2013 VGMA NOMINATIONS-MY TAKE

To start with, if I am asked to describe in one word what my take is on the work of the VGMA Board with regard to its 2013 Ghana Music Awards Nomination list, that one word would be “Laziness”, I would hasten to add that it goes further to expose the fact that the Board pays little or no attention to detail, and I dare say that has far reaching consequences.

For analysis, check out the Nomination list for Best HipHop Song of the year 2013;

See Me Suffer-EL ft Lil Shaker
Lies-Sarkodie ft Lil Shaker
SomeWayBi-Manifest
Marilyn Monroe-Dee Money ft Fuse ODG
Me Wo Dollor-Kwawkese ft EL

And off the top of my mind, I present to you these HipHop tunes for same period;

Yeda Wase-Obrafour, Edem, Tinny, Sarkodie, Kwawkese
Ohene-Edem ft Obrafour
Odee-Edem ft Trigmatic, X.O Senavoe
Elijah-Sarkodie ft Obrafour
Original-Sarkodie
Bounce-Sarkodie
No Short Cut To Heaven-Manifest ft Obrafour
Under And Over-Manifest
I No Dey See You Sef-Lil Shaker, Edem, Sarkodie, Joey B, Bra Kevin, Raquel
Thirty Two (32)-Lyrical Wanzam

...that is just to name a few, I have said in a tweet immediately after I saw the Nomination list for Best HipHop, that Manifest’s SomeWayBi is the only song HipHop enough to make it to that list, having listened to all those songs.

This shoddy work done to Best HipHop song category sadly runs through almost all the other nominations and I wonder what the members of the Board listen to in their private lives.

I conclude here by expressing my wonder as to how Da’Hammer of the Last2 might be feeling or would feel seeing what has been done to HipHop.

Tweeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The Cedi Wahala

Chaley, I have not come to tell you about the nuances of the Cedi (Ghana Cedi) problems against its major trading currencies. I say that because, I think it’s so obvious, and also that it has been said or discussed over and over again, more so because my first Degree in Economics is not even qualified to work at the Bank of Ghana, you see what I mean? So I won’t worry my head.

But look at this simple analogy; think of the Cedi or the amount of Cedis in circulation in the Economy as Men, and the amount of Dollars as Women. As much as the Men (Cedis) find need to make use of the Women (Dollars) for the purposes of dating, one night stand, marriage (import clearing services, Ghana’s four star hotel services, Ghana’s perpetual import dependency, respectively), they go after the Women. Bear in mind that the Women hardly/scarcely find need for the Men. All other things being constant (ceteris paribus) won’t the women begin to feel ‘Tweaaaaaaa’ (disdain) towards the men, and as a result attain a higher price (exchange rate) in the economy? That is the problem of our currency at the moment.

As it stands now, the Cedis (Men) should realise that they are not ‘co-equal’(in equilibrium) with/to the Dollars (Women) and hence, the need to undertake measures aimed at averting the downward trend/falling value as concretely as possible, otherwise, it is ‘Tweaaaaaaaaaaa’ (disdain) continua !

THANK YOU!

ONE BIG REASON

Am having a good laugh imagining  what went or is going through your mind upon seeing and reading the heading for this post, but I would fill you in right about now:

Simple but BIG reason if you ask me, reason for what? am talking about one BIG reason why I need to be making a lot of money, in other words, one reason why I need to get rich.

Seriously, I am unable to come up with that BIG reason but every indication points to a BIG reason. Maybe every other reason comes together to make that one BIG reason.

Maybe my PRESENT LIFE is the BIG reason; being broke on my birthday, being on LEAVE as a public servant and yet unable to go on a fun-trip, and even keeping up with the basic demands of a 21st Century life.

Chaley one thing is sure, and that is; I MUST DO SOMETHING. I hope am not alone in this dilemma, what do you guys think? or you think am worrying my head over nothing?

Please tell me something!

Troubleshuta

SO CALLED ‘WINNER TAKES ALL POLITICS’

I heard a tape of Arch-Bishop Duncan William on which as part of his sermon, he admonished or was admonishing the two big Political Parties in the country (Ghana) to find  a way around what he called ‘Winner Takes All Politics’.

He stated that he sees the practice as very dangerous to the sustainability of our Democracy, he explained by saying that the practice whereby a Political Party goes into election, loses out and has to stay four years in opposition amidst all the pain and hardship is untenable. He then in his admonishment called on the President, John Dramani Mahama, who was sitting in the congregation (I suppose), to think through the situation and find a way to bring others from across the political divide on board.

I wish to state that I appreciate the Arch-Bishop’s frustration because of how the Politicians have made the politicking to seem, but I dare say that the fact that we could agree or have agreed that it is a ‘Winner Takes All Politics’, is a wrong footing to take.

My take is that there should be nothing like a ‘Winner Takes All’ because there is not supposed to be a thing like that, the understanding that the terminology connotes cannot find space in our Constitution and should not be tolerated.

Think about it, what is ‘Winner Takes All’? Are Political Parties supposed to come to power to come take things? Are they not rather supposed to give? And what do they take or have to take? Are they not supposed to come provide or give good roads, good health, quality education, among others?

I think if our Political Parties do what is expected of them, that is, by thinking and working fervently to put the Ghanaian Economy on the right footing, irrespective of one’s political affiliation, one could do great in his business, profession or job. Political Power should not become a lucrative job-seeking avenue for political activists, it is supposed to be a service-giving avenue.

I hereby end by stating that the ‘Winner Takes All’ argument is a non-starter and must not be tolerated, Politicians are not supposed to come take anything, period!

Troubleshuta

THE HAND OF GOD

I once asked in a post for people to show me the hand of God in the affairs of Ghana, take a look at our Economic/Political history since 1957, we are where we are due to our actions or inactions, no hand of God anywhere, if you ever saw it, draw my attention.
Let me say though that if it is about going to heaven, i can understand, we should be thinking instead of sponsoring Pastors to Israel to go offer prayers to God.

Troubleshuta

A LOVE QUESTION (MASCULINIST)

A LOVE QUESTION (MASCULINIST)

It came to a point in my life where I concluded that ‘loving a woman’ is ‘slavery’. I felt so strong about this assertion to the point that I even espoused it to the lady I was ‘seeing’ at the time. I went like, ‘’…loving a woman is synonymous to ‘slavery’ in that you are ‘forced’ to do what you would ordinarily not do’’, I then made it clear I had that much love for her.

When you enter into a relationship with a woman you consider very beautiful; nice smile, tasteful figure, among others, at least according to your eyes, you would develop the kind of ‘slave’ mentality I mentioned earlier. I hope you concur.

So you begin to live the love-life, she is the only one, and ‘ceteris paribus’ you are the only one. You begin/continue to act your love for this woman, and from my experience, love is not blind, it is just a ‘spectacle’ or ‘glasses’ that helps you to see differently, most often beautifully.

Do not get me wrong, this write-up is not meant to show you how to love but rather to ask you a love question;

At what point could you say you have loved enough or have had enough of a particular love relationship and hence bring to an end the enjoyment in the ‘slavery’ of LOVE by calling it all off?

Troubleshuta

POST-ELECTION TOLERANCE MESSAGE (OPEN BROADCAST)

ECG NONSENSE!

ECG NONSENSE!

So my android phone is off, stew, ice kenkey, and vegetables wasted because my fridge is off, my television and radio have been taught a lesson, i can't even remember what an iron is used for, my computer's long lasting battery could only last so long, so it shouts for help as well in this utter nonsense by the Electricity Company of Ghana.

Have we not had this too many times? that the least reported damage to a VRA equipment or something of the sort throws the whole country into darkness. In this case, the Electricity Company of Ghana, operating in the Afram Plains only announced to the public the cause of the light out two days into this nonsense, and the explanation is that there is a problem with the VRA sub-station at Nkawkaw and that they are doing all they could to fix it. Now it is three(3) days and counting living in and with this nonsense!

It is interesting i hear the utility providers including ECG are eyeing an increase in tariff so as to improve on quality. My question regarding that attempt is to all of you; have we seen an improvement in service delivery from the ECG since they last increased tariff for same reason?

I know next to nothing about Power Generation and Transmission but i guess i can make one little comment, that ECG in particular should ensure some good level of 'proof', be it water, wind, or fire proof to some good degree, so as to spare us these frequent outages due to one change in the weather or the other.

I hereby conclude by thanking the World Vision ADP, Afram Plains, for granting me access to their privately powered Electricity to be able to put together this post even as i charge my phone, and finally call on the ECG to bring an end this NONSENSE!

Troubleshuta

　

　

BLOGGING AWARDS

So I’m here wondering, what does it take to win a Blogging Award? Is it the level of readership a blog enjoys, the content of the write-ups posted, or what exactly?
For me, I remember very well what got me into blogging in the first place; it was the fact that I felt very different and that whenever there was or is a social discussion, an event, or a happening of a sort, I almost always get to the point where my take on the issue is so clear to me and often very independent of what the masses’ take on the said issue is. So I felt, why not blog? It would provide the opportunity to express my opinion, even on issues that do not have to do with my immediate life circle and it could be accessed by all.
I therefore took to blogging and have since been speaking my mind. I got to know about BloggingGhana in the process, and it seems blogging is no joke.
Let me just end it here by emphasizing my feeling towards the Blogging Awards. I feel like, ‘me koraa’ how much blogging have I done to warrant nominating myself for an award? But I know one thing for sure; that Ameyaw Debrah has the passion that every blogger needs, he has shown that in his works and hence deserves an award. At least I see that, though from afar!

Troubleshuta

GOOGLE GOT ME INTO TROUBLE

'GOOGLE' GOT ME INTO TROUBLE This is it: i was on watsapp yesterday, 05-01-2013, and whiles going through my contacts i came across the contact, 'friend', then i asked myself, how? i saw the profile photo, it was female. Then i proceeded to find out how come i got her(supposedly, could be his) contact, so i 'watsapped' her. you can imagine how the "who is this" question was thrown at me right? fast, quick, and in short hands. I tried to explain but before i could finish, i had a real hostile response, then followed by 'whatever', which she shorthanded "waheva". i hear 'whatever' is the ladies equivalent for 'Fuck You', not sure though. Then the real deal began, before i could say Jack, i was called a "Sick Boy", never got angered, i was in a good mood and was with Kodjo, a 'Koti'(Police) friend of mine so we just laughed things off. But i said to myself 'aaaaahhhh', then i went to check the contact details, there i realised a 'g' attached to her number, then upon some few search i saw that it meant she was/is my google+ friend, how could 'google' do this to me? i do not remember asking google for android adding my nearby google+ friends to my watsapp chat list. How could you, Google! Putting the Google bit aside, what would make a woman go that hard or furious, is it stress, bad experience, nature or what? I hope though that it's not what am thinking. That was it ooooo, i bore you Google!

Election 2012: What i saw!

Election 2012: What I Saw! I must tell you from the onset that the people i have met and interacted with as part of my job in the lead up to the 2012 Election are generally hopeful for a better future and are willing to do their bits. December 7 came and Oh My God, what a beauty to behold? as an NCCE observer, i had the rare privilege of staying close to the polls and watching the conduct of the electorates. The hearty chats, the respect for order, respect for the aged and the sick, and most importantly the tolerance shown; bear in mind majority of these persons knew where their friends and neighbours votes would go, yet they shared smiles with another. Even though am confident in saying that my outfit did so much to ensure people understood the process of voting, the Election day proper taught me the difficulty people have in appreciating some of the basic rules. I therefore request that the NCCE be provided the room to do on the spot voter education on thumbprinting, among others, it is not that easy for people i must tell you. I believe you agree with me that Elections are not the most important aspect of Democracy, but rather how the Democratic process could be used to deliver Development to the people. I urge that this remains the focus, so that when we go back to the polls the next time round, we would have had our lives improved because of Democracy. Merry Christmas to you all, and i pray the new year gives our Democracy some more impetus!

No One Knows Tommorow

can man really be so careful, life seems to be taking its own course and all we do is our bits, nothing more. it hurts so much to have one's dreams and hopes totally shuttered, uncertainty is so certain, am talking about the Connecticut shooting and it hurts so bad!

THE COLLAPSED MELCOM BUILDING INCIDENT

THE COLLAPSED MELCOM BUILDING INCIDENT

I have a deep sorrowful feeling anytime I hear of death...whether it is the loss of a relative or not, I just am not able to take it easily at all, it is a hard one for me.

This has over time necessitated within me some resolve; Before I share that, can we end all of these? Whether you fall sick and die, grow old and die, or are involved in an accident, such as that of the ‘Achimota Melcom Incident’.

I would tell you what, and I hope it is not too weird a thought; let us stop procreating so that the rest of us get to die, and that would be it!

I know you know as I know that these tragedies are daily happenings and the fact is we can never be too careful, so why don't you buy into my idea? It's not a weird thought, its reality, please think about it.

I wish survivors a speedy recovery and to those who kicked the bucket, I say RIP!

WHERE DO YOU BELONG?

I remember in the 2010 Population and Housing Census, when it came to Religion, I chose ‘other’ and in filling the details column, i wrote ‘Non Religious’. I wish i had come to talk about my state of thought on religion fully.
But briefly i will state my stance, i believe in God but i no longer attend Church, maybe i will in the near future. The thing is, i have not found the need to. I do not believe good health, jobs, good spouses or wives, electoral peace, among others could be found by praying and attending church.
That is just by the way, i will cite two examples of religious or denominational belongingness then you could tell me where you belong:

If you were or are a Jehovah Witness, the fundamental belief is that Humanly Governments can not and would not do any good to the future of this world. Jehovah’s Kingdom on earth is the only assurance of a life of bliss. If you belong to the group that envisage a Heaven above the skies other than an eternal life of bliss here on this very earth, forget it! you do not belong.

If you were or are an SDA, the fundamental belief is that all humans would require a Seal of God to make it to the Kingdom of Heaven, and getting this derives from following the Ten Commandments, and most importantly The Sabbath (4th Commandment). To the SDA, the Seal of God is the opposite of the Mark of the Beast, so you ‘aint’ Sealed, you ‘aint’ chilling in Heaven.

Hmmmmm, so i’m just ‘thinking on paper’ and asking, when it comes to the things of God and Religion, where do you belong?

WHERE DO YOU BELONG?

Edem - Mede Kuku [Official Music Video] | IAMEDEM.COM

A MASCULINIST DISSECTION OF LOVE.

A MASCULINIST DISSECTION OF LOVE.

''And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man'' Genesis 2:23, KJV.

I seek to share my thoughts on love and relationship with you fellow young men, I would be juxtaposing today’s love relationships with that of the first ever couple, according to the Bible, in a way that is bias in favour of males, that is why I call it ‘masculinist’. Hello ladies, I hope you would not hit me too hard with words after reading this!

Even though the above quote does not tell the whole story, a further reading down the same chapter gives the grounds for my analysis and hence my resolve.

You would all bear me out that one of the easiest things one could find today are books on relationships, providing tips for a healthy relationship, among others. I think it’s good since it provides a wider frame of reference for today's young chap seeking to go into a love relationship leading into marriage.

Observing the trends at the moment, I have come to one fundamental resolve, and that is what I wish to share, grounding my argument on the example of Adam and Eve in the Bible.
So this is what it was; Adam was put in charge of a set of things, he was the Boss, God found him to be alone and made him a help-mate, Adam upon seeing the woman falls in love (maybe love at first sight), God blesses the couple and from all indication they had all that they needed in abundance. But just like all relationships, you play within a set of rules, customs or traditions, and so they had to play to God's rules.

In the midst of abundance, the woman (Eve) still went out of her way against the admonition of Adam and caused one of the biggest messes ever, she eats the forbidden fruit.
The thrust of my resolve is based on this fact and I believe there are so many lessons in there for young men like me to learn.
I have observed that it is in the nature of women, seeing what Eve put Adam through, to sniff outside their relationships wanting more of the pleasures of life. This I realise is independent of the efforts of the men in their lives, so that, the fact that you are in the position to do all there-is, is no guarantee that your wife or woman won't put up the Eve kind of attitude. This often leads to so much disaster just like it was with the first couple.

Just like there was a third party (serpent) in the case of the couple of old, there has always been and there would always be, third party could be anybody at all, known or unknown to you, your relationship could be hit the rocks (God forbid), and that could entirely be as a result of this feminist (Eve) tendency and u would be wondering why and what to do, I will share my resolve with you and I hope you would be better psyched for love as a young man.

So here is my resolve: do your best as a man to keep your relationship going, your best should be as you see it and not as anyone says it is. Remember also that you do not hold the key to making your woman perpetually happy and satisfied, develop a big heart, learn along the line to love your woman better but never to the point of eating the forbidden fruit with her, Adam suffered it and I guess you do not intend to suffer same.
Leaving by this resolve would make you calm even at the worst form of the Eve storm, it is just like saying whatever would be would be so as young men we ought to adapt. You might not have asked for it but I am offering you a ‘masculinist’ approach to erotic love so go ahead and troubleshoot your relationship woes.