity.

It always gives me joy to know that as a man, I share this incredible space of mine in the universe with such great beings (women).

Women in most parts of the world have played crucial roles in the future of their countries or their kingdoms, Ghana’s own Yaa Asentewaa, viciously and courageously led her people of Ejisu to war against the then mighty British Army. She was a huge force to reckon with, though, the British had a walk through during their wars with some kingdoms ruled by men, they literarily stopped in their tracks when they came against a kingdom ruled and led into war by a woman; Her Majesty Yaa Asentwaa. Decades later, most African women aspire to have the courage she had to stand up to the well-armed British army.

The fight for civil rights in America which saw the black and other minority populations been given the opportunity to take part in the practice of democracy was not solitary fought for by men. Though Martin Luther-King is widely known to have been the champion of this fight, women like Rosa Parks also contributed significantly to the Civil Right Movement. Rosa, a warrior, stood up to white supremacist with the most famous of such event being her refusal to give up her seat on a public bus for a white person. She travelled the length and breadth of America garnering grass root support for the movement. Her fight for equality did not end in America; it travelled miles away from home to South Africa. She was part of the fight from the diaspora to end apartheid in the Southern African country.

Aug san su kyi of Myanmar (Burma) is also one of the great women of our times. Her fight for democracy have taken her to different kinds places around the world, talk of the White House, Buckingham Palace as well as her country’s prison. Released on 13^th November, 2010 from a seven years house arrest for doing nothing other than win a democratically organized election as president; (obviously the military junta in Burma saw this as a crime). Today, Burma is gradually accepting democracy and history will in no doubt credit Aung San Suu Kyi for bringing democracy to Burma. She paid huge debts for this pay check; she was not able to be with her beloved husband when he was on his death bed for fear of being stopped by the military junta from reentering Burma; her husband was in London. If she had gone to London she risked throwing years of struggle for democracy since would be forced to live in exile thereby curtailing her from achieving her goal.  

Africa and the world have been blessed to have some of these women extraordinaire participate in the molding of our world. There are millions of women warriors in the world today contributing their quota in their little quarters with the aim of making the world a better place for all of us.

Today, I honor women in my own small way, I will hold close to my heart my mother, Yaa Asentewaa, Rosa Parks, Ang San Suu Kyi, and all the women whom I have come across in my life and the billions whom I have never met and probably will never meet. Every man will agree with me that women do indeed bring out our best in us. The contributions of women from our homes to the community and to commerce and politics and religion are invaluable and cannot be written off.

Salute to all WOMEN WARRIORS (women fighting for change and/or a better society)

By: Andrew Tetteh

IS IT 2013? AN OPEN LETTER TO YOU

(c) photo.elsoar.com

Hi friends, I have a few words of wisdom to share with you as we have come back to campus with the intentions of trying to make our life better. I wouldn’t call myself a motivational speaker; because I’m not. A friend whom I gave this article to edit it for me was trying to give me that august title.

I believe most of us went to church on 31st December, 2012 to “crossover” ”run over” “ jump over’’ “dive over” and even “sleep over”. Well, I did too and it was my first and last non wedding church service I attended in 2012.

My friends, what is the difference between the 24 hours you spent when the calendar said it was December 31 and the 24 hours you spent afterwards? There is no difference except that now we humans say it’s 2013.

Regarding the resolutions you made to help you better your life, the question is whether the things you mentioned as your resolutions will help you live your best life and whether they are what God wants for you. My friend Gabriel Obodai Torgbor Ashong from the Ghana Institute of Journalism wrote in an Op-Ed earlier this year that make your resolutions SMART and pass them through the SWOT Analysis to make it solid.

There is statistic that proves that 70% of New Year resolutions are broken, forgotten or abandoned within the first ten days, that means holding onto the rest of the 30% for the rest of the 355 days is certainly the most difficult task you will ever have to do.

The answer or solution to this problem is to be the best of yourself whenever and wherever you are. If you find yourself in class, your job and resolution should be to be the best student, at the work place, just try and be the best employee. If you find yourself among friends just be their best friend.

It is having the continues responsibility of being the best of who you are, irrespective of the event or activity you find yourself in, that will help you live your best life for this year.

Making sense of life is vital to understanding how it works. Life is purely mathematical, you be the best of whomever you are and you are assured of the best results when you go through your resolutions checklist at the end of the year. That is why Beyonce said that though she doesn’t know much about algebra, she knows one plus one it two. What you put in is what you get. If you don’t put much into life you won’t get much out of life.

You don’t have to be hard on yourself, just take it a day after other, by being the best of yourself in every passing minute and hour with the direction from your goals and your Super Natural Power. This is the simple and surest way to achieving your cumbersome resolutions, and hey, if along the way you find yourself abandoning some of your resolutions, don’t beat yourself about it, after all it’s just a resolution, a new one can be made from a new starting point (where you currently are in life). Besides who said resolutions are made only on January 1, life is that flexible.

~With love, Andrew Tetteh~

AFCON 2013

(c) allsports.com.gh

The greatest ‘Mundial’ in Africa is less than a week to kick-off. It is the greatest football spectacle to grace the African continent close to a century. Over the years it has brought diverse cultures and people together to foster and champion a common African Dream. The idea of African Cup of Nations (AFCON) was brought to life in the late 1950’s as the likes of Gabriel Selassie and Dr. Kwame Nkrumah set up the Confederation of African Football (CAF). No less than five years did their thoughts migrated from the paper to reality as Egypt won the first Nations Cup tournament which had three teams participating;  Ethiopia and Sudan with Sudan playing host in1956.

South Africa hosts the 2013 edition after successfully hosting the 2010 World Cup in great fashion and spectacle. They had to take over the hosting of the tournament from Libya due the Arab Spring that toppled Col. Muammar Gaddafi and Tunisia’s Ben Ali as well as Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak.

The most recent edition co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon gave us a new champion; Zambia. They defied all odds to win the most prestigious football trophy on the continent. This edition in South Africa which kicks-off on January 19, 2013 as usual, brings Africa’s best 16 teams into the arena to battle for the title of African Champions.

Group A consist of South Africa, Cape Verde, Morocco and Angola. Group B consist of Ghana, DR Congo, Niger and Mali. Zambia (defending champions), Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia (who are making their first appearance in thirty years) make Group C. Group D, tagged as the “Group of  Death” by the media, houses Cote D’Ivoire, Adebayor’s Togo, Algeria and Tunisia.  Group D has also been dubbed; The Battle of the Confederations as two West African football giants take on two North African power houses. For two editions in a roll, Egypt, the country with the highest number of AFCON trophies, has not made it to the finals.

When the games finally kick-off you will expect stadia like Soccer City filled to capacity as host, South Africa will be based there, and then there is Royal Bafoleng, Nelspruit, Rustenburg and Durban being the other four stadia that will serve as the tournament’s arenas.

The opening game between South Africa and Cape Verde at Soccer City is not the dream opening game for the tournament as it may look one sided, with all due respect to Cape Verde. Over the years we have witnessed extraordinary opening games which have gone on to impact positively on the other games played. One typical example will be Ghana 2008 when the Black Stars struggled to beat Guinea 2-1 with an audacious strike from Sulley Muntari from well over 35 yards away. Then Angola 2010, when Mali fought back to earn a point after going down 4-0 at a time.

The glory to be chalked at South Africa 2013 will be unprecedented as if the financial benefits, boosting rights and the tag of Champions won’t be enough, the AFCON 2013 winner will represent the whole continent in Brazil 2013 later this year for the Confederation Cup.

I will put my bet on Angola and South Africa progressing from group A, Ghana and Mali who beat the Black Stars to win bronze in Equatorial Guinea/Gabon will progress to the next stage. Nigeria who failed to show up in the previous tournament, I hope will progress from Group C with reigning champion Zambia. In Group D, all-time-favorites Cote D’ivoire will move on from the group with Tunisia.

At this stage, I know the Super Eagles of Nigeria will march their way to the final to annex the AFCON trophy. I place my bet on Nigeria to defy all odds like Zambia did with the rich talents at their disposal like Mikel, Shittu, Uche, Ameobi and Moses to soar high above the other competitors to win their first major title in well over a decade.

Long Live Africa……………… Long Live AFCON


By;     Benjamyne Lampard Quartey
         University of Ghana, Legon.