A common characteristic of living in a dysfunctional society is to develop coping mechanisms that numb the effects of the daily dysfunction. As I see it, Ghana is a high-performing team in the dysfunctional Olympics. In fact, in recent times, the country has gained more points and is set to top the chart. Given how […]
The Battle of Hashtags: Political Astroturfing in Ghana
In Ghana, election years are characterized by mammoth rallies by the two main political parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC). With Covid-19 still in the picture, this has changed as large crowds are not allowed to gather. Social media is however a huge tool and it seems it’s going […]
“Why is our hair alien to us?”: A journey to owning my natural hair
“Why is your hair permed,” my supervisor asked. “It’s easier to manage,” I said without really thinking through the response but then I was taken aback when my supervisor asked, “why should it be easier to manage anything other than your natural hair?” I told her, ” My natural hair is really hard and curly […]
WHAT CAN’T WE JOKE ABOUT? OPINIONS ON OB AMPONSAH’S ‘MAHAMA’ SAGA
The comedian, OB Amponsah WHAT CAN’T WE JOKE ABOUT? OPINIONS ON OB AMPONSAH’S ‘MAHAMA’ QUIP The star comedian, OB Amponsah told an ‘expensive joke’ at this year’s December to Remember Concert. At the heart of the joke was the idea that names have implications for those who bear them. He illustrated with how Bill Gates […]
The Woman’s Buttocks and the Helpless Man — Reading Medikal’s lyric “aboa, wo to nono”
The Woman’s Buttocks and the Helpless Man – Reading Medikal’s lyric, “aboa, wo to nono” Aboa, wo to nono is Medikal’s opening line for his verse in the song ‘Boys Kasa’ by R2Bees featuring Kwesi Arthur, Darkovibes, B4bonah, Humble Dis, King Promise, Spacely, Medikal and Rjz. Spoken in an audacious tone, Medikal’s line is […]
‘You are a Villager’: An insult to unlearn
‘You are a Villager’: An insult to unlearn “I’m from far away. That’s why”. The legendary late comedian, Super OD famously espoused this theory in a movie. The words supposedly crafted for the purposes of humour, mirrored a popular and longstanding depiction of the Ghanaian non-urban. For the avid fan of mid 1990s Ghanaian cinema, […]
The BBC’s #SexForGrades Video: We are the ones entrapped
Like many others, I was disappointed that in the case of the two Ghanaian lecturers, the specific claim of ‘sex for grades’ was not proven by the BBC documentary. The disappointment was founded on years of dismay and angst from hearing all these stories of sex and power play in our universities and beyond. […]
From Eco-Friendly to Eco-Trendy: Kofi Kinaata merges music and environmentalism
Image/Graphic from: Kofi Kinaata’s ‘Illegal Fishing’ Video From Eco-Friendly to Eco-Trendy: Kofi Kinaata merges music and environmentalism Kofi Kinaata is popular for his eloquent use of “Taadi Mfantse” (Takoradi version of Fante-Twi) in his often upbeat music. Born, though not raised in Takoradi myself, I fell in love with Kinaata’s music from the time I […]
Misery, the Patient and the Medicine Man… (A short story on social media and Us)
Misery, the Patient and the Medicine Man (A short story on Social Media and Us) I chanced upon him and he looked miserable. His eyes begged for comfort, the kind couched as an advice or better, as a revelation. So I thought. My possibly right judgment if not acted upon might have left me feeling […]
Rethinking the Career Day Celebration in Basic Schools
Rethinking the Career Day Celebration in Basic Schools Marking of career day in schools has fast become a common practice in many nursery, kindergarten and basic schools in Ghana. For what it signifies, the day offers school children an explicable connection between their would-be long academic experience and their career. In other words, the day […]