Photographer: Sal Idriss

(Credit: Tricky (Adrian Thaws) © Sal Idriss / National Portrait Gallery, London)....Did you know that Tricky's a quarter Ghanaian via his late mother, Maxine Quaye?

There is a certain feel about the work of Kumasi born photographer, Sal Idriss that truly captivates, -I hope to work with him someday. Currently working in the music and film industry capturing images of black figures in mainstream culture like artist -Chris Ofili, architect -David Adjaye, the late great Malian photographer -Malick Sidibé, politician –Paul Boateng, fashion designer - Joe Casely-Hayford and actress - Sophie Okonedo (to name a few), he has also worked for publications like: the Guardian, The Times, the Mirror, GQ magazine, Mojo, Scotland on Sunday and ES magazine –and the likes of; fashion house -Commes Des Garcon, the National Portrait Gallery and City Hall.

Idriss has just completed a moving exhibition of his work entitled ‘Famous For The Wrong Reasons’ –a photographic exhibition aimed to educate and deter those vulnerable to gun and knife crime; inspired by the artist’s own experience and a tribute to his brother Nassirudeen, who died in 2007 as the result of an unprovoked knife attack in Islington, a few days before his 17th birthday. ** I’m so sorry that I didn’t find out about this exhibition sooner, –anyway it is over but you can still view some of the photographs from this exhibition at: http://www.richmix.org.uk/aandc_famousforthewrongreasons.htm

**For more information about this fabulous photographers work visit: http://www.sal-idriss.com/

Words of Wisdom: Dag Heward-Mills

"Delays occur in our lives because God wants us to experience certain tests. He allows us to be tested by delaying certain things. He searches us to know what is in our hearts. He wants to see our response to delays. Many good people become evil during the period of delay. Remember today that a DELAY is what will bring out what is truly in you! Deut 8:2. Be blessed"


**Yep, I know all about delays!… For more information about evangelist Dag Heward-Mills visit: http://www.daghewardmills.org/

Art: Artist/filmmaker Akosua Adoma Owusu, artist Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and photographer Kwaku Alston are all showing at Studio Museum in Harlem –right now…

Diplomacy III, 2009 by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye



Artist and filmmaker: Akosua Adoma Owusu

Akosua Adoma Owusu’s work is currently showing at the Studio Museum in Harlem’s ‘Changing Same Show’ in their Video Studio and runs until the 13th March 2011).

Photography: Kwaku Alston
To be perfectly honest, I have no idea if uber photographer Kwaku Alston is Ghanaian/of Ghanaian origin or not -but I do know that he is talented and I hope to work with him -someday. I stumble across his work in the latest Issue of Marie-Claire magazine and was pretty impressed (plus my father’s called Kwaku –and they tend to be nice)…

Kwaku’s at the very top of his game and has photographed the likes of: Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Tiger Woods, -worked for hot publications like: The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Essence magazine–and advertising for: Coca Cola, Blackberry and Target, -and is presently showing at the Studio Museum of Harlem –as part of their Harlem Postcards - Fall/Winter 2010/11 show (showing until 13th March 2011).

**Ghana Rising favourite, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye is also showing at the Studio Museum in Harlem -her very first solo museum exhibition entitled ‘Any Number of Preoccupations’, organized by Associate Curator Naomi Beckwith.

For more information visit: http://www.studiomuseum.org/
Studio Museum in Harlem
Address: 144 West 125th Street, New York, New York
Telephone: 212.864.4500
Opening Hours: Thursday 12:00 – 9:00PM; Friday 12:00 – 9:00PM; Saturday 10:00 – 6:00PM; Sunday 12:00 – 6:00PM

Good News: Ghana on track to halve hunger by 2015

According to the following piece by Melissa Britz Ghana is well on its way to meeting the Millennium Development Goal target of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2015, according to a study by Britain's Overseas Development Institute…yippee!  

Written by: Melissa Britz

Ghana is well on the way to meeting the Millennium Development Goal target of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2015, according to a study by Britain's Overseas Development Institute.


The study forms part of a series of profiles on countries around the world that, in the words of the institute, are "bringing to light key lessons to inform development work leading up to 2015."

It said in its study: "With agricultural growth averaging more than five percent a year during the past 25 years, Ghana is ranked among the top five performers in the world. This has contributed to major reductions in poverty and malnutrition ..."

The first Millennium Development Goal, that of eradicating extreme poverty, includes three target areas:

To reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day;

To achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people; and

To reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.

The report goes on to say that Ghana is largely self-sufficient with in staple foods.
Marc Hofer/UNESCO

Children at a rural school.
"Food supply has grown faster than the population has... At the same time, the real price of food has fallen. More accessible food meant that undernourishment went down to eight percent by 2003, from 34 percent in 1991. Child malnutrition has also declined, with the proportion of infants underweight falling from 30 percent in 1988 to 17 percent in 2008."

According to the study, some challenges, such as production efficiency and making agriculture environmentally sustainable, still remain.

The Overseas Development Institute is an independent think tank on development and humanitarian issues which says it "aims to inspire and inform policy and practice which lead to the reduction of poverty, the alleviation of suffering and the achievement of sustainable livelihoods in developing countries." THE END

Guardian.co.uk also looked at this story and has uploaded an accompanying film clip that can be viewed at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/video/2010/oct/15/ghana-development-progress-odi-video

Politics: Peter Bossman is elected the first black mayor in Slovenia…

Were making headway's folks, and as always, –there’s a Ghanaian involved. The following is more information about Ghanaian born doctor, Peter Bossman, known as the, 'Obama of Piran' who became the first ever black mayor in the whole of the Eastern Block on the 24 October 2010! Note, please remember Peter and all the other black pioneers -who dare to stand up –and be countered in countries like Russia, Poland etc in your prayers –because the aforementioned countries are not easy ooOO! Go Peter, Ghana Rising is very proud of you…

Peter Bossman becomes Eastern Europe's first black mayor

'Obama of Piran' elected in south-western Slovenia

By: Jo Adetunji / Dated: Monday 25 October 2010 /Paper: The Guardian

Peter Bossman and some of his supporters celebrate his victory in the Slovenian Adriatic town of Piran. (Credit: The Guardian)

A Ghana-born doctor nicknamed "the Obama of Piran" became the first black mayor in eastern Europe yesterday after he was elected in Piran, south-western Slovenia.

Peter Bossman, 54, said he was "happy and proud" to have been elected to the post after winning a second round runoff in the town with just over half the votes.

Bossman settled in Slovenia, then still part of Yugoslavia, in the 1970s after arriving in the country to study medicine. He decided to stay after marrying a fellow student from Croatia.

Speaking about his campaign, in which he said he would introduce electric cars to the town, Bossman said: "I based my campaign on a dialogue, and I think the dialogue has won."

But Bossman was criticised during the campaign for not speaking fluent Slovene, the country's official language, prompting him to say in an interview with Delo, one of Slovenia's leading newspapers, that a friend and professor of Slovenian had "offered to give me additional lessons".

However the new mayor, who runs his own private medical practice and is a member of Slovenia's governing centre-left Social Democrat party, said he had not suffered racial discrimination.

"In the first months after coming to Slovenia I felt that some people did not want to be with us [African immigrants]. But for the last 10 or 15 years … I have no problems at all and I think people no longer see the colour of my skin when they look at me," he said.

Slovenia has a population of around 2 million, the majority of whom are native Slovene, and immigration is more common from ex-Yugoslavian countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. There are very few black people living there. The town of Piran, which lies on the Gulf of Piran on the Adriatic Sea, has a population of around 17,000.

Vlado Miheljak, a political analyst, said the vote in Piran was a test of whether Slovenia was "mature enough to elect a non-white political representative." (Credit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/25/peter-bossman-first-black-major-eastern-europe-slovenia)

Is Linda Annan the most fashionable Ghanaian woman in the world?

As you all know by now, I like to be uber abreast of all that’s hot concerning the GH community –and it doesn’t come any hotter than Linda Annan right-now! I happily stumbled across the above photo of Linda in Essence Magazine’s October 2010 Issue and just had to google this fabulous fashionista… It transpires that Ms Annan is the editor and publisher of Obaasema Magazine and a blogger –just like me! You can find out more about Linda at: http://consciousafricanwoman.blogspot.com -For more information about the latest copy of Obaasema Magazine visit: http://www.obaasema.com/

Television: Boris Kodjoe stars as Steven Bloom in NBC's spy drama Undercovers

I was wondering, -when will Undercovers reach these shores? For more information visit: http://www.nbc.com/undercovers/

Boris Kodjoe

Boris Kodjoe on the cover of Essence magazine’s October 2010 Issue (with Blair Underwood and Lance Gross).... fabulous x

Music: D Black Ft Kwabena Kwabena

I was pleasantly surprised to see a ‘facebook’ friend of mine on OBE TV this morning, and even more impressed when I heard his tune, ‘Somebody’ featuring Kwabena Kwabena, -it’s very touching and I can honestly say that I’m now a big fan of Desmond Kwesi Blackmore -aka D Black (plus, he not only looks like my little brother, but is also called Desmond)…Go Des... For more information about D-Black or to download ‘Somebody’ visit: http://www.dblackmuzik.com/bio.html

You can also download it here at: http://www.torrents.net/find/d+black+ft+kwabena+kwabena/

Fashion: kanya King

“When I started the Mobo (music of black origin) awards 15 years ago, I was told that to be taken seriously, I should tie my hair back and not wear make-up. But that’s not me –I like my hair wild, and I like my femininity, and I’ve never gone without either.” kanya King

kanya King looking fabulous in The Sunday Times Style magazine, 31/10/2010 Issue…

http://www.mobo.com/

Please Note…....

I can no longer access my paulina_448@hotmail.com address folks! I can only be contacted/reached via my nanaaba69@hotmail.co.uk account –right now. I’m kind of gutted as I no longer have the various emails you guys have been sending me over the past year and a half, -anyway (as always), if you have any news, events or any other fabulous info/happenings concerning the Ghanaian community globally –do get in touch via my nanaaba address…


Thanks
Paulina x