Friday 28 February 2014

The Spirit: Apor Jesu by OJ





 
Do remember to watch the above film clip via: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwvmW3VjNcE

Paulina says: Apor Jesu by Accra based gospel singer OJ makes me sooooooooooooo happy...... Have a Blessed weekend folks.... Apor Jesu by OJ can be downloaded via: http://mp3truck.net/oj-apor-jesu-mp3-download.html

Wednesday 26 February 2014

Haute Collaboration: DAAR Living & Christie Brown ........




LIFE-STYLE: where fashion informs interior décor.

"I love this over-the-top jacket and it called from some drama!" Senanu Arkutu, DAAR Living.

Fire red hardwood loveseat with Nigerian Asoke upholstery. Mahogany stool with Malian Bogolan upholstery:
DAAR Living
Jacket: Christie Brown


 


LIFE-STYLE: where fashion informs interior décor.

"This elegant and mature dress whispered ‘antiquity’ and this old time dressing room scene with a modern twist was created", Senanu Arkutu, DAAR Living.

Refurbished antique wooden furniture and small furnishings: DAAR Living.
Dress: Christie Brown

 


LIFE-STYLE: where fashion informs interior décor
"When I saw this dress I thought of the ocean and this beach terrace scene was conceived, designed and styled", Senanu Arkutu of DAAR Living.

Furniture, accessories and interior styling – DAAR Living
Dress: Christie Brown


 


 

This is Senanu Arkutu's (Owner and Creative Director of DAAR Living) favorite item in her wardrobe (Christie Brown). Look what it inspired!

 



This stunning Dure Dress from Christie Brown inspired this ensemble of antique console (iron and glass), iron 8-piece candle-stand, camel hair blanket from Niger and others….

 


 
 
 
 
Paulina says: Don't you just love it when beautiful, well-made furniture meets high-fashion!!!
That's exactly what transpired when -DAAR Living collaborated with Christie Brown for their, "LIFE-STYLE: where fashion informs interior decor' collaboration at the Christie Brown shop in Viva Court, Osu --last month.

Of course those of us in London, NYC and beyond are well aware of this concept and take the likes of London's Dark Room (
http://www.darkroomlondon.com/), Paris concept store Colette, (http://www.colette.fr/), Emarati entrepreneur Omar Bin Khediya's Dubai based O-Concept Store (https://www.facebook.com/OConceptStore), Hong Kong's Goods of Desire (aka G.O.D) http://www.god.com.hk/ -Luminance -an uber luxurious lifestyle and fashion store founded by one of my all time favourite businesswoman, South African docility Khanyi Dhlomo (https://www.facebook.com/LuminanceOnline), Oliver Bonas (http://www.oliverbonas.com/) -and even UK high street favourite Urban Outfitters (http://www.urbanoutfitters.com) et al, ---are all taken for granted but the concept store concept is still very new to Ghana. Thus, the above collaboration is soooo inspiring and forward thinking -that, I hope to see more of it!!!

For more info about DAAR Living visit: https://www.facebook.com/daarliving

For more info about Christie Brown visit: https://www.facebook.com/ChristieBrownGH & http://www.christiebrownonline.com/


 
More Info........
 
 We launched! On the 15th December, 2013, with a fashion inspired exhibition with Christie Brown. 'LIFE -STYLE: where fashion informs interiors', was an insight into how DAAR Living, the interior accessories retail and service firm, works and creates. The Owner and Creative Director of DAAR Living, Senanu Arkutu, masterminded the event using personal favourites from past Christie Brown collections to show how fashion inspires her and the brands 2013/2014 designed and sourced unique pieces and 'styled' spaces. Each CB dress, skirt or jacket was paired with a home accessory, piece of furniture or decorated living installation. Many thanks to the Christie Brown team, the Wolfpack Entertainment team, the Crystal Park team and to ALL who were involved and who supported! If you missed it - enjoy the photos!
 


The Natural Resources of Ghana.....................



"The fact of the matter is that the natural resources of Ghana are not being used then developed in way that links up with the wider economy. So you've got these gaps right across the economy. Ghana is still dependent on bringing in refined petroleum products from outside the country. It does have an oil refinery, but that refinery has been mismanaged and is constantly in debt and has been underperforming. Often they can't afford to buy the crude oil they need to refine, although Ghana itself is producing its own oil. Now the plans for the next five to 10 years are to address those issues and build another refinery and in the president's state of the nation address he spoke about bringing in new investors for the existing refinery at Tema. So I think we are going to see some changes on that but, as you say, the average person asks, why am I paying so much for petrol when we are now an oil-producing country? And of course, when you put up the price of petrol and diesel in Ghana, everything else gets more expensive because you have to move it around the country. I don't think the government really explained that too well and I think people are going to be frustrated. They see Ghana as a country that wins a lot of praise around the world, that is one of the biggest gold producers in Africa, it's the second biggest producer of cocoa in the world and now it's got oil and gas. They think with all those resources they should be living in a very rich country and they want to know what's happened to the money." Patrick Smith is the Editor of Africa Confidential in London

Do read to full interview via: http://allafrica.com/stories/201402260580.html?page=2

 

The High-Life: Ghana set for Greater Demand for Private Jets...............



Title: Ghana to See Greater Demand for Private Jets
Dated: October 2013

Hangar8, the UK-listed global aviation management and charter company with operations across Africa, believes Ghana and West Africa in general will see a huge increase in demand for private aviation services over the next few years.

This it says will be fuelled by strong economic growth, increasing foreign direct investment and a growing tourism industry.

Analys is of industry data by Hangar8 reveals that currently there are around 168 business aircraft registered in West Africa, an increase of around 54% since 2002.

Furthermore, the number of business aircraft delivered to the region between the periods 2003-2007 and 2008-2012 increased by a staggering 106%.

Hangar8 has 14 private jets available for charter across Africa. It also has a fleet of medically dedicated aircraft on the continent for aero-medical evacuations, of which it says there are over 15,000 every year, accounting for as many as 40% of the world's total.

Speaking from the Ghana Summit 2013 in Accra hosted by The Economist, Janus Kamradt, Group Sales and Marketing Director, Hangar8 said: "West Africa is a very exciting market for us and one where we see huge potential for growth.

"Ghana, for example, is one of the top ten fastest growing economies in the world and has a rapidly expanding energy industry and mining sector.

It has between five billion and seven billion barrels of petroleum in reserves, and a large oilfield which contains up to three billion barrels of sweet crude oil. It also has vast natural gas reserves, is one of the largest gold producers in the world and has a strong tourism industry.

"These factors, plus a rapidly expanding economy, are all closely correlated with a growing demand for private aviation services."
 Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201310291444.html


Paulina says: I believe that Hangar 8, "a private jet aircraft management company based at Oxford Airport in the UK, who already have offices in South Africa and Nigeria -are truly feeling the zeitgeist!!! ---Yes, I also see a greater demand for a much more faster, safer, more convenient way to travel by private jets in Ghana.

Certainly, Ghana's chichi Lebanese community have been flying to and from Kumasi from Accra and beyond forever -and now that Ghana's rich natives are less afraid to show their wealth, -me thinks private air-travel is the 'Next Big Thing'.........
For more info about Hangar 8 and their fabulous host of services visit: http://www.hangar8.co.uk/
 

A Ghanaian Business Icon: J. K. Siaw


Joshua Kwabena Siaw, popularly known as J. K. Siaw (January 1923—October 1986), was a Ghanaian industrialist and philanthropist, who in 1969 established Tata Brewery Ltd. – now known as Guinness Ghana Breweries, also as Achimota Brewery Company (ABC). He is notable for opening the largest wholly African-owned brewery company in West Africa in 1973. In 1979 all his assets were confiscated by the AFRC regime of Ghana under false allegations of tax evasion. He died in London, in exile, in October 1986.

Joshua Kwabena Siaw was born in Obomeng in January 1923. His father came from Akwaseho and his mother from Juaben in the Ashanti Region. J. K. Siaw worked with his father on a cocoa farm before attending school aged 12, in 1935, and took to basket-making as a way to make more money to further his own education.

In 1942, aged 19, Siaw became a teacher of Standard One class in Awaseho. After a couple of months he went to work at the Orthodox Mission School and then to the Bremang Gold Dredging Company near Bogoso, in Ghana's Western Region. After just one month, he went to Effiduase Banko to work again as a teacher from June 1943 to March 1945. Siaw then went to work at the New Juaben Grammar School but left after a year because the headmaster, Mr. Sarkodea, was mismanaging the school. Siaw established Christ College in 1946 with his father, before apprenticing with a pharmacist for a year. Christ College evolved into Ghana Secondary School in Effiduase by 1976.

Siaw then decided to go into business and borrowed £50 (£1500.00 in relative value) to start up as a cocoa-broker. In four months he had made £600 (18,000.00 in relative value) profit. In April 1950 he became a siding clerk at Kwahu Praso, transporting cocoa to Accra, Ghana's capital. He repaid the £200 security charge for the clerking employment with interest in six months and was bound for a further six months, by contract, but he decided to stay for only four. In 1953 he worked as a siding clerk, this time for the Cocoa Purchasing Company, which paid £6 a month. He became a cocoa and timber transporter in 1954.

In 1957, he began selling enamelware until the Government of Ghana under Kwame Nkrumah banned the importation of those goods. In 1964, Siaw's first request to the government to be granted permission to set up a brewery was rejected. He applied again in 1967 and that application too was rejected on the grounds that licences had been given to Ashanti and Takoradi breweries. Despite being offered an investment of 400,000 cedis from Siaw, Takoradi brewery could not happen.

A third application to the Government to set up a brewery was successful and approved 26 July 1969. The approval was given to "Tata Trading Company" to establish a brewery in Cape Coast in the Central Region, Ghana, "a place of fashion, scholarship, and beauty". A suitable site could not be found in Cape Coast and the project was relocated to Achimota, a town on the Accra-Nsawam Road.
Tata Brewery Ltd was commissioned on 30 January 1973, J. K. Siaw's fiftieth birthday. It was officially opened by the then Head of State Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, who said of the event: "It is the single-minded and single-handed effort of Mr. J. K. Siaw... which has been responsible for what we see around us today. Mr. Siaw is an excellent example of the innate ability of the Ghanaian to rise to the needs of the occasion". Siaw had wanted "his Brewery to stand for centuries to come", "even longer than the famous Christiansborg Castle".

Tata Company secured exclusive export rights for the "Maltex" drink to neighbouring Togo, Dahomey (Benin), Upper Volta (Burkina Faso), Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal, and the Gambia from Albani Breweries Limited, a Danish firm operating in Ghana. The company was the first brewery to introduce draught beer into the country.

The Ghana Commercial Bank provided a loan of 950,000 cedis for the project to begin, with a pre-requisite that J. K. Siaw deposited 200,000 cedis. By 1976, the brewery employed 750 Ghanaians and only four expatriates. Siaw produced his own brand of beer - Tata Pilsner Beer.

For the workers and their families there was a clinic, a subsidised canteen and free transport to work. Siaw sought to build housing for the workers not too far from the site. Vaccinations were provided free of charge to the workers and their families.
Siaw presented to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital an electro-cardiograph, a piece of equipment the hospital was deficient of.
Siaw also donated towards the construction of a hospital in Akwaseho in 1975 and begun the building of a road from Akwaseho to Obomeng, a project that ceased when the 1979 AFRC regime seized his assets. No subsequent governments have completed the road. Siaw was the subect of a book by J. Benibengor Blay entitled The Story of Tata (c.1976).


1979: AFRC regime
Siaw was among the businessmen targeted by the AFRC under the "house cleaning" exercise against corruption.The AFRC were under the impression that Ghana's wealthiest businessmen, of whom J. K. Siaw was the most prominent, must have acquired their wealth through corruption facilitated by the country's former leaders, including Lt. Gen. Akwasi Afrifa, Gen. Acheampong and Lt. Gen. Fred Akuffo, who were all executed. During the short time that the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council was the government of Ghana (4 June 1979 until 24 September 1979), Siaw was arrested on numerous occasions, and his house looted. Junior soldiers raided his properties for a catalogue of items, including a £3000.00 gold watch (£33000.00 in relative value), until he was released secretly by a junior soldier and left for Liberia. The tax-evasion charges totalled ¢10 million (as of 1979) however, they were false allegations...


Life in exile
Liberia Brewery
Following from the upheaval in Ghana in 1979, J. K. Siaw started again in Liberia, which by comparison to Ghana was a very safe and peaceful country in West Africa at the time.
 
PNDC petitions
Mr. Siaw petitioned the PNDC government, which came into power with the overthrow of the government of Hilla Limann who had been supported by the AFRC in the 1979 elections. The PNDC government systematically targeted businesses of other businessmen as well as J. K. Siaw.

Death
J. K. Siaw left Liberia to live in South London, until he died in October 1986. He had sent numerous petitions to the military government PNDC and had applied for safe entry to be allowed back into Ghana without risk of arrest. His body was flown back to Ghana in December of that year. He did not receive his assets back and was considered a criminal by the state, despite the allegations being baseless


Return of property and compensation issue
Ghana's subsequent NPP government announced its intention to compensate victims of the previous military regimes and return some seized assets. In 2008, the then government returned eight houses to the family on a "where is, as is basis", meaning they were made to accept the properties in the condition the government was prepared to return them. It was hinted that compensation would be paid to those whose properties were sold, yet despite Tata Brewery being sold twice since confiscation the family received no compensation on that single property, nor on the list of items looted from Siaw's numerous properties.

 
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._K._Siaw


 
Paulina says: The late great uber industrialist and philanthropist, J. K. Siaw came from a time when Ghanaian businessmen were real business men!!!!!!

A pioneer and innovator, Joshua Kwabena Siaw who is celebrated for, "opening the largest wholly African-owned brewery company in West Africa" ---also believed in giving back even for the political-correct 'corporate responsibility' was added to most businesses!!! Thus, I feel that J. K. Siaw's story and business model, should be added to the national curriculum for Ghana schools (and beyond)....

I'm sooo inspired by J. K. Siaw of Tata Brewery Ltd (now known as Guinness Ghana Breweries). His journey from teacher, to cocoa-broker to businessmen and philanthropist - should be an inspiration to us all -and motivate us -as he was, to not be afraid ----and expand, and look beyond Ghana's borders -and think big.


P.s In terms of politics......wasn't the Ghana of the late 60's and 70's --crazy?????
 

Tuesday 25 February 2014

Beauty News: Ghanaian/Nigerian model Adeola Ariyo is named as new Face of Elizabeth Arden.......................






"Being chosen as an Elizabeth Arden Brand Ambassador in Africa is an incredible honour. Elizabeth Arden herself was an entrepreneur, women’s advocate and a champion for holistic beauty, inspiring women all over the world. I am proud to be associated with a brand that embodies such important values." Adeola Ariyo

 "To be beautiful is the birthright of every woman. As a company we want to celebrate each woman’s unique beauty through individuality, diversity and original expressions of beauty. Adeola has all of these qualities and as a prestigious beauty brand we wanted to choose a spokesperson that African women could identify with" Corne Nel, Managing Director of Elizabeth Arden in Africa



Paulina says: Congratulations to beautiful Sports Illustrated supermodel Adeola Ariyo who's been named the African face/ brand ambassador of uber beauty house Elizabeth Arden's Visible Difference, Skin Illuminating and foundation brands....

The first West African to hold this position, Adeola Ariyo -who's mother is Ghanaian and father is Nigerian is taking over from beautiful South African model Lerato Moloi....

On a personal note, I've often seen gorgeous photos of Adeola Ariyo about, and always thought that the former London-model-about-town, and now Cape Town based supermodel was fully Nigerian but ---its a pleasant surprise to find out that she has a Ghanaian mother!!!!

I wish Ghanaian/Nigerian model Adeola Ariyo all the best -and feel that Elizabeth Arden has made a very clever choice, -as she will not only appeal to Africa's most populous nation, but to the elegant, upwardly mobile Ghanaian community who love this brand (and beyond)...

For more info about Elizabeth Arden's new brand ambassador Adeola Ariyo visit: https://twitter.com/AdeolaAriyo

For more info about Elizabeth Arden SA visit: http://www.elizabetharden.co.za/
https://www.facebook.com/home.php & https://twitter.com/EArdenSA

 

Sunday 23 February 2014

Rest In Perfect Peace Richard Jonah



Title: Sir Sam Jonah’s son, Richard Jonah is dead
Dated: 23-2-2014

Richard Jonah, the son of business magnate Sir Sam Jonah, has died in London on a business trip.

An entrepreneur himself, Richard, 38, died suddenly in his hotel room on Saturday, February 22, 2014  in what family sources suspect to be a cardiac arrest.

As an international businessman, Richard was the co-founder and the executive director of Jonah Capital with mining interest in some Southern African countries like DR Congo.

His death comes on the back of the unexpected demise of another rising star of Ghana, Komla Dumor who died in London on January 18 and was buried only yesterday.

Richard Jonah also founded Mobus Property Holdings Limited, a privately-held Ghanaian property investment, development and management company focus on commercial and residential property development.

Richard Jonah was an entrepreneur with over ten years of professional experience, primarily in private equity and investment management in Africa.

He served on the boards of many private and AIM and JSE listed companies in a variety of sectors from IT, financial services, green and brown field mining projects.

Richard was a co-founder and executive director of Jonah Capital. He co-founded Jonah Capital in 2003 as a Pan African Investment Company to invest across Africa in key sectors that include mining, financial services, agro processing, infrastructure and recently founded Mobus Property Developments, a Ghanaian commercial and residential property development company.

Richard was born in the mining town of Obuasi, Ghana and worked and traveled extensively across Africa. He was educated in Ghana, the United Kingdom and America. After graduating from Haverford in Philadelphia, he joined Goldman Sachs on Wall Street as an analyst in their fixed income division.

He then joined the African investment banking team of N.M. Rothschild in London, where he focused on investment opportunities in the resource sector in Africa before settling in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002.

Richard received a Bachelors in Economics from Haverford College, Philadelphia; an MBA from Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria. Richard has a diverse sector experience of working across Africa and has an extensive network of business and political contacts on the continent.

Richard served on the Boards of Jonah Capital, Metropolitan Insurance Ghana, Jonah Mining Zambia, Mobus Property Holdings and Cape Concentrate.

Source: http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2014/february-23rd/sir-jonahs-son-richard-jonah-is-dead.php


Nana Aba says: Omgoodness, I can't believe it........ Richard Jonah of Mobus Property is dead.. That talented, handsome young man has passed at the age of 38 -and Ghana has lost another young inspiring star. My heartfelt condolences to our beloved business icon, Sir Sam Jonah and family... xx

Oil investments in Ghana to hit $20 billion (US) in 5 years




Video: International oil & gas industry leaders meet in Accra for the 18th annual Offshore Oil conference



Video:Oil drilling in Africa could lead to ‘The Resource Curse’


Oil investments in Ghana to hit $20 billion (US) in 5 years

January 23, 2014



ACCRA- Ghana’s investments in the petroleum sector are estimated to reach 20 billion U.S. dollars over the next five years.

Alex Kofi Mould, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), disclosed this here on Tuesday, saying the investments represented foreign direct investments (FDI) to be recouped ultimately from oil production.

“It is well and good that such heavy capital injection follows oil and gas development operations,” the CEO stated in his keynote address to open the three-day 2014 Offshore West Africa Conference and Exhibition.

The theme of the conference and exhibition, which attracted oil and gas sector operators from across the globe, is “Expanding West Africa’s Offshore Potential”.

Mould explained that the expected investments would be spent on ongoing projects and upcoming developments in fields where oil was discovered in commercial quantities in 2007.
Ghana began commercial oil production in 2010.

Mould said the cost of developing the new TEN (Tweneboa, Enyenra and Ntomme) and ‘Sankofa-Gye Nyame’ fields was close to about 6.0 billion dollars.

He however emphasized that the “only one that we are going to spend on this year is TEN,” which would attract an expenditure of 1.6 billion dollars in 2014 alone.

The Ghanaian government approved the TEN development program last May following a proposal sent by the partners led by Tullow Oil.

The Jubilee partners then, including the GNPC, Sabre Tullow, Kosmos Energy, Anadarko and the EO Group, spent over 5.0 billion dollars developing the Jubilee oil fields between 2007 and 2010.
Present partners in the Jubilee Field include Tullow Oil, GNPC, Sabre/PetroSA, Anadarko and Kosmos Energy. Mould urged state actors to ensure that revenue from this exhaustible natural resource was used wisely by way of infrastructural development and other investments that would outlive the oil industry.

“Since the discovery of oil in commercial quantities in 2007, it has become imperative to ensure that petroleum activities are carried out in a safe, secure and sustainable manner, through complete adherence to the laid down rules that guide the industry, ” Willieson Shamo, Director for Petroleum at the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, pointed out.

He said, as part of its quest to increase reserves, Ghana intended to drill six slim holes in the Voltaian basin to be followed by the acquisition of 2D seismic data prior to licensing of blocks to prospective applicants.

Shamo pledged the government’s commitment to continue to build the capacity of critical government and educational institutions.

They comprise the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Petroleum Commission (PC), Attorney General’s Office, Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), Ministry of Finance, GNPC, and educational institutions that will produce the critical human resource base for the sector.

The Jubilee field currently produces around 100,000 barrels of oil per day (100,000 bopd) with the target range between 100,000 bopd and 110,000 bopd.

Source: http://dilemma-x.net/2014/01/23/oil-investments-in-ghana-to-hit-20-bln/


Paulina says: If there weren't sooo many demons in the African oil industry, it would be an industry that I would love to invest in. But its sooo incestuous, soooo much sooo that unless 'they-let-you-in' -and of course you must be attached to the government in some way, --you can forget about it, plus you probably have to get into bed with a few underground-spiritual-gamers!!!

Still, who wants to sell their soul for a life of riches here on planet earth only to burn in hell??? Also,....will we [Ghana] ever refine our oil or will we like the rest of 'black' Africa continue to sell it crude???? What is the problem with we Africans?? Can we not learn from our Arab neighbours!!!!....
 

Ghana Jubilee Field to flare gas starting this month....


Ghana Jubilee Field to probably natural flare gas starting next month

Dated: January 27, 2014

 
 
Ghana will probably start flaring natural gas at the offshore Jubilee field next month to relieve pressure at the deposit operated by Tullow Oil Plc. (TLW)

The Environmental Protection Agency will allow the flaring because the pressure has swelled and will determine a fine for the Jubilee partners later, Kojo Agbenor-Efunam, deputy director of oil at the regulator, said in an interview in the capital, Accra, today. London-based Tullow has been reinjecting gas and limiting production to about 100,000 barrels a day because of delays in opening a gas processing plant.

“Jubilee’s reservoir has reached a level where it is not safe to continue re-injection of gas,” Agbenor-Efunam said. “We met with all stakeholders and Jubilee partners yesterday and had to agree to the gas flaring which is likely to commence in mid-February.”

Tullow will miss out on $100 million of sales this year because of the delays at the Ghana Gas Co. processing plant, Chief Executive Officer Aidan Heavey said in an interview on Jan. 15.

The partners will be allowed to burn off about 40 million standard cubic feet of gas daily until the gas plant is ready in April or at the latest, September, he said. China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. is building the facility.

Deputy Petroleum Minister Benjamin Dagadu said the Jubilee partners also discussed cutting production levels if necessary.

Credit: Ekow Dontoh / Bloomberg
Source: http://dilemma-x.net/2014/01/27/ghana-jubilee-field-to-probably-natural-flare-gas-starting-next-month/

President Obama to invite 47 leaders to US-Africa summit in August 2014......


Obama to invite 47 leaders to US-Africa summit and 22nd African Union summit begins

Dated: January 24, 2014

President Obama to invite 47 leaders to US-Africa summit in August...

President Barack Obama will invite 47 leaders to a landmark US-Africa summit in August 2014, seeking to widen US trade, development and security ties with an increasingly dynamic continent to which he traces part of his ancestry.

Obama will send out invites to all African nations that are currently in good standing with the United States or are not suspended from the African Union – meaning there will be no place for states like Egypt or Zimbabwe.

Obama will hold the talks on August 5 and 6, seeking to cement progress from his trip to Africa last year.

A White House statement said the trip would “advance the administration’s focus on trade and investment in Africa, and highlight America’s commitment to Africa’s security, its democratic development, and its people.”

The idea for the summit was first announced by Obama in a speech in Cape Town in June.
Egypt, which has caused the Obama administration to thread a foreign policy needle with an erstwhile ally after a military takeover, is not eligible to attend as it is currently suspended from the African Union. Egypt said on Wednesday it was “very surprised” by the decision.

Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Badr Abdelbati said the US decision was a “mistake” and displayed a “lack of vision.”

“Egypt was very surprised by the US statement about its reasons, especially as the summit is not being held under the auspices of the African Union and is simply a summit between the United States and African countries,” the spokesman said.

Other notable absentees on the invite list include Sudan and Madagascar.
 

The Komenda Wars of the Gold Coast 1694-1700





Photo Details: The “Golden Carriage” was given to Queen Wilhelmina from the people of Amsterdam as a gift in 1898. The painting by Nicolaas van der Waay was intended to recreate the style of the country’s 17th-century “Golden Age,” in which Amsterdam became wealthy as the hub of a naval empire. It depicts enslaved Africans. Credit: http://dilemma-x.net/2013/01/29/netherlands-queen-beatrix-abdicates-for-her-45-year-old-son/




The Komenda Wars were a series of wars from 1694 until 1700 largely between the Dutch West India Company and the British Royal African Company in the Eguafo Kingdom in the present day state of Ghana, over trade rights. The Dutch were trying to keep the British out of the region to maintain a trade monopoly while the British were attempting to re-establish a fort in the city of Komenda. The fighting included forces of the Dutch West India Company, the Royal African Company, the Eguafo Kingdom, a prince of the kingdom attempting to rise to the throne, the forces of a powerful merchant named John Cabess, other Akan tribes and kingdoms like Twifo and Denkyira. There were four separate periods of warfare, including a civil war in the Eguafo Kingdom, and the wars ended with the British placing Takyi Kuma into power in Eguafo. Because of the rapidly shifting alliances between European and African powers, historian John Thornton has found that "there is no finer example of [the] complicated combination of European rivalry merging with African rivalry then the Komenda Wars."


Preceding Conditions
The Dutch West India Company (WIC) and the Eguafo Kingdom engaged in an earlier set of hostilities in 1688. The Dutch and the British had both established factories in the port city of Komenda. In 1687, the French negotiated with the king of Eguafo to open a factory in Komenda and the WIC responded by launching its military to force the king of Eguafo to expel the French. The Dutch tried to induce neighboring states to attack Eguafo at the same time, while the French provided gold to the King to pay the neighboring states to remain out of fighting. In the end, the Twifo did join the Dutch and secured trade concessions in Komenda as a result. The violence resulted in the killing of the King of Eguafo and a prince who allied with the Dutch was placed on the throne named Takyi. Komenda then became largely controlled by the Dutch and their allies Twifo. This situation gradually resulted in tensions between Takyi and both actors. As a result, Takyi repeatedly tried to balance British interests in the port of Komenda.


Series of Wars
The Komenda wars was a series of four different military engagements defined by shifting alliances and the involvement of military forces from multiple kingdoms in the region. The wars ended with the enthronement by the British of Takyi Kuma as the King of Eguafo. Willem Bosman was the primary chronicler of the Komenda Wars, being an active participant with the Dutch West India Company and publishing his journals in 1703.

In general, the protracted war included the Dutch West India Company (WIC) and the British Royal African Company (RAC) supporting different sides in the Eguafo Kingdom to support their desired trade privileges. The forces of John Cabess, a prominent merchant in the city of Komenda, was closely allied to the British and often took their side. The war started with John Cabess attacking the Dutch fort in Komenda and the Dutch then organizing regional forces against the King in Eguafo, Takyi. Eventually, sides switched and the British began supporting a challenger to the Eguafo throne, Takyi Kuma. The fighting brought a number of other Akan polities in the region into the fighting, including: Adom, Akani, Akrons, Asebu, Cabess Terra, Denkyira, Fante, and Twifo.


The First War
The first war began as a result of disputes between a prominent African merchant, John Cabess (sometimes Kabes) who had armed forces loyal to him, in Eguafo and the Dutch West India Company (WIC). Cabess was a formal and loyal ally to the British Royal African Company and assisted their operations in the region. The Dutch, in competition with the Royal African Company, had a series of disputes with Cabess including an instance in 1884 with the Dutch panyarring Cabess and taking his goods. The disputes intensified in November 1694 when Cabess invited the British Royal African Company to return to Komenda and then attacked Dutch miners outside of the city. With the British reoccupying the former British fort in Komenda they were fired upon by the Dutch fort.

As a result of these hostilities, the British, Dutch, and Eguafo king began contacting possible allies in surrounding African kingdoms to prepare for a war. Cabess Terra and Twifo initially joined the Dutch, but this alliance was stopped when Denkyira threatened to attack Twifo if war should break out. The Adoms took money from Eguafo to remain neutral in any fighting.

War broke out in February of 1695 when the forces of John Cabess attacked the Dutch fort and prevented reinforcements. On April 28, 1695, the Twifo forces were defeated. The war then largely took the form of panyarring where one force would seize members of other groups regularly.[John Cabess and the Dutch began negotiations that year, but on June 26, the Dutch head at the fort, Willem Bosman, drew a pistol and attempted to shoot at Cabess. Panyarring and occasional violence broke out until a short-lived peace settlement was reached in the end of 1695.


The Second War
On January 21, 1696, a young prince of Eguafo began a civil war to attempt and claim the throne of the kingdom. The name of the young prince was often rendered as Takyi Kuma or Little Takyi (in relation to the current king Takyi). The Dutch supported Takyi Kuma and were able to get the neighboring states of Adom and Akani to join in the fight supporting Takyi Kuma. The Akrons joined Takyi in defending Eguafo. The fighting ended quickly with Takyi Kuma and his forces losing on March 20. The loss resulted in formal negotiations between the Dutch and Eguafo. Jan van Sevenhuysen, the new WIC Governor of the Gold Coast made peace with Eguafo which allowed the Dutch to retain their factory and fort in Komenda. However, the British and Dutch hostilities remained high and their forts in Komenda exchanged regular, minor hostilities.

The Third War
The Dutch began soliciting the other African parties to try and organize another force against Eguafo and Takyi's regime. On August 5, 1697, the Dutch and Fante made an agreement to attack Eguafo in exchange for significant gold given to Fante. The British were able to make an offer to Fante of an equal amount in order to keep them neutral and Fante accepted. Other Dutch efforts were largely rebuffed by the allies. In early 1698 the British and Dutch reached an agreement for mutual recognition to trade rights and the maintenance of forts in Komenda.[

By November 1698, the British came to view that Takyi was becoming more inline with Dutch interests and so began to support Takyi Kuma. In November 1698, the British killed Takyi as part of this attempt to put Takyi Kuma on the throne. The British paid for mercenaries from Asebu, Cabess Terra, and Akani to join the conflict. In contrast, the Dutch, Fante and Denkyira remained largely neutral in the war. The combined forces of Takyi Kuma moved upon Eguafo but were routed by the forces of the kingdom


The Fourth War
The fourth war began in November 1699 with a unified force supporting Takyi Kuma beginning hostilities in the region. Panyarring became a large scale process between the different forces and heightened tensions. In early 1700, individual merchants associated with Twifo and John Cabess were panyarred by Adom, possibly on the instructions of the Dutch. Violence remained sporadic with regular seizing of individuals of rival forces until the British-supported mercenary force moved upon Eguafo and on May 9, 1700, Takyi Kuma was named the new king of Eguafo.


Legacy
The war, coupled with a smallpox outbreak in the early 1700s, resulted in large-scale depopulation of the area. The war did not cause significant transfer of sovereign control of land. Instead, the effect was most dramatic in its transformation of who controlled trade along the Gold Coast. The British initially had a significant advantage in the resulting situation in 1700. However, they quickly alienated the new king Takyi Kuma by demanding repayment of debts. In addition, the gains proved short-lived as the Eguafo kingdom was plunged into civil war in 1704 with the death of Takyi Kuma. In addition, the Komenda Wars signaled the beginning of dimensions that would define West African politics in the 18th century including large scale use of mercenaries and panyarring for warfare in Western Africa, the end of the Dutch monopoly over trade and expansion of British control, the rise of the Ashanti Empire, and the beginnings of the replacement of the gold trade with the slave trade.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komenda_Wars


Paulina says: I have often wondered about the origins of the Ghanaian surname Bossman -and I do feel that its a big posibility it originated from Dutch merchant Willem Bosman. You can read all about him via: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem_Bosman


More info
Elmina is a 700-year-old town located on the coast of the Central Region of Ghana in West Africa. It is the capital of four distinct traditional areas or states, which have been put together to constitute a political district called Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) municipal.
For more info read: http://keea.ghanadistricts.gov.gh/

More info:
The Dutch West India Company: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_West_India_Company
The British Royal African Company: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_African_Company

Fante Land...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem_(Ghana_parliament_constituency)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Coast_(Ghana_parliament_constituency)
 

"To destroy a people, you must first sever their roots." Alexander Solzhenitzyn


Hot Event: Davido Live in Concert at The Accra International Conference Centre on 1st March 2014 from 7:30 pm.......




Paulina says: Ms Accra socialite and I were discussing uber fabulous Nish Kards -the on-again-off-again girlfriend of Nigerian Afro-Beat artist Davido -with regards to her finally taking her place on the 'centre stage' this year or opening a fashion boutique or whatever -my suggestion (Wizkid's lady opened her very own high-end clothes store in Lagos last year -very clever gal -me thinks) -- when she alerted me to Davido's upcoming concert in Accra, Ghana...

I know I should be talking about Davido but Nish Kards is really the conversation du jour -don't ya think!!!!

The thing is.......for just over two years this sexy mysterious goddess of Ghanaian/Caribbean origin, I think she might be partly from Rihanna's Barbados --is a sort of 'Karrueche Tran' of Africa figure, -with her Chris Brown being Davido!!!!! -And has continued to remain elegantly silent as Africa's growing media outlets and Blogland-ers (and beyond) have speculated, wondered and debated her and Davido's relationship ---and even I sent her a message asking for an interview sometime back, -something I kind of don't have enough time for right-now, -but would have been happy --to take some time out to get inside the fabulous mind of this African Kim Kardashian figure!!!!!

Still, I admire her silence, because unless you are know for your own thing/merit/talent/skills -being celebrated for just being someones girlfriend gets very old/boring very quickly --so I admire her silence.

But-t-t-t.....it would be fab to see Nish Kards coming centre stage in her own right and in 2014!!!!

I would love to see Ms Kards open a fab high-end fashion boutique in Accra, see her photographed on the frows of GFDW (Ghana Fashion & Design Week) -say, and her just doing her 'thing' -she is very glamorous after-all......


Anywayssss, while glam watchers and social commentators await Ms Kards 'outdooring' ----you can keep up with all her fabulous happenings, one of the best instagram accounts on the planet via:
http://instagram.com/nishkards#

As for Davido who I think is a very good entertainer, -you can check him out live in contcert at the Accra International Conference Centre on 1st March 2014 from 7:30 pm......whether Nish Kards will be there is anyone's guess!!!

For more info and tickets, I believe VIP tickets are GHC 90 and the rest --GHC 70 from Global Icons Agency via:
http://www.globaliconsagency.com/ticket/index.php
http://www.globaliconsagency.com/

 

Thursday 20 February 2014

Haute Collaboration: Mo Saïque x Anita Quansah Shoe Collection..........






Paulina says: Normally fashionable happenings like this haute collaboration happens only in my dreams...but two Ghana Rising blog faves, two of the most inspirational high-fashion accessories brands, Mo Saïque shoes and Anita Quansah London bespoke jewellery have come together to create shoe-nirvana, and a collection that I'm predicting is Spring/Summer 2014's most covet set of heels...

I lovesssssss them paaaaaa, and might have to raid my little Jojo's piggy bank and treat myself to a pair.... For more info about the above stunning tassel lovelies visit: Mo Saïque at: http://www.mo-saique.com/ & https://www.facebook.com/shop.mosaique

For more info about Anita Quansah London's delectable bespoke jewellery collection visit: http://www.anitaquansahlondon.com/ &
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anita-Quansah-London/HYPERLINK


P.s.... remember to also check out Mo Saïque's SS14 Miami Beat and Mo Saïque 4 LaQuan Smith shoe collections -they are beautiful must-haves......
 
 
 

All Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely -the horrors of the Adjei Kojo Demolition........continues








 TWO DISLODGED people at Promised Land near Adjei-Kojo, sustained various degrees of injury last Tuesday when they were allegedly engaged in a fight with some security personnel supervising the demolition of houses in the area.

The victims were identified as Famous Gamore and Cudjoe Asemsro, both residents whose homes were flattened and were putting up in tents with their families. They were arrested and sent to a camp built by the security personnel – made of the police and military in the area.

Displaced victims were said to have rushed on the security personnel to protect their items when the men in uniform allegedly fired warning shots with live ammunitions to disperse the angry crowd, some of whom have been sleeping in the open after their homes were demolished by the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) recently.

Some of the residents complained of having been assaulted with butts of the guns and others were reported to have been flogged with belts.

The incident purportedly occurred when the residents resisted a bulldozer which was clearing debris of demolished buildings and leveling the land close to one of the tents in the area.

But the police and military men, out of anger, destroyed some of the tents and ordered the operator of the bulldozer to run the vehicle over their items.

When DAILY GUIDE got to the scene, one of the victims was seen being forced out of a camp put up by the security agencies The residents fought using stones to pelt the military and police men besides hurling insults and curses on them.

Some tents and food items donated to the victims by individuals and institutions were also spotted destroyed.

Mr. Emmanuel Gakpotor, a National Security personnel whose house was also demolished, narrated to DAILY GUIDE the two victims attempted to take water donated to them and their personal belongings from the tent close to where the bulldozer was working when the security personnel assaulted them.

Information gathered also by DAILY GUIDE indicates that the security men who had been supervising the demolition of the structures, once again went there to protect TDC workers to level the land and remove debris of the purported illegal structures built on a disputed land.
From Vincent Kubi, Tema
Credit/Source: http://www.dailyguideghana.com/adjei-kojo-refugees-beaten-up/


Title: TDC boss justifies demolition at Adjei Kojo

Managing Director of the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) Joseph Abbey says the Corporation did nothing wrong in demolishing structures on 10 out of its 905 acre-land encroached upon.

He asserted that TDC cannot be accused of not showing human face in the demolition exercise carried out last month at Adjei Kojo, a suburb of Tema, as 4,000 structures on its encroached lands have been spared.
 
He said only 65 houses were pulled down.
 
Mr Abbey pointed out that the figure is far from the 500 claimed by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tema West Constituency, Irene Naa Torshie Addo.
 
The TDC MD made these known on Wednesday, February 19, 2014 when he met Parliament’s Select Committee on Water Resources, Works and Housing to brief members on the reasons behind the demolition, which was widely condemned.
 
“It sometimes hurt when people say that we haven’t done things with a human face,” Mr Abbey bemoaned.
 
He said the Corporation is mandated to develop any of its land, which is less than 350 acres, at a point in time.
 
“The area that we demolished - which we are saying is about 10 acres - is within the 350 and we had to do the demolition in that area,” he stated.
 
Mr Abbey indicated that occupants of the land were duly informed about the exercise and some even complied by moving out.
 
He denied reports that the site will be developed into a mall, disclosing that it will be used for a public school and rental flats.
 
Parliament’s Select Committee was scheduled to visit the site on Tuesday.
 
This had to be rescheduled on the eleventh hour for security reasons as a brawl broke out between victims of the demolition and a joint team of police and military officers.
 
Chairman of the Committee David Tetteh Assumeng, who is also MP for Shai Osudoku Constituency, hinted that members will visit the site upon a go-ahead from leadership of the House.
Source: TV3 News|Ghana
Credit/Source: http://tv3network.com/Local-News/tdc-boss-justifies-demolition-at-adjei-kojo.html



The Tema Development Corporation (TDC) has rendered an unqualified apology to the Tema West Member of Parliament, Irene Naa Torshie Addo for not giving her prior notice before embarking on the demolishing exercise at Adjei Kojo, a suburb in her constituency.

Over hundred people have been displaced after the TDC accompanied with bulldozers under the supervision of armed police and military men raised down about 150 houses on Tuesday January 21, 2014.

The Tema West MP after fierce opposition has threatened to initiate legal action against the Corporation for rendering her constituents homeless.

The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) executives in the area are calling for the head of the TDC Managing Director, Joseph Abbey for engaging in acts they deem detrimental to the party’s electoral fortunes.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Monday, Public Relations Officer, Dorothy Asare Kuma said they fully accept responsibility for not notifying Naa Torshie before the exercise.
According to her, it was totally an oversight and not a deliberate action as people claimed.
Despite the apology, Dorothy Asare Kuma said it doesn’t take away the fact that the TDC acted legitimately.

“TDC as a public institution will always follow due process. The people developed the land without any permit or land title, that is wrong. How ever you look at it, wrong is wrong”, she stressed.
Dorothy Asare Kuma further explained that the Corporation voluntarily acquired the land from the chiefs and compensated them accordingly, adding that the TDC did not flout any law as it was being potrayed.

Reacting to the NDC’s petition to President Mahama to sack her boss, the TDC PRO said the president is the appointing authority hence, reserves the right to appoint and disappoint.
Meanwhile, Dorothy Asare Kuma disclosed that the demolition exercise has been put on hold until further notice.
Credit/Source: http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2014/January-27th/tdc-apologizes-to-tema-west-mp-over-adjei-kojo-demolition.php

Read:
http://www.ghana.gov.gh/index.php/2012-02-08-08-32-47/general-news/4810-tdc-denies-demolishing-500-house-at-adjei-kojo

 http://graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/17894-2-arrested-at-adjei-kojo-for-obstructing-police.html



Paulina says: Its getting harder and harder to watch Joy News on ABN (Sky 290) -there never seems to be any good news!!!!

I've just had to summon up brute strength and courage to sit through another onslaught of painful happenings in our sweet motherland Ghana, -including water shortages (again) and the worst, if it can get any worse than water shortages -those left at Adjei Kojo after the hideous demolition of their homes!!!

I sit on my lovely sofa in a warm room, and I can't quite get my head around 'my people' sitting baaaaaaajaaaaarrr on the ground -with their homes flattened and all their belongings scattered around...and I feel sick!!!

Children with mothers, the elderly, and men doing the best they can -in the most trying circumstances -seems not to be enough for some!!! Nope, they also face daily harassment from some security personnel and in some cases beatings!!!

I'm angry. I'm sad. When did Ghana become like this?

Where are the Christian members of Ghana's growing costly government? Where are the churches? I wonder.....is there no way powerful humans in Ghana can stand up for these people?

Can they not be given some money to help them start over again --else where if needs be, -because from what I can see the situation is desperate and many have lost everything!!!!

What has been allowed/permitted to take place at Adjei Kojo --which has basically left its residence homeless -----is sinful. Surely its commonsense and human courtesy --if you are going to forcefully remove people and demolish their homes and destroy their belongings -that you offer them not just notice/time, but some alternatives, some money etc etc, the people of Ghana are human-beings with rights, they are not animals!!!
 
How can folk in authority just sit by and watch? I know some have been seen on TV allegedly debating this tragedy -but lets keep it real......we all know damn well that they intend to do NOTHING for these people --and its sinful!!!!

I can't believe Ghana is slowly turning into what many of us believe to be true of other African countries, --uncaring and cheap, ---and that LIFE in Ghana now means NOTHING... Nobody cares -and that's scary!!!

It makes me wonder who/whom does the ordinary man turn to in times of trouble --like this!!!!!

It seems Ghanaians have no one!!! There isn't a member of Ghana's government, head of church, chief or whatever that is willing to fight for these people and its not just sad, -but very telling of the true state of the nation of Ghana -right now!!!!

Like you all, I have prayed and prayed -I am beside myself, and would like to be a better person, and know it sounds awful, ---but I'm soooo glad that there is a HELL... -And all those who intentionally cause terrible suffering to others, when they can do things differently, -find themselves there --but in the mean time, I feel helpless!!!

May God deliver us (from evil) and Bless us all sooo that we can make a difference in the lives of our people back home (tears)!!!! I, like everybody else, want and love progress, but it must not come at the cost of human lives.... We must fear God and his creation, we must respect our brothers.....period.

In the mean time............how will I be able to get the images of all those children who are no longer able to go to school, all those mothers who are doing their best to keep things together and that man, that speech, the desperation---soooo sad, ----how will I get them (all) -out of my head????
 
 

Ghanaian Football Hero Arthur Wharton is honoured.......



Title: Arthur Wharton honoured at Rotherham stadium
Dated: 19 February 2014


Arthur Wharton played for Rotherham Town and Sheffield United


Football's first professional black player is to be commemorated with a statue in South Yorkshire.

Arthur Wharton is to be honoured outside Rotherham United's New York Stadium

Born in 1865 in Jamestown, Gold Coast, in what is now Ghana, Wharton played for Rotherham Town and Sheffield United among other teams during a career between 1886 and 1902.

The statue is by Graham Ibbeson, a sculptor from neighbouring Barnsley.

Jim Cadman, the businessman behind the privately-financed project, said it was the 125th anniversary of Wharton signing for Rotherham Town in 1889.

Mr Cadman said he had established the Rotherham Sporting Guild to help raise money for the statue and fundraising is to continue.

Mr Ibbeson is known for work including his statues of Barnsley's former cricket umpire Dickie Bird and the late comedian Eric Morecambe.


The planned statue has been designed by Barnsley sculptor Graham Ibbeson

Tony Stewart, chairman of Rotherham United, said: "We are delighted to be able to honour a remarkable individual who is still being talked about as a pioneer."

Wharton moved to County Durham in 1884 with the intention of training as a Methodist missionary. But he opted instead to become a full-time athlete.

In 1886 he became the Amateur Athletics Association's national 100-yard running champion.

His pioneering footballing career started as a goalkeeper at Darlington FC and he played for numerous teams.

Wharton played for the original Rotherham Town, a team of the same name was the forerunner of Rotherham United.

He died in a workhouse sanatorium in 1930.

Rotherham United moved to the New York Stadium in 2012 after playing several seasons at Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium while the new ground was built.

Credit/Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-26260500