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Blogs
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Frimpong-Boateng: A true Ghanaian hero
30 Aug 2011 | 10:30 AM
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| Dearest Prof,
I have seen and heard all that is going on. I am sorry they are treating you so shabbily. But if you know these people, they are an extremely “buga-buga”, seldom thinking before acting. If they say you should go, please, don’t fight them. Leave them to their ... |
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Libya: The monster flees
28 Aug 2011 | 10:34 PM
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| “The universal pursuit of dignity and freedom is far stronger than the iron fist of a dictator.”
That was how Barack Obama welcomed the entry of rebels into Libya marking what many see as the end of the brutish regime of Muamar Gaddafi. Obviously, Obama is happy that the tyrant ... |
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Show us thy men, Oh God
17 Aug 2011 | 10:59 AM
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| Dear Lord, I know you say your ways are not our ways but sometimes I can’t help but feel that you deliberately make it impossible for us to understand your ways. After all these years, don’t you think it’s about time you demystified some of the things you do?
For ... |
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John Tia misses the point
15 Aug 2011 | 11:03 AM
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| Information Minister, John Tia, has responded to suggestions that the information ministry should be scrapped. Obviously, he cares about his job. It’s only human. But as you can see from the following Ghana News Agency report, besides doing what anyone whose job is threatened would do, Mr. Tia just doesn’t ... |
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Jamal est très malade
11 Aug 2011 | 10:49 AM
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| There is something very wrong with deputy information minister, Baba Jamal. It could be that he suffers from a very bloated sense of his own intelligence or he thinks most Ghanaians are idiots. It’s a very serious disease and the earlier he’s cured the better for himself, his government and ... |
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ENCORE: Governmental double-speak II
10 Aug 2011 | 11:25 PM
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| About two years ago, I tried to argue for the information ministry to be scrapped. Like most of the things I say, it fell on deaf ears and no one seemed to take notice. After hearing deputy information minister threaten staff of the Information Services Department if they fail to ... |
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Much ado about a tape
08 Aug 2011 | 10:27 AM
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| So there is an audio tape. A man is heard on the tape offering a good package for journalists who will literally help keep government’s propaganda machine well-oiled and productive, producing all the junk you can get from a propaganda machine to help the NDC win the 2012 elections.
It ... |
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Save our Hospitals
04 Aug 2011 | 08:36 AM
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| At the start of the week, government made such a big deal of a simple ceremony to present four patient monitors to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. They made sure that every media organisation that matters in this country was present to cover the event to send out the message ... |
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Politics of Insults?
01 Aug 2011 | 03:30 PM
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| Frankly, I am tired of hearing President Mills preaching about what he likes to refer to as “the politics of insults”. I have been at great pains to wrap my head around the concept. What baffles me most, which probably shouldn’t even surprise me, is the fact that many people ... |
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A flying shame
27 Jul 2011 | 08:55 AM
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| Apparently, Ghana’s air force, like its government, is one of the most useless in the world. Its pilots have no planes to fly and according to defence minister, J. H. Smith, they come to work, read newspapers and go home in the afternoon. For doing so little or nothing they ... |
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Nduom & the limping cockerel
25 Jul 2011 | 09:42 AM
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| Over the years Paa Kwesi Nduom has shown himself to be an efficient entrepreneur, an honest, sincere politician and, above all else, one of the best leaders Ghana may never have. I admire his dogged determination to be president. But determination can only take him so far – and that’s ... |
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FLASHBACK: Where can Obed take his DFP?
24 Jul 2011 | 04:56 PM
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| Following the announcement that Obed Asamoah was rejoining the NDC, I remembered a piece I wrote for the 'Daily Dispatch' in October 2008. That was after the first anniversary of the founding the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), the party he formed with the likes of Frances Essiam and Bede Ziedeng. ... |
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GUEST BLOGGER: Wealthy Shepherds, Pitiable Herds
20 Jul 2011 | 12:22 PM
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| When I saw that BBC story a few weeks ago which showed the wealth of five of Nigeria’s top pastors, like many, I was not surprised, not in the least. I have always thought so. The words of Karl Max come to mind easily when I think of religion, people ... |
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The curse of ‘Taka, Tika, Gangale’
14 Jul 2011 | 08:42 AM
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| In rallying the NDC to unite at their just-ended congress in Sunyani, vice president John Mahama told a story which, we hear, is very popular in the three northern regions. It’s the story of three birds – Taka, Tika and Gangale. They used to sing together as a trio to ... |
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Kudos, NDC but...
12 Jul 2011 | 08:52 AM
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| I wasn’t in Sunyani but I followed almost every minute of the NDC congress over the weekend. I had to. I followed it not only as a Ghanaian with a keen interest in national politics but also as one of the producers for Joy FM and Multi TV’s coverage of ... |
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Told ya, mother-fonkar
11 Jul 2011 | 10:26 AM
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| I have bought a card for Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings. It reads: “He’s slow and we don’t know where he’s leading us but don’t fonk with Mills. Told ya, mother-fonkar.”
I hope it brings her some joy as she broods over the humiliation she suffered over the weekend in Sunyani, where ... |
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NDC CONGRESS: Reject this ‘Mother-fonkar’!
06 Jul 2011 | 11:15 PM
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| This weekend, I hope the NDC delivers a strong message to Jerry Rawlings and his wife that the nation has had enough of their shameless clamour for power. The occasion would be the special delegates’ congress of the party at which they will choose the one who would lead them ... |
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SIM REGISTRATION EXTENSION: What’s the point?
04 Jul 2011 | 02:03 PM
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| I am still struggling to make sense of the decision by the National Communications Authority to extend the deadline for the SIM card registration by 90 days.
The authority claims the extension is a window for those who didn’t bother to have their numbers registered within the 18-month duration of ... |
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SIM REGISTRATION: No Extension, please
27 Jun 2011 | 06:20 AM
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| Very few Ghanaians are unaware of the spirited campaign by the think-tank, IMANI, to get the National Communications Authority to extend the deadline for the registration of mobile SIM cards. If for nothing at all IMANI’s campaign has helped a great deal in publicising the exercise and for that reason, ... |
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Trash from city hall
21 Jun 2011 | 11:05 PM
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| Accra stinks. And it’s filthy. No two ways about that. I wonder if there is any town or village in Ghana which is filthier than Accra and stinks worse. It’s a terrible situation. Instead of dealing with it sensibly and comprehensively, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly prefers to dabble in political ... |
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Happily Divorced!
20 Jun 2011 | 01:18 AM
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| I have heard most, if not all, of the rumours about my marriage. Some just made me shake my head. Most others made me laugh. I enjoyed them all. But it’s time to end the rumours and announce to the world, formally, that my marriage of three years has broken ... |
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SONG: Faith Hill’s ‘Stronger’
14 Jun 2011 | 11:49 PM
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| This is the window to my heart
I just want us to be free
There ain't no freedom where we are
There ain't no wishes in these stars
Ain't no reason to believe
But don't worry baby
Don't you worry
Maybe this is what we need
A little bruise and a ... |
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POEM: Langston Hughes' Mother to son
12 Jun 2011 | 10:47 AM
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| Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor --
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't ... |
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Fellowship at Massey
08 Jun 2011 | 09:30 PM
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| Last night, I was named as the first winner of the Gordon N. Fisher/JHR Fellowship at Massey College at the University of Toronto. The occasion was the 14th annual awards gala of the Canadian Journalism Foundation.
You can read the full story here: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2011/07/c3431.html
Winning this fellowship is an incredible honour ... |
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Let them be gay II
08 Jun 2011 | 09:23 AM
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| I was raised a Christian and I attended Christian schools. I used to play the bass guitar in church but I don’t remember the last time I woke up on a Sunday and decided I was going to church. I do still believe in God, though. I know He rules ... |
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Let them be gay: A facebook conversation
05 Jun 2011 | 10:58 PM
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| Baaba Andoh Ato, nobody really cares what happens in someone’s bedroom and I certainly don’t think it’s a BNI issue. But it goes beyond apples and melons. Yes, all these societies have things we want but they have many others that we can live without. We should focus on the ... |
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Let them be gay
02 Jun 2011 | 03:38 PM
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| Frankly speaking, I find it difficult to understand why a virile man will want to have anal sex with another man. The whole idea of being gay baffles me. It’s one of the mysteries of life that I will never understand.
But does it really matter if I don’t understand? ... |
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BOOK: ‘Long Walk to Freedom’
01 Jun 2011 | 07:58 AM
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| Nelson Mandela’s autobiography is the best book I ever read. I just finished reading it a couple of hours ago and words cannot describe the feelings it has stirred in me.
All I can say is that it has been a real education.
It has shed more light for me ... |
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Thabo Mbeki: What the world got wrong in Côte D'Ivoire
05 May 2011 | 07:11 AM
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| The second round of the Nov. 28, 2010, presidential elections in Côte d'Ivoire pitted against each other two long-standing political opponents, Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara. For this reason, and of strategic importance, it was inevitable that this electoral contest would decide the long-term future of the country. Everybody concerned ... |
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FUNNY GH: The Joke's on Mills (mostly!)
03 May 2011 | 07:38 PM
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| The political season has started early. The NPP just concluded their primaries for Parliamentary candidates in most constituencies.
Within the NDC, the emergence of Nana Konadu, seeking to challenge the President, has brought about many groups, in support of the President or against. See existing ones below as well as ... |
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GUEST BLOGGER: Nana Ama on the situation in Accra
18 Apr 2011 | 10:02 AM
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| Let's face it, Accra is no city. It is poorly planned, filthy, stinks, full of clogged gutters with horrendous road network. So one has to wonder why someone will have the gall to dot the town (sorry village) with billboards that say 'Accra Millennium City, keep it clean.'
I have ... |
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Hey Nana, Stay away from the Castle
15 Apr 2011 | 08:14 AM
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| Dear Nana,
So now, it’s official. You really want to be president of this wretched republic of ours. Sorry, but that ain’t gonna happen. You can go ahead and win the NDC presidential primaries against a disappointing Atta Mills. But, you will lose the national election. I will bet my ... |
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GUEST BLOGGER: Kwamena Essilfie Adjaye on Ivory Coast crisis
14 Apr 2011 | 08:46 PM
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| Many of us are deeply troubled by what is happening in the Ivory Coast. The fundamental issues are being overlooked. The consequences and ramifications of this denouement are also being overlooked.
Alasanne Ouattara went to the USA in the 1960s on an African-American Institute (AAI) scholarship as a citizen of ... |
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REPRISE: Dagbon - Seeking justice, damaging the peace
13 Apr 2011 | 09:40 AM
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| First published: April 14, 2010
When President Mills promised to bring those who killed Ya Na Yakubu Andani to justice, he picked up a very hot potato and bit more than he could chew.
The recent arrest of suspects and their arraignment before court is an indication that he is ... |
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GBAGBO: The humiliating fall of an obstinate fool
12 Apr 2011 | 08:25 AM
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| He could have gone out in a Versace suit, all dapper and with the assurance of a delicious croissant every morning, lazily lounging in a villa in any country of his choice. Instead, Laurent Gbagbo chose the path of indignity and humiliation – a former president trapped in a hole ... |
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Vanderpuije has lost it
11 Apr 2011 | 08:35 AM
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| Apparently, a few people are happy to see the mayor of Accra directing traffic. “He’s a hands on person,” some have said and “it’s good to see him lending a hand to ease the traffic. It shows he cares.” To all this, I say ‘crap’! I am not impressed in ... |
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FUNNY GH: Unemployed Graduates’ Association
08 Apr 2011 | 08:22 AM
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| There are all sorts of strange groupings in Ghana. Sometimes, I wonder why such groups exist. Take a group like the Retired Staff Association of the Volta River Authority, for example. Who needs a group like that?
Well, I thought I had heard the worst of the weird associations in ... |
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A botched Nigeria is bad for Africa
06 Apr 2011 | 08:47 AM
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| How is it that one of the richest countries on the African continent cannot organize an election without a glitch? The last time in 2007, the polls were a shameful fiasco. On the day of the elections, electoral materials were still being brought in from outside the country.
This time ... |
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Justice is not what Rawlings says it is
05 Apr 2011 | 08:08 AM
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| Since the High Court acquitted and discharged the 15 men who were hurriedly arraigned before it for allegedly murdering Ya Na Yakubu Andani, Ghanaians have not been spared any of the sort of nonsense which is so typical of the ruling NDC.
Rampaging youth have destroyed property in Tamale and ... |
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GUEST BLOGGER: Christabel Dadzie on "the basics"
04 Apr 2011 | 12:16 AM
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| Ok… so I am usually a very very patriotic Ghanaian. I am usually the one championing our flag – from football to politics; from social issues to economics, but today, I find it important as a patriot to tell it like it is, or as my American friends say, “call ... |
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Tap that experience
27 Feb 2011 | 10:57 PM
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| When John Kufuor arrived at the Osu Castle to meet with John Atta Mills, the two men were all smiles. They were behaving like old buddies who hadn’t seen each other in a long while. It seemed like the perfect photo opportunity for a nation badly in need of a ... |
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Stop building, start improving
14 Feb 2011 | 07:41 PM
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| Successive government’s over a period of about 80 years built six public universities – most of them overcrowded, ill-equipped and poorly-staffed.
At the nation’s ‘premier’ university, it’s a common sight to see hundreds of students crammed into one small lecture hall, craning their necks and twitching their ears to see ... |
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Some deaths are foolish
11 Feb 2011 | 06:08 AM
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| Nana Akuffo-Addo is usually a measured gentleman who chooses his words carefully. His speeches are often laced with quotable quotes for everyone to mull over. But his recent address to supporters in Koforidua came with just one quotable quote, which, unfortunately, is the worst I’ve heard from him – “All ... |
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Battling Corruption: The force of CCTV
09 Feb 2011 | 07:33 AM
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| The battle against corruption is tough even for advanced countries. It’s just human nature that people don’t like to miss an opportunity (or resist the temptation) to skim a few dollars. As Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ latest covert journalistic operation has shown, such temptations abound in a place like the port, ... |
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War on worms
19 Jan 2011 | 07:09 AM
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| This is the spokesman for the slimy bastards. We have taken over a small territory in a very popular town in the former Trans Volta Togoland. We had initially intended to co-exist in peaceful harmony with the humans here. But a few rogue worms, our wayward brethren decided to stray ... |
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Spinal rediscovery
17 Jan 2011 | 07:12 AM
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| “…bold to defend forever the cause of freedom and of right…and help us to resist oppressors rule, with all our will and might forever more.” - Ghana National Anthem
There was a time when Africans stood up for what was right, even at the peril of their lives. That was ... |
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Delayed take-off
11 Jan 2011 | 09:10 PM
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| So, you’ve been privileged to be made captain in an aircraft. The previous pilot wasn’t doing a particularly good job even though he felt he deserved adulation for being able to navigate the plane through some turbulence. He was so full of himself that at some point he decided to ... |
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Drivers are persons too
10 Jan 2011 | 10:16 PM
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| I once met a Ghanaian medical doctor who was working as a taxi driver in Toronto. He needed the money to pay his way through school so he could get a qualifying certificate to practice in Canada. That was in 2007.
In 2008, I met a Ghanaian architect who was ... |
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Bonne année
06 Jan 2011 | 11:40 PM
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| I’ve been away, taking a rest and trying to live like I were in Utopia – no pains or stress but lots of fun. It’s been quite an enjoyable escape.
Whiles I was at it, a New Year strolled by.
This is just to wish everyone who visits this blog ... |
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Presentation of anti ex-gratia petition
09 Dec 2010 | 09:00 PM
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| This morning, I presented a petition to the Constitutional Review Commission asking for the abolishing of ex-gratia payments to politicians. It was a pretty short ceremony that took place at the entrance of the Commission’s offices at Cantonment. Commission chair, Prof. Albert Fiadjoe, received the petition in the presence of ... |
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Cleared. Indeed!
01 Dec 2010 | 06:45 PM
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| ‘Muntaka cleared’. That’s how the headlines read. The story didn’t come to me as a surprise. The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice had ‘exonerated’ former youth and sports minister, Muntaka Mubarak, of any wrong doing.
I wonder if there was any Ghanaian who had expected anything different.
A ... |
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Guest Blogger: Anny Osabutey on a president’s legacy
28 Nov 2010 | 08:57 PM
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| My very good friend, Anny Osabutey is visiting the United States. He has been there for a little over a week and one of the things that have struck him most is the legacy of former president, Jimmy Carter. He visited the Carter Centre and decided to share his impression. ... |
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What is Nkrumahism
26 Nov 2010 | 01:57 PM
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| Hardly a week passes by without Ghanaians hearing about ‘Nkrumahism’ or the fact that the ‘Nkrumahist’ parties are fragmented. I was in a car when I heard Samia Nkrumah, announcing that she would contest for the chair of the chair her father founded, the CPP.
Hearing her speak sparked a ... |
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Oil: It’s for us all
23 Nov 2010 | 08:51 AM
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| I am a proud son of the Western Region. But news that chiefs from the region, including my own Nana Kobina Nketiah of Essikado, packed themselves into vans and came to Accra with a petition, demanding 10% of revenue from the oil wealth filled me with deep shame and regret. ... |
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About UDS: A Rejoinder
21 Nov 2010 | 09:34 PM
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| Dear Joy FM,
Re: “University for Development Studies (UDS): is this a University?
University indeed and University with Goats and Sheep walking on campus” My attention has been drawn to the above irresponsible comments made by the so called con artist, Ato Kwamina Dadzie and as a past student of ... |
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World Toilet Day 2010
19 Nov 2010 | 08:28 AM
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| It’s one of my favourite days of the year again. November 19 is World Toilet Day; an occasion to take more than a moment to spare a thought for the millions of people around the world who are deprived on a daily basis of the opportunity to attend to the ... |
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About UDS: A Clarification
18 Nov 2010 | 08:07 AM
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| Last Monday, I made a few remarks about the University for Development Studies which have irked both current and past students alike. The Alumni of the University wrote to Joy FM, demanding an apology from me. That they will not get. So, first of all, let me make it clear ... |
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Allow Nyantakyi, Stop Abedi
15 Nov 2010 | 10:14 AM
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| What has been a very good year for Ghanaian football is ending in fiasco. This has nothing to do with the flair of our players on the pitch but it’s borne out of inexplicable boardroom maneuvering of people who should know better. Government is yet to coherently explain its attempts ... |
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Who’s causing “fear and panic”?
08 Nov 2010 | 08:20 AM
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| “Fear and panic” should be one of the most popular phrases in Ghana this year. All over the country, there is hardly any literate Ghanaian who hasn’t heard or spoken it. It has become so popular the police (instigated by government) has been quick to use an antiquated law whose ... |
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The merit of the 'insult'
01 Nov 2010 | 10:20 AM
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| President Mills says “insults will not help us to produce potable water.” As he fumbled – as usual – over his words at the commissioning of the new Accra-Tema rail shuttle, the president advised Ghanaians to stop what he described as “the politics of insults”.
As someone who has been ... |
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A cup of Mills
28 Oct 2010 | 09:12 AM
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| Is it strange that a class three pupil (who might just be about eight years old) cannot answer a question like “who’s the president of the country?”
I don’t think so.
He doesn’t have a care in the world so why on earth must he care about who the president ... |
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TELECOM BATTLE: Talking values
27 Oct 2010 | 04:49 AM
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| A little over ten years ago, I bought my first SIM card for the equivalent of today’s 70 cedis. It was a ‘Spacefon’ number and getting that SIM for my unwieldy Nokia 3110 phone was one of the best things that happened to me that year. At the time, I ... |
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Konadu’s evil machinations
25 Oct 2010 | 09:45 AM
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| A lot has gone wrong for the NDC since they won power. The party has become more fractured in power than it was in opposition. We know who is in charge but we don’t exactly know who is in control. The centre is simply not holding.
The party’s so-called founder, ... |
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Village living
21 Oct 2010 | 07:15 PM
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| A country where there is no potable water for the majority and nursing mothers sleep on the bare floor in hospitals and school children study under trees is nothing but one big village.
In the modern world people are travelling on speed trains, performing complex brain surgeries, using sophisticated technologies ... |
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Anti-exgratia petition - SIGN UP NOW
18 Oct 2010 | 09:33 PM
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| ...According to the Encarta dictionary, ex-gratia is “given as a gift, favour or gesture of goodwill rather than because it is owed”.
What this means is that the state is under no obligation to give ex-gratia to any MP, president, vice president, judge or any public officials for that matter ... |
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…And we are back
17 Oct 2010 | 08:10 PM
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| I want to apologise for the period of inactivity and the fact that the site went down for a couple of weeks. I won’t bore you with the details. The most important thing is that we are back.
I am grateful to all of those who called or sent messages ... |
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Justice under fire II
01 Sep 2010 | 08:40 AM
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| A lot has been said and done since Dr. Kwabena Adjei’s mad effusions about the judiciary. The magistrates and judges association (I didn’t even know there was such a thing) have made it clear that politics is often the last thing on their mind. They also told Kwabena Adjei off ... |
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IF...
26 Aug 2010 | 08:40 AM
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| A friend introduced me to Rudyard Kipling’s poem earlier this year. It’s a masterpiece and as I continue to ponder over the NDC’s needless attacks on the judiciary, I wish I had money to print Mr. Kipling’s inspiring words on cards to be distributed among all the judges in the ... |
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Justice under fire
18 Aug 2010 | 08:25 AM
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| There is no doubt that government needs to win a court case – and fast. So far, in its bid to justifiably prosecute officials of the Kufuor regime perceived to have engaged in corruption, the Mills administration has suffered more humiliation than any government can bear.
If it were a ... |
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Another piece of (useless) paper
17 Aug 2010 | 08:19 AM
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| After months of haggling, not to mention uncertainty and needless controversy, vice President John Mahama launched the national youth policy to great funfare at Elmina. Coming just a few weeks after the dismissal of Sekou Nkrumah, who had criticized the Mills administration for literally sitting on the policy, the administration ... |
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Premature Discharge?
12 Aug 2010 | 08:59 AM
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| It may be sheer incompetence. Or there might be a conspiracy most of us are unaware of. Either way, someone is not doing what he or she gets paid to do well. And that’s why we see people like Charles Wireko-Brobby and his uncle, Kwadwo Mpiani, smiling where they should ... |
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It takes one to know one
10 Aug 2010 | 07:12 AM
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| I was in the Joy Newsroom on Saturday evening when I heard John Kufuor condemning his successor’s record against corruption. He said that “corruption is becoming incarnate; we see corruption everywhere.” Immediately I heard those words, I turned to one of my colleagues and said: “look who’s talking.”
I knew ... |
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GUEST BLOGGER: On STX, who is being mischievous?
03 Aug 2010 | 07:14 AM
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| By Nana Ama Agyemang Asante
Somebody within the ruling NDC government has clearly gone mad. No, really. The party has announced plans to pursue the STX-Korea housing deal by sending the flawed contract back to parliament. Yes, it is the same $1.5billion for 30,000 houses that Imani Ghana warns will rack ... |
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GUEST BLOGGER: Criminal Libel By The Back Door?
29 Jul 2010 | 07:20 PM
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| By Rodney Nkrumah Boateng
It is common ground among many observers of Ghana’s media landscape that the quality of journalism in the country leaves much to be desired. The crass language, the inaccuracies, the downright deliberate lies and propaganda that pass for news are all a cause for great concern. ... |
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News sources and Confidentiality
27 Jul 2010 | 09:52 AM
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| Here is an excerpt from Broadcast News – Writing, Reporting and Producing, [Fourth Edition] by Ted White. It is on the issue of news sources and why journalists need to keep promises of confidentiality. Hopefully, it sheds some light on the recent issues.
The fastest way to lose a source ... |
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CHARGED: …But, no shakin’
26 Jul 2010 | 09:18 AM
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| Since the police CID decided to charge me with publishing false news with the intention to cause fear and alarm, there has been an outpouring of support and encouragement from people far and near. “We are behind you,” is a phrase I’ve heard a lot recently.
I’ve also heard a ... |
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CHARGED: AFP Report
25 Jul 2010 | 06:03 PM
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| Journalist charged after refusing to reveal sources
ACCRA, July 24, 2010 (AFP) - A Ghanaian journalist has been charged with reporting false information after refusing to reveal his sources to police, the head of the country's journalists association said Saturday.
Ato Kwamena Dadzie, acting editor of Joy FM radio, was ... |
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CHARGED: Statement from CPJ
25 Jul 2010 | 05:44 PM
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| In Ghana, police prosecute journalist with antiquated criminal law
New York, July 23, 2010—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ghana’s attorney general to drop prosecution of prominent journalist Ato Kwamena Dadzie under the 1960 criminal code in an attempt to get him to reveal his sources.
The Criminal Investigations Department ... |
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CHARGED: Statement from Danquah Institute
22 Jul 2010 | 02:57 PM
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| The Danquah Institute considers as disappointing, dangerous and back-stepping the action that has been taken by the Police, in particular, in responding to Government’s directive to investigate the news item in which Joy FM quoted a source as alleging that council members of the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association were ... |
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CHARGED: Government Statement
21 Jul 2010 | 07:54 PM
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| The Ministry of Information has described as unfortunate statements attributed to the Ghana Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), National Media Commission (NMC), Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and others in the matter of the caution statement taken from JoyFM over the publication of alleged death threats.
A statement ... |
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CHARGED: Statement from CDD Ghana
20 Jul 2010 | 08:58 PM
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| The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) wishes to express its grave concern over the arrest and formal charge yesterday of the Acting News Editor of JOY FM, Mr. Ato Kwamena Dadzie, for refusing to disclose the source of a story carried by his radio station on the STX Housing ... |
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CHARGED:... for sealing the lips
19 Jul 2010 | 08:50 PM
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| A few hours ago, I was charged with a criminal offence. It’s the same charge being faced by Nana Darkwa, who accused Rawlings of setting fire to his own house.
The state is charging me with the offence of publishing news “with intent to cause fear and alarm” after I ... |
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Sekou goes, Mills sends a message
19 Jul 2010 | 09:11 AM
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| President Mills chose the most inopportune time to sack Sekou Nkrumah from the National Youth Council. It would hurt him. But it puts him in good company. He’s just following the footsteps of his main political mentor, who happens to be none other than Kwame Nkrumah – Sekou’s father.
Sekou, ... |
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Get a mortgage, Mr. Rawlings
14 Jul 2010 | 08:59 AM
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| For years, it has been in the grapevine. Honestly, I never heard the Rawlingses deny the speculation that they had a mansion in East Legon. But they never confirmed it either! All they have done (or failed to do) and all they have said over all of these years suggest ... |
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After the floods, no charity
12 Jul 2010 | 08:54 AM
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| When the earthquake wreaked havoc in Haiti earlier in the year, the Mills administration didn’t waste time to demonstrate its generosity to the rest of the world. In a swift response to international aid appeals, the government donated three million dollars to help with the relief effort in Haiti. The ... |
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Pointless ‘Cantata’
11 Jul 2010 | 05:03 PM
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| It’s Sunday. I go to a friend’s house, switch on the TV and it’s already on the so-called “Station of the nation”. Then I see ‘GTV presents’… I hate to watch GTV but this time around, I decided to wait and see what’s about to unfold. The next slide I ... |
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Parliament can’t face Wayo
07 Jul 2010 | 07:38 AM
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| I believe Kofi Wayo is a true patriot. I don’t know many politicians who care about this country as much as he does. He’s a bit eccentric in his ways but you can’t do what he does without being a bit of a maverick.
This country needs people like Kofi Wayo ... |
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7 Reasons why Ghana is out of the World Cup
05 Jul 2010 | 07:30 AM
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| After surprising many skeptics, the Black Stars ended their fairly good run at the World Cup by losing to Uruguay on penalties. The defeat broke many Ghanaian (and African) hearts. I really pity all those who put all their emotions into supporting the Black Stars, expecting them to win the ... |
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No more predictions
28 Jun 2010 | 10:10 AM
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| It’s been a while since I sat down to write. I’ve been quite busy sorting a few personal issues out. But through it all, I’ve also been enjoying the World Cup and making the world realize how much of a lousy ‘pundit’ I am.
So, now it’s official. Football punditry ... |
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So much for austerity
16 Jun 2010 | 08:08 AM
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| Oh, Lord, my God, I guess I need to come and see you in the inner sanctum to understand why governments in Africa most often do things that will not make sense to their counterparts in the other parts of the world.
A clear example is the decision by my ... |
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A good start…
14 Jun 2010 | 09:05 AM
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| The Black Stars’ campaign at the World Cup got off to a good start in Pretoria, making me dread the possibility that I may just be forced to eat humble pie – yet again! It was a good performance against Serbia. Everyone in the team contributed their best.
Even Richard ... |
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GUEST BLOGGER: Why GES is Wrong About Mobile Phones
09 Jun 2010 | 10:00 PM
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| By NII MOI THOMPSON
Economic historians would tell you that the clash between technology and society is as old as mankind’s struggles over the millennia to meet his material needs. The inventor of the typewriter, for example, was violently attacked by calligraphers who felt their very livelihood threatened.
The list of ... |
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Any woman but her
08 Jun 2010 | 07:21 AM
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| Dear God, what is this I hear? She also wants to be president? What have we done to deserve this, my Lord?
You know, I am all for women empowerment and emancipation. I believe that our first female president would end up being our best leader, yet I hope to ... |
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LAUGH IT OFF: Dead Politicians
04 Jun 2010 | 08:24 PM
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| A bus of politicians is driving by a farm where a man lives alone. The bus driver, caught up in the beautiful scenery, loses control and crashes into the ditch. The man comes out and finding the politicians, buries them.
The next day, the police are at the farm questioning ... |
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No mobile phones on campus, please
03 Jun 2010 | 09:36 PM
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| Dr. Nii Moi Thompson must have been having a terrible day when he granted a radio interview to comment on the decision by the Ghana Education Service to ban the use of mobile phones on secondary school campuses.
His thoughts on the matter seemed distressingly porous.
He said the ban ... |
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BLACK STARS: A disaster waiting to happen
01 Jun 2010 | 09:16 PM
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| Like millions of other Ghanaians I just finished watching the Black Stars lose miserably to the Netherlands in an international friendly in Rotterdam.
It was an embarrassing 4-1 trouncing.
It’s the worst score line in recent friendly matches for any of the teams preparing for the World Cup in South ... |
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A world-beating squad?
31 May 2010 | 08:19 PM
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| After their surprise performance at the African Cup of Nations in January, I vowed that I will never underestimate the Black Stars again. This was after they had forced me to eat tray upon tray of some pretty unpalatable humble pies. The taste still lingers on my emotional palates.
With ... |
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Our first refugees
27 May 2010 | 09:34 AM
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| After years of proclaiming to the world that we are the most “peace loving” people on earth, we have ‘successfully’ produced our own batch of refugees. News reports suggest that hundreds of Ghanaians fleeing tribal strife in the northern territories are being housed in refugee camps in Togo.
It’s a ... |
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Danke, Berlin... Ich komme wieder
21 May 2010 | 09:59 PM
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| It’s been ten wonderful days of learning. I’ve learnt a great deal about Germany and its rich history, its politics, its people and their cultures. And I have also learnt so much about the countries of the 14 other bloggers I came to Berlin with. I now know about the ... |
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GUEST BLOGGER: Idiots for leaders?
20 May 2010 | 08:35 AM
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| By PHILLIP NYAKPO
Is it possible that the word "flag-bearer" is used more often in Ghana than in any other country on this planet? Very possible, I think, because Ghana's steady diet of bland politics will be incomplete without it.
But it is also possible that word might soon become less ... |
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POSTCARD FROM BERLIN III: The goatee feeling
19 May 2010 | 10:20 PM
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| After a few days of weakness, I am feeling much better now.
It wasn’t malaria after all and I don’t need ‘coartem’. The expert in tropical diseases was right. It was the cold temperatures that shook my bones a little and made me feel sick. Now, I know what it ... |
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POSTCARD FROM BERLIN II: No “ma-la-ria”
17 May 2010 | 07:12 PM
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| I had long forgotten that hospitals were supposed to be spotlessly clean with friendly nurses who smile and crack jokes and doctors who don’t walk around with superior airs. But a few days ago, I regained my sense of what a hospital should be. It all happened at the Virchow-Klinikum ... |
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POSTCARD FROM BERLIN: Ich bin ein Berliner
13 May 2010 | 09:37 PM
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| For the next ten days, I am going to be calling myself a Berliner. The German capital is a beautiful city. I love it. It’s well laid out, quite green in many areas even though there is a lot of construction going on.
I came in here from Frankfurt, where ... |
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RAWLINGS FIRE: More questions, still no answers
11 May 2010 | 08:52 AM
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| Once again, the Ghana National Fire Service has failed to miss an opportunity to demonstrate its inefficiency and incompetence. They have gained legendary notoriety for their inability to put out fires. And now they can’t conduct simple investigation to tell us the cause of a domestic fire?
A lot has ... |
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Cobwebs in my head: Finally, A vindication?
10 May 2010 | 10:31 AM
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| In the early weeks of the Mills presidency, I got embroiled in a needless argument with one of the president’s key henchmen, Koku Anyidoho. He didn’t take kindly to my suggestion that the Castle didn’t need a director of communications and a presidential spokesman.
He claimed that I had “cobwebs” ... |
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GUEST BLOGGER: Nana Ama Agyemang Asante on Matilda Asante
06 May 2010 | 07:25 AM
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| I was going to wait till I do something grand with my life and tell the world how much Matilda Asante, former news editor JOYFM, influenced my drive on the journey to get there. However, things have changed and I believe there’s no perfect time than now to tell Miss ... |
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Emasculating the vandals
05 May 2010 | 09:06 AM
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| The decision by the authorities at the University of Ghana to turn the Commonwealth Hall into a mixed-gender hall of residence has sparked more controversy than it deserves. Of course, the failure of the university to clearly articulate why it is taking such a decision has not helped.
It seems, ... |
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The policy fair: Another trivial pursuit
29 Apr 2010 | 08:08 PM
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| I was amused beyond hysteria when I heard that government was planning to organise a policy fair. I scoffed at the idea because it didn’t make sense to me. But I thought my opinion would change when the event got underway. Three days into the policy fair and I am ... |
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APPRECIATION: Matilda Asante – Friend & Mentor
27 Apr 2010 | 09:27 PM
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| Her steady hands, intelligent mind and elegant professional poise kept the vessel of the nation’s number one radio news team sailing in glory on the rather choppy waters of Ghanaian journalism for almost five years.
It wasn’t always smooth-sailing but even in the most difficult of times, Matilda Asante maintained ... |
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Deutsche ‘Bloggertour’
21 Apr 2010 | 08:46 AM
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| It was in February when I got a message from the German Embassy to meet with the deputy ambassador. At the meeting, the diplomat and his special aide told me about an upcoming programme for bloggers from around the world and asked me if I would like to attend.
They ... |
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Don’t touch my ‘chofi’
20 Apr 2010 | 07:45 AM
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| The decision by the Food and Drugs Board to outlaw the sale and consumption of turkey tails (popularly known as ‘chofi’) makes very little sense – if any at all. It’s completely uncalled for.
Yeah, we get it. ‘Chofi’ is fatty and could therefore be unhealthy.
But alcohol poses a ... |
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Needless presidential surprises
19 Apr 2010 | 07:43 AM
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| Mr. President,
You have sprung quite a number of useless surprises on us lately and I feel obliged to write and plead with you to stop wasting your time and ours. I hear that you have a lot more up your sleeves. Please keep them there. What we’ve seen so ... |
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DAGBON: Seeking justice, damaging the peace
14 Apr 2010 | 08:21 AM
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| When President Mills promised to bring those who killed Ya Na Yakubu Andani to justice, he picked up a very hot potato and bit more than he could chew.
The recent arrest of suspects and their arraignment before court is an indication that he is swallowing something he has not ... |
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DAGBON CRISIS: Justice in sight?
12 Apr 2010 | 07:52 AM
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| Just a couple weeks after the Andani royal family complained about President Mills’ apparent lack of interest in fulfilling his campaign promise to bring those who killed Ya Na Yakubu Andani to justice, scores of suspects were arrested. Many have since been set free and others are still in detention, ... |
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The NDC banditry must end
31 Mar 2010 | 09:14 AM
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| Enough is enough!
That’s what the ruling NDC should be telling its supporters who have been on the rampage for well over a year, demanding what they believe they are entitled to.
They have seized toilets and lorry parks, chased public servants out of their offices, forcefully taken over jobs ... |
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REJOINDER - TECHIMAN VRS ASANTEMAN: No one wins
25 Mar 2010 | 08:57 PM
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| We, the rank and file of the Asante Students’ Union (ASU), National Secretariat, Manhyia, wish to register our utmost discontentment and fury about the gross and naked disrespect exhibited by Ato Kwamena Dadzie towards His Royal Majesty, Otumfuor Osei Tutu II and the people of Asanteman.
We read with shock ... |
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GUEST BLOGGER: Abena Obi on the Telecom industry
24 Mar 2010 | 08:25 AM
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| President Mills,
Congratulations on such a masterful delivery of the state of nation address. Your lack of optimism was clearly shown and your inability to once again fill our hearts and minds with words that will kick the socks off our feet was made abundantly clear.
A few months ago you called ... |
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GHANA FIRST: No tribe, one nation
22 Mar 2010 | 08:05 AM
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| Over the past few days, I’ve heard and read from some misguided Ashantis who have threatened to kill me, claiming that I have insulted their chief by suggesting that his threat to kidnap the chief of Techiman was irresponsible.
Some of them warned that if I don’t apologise, I shouldn’t ... |
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EXCERPT: Pretending to be President
18 Mar 2010 | 09:33 PM
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| Jobs for the boys and girls
February 3, 2005
Countrymen and women, loyalists and opponents, I have already spelt out my plans for my second term on the Black Star Stool. I must warn you that things are not going to change much and so don’t expect too much from me ... |
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TECHIMAN VRS ASANTEMAN: No one wins
17 Mar 2010 | 09:24 AM
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| A monarch’s intemperate response to a senseless crime has raised tensions between two ancient tribes to boiling point – for the first time in more than a hundred years. For decades the people of the Ashanti and Techiman kingdoms lived their lives without thinking much about what the other was ... |
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JOSHUA CLOTTEY: Not losing guard
16 Mar 2010 | 08:43 AM
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| The days when boxing was used to assert national superiority are well and truly over. The earlier Ghanaians accept this fact, the better.
Years ago, Azumah Nelson fought as much for himself as he did for the nation. Anytime he jumped the ropes to enter the ring, he did so ... |
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The IGP’s concerns
11 Mar 2010 | 08:13 AM
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| Hello Mr. IGP,
I am sure you’ve taken your salary for this month. I am also sure that you’ve been having a lot of fun riding in a luxury car my mother’s ‘bofrote’ taxes contributed to buying and fuelling for you. You must be having a good time.
But, being ... |
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APPRECIATION: ‘Pretending to be President’
10 Mar 2010 | 07:44 AM
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| I’ve never shaken so many hands and signed my signature so often in just one day. That was the day my maiden book ‘Pretending to be President’ was officially launched. It was a launch like no other.
I didn’t want an official ceremony where the first copy of the book ... |
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BOOK REVIEW: Nansata Yakubu on ‘Pretending to be President’
09 Mar 2010 | 09:01 PM
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| Pretending to Be President is a book for everybody since we all are politicians. It’s also for persons with adept political tastes. This excellent storytelling has crafted a novel way of presenting contemporary satire, through an anthological method, constituting street theories of governance, conspiracies, expectations of citizens, realities of political ... |
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BOOK REVIEW: Klokor Okai on ‘Pretending to be President’
07 Mar 2010 | 11:44 PM
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| Agoo! Amee! Agoo! Amee!
I am the town crier sent to tell you that when a man learns to wash his hands, he eats with the elders. A pregnant son of the land has gone within himself and birthed a book; the elders say we must listen and learn.
Masterfully ... |
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SPECIAL INVITATION: Launch of ‘Pretending to be President’
03 Mar 2010 | 07:42 PM
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| I just took delivery of the very first copies of ‘Pretending to be President’. They look good and that means that all is set for my first book to hit the bookshelves in a few days. I am very delighted and humbled and deeply impressed by the quality of the ... |
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BOOK REVIEW: Farida Badwei on ‘Pretending to be President’
03 Mar 2010 | 08:51 AM
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| With his trademark wit and candour, Ato Kwamina Dadzie brings us a series of letters which reflect the musings of ‘The Excellent One’ – President J.A. Fukuor, president of Sikaman.
President Fukuor, having just won his second and final term in office, is smug ,feels somewhat invincible and just wants ... |
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BOOK REVIEW: Nana Ama Agyeman-Asante on ‘Pretending to be President’
02 Mar 2010 | 04:33 PM
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| I have just finished reading ‘PRETENDING TO BE PRESIDENT’, the first installment in the ‘most irreverent series’ authored by Ato Kwamena Dadzie. The book made up of a collection of letters by Ato’s alter-ego is a compelling look at the state of affairs in his country as is. The imposter ... |
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PRETENDING TO BE PRESIDENT: Ben Ephson's endorsement
02 Mar 2010 | 06:23 AM
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| Dear valued reader, It was a pleasure having Mr. Ato Kwamina Dadzie write, for a long time, a very popular column, LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT – J.A. FUKUOR in the Daily Dispatch newspaper.
It was read by highly-placed persons including Ministers of State and persons at the Presidency.
I had ... |
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REVIEW: 'Pretending to be President'
28 Feb 2010 | 09:57 PM
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| By Theophilus Yartey, 'BFT Lifestyle'
The rise and rise of Ato Kwamena Dadzie can never be merely put down to the fact that he is a fine radio personality with a penchant for lightening serious national issues. That would be a gross understatement of the potential of one of the ... |
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Slow is unsure
26 Feb 2010 | 08:09 AM
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| No doubt John Atta Mills is a man of good intentions. Most presidents are supposed to be good-intentioned, right? What separates a great leader from the good ones is the energy and passion with which they deliver what their followers want.
That’s why Kwame Nkrumah insisted on “independence now” whilst ... |
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Kudos, Arthur K
24 Feb 2010 | 08:43 AM
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| I want to congratulate Dr. Arthur Kennedy for his seminal book on why the NPP lost the elections in 2008. ‘Chasing the Elephant into the Bush’ was launched in Accra yesterday. Of course, I don’t agree with everything he says in the book. But he deserves to be commended not ... |
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REPRISE: Why the elephant is back in the bush
23 Feb 2010 | 11:08 PM
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| When the NPP lost the elections in 2008, I could have written a book on why they were kicked out of power. I am glad I didn’t. Instead, I wrote a short piece, published here on January 5, 2009, outlining in broad strokes why the NPP lost. I am glad ... |
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EXCERPT: Pretending to be President
21 Feb 2010 | 10:40 PM
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| Hotel President
May 24, 2005
The past few weeks have made me realize that it’s not easy to be a father. It’s even more difficult when you are in a responsible position. The Bible says that the iniquities of the fathers will be visited upon their sons. But in Sikaman the opposite ... |
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Silencing the ‘dogs’
19 Feb 2010 | 08:32 AM
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| The unseen hand that pulled several strings to ensure that Tsatsu Tsikata was unjustly jailed is at it again. This time, it’s working against a hapless commentator who decided to foolishly accuse former President Rawlings of setting fire to his own house.
In the absence of solid proof, Nana Darkwa ... |
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GUEST BLOGGER: KAM’s rejoinder to ‘coal pot fire service’
18 Feb 2010 | 08:15 AM
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| Ato, I just read your piece on the 'helplessness' of our fires service and I think it is a good piece. It touches on very important issues which must be tackled by our leadership and also individuals in our own small ways.
I agree with most of what you say, but ... |
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COMING SOON: ‘Pretending to be President’
16 Feb 2010 | 12:08 AM
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| Over the years, a lot of people have suggested to me to put my writings into a book.
Initially, I wasn't interested and I adamantly refused to publish. But after listening to some very close friends and some of the people I look up to, I came to the conclusion ... |
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Our coal pot fire service
15 Feb 2010 | 08:10 AM
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| I really feel very sorry for Jerry John Rawlings. I never thought a day would come when I’d feel this way about the former dictator. But watching the ruins of the house he has lived in for the past 20 years fills me with a mixture of grief, anger and ... |
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A demigod snubbed
11 Feb 2010 | 08:12 AM
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| Few members of the ruling National Democratic Congress joined the party to support an ideology. Most of them got under the umbrella because of one man. Since its formation the NDC has been nothing more than a personality cult, with this one man its demigod. He craves adulation, demands all ... |
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If
11 Feb 2010 | 12:15 AM
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| If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't ... |
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“Master of my fate…”
08 Feb 2010 | 08:35 AM
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| I watched an unforgettable movie over this past weekend. ‘Invictus’ should most definitely be one of the best movies I ever watched. Incidentally, the man playing the leading role in ‘Invictus’, Morgan Freeman, also plays the lead role in my favourite movie of all time – ‘Shawshank Redempt
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