The New Ghanaian | 1 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
10 YEARS OF SERVING THE COMMUNITY (2001 - 2011) Volume 12 NO. 3 - MARCH 21 - APRIL 20, 2012 FREE
President Obama Praises President Atta Mills
President Bar rac k Obama has praised President Mills for Ghana’s economic transformation and entrenching democracy, rule of law, freedom of speech, peace, respect for human rights and strengthening of institutions of state. Ghana will therefore continue to remain a strong ally of the US in development and international and security. President Obama said this when President Mills visited the Oval Office at the White House. The two leaders were hopeful that they will be re-elected this year for another four year mandate. The meeting between Cont’d on page 5
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President Atta Mills at a Town Hall meeting at the Ghana Embassy in Washington DC
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah At A Glance
Ghana celebrated its 55th independence day on March 6 and here is a timeline of Ghana’s first president. C o n v e n t i o n , Nkrumah was made include N. A. Welbeck, Kwame Nkrumah led C h a i r m a n , w i t h Kwesi Plange, Kofi the formation of the Komlah Gbedemah, Baako, Krobo Edusie, Convention People’s a s v i c e - c h a i r m a n Dzenkle Dzewu and Party (CPP) on 12th and Kojo Botsio as Ashie Nikoi. June, 1949 at Arena in secretary. •T he CPP Accra before a crowd Other members of o f a b o u t 6 0 , 0 0 0 . the Central Committee Cont’d on page 26
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Obama Praises Atta Mills Cont’d from 1
President Mills and his American counterpart Barrack Obama was the high point on the itinerary for the official visit. The two presidents were happy to have met officially again after President Obama’s
historic visit to Ghana in July 2009. Three years down the line a lot has happened especially in the area of Ghana-US relations. This relations have been anchored on the Obama administration’s foreign policy of Partnership for Growth, which focuses on security, political, economic and humanitarian
interest. Ghana’s economic transformation and human development success story in the last three years, could not have been well told by any other person than the President of the United State of America, a country that has had relations with Ghana since 1957. President Obama said he is
proud of Ghana-US relations and hoped that this will continue to grow in leap and bounds even beyond their tenure in office. President Mills said Ghana cherishes her relations with the US. This is because the countries have shared values, which is democracy and peace. He said collaboration with the US is yielding positive results.
President reiterated his resolve to ensure that this year’s general elections are free, fair, transparent and peaceful. He said the cry of the people is development and so where there is no peace there cannot be any development. The two leaders continued their discussion behind closeddoor. GBC
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Op-Editorial
Treasonous Words and Hungry Politicians by Nana Kofi Aquah
I am saddened to hear that an over-fed buffoon has been beating war drums in marketplaces and behind egg-crate walls. “Who born dog?” The saddest part is, since there is no elder in his house, the malnourished youth who lap stinky plates have taken to the streets; defecating shamefully everywhere. Times have really changed in Ghana. Back in the day, not too long ago, a fool like that would have been picked up and fed with hot coal tar through his behind, till his eyes popped like polished saucers. As Ghanaians, we complain A LO T. We a r e a lw ay s o n r a d i o complaining but what we don’t know. According to my Senegalese friend who lives in this country, “Ghanaians are actually living in a bubble. You guys have no idea how special and blessed you are.” You can’t call for war in a country like Ghana and not be a fool, a glutton, a goat, an ingrate or just simply somebody whose mother dropped him as an infant. I spend a lot of time traveling through this region. Go to Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Nigeria, Gambia, Mali. If you have a little more money, get to Niger, Guinea, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Cameroon and you will realize how blessed and privileged a people we
are. Our only problem as a nation is that we take our blessings for granted and here is what I mean: In Ghana, no parent worries about the safety of their children when they send them off to school in the morning. Nobody is looking for child soldiers or under-aged brides. In Ghana, 90% of drivers roll up so they can enjoy some A/C, not necessarily because they’re afraid of being attacked. In Ghana, 99% of our civilian population have never held a gun in their hands, and wouldn’t know how to work one if you gave them. In Ghana, a girl or woman can travel all by herself or simply walk through her neighborhood without needing a man’s permission or bodyguard. In Ghana, over 80% of our population have never witnessed an armed robbery or been victims of it. In Ghana, a wife who’s going through domestic abuse doesn’t need ten witnesses to get a divorce. I n G h a n a , i f yo u announce there’s a bomb somewhere, people rush there to see it not away from it because they have no idea how dangerous it is. In Ghana, any citizen (in fact anybody) can buy land, build and live a ny wh e r e t h ey w a n t no matter their tribe, language, color or sex.
In Ghana, citizens are free to practice whatever religion they choose, including no religion. In Ghana, when a policeman stops you, your first instant reaction is not crippling fear, even when you just jumped a red light. In Ghana, you can be black, white or green, wear a hooded shirt and walk the streets at night. No one cares. In Ghana, women are not sterilized by force because someone thinks they’re having too many children. In Ghana, it is not a crime to have more than one child. In Ghana, every citizen has every right to work and live in any part of the country as long as they can afford it. They don’t need a special permit. In Ghana, no blogger has ever been jailed for any reason ever. In Ghana, we don’t remember the last time a journalist disappeared for reporting against the government. Most Ghanaians have no idea what war really looks like. Most Ghanaians have never held the hands of a dying person. In Ghana, no one gets stoned to death for adultery. Most Ghanaians are of mixed ethnicity and multilingual. The list goes on.
“We face neither East nor West: we face forward.” Kwame Nkrumah
HEALTH WATCH
No Proof That Gum Disease Causes Heart Disease Or Stroke • There is no convincing evidence that proves gum disease causes heart disease or stroke, or treating gum disease reduces the risk of those diseases. • Gum and heart disease share common risk factors, including smoking, age and diabetes, which is possibly why the diseases often occur in the same person. Despite popular belief, gum disease hasn’t been proven to cause atherosclerotic heart disease or stroke, and treating gum disease hasn’t been proven to prevent heart disease or stroke, according to a new scientific statement published in Circulation, an American Heart Association journal. Kee ping teeth and gums healthy is important for your overall health. However, an American Heart Association expert committee -- made up of cardiologists, dentists and infectious diseases specialists -- found no c o n c l u s ive s c i e n t i f i c evidence that gum disease, also known as periodontal disease, causes or increases the rates of cardiovascular diseases. C u r r e n t d at a d o n’t indicate whether regular brushing and flossing or treatment of gum disease can cut the incidence of atherosclerosis, the narrowing of the arteries that can cause hear t attacks and strokes. Observational studies have noted associations between gum disease and cardiovascular disease, but the 500 journal articles and studies reviewed by the committee didn’t confirm a causative link. “ T h e r e ’s a l o t o f confusion out there,” said Peter Loc khar t, D.D.S., co-chair of the statement writing group and professor and chair of oral medicine at the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. “The message sent out by some in healthcare professions that heart attack and stroke are directly linked to gum disease, can distort the facts, alarm patients and perhaps shift the focus on prevention away from well known risk factors for these diseases.” Gum disease and cardiovascular disease both produce markers of inflammation such as C-reactive protein, and share other common risk factors as well, including cigarette smoking, age and diabetes mellitus . These common factors may help explain why diseases of the blood
vessels and mouth occur in tandem. Although several studies appeared to show a stronger relationship between these diseases, in those studies researchers didn’t account for the risk factors common to both diseases. “Much of the literature is conflicting,” Lockhart said, “but if there was a strong causative link, we would likely know that by now.” A large, long-ter m study would be needed to prove if dental disease causes heart disease and stroke, he said. Such a study isn’t likely to be done in the near future, and it’s most important to let patients know “what we know now, and what we don’t know,” Lockhart said. Fo r m o r e t h a n a century, doctors have proposed that infected gums lead to systemic p r o bl e m s l i k e h e a r t disease, and we know that mouth bacteria frequently enter the blood stream
during dental procedures and during naturally occurring events such as tooth brushing. “We already know that some people are less proactive about their cardiovascular health than others. Individuals who do not pay attention to the very powerful and well proven risk factors, like smoking, diabetes or high blood pressure, may not pay close attention to their oral health either” Lockhart said. Statements that imply a cause and effect relatio nship betw een periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease, or c laim that dental treatment may prevent heart attack or stroke are “unwarranted,” at this time, the statement authors said. The American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs agrees with the conclusions of this report. The statement has been endorsed by the World Heart Federation.
PUBLISHER: Joseph “Sonny” Vanderpuye MANAGING EDITOR: Emmanuel A. Gamor SENIOR STAFF WRITER: EDWIN JANNEY CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Muriel Vanderpuye Eddie Ekuban (FASHION) CONTRIBUTORS: Rev. C. John Thompson-Quartey, Jemila Abdulai, Etse Sikanku, Nii Ayertey Aryeh, Edwin Janney, Oral Ofori, Edwin K. Otabil , GRAPHIC DESIGNING: Sonny Vanderpuye The New Ghanaian is a monthly publication of MEDIA AFRIKA, LLC, 5515 CHEROKEE AVENUE SUITE 100, ALEXANDRIA, VA. 22312 www.mytngonline.com or www.thenewghanaian.org To advertise or for more info call: 703.901.4277 | 571.435.4576 or send your emails to: tngeditor@gmail.com
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Faith
“Living Water - Come, drink and live!” From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ [Exodus 17: 1-7] Scientists have said that water is the single most important element in life. The presence of water anywhere signifies the existence of life. We have been told that our body is made up of 70% water. We are told that the entire earth is threequarters water. So it is not surprising that our bodies crave water to exist. We can live without food for a very long time, but our bodies crave water after a relatively shorter time. One can become delirious from dehydration. Can you imagine what the people of Israel must have felt during those days of wandering in the wilderness? After a while, they must have consumed all the water they had carried with them from Egypt. In fact, one can argue that the lack of water caused them to be a little agitated. The Bible said, they quarreled with
Moses, demanding water. They must have been so angry, Moses thought they were about to stone him to death. It must have been really scary! The wilderness is not the kind of place one can easily find water, so you can imagine how irritable the people of Israel were when they quarreled with Moses. This season of Lent, we also enter the wilderness, searching for a deeper relationship with God. We are reminded that Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, to be tempted by the devil. We Christians, therefore, begin our own journeys into the wilderness during the season of Lent, to face the devil and his temptations. Make no mistake: the devil is not a man in red suit with a pitch-fork in his hand, having a conversation with Jesus. What happened to Jesus in the wilderness
was a very serious interior conflict. How was he going to live his life among his people as the Son of the living God? Should He abuse His power for His own selfish needs? Should He test God’s unfailing love for Him? Or should He go after vain and empty promises that the world offers Him in place of God? These temptations are very real in our lives today. Like Jesus, we too will always face choices we have to make to prove our dependence on God’s promise to provide for us. Like Jesus, we fast, and we deny ourselves of all the basic pleasures in our lives, that we may be spiritually ready for the passion of our Lord and the resurrection on that Easter morning. Certainly those of us who fast must under stand what the people of Israel might be experiencing when they asked for water. Indeed,
What Makes Prayer Work? It’s all about a relationship! God has created mankind so that we naturally hunger for a relationship with Him. He has built that yearning for Himself into our frame; He has encoded eternal longings in our spiritual DNA structure. The Scripture says, “He has also set eternity in the hearts of men” (Eccl. 3:11). The famous theologian, C.S. Lewis, wrote “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” (Mere Christianity) Prayer is the bridge between Heaven and Earth. It is the conduit through which the spiritual realm is brought into our everyday lives. Prayer is the way our spirits breathe. Just as our lungs require oxygen and are designed to seek it out, so our spirits require the presence of God and are
designed to seek Him out. Without His presence, we are left gasping for meaning and desperately seeking our purpose in life. We find ourselves trying our best to pray because it is as needful as air for our lungs. Prayer is the method God uses to provide not only our daily needs from food to shelter but also comfort, strength and guidance. The late E. Stanley Jones, missionar y and preacher, wrote, “Prayer … is the opening of a channel from my emptiness into His fullness.” (Abundant Living) Answers depend on the relationship! You find yourself drawn to prayer, curious about prayer, or even desperate for prayer. Maybe you’ve tried prayer and prayer has failed you. Maybe you can point to unanswered prayer after unanswered prayer, proving
that prayer doesn’t work. Does that describe you? We l c o m e ! Yo u a r e reading this because God wants you to understand how you can have a fulfilling relationship with Him that will turn prayer from a fruitless exercise to an exciting adventure. Prayer = Love Prayer works in the context of relationship. Once the relationship is established, you will find that prayer is its natural expression. It is simply
God had answered their cries for deliverance from bondage in Egypt, but now they are faced with a life and death situation, and things were about to get a bit crazy for their leader, Moses. The wilderness is the place we are led during Lent to face our darkest fears and overcome them through obedience to and trust in God. The barrenness and unfriendliness of the wilderness is very likely to cause a person to lose control of his or her senses. The Israelites had quickly forgotten that life in Egypt was so unbearable that they had asked for a way out. Yet the lack of water to sustain them on their journey was enough to make them nostalgic about the very terrible conditions they were delivered from. In the wilderness, the Israelites must define their relationship to God;
and so must we define our relationship to God during Lent. In the wilderness, God becomes manifest in the most unusual place. Water comes out of the most unlikely source - a rock! And the crisis is averted, all because Moses obeyed a simple command. We note here, that God’s promise to Moses is sure and firm: “I will be standing there in front of you”. Lent can be likened to a jour ney into the wilderness. Sometimes, we are faced with our own trials and tribulations, and we find ourselves in the middle of the wilderness, with all our resources exhausted, and no hope of a brighter future. We, like the Israelites, feel desolate and confused. We too, like the Israelites, test, prove, challenge and doubt God’s presence in our own lives. The truth is, the wilderness is not a
comfortable place. Yet we sometimes fail to realize that it is God who calls us into the wilderness. Just as God promised Moses, God will be standing there in front of us (in our wilderness). The question is: do we get so caught up in our complaints and arguments against God that we fail to notice God in our lives? Water, indeed, is a very precious gift. During these days of fasting, praying and alms giving, let us believe that God will offer us the Living Water to refresh our souls and our lives. Let us trust our living God; for God is ALWAYS faithful!!!! Amen
speaking and listening to your Heavenly Father. God wants to answer our prayers. Answered prayer is how He manifests Himself in our life and makes this relationship personal “For the eyes of the LORD r a n ge t h r o u g h o u t t h e earth to strengthen those whose hear ts are fully committed to him.” Prayer is the intimacy that flows spontaneously from a loving relationship. Imagine that you went into a restaurant with your father. Imagine that you and your father ordered your meals, and when the waiter brought them
to your table, he said to your father, “That looks delicious. I want to try a bite of that!” Then imagine the waiter picks up a fork and helps himself to a bite from your father’s plate. It would be inappropriate. You would be offended. You would demand an apology. Now imagine that you and your father ordered your meals, the waiter brought them to your table, and you said to your father, “That looks delicious. I want to try a bite of that!” Imagine that you pick up a fork and help yourself to a bite from your father’s plate. It would be natural.
Your father would be happy to share his meal with you. It would be an accepted intimacy. What is the difference between the two scenarios? Not the words. Not the actions. Not the intention. The difference is the relationship. The child has access to the father that the stranger does not. Prayer starts with the relationship. Have you found that prayer does not work for you? Perhaps you need to start with the relationship. Adapted from Live a Praying Life by Jennifer Kennedy Dean
Reverend Father C. John Thompson-Quartey
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ACCOUNTING CORNER HOW TO PAY THE RIGHT TAXES
At the first day of a new job, there are many forms to complete and one of these is IRS Form W-4 (Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate). The Form W-4 sets the amount of federal income tax that is taken out of one’s paycheck. The different states also have their own Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate. The Commonwealth of Virginia for example, has Form VA-4. Employees can change their Form W-4 at any time, but there are some times that the Form W-4 must be adjusted. Probably the best time to adjust the Form W-4 is the period from January through April 15, when income taxes are filed with the IRS. This is as a result of the fact that after filing the income taxes one could tell whether the right taxes were withheld from one’s paycheck. If you owe a lot, then there is the need to make some adjustments on Form W-4. In fact, the goal should be to have the actual amount of tax withheld. If you have too much withheld, you are decreasing your net paycheck and allowing the government to use your money interest-free. If you have too little withheld, you may need to write a big check on April 15 for ‘Uncle Sam’, and interest and penalty could apply. The strategy used by some employees is to file a Form W-4 at the beginning of the year decreasing their withholding and increasing their net pay. Just before year-end, they must file another Form W-4 increasing their tax withholding and decreasing their net pay – to make up for the lack of withholding throughout the year. The good side of this strategy is that you will have more money available during the earlier part of the year, and the bad side is that you will have less money available during the later part of the year. The trick is to save the larger part of the money you receive earlier in the year and earn interest on it. Later, when your paycheck has to be decreased to make up for the year’s withholding, you can use the money you saved earlier in the year. The idea is for you to earn interest on the money during the year instead of the IRS earning it. What is best about this strategy is that it is perfectly allowable. However, let me sound a word of warning here. If you spend the money you should be saving for the year’s withholding, you may find yourself very cash short at year-end when your tax withholding has to be increased. If you have difficulty budgeting your expenses or saving money, this strategy is not for you. From experience, those of us born and bred in Ghana in particular, and the developing world in general have a high marginal propensity to spend and therefore cannot save much of our discretionary incomes and as a result it may be better to pay the right taxes or even more taxes during the year and possibly get some refund back or break even on our tax liability at the end of the year, rather than owe taxes. The decreased withholding is not a giveaway. It is a short-term method for increasing your interest income if you can save it. It must be noted that, your Form
W-4 remains in effect until you file a new form. Whenever your tax situation changes, you should complete a new form. For example, if you buy a house, have a baby, or incur large medical expenses, you probably need to change your Form W-4 to make sure the correct amount is withheld. Please note that, you must complete a new Form W-4 with your employer to change the amount of withholding within 10 days if you are involved in any of the following situations: (a). When you get divorced or legally separated, or when your spouse changes to claiming his or her own exemption on Form W-4. (b). when you no longer expect to provide over one half of the support of one of your dependents. ©. When your dependent will receive income of $3,700.00 (i.e. 2011 IRS Form 1040 exemption amount) or more, unless your dependent is a student or is under age 19. (d). when you lose the right to claim the number of withholding allowances you previously claimed. A well-informed tax accountant or preparer can help you to determine your withholding allowances if you cannot do it yourself. To determine your withholding allowances, estimate your income and income tax and properly complete Form W-4. You can use the worksheets provided by the IRS on Form W-4. These worksheets provide a step-bystep approach for calculating the correct number of allowances to claim. Furthermore, if you have income other than your wages, you may want to have additional amounts withheld from your wages (i.e. Line 6 of Form W-4). This approach will save you the time and expense of filing quarterly estimated tax payments. If you are an independent contractor or self-employed, and taxes are not withheld from your income during the year, then you need to make estimated tax payments to the IRS. Beginning in January, 2012 payment settlement entities are required by the Housing Assistance Tax Act of 2008 to report on Form 1099K the following transactions (a) all payments made in settlement of payment card transactions (e.g., credit card) (b) payments in settlement of third party network transactions IF Gross payments to a participating payee exceed $20,000; and There are more than 200 transactions with the participating payee. Some Cab Companies like Arlington Red Top and Fairfax Yellow Cab had given out Forms 1099K to some of their drivers to file their 2011 Income Taxes. The treatment of Form 1099 is very simple. The Gross amount reported minus your operating expenses and the card handling charges gives you the net income on which you are supposed to pay tax. Failure to report Form 1099K on your taxes can result in IRS audit, penalties and interest. Furthermore, any attempt to write
off all these payments on Form 1099K in expenses can also attract IRS audit in compliance with the IRS notion of economic reality by enumerating all your expenditure in 30 days to come up with your income and expenses in one month and multiplied by 12 months gives you the annual figures for your true income and expenses for one year. It may be remarked that, an individual whose regular and alternative minimum tax liability is not sufficiently covered by withholding on wages must pay estimated tax in quarterly installments or be subject to penalty. Quarterly payments are due by April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 15 (best if paid by December
15, to ensure credit in the current year). Generally, no penalty is incurred if (a) total tax due was less than $1,000; (b) taxpayer had no tax liability for prior year, prior year was a 12-month period, and taxpayer was a US citizen or resident for entire year ; or (c) IRS waives penalty because failure to pay was the result of casualty, disaster, or other unusual circumstances. Samuel Owusu-Acheampong, (Managing Partner - Universal Financial Services, LLC) (Director of Finance and Visiting Prof., School of Business, West End University College, Accra, Ghana.)
How Can I Improve My Credit Score?
Why is my credit score so low? Is that a good credit score? What credit score do I need in order to qualify for a loan? How does this or that affect my credit score? These are just some of the questions I’m asked about credit scores. There is no question that credit scores are important but most people do not know just how important they really are. It’s not just a lender that looks at your credit score… Did you know that insurance companies use your credit score to determine how much you will pay? Employers are increasingly using your credit score to help determine if they should hire you. Banks use your credit score to determine if they should permit you to open a bank account with them, and cell phone companies will not give you a cell phone if your credit score is too low. The use of credit scores to determine your place in society is becoming more prevalent, so let’s look at some ways to get your credit score where it should be. The tips below come from personal experiences, and I believe are the best ways of improving your credit score. In the many years of working in the real estate industry,I’ve had the opportunity to see thousands of credit reports and work with hundreds of people that needed help with their credit scores. I believe that everyone with a little time and commitment can have great credit scores. Even if your credit looks like a bad horror movie, in very little time you can be on the way to a good credit score. Some of the suggestions are simple solutions. Fix the errors Fixing errors seems obvious, but most people don’t even look at their credit report until they need good credit, let alone fix any errors that might be on their
report. 85% of all credit reports contain an error of some kind with a reported 25% containing a serious error. You need to do this…obtain a copy of your credit report from the three major bureaus: Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. You can obtain a free annual credit report at AnnualCreditReport. com or Freecreditreport.com. Once you have your report, look it over and report any errors directly to the credit bureau(s) that have the error. I do not recommend calling them; do it in writing and keep copies. In most cases you can submit a request online. And one more thing… pulling your own credit from the bureaus does not affect your score. You need credit to have good credit The common thought is that credit scores are used to determine if you will pay your bills. I would suggest to you, that this is not the main use of credit scores, but they are most used to determine if you will buy goods and services and then pay for them. This is why if you only have one or two credit accounts, which you rarely use and pay them on time, you will never obtain a high credit score. You need to do this…make sure you have a minimum of 3, preferably 4-5, credit accounts open that you use at least once every three months. Pay your bills on time All your bills need to be paid on time, even the accounts that seem, as some would say, unimportant. You have to pay all of your bills on time; one late on a credit card, store card, medical bill or utility account can lower your score by up to 100 points; so get those payments in. Even the parking ticket that you threw in the garbage will eventually make its way Cont’d on page 26
Faith & Community
The New Ghanaian | 11 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
Opanin Kwadwo Kyere Visits Virginia
Opanin Kwadwo Kyere, a marriage motivational speaker was in the Washington Metro Area to hold a series of marriage seminars with local churches including Christ The King Presbyterian Church, Md, and The Church of Pentecost, NOVA Central. He also visited Sunlight Radio Studios.
Opanin Kwadwo Kyere (right) with his host, Rev. Mark Asiedu Frimpong of Christ The King Presby Church at Sunlight Radio Studios in Alexandria, Virginia.
Opanin Kwadwo Kyere on the air at Sunlight Radio with Muriel Vanderpuye of Call of Esther Ministries
Opanin Kwadwo Kyere with The Church of Pentecost, Virginia District’s Head, Rev. Kwame Ofori Amanfo (sitting next to Opanin Kyere - third from right) and some men of the men’s fellowship, PEMEF
The New Ghanaian | 12 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
AMERICA SCHOOL OF NURSING & ALLIED HEALTH GRADUATION CEREMONY, March, 2012
Ms. Renea Allan
Mrs. Esi Gyenin, School Director addressing graduating students
Ms. Comfort Babaloula
Ms. Alberta D. Nkansah
Nana Yaa Gyawu assisting Esi Gyenin give out certificates
Graduating students
Beatrice Oduro, Comfort Babaloula, Renea Allan, Nana Yaa Gyawu, Prince & Esi Gyenin & Eric Manful
Staff, Students, Friends & Family
Eric Manful
Esi Gyenin and students cutting a graduation cake
The New Ghanaian | 13 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
A Hawknad Product
For a better skin! HAWKNAD MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES, INC. 6420 General Green Way, Alexandria, VA. 22312, USA
The New Ghanaian | 14 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
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• Buffet Style Dinner • Special Gift Bags for all Ladies • Comedy • Special performance by Jazz Harpist Gail Shanta • Music by DJ Lexus • Mother’s Day Wishes by loved ones, etc.
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The New Ghanaian | 15 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012 Ghanaians deported despite hoax call at control tower The Malta Independent
Ghana
A hoax call to the control tower claiming that a number of illegal immigrants were on the runway brought the Malta Inter national Airpor t (MIA) to a standstill for a brief time yesterday morning. As a result a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt had to be diverted to Palermo in Sicily, while soldiers and MIA officials conducted a search operation in the runway perimeter with negative results. The case happened around 10 am when a group of 35 immigrants were about to be deported to Ghana’s capital Accra, on an Air Malta plane. The timing of the hoax call is being treated as an attempt to disrupt the deportation process. Eventually, the Air Malta plane took off for its destination together with 70 police officers, a doctor and a nurse accompanying the migrants. Efforts by this newspaper to contact the MIA for further details proved futile. The Ghanaian migrants had their request for asylum turned down by the Refugees Commissioner and their appeals were dismissed on the grounds that Ghana is considered a safe country. The majority of them landed in Malta last year and had been held in detention. The EU financed 80% of the repatriation costs while the Ghanaian authorities provided the necessary travel documents. In other developments another 25 refugees of va r i o u s n at i o n a l i t i e s left for the United States under a US government programme. Both operations were coordinated by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
300 Year Stay In Ghana Does Not Make You A GhanaianImmigration
By Alhaji Bashiru Zakari, Kumasi. The Zongo Community in Kumasi are angry over growing xenophobia and ethnic discrimination after a leading member
of the community denied a passport because of his ethnic identity and origin. T h e G h a n a Immigration Service (GIS) was said to have argued that, there is nothing called Hausa tribe in Ghana and therefore anybody who has his/her ethnic origin outside Ghana is not a Ghanaians. “Being in Ghana for more than 300 years does not make you a Ghanaian”. This came to light at a well attended press conference in Kumasi by the Zongo Community calling on the government to clarify the position of members of their tribe in Ghana. The Chairman of the Zongo Community in Kumasi, Alhaji S. M. Shariff, told a press conference that they are dreading the ongoing consequences of this year’s voter’s registration exercise, as they fear a problem of citizenship and identity, which they experienced during the population census exercise in 2010, will re-occur again. The call also follows the recent refusal by the official of the Ghana Immig raton Service (GIS) in Kumasi to grant a Ghana Passport to one Malam Shaibu Suleimana, because the GIS officials claim he is a Hausa by tribe and does not qualify for a Ghanaian passport. Malam Shaibu, who d o u bl e s a s t h e Vi c e Chairman of the National Democratic Cong ress (NDC) in the Subin Constituency in Kumasi, said he was refused a G h a n a i a n Pa s s p o r t though he fully satisfied the requiements needed for one to be granted a passport. Alhaji Shariff said, Malam Shaibu then informed the Sarkin Zongo of his predicament. The Sarkin Zongo, according to the chairman tasked some people to verify the allegation made by Malam Shaibu Suleimana against the Ashanti region passport office. “After the committee found the information to be true, the Zongo chief reportedly had a discussion with the Director of Passport in Kumasi, one Mr. Sylvester and explained to him that the Hausas in Ghana are real Ghanaians whose history date back 300 years ago”. He added. According to him, the Director, Mr. Sylvester
asked one Mr. Essah to deal and resolve the issue amicably so that M a l a m S h a i bu c o u l d have his passport, but the immigration officer continues to demand proof of his Ghanaian identity after producing documents such as Voters ID, Birth Certificate and Subin NDC card amongst others. Alhaji S.M. Shariff, who is also a for mer Diplomat and a leading Member of the Ashanti Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP), said the attitude of officials at the passport office was a clear violation of the fundamental human rights of the applicant. “ We w a n t t h e government to come clear on the citiz enship of Hausa people in Ghana in order to put an end to the confusion”, he added Alhaji Shariff made r e f e r e n c e t o a D a i ly Graphic pubilcation of 20th March, 2012 with headlined “Citizenship not by Bith Certificate”. He said it was against this backdrop that they would require the government to publicly come out to explain the position of Hausa people in Ghana. “We are Hausa of Ghana and not Nigeria, Cameroun, Niger, Sudan and Benin and our forefathers were in the country even before the state Ghana was born, so there should be no doubt about the citizenship of a Hausa man in Ghana but events in recent times give us cause to worry. We therefore want the government to come out once and for all to end all these fuss about our citizenship”, he noted.
Ghana Is Key Market For Delta Airlines
Perry A. Cantrrutti, Senior Vice-President of Delta Air Lines, in charge of Europe, Middle East, Africa and India, has said that Ghana is a key market for the airline, in view of its stable economy, natural resources and serene environment. For this reason, Delta has lined up attractive products for passengers travelling to and from Ghana, to boost its services and strengthen its presence in the country. Speaking on Delta’s investment in Ghana
and its newly-introduced products, Mr Cantarutti announced the launch of an energy and mining desk for customers in Ghana, describing it as unique to the market and exclusive for Delta customers within the energy and mining industries. The desk offers abroad array of benefits, including discounts on Business Class and some Economy Class fares, complimentary protocol by Delta service at the Kotoka Inter national A i r p o r t fo r B u s i n es s Elite passengers, and a dedicated phone line service. H e i n d i c at e d t h at the services were geared towards addressing the needs of Ghana’s fast g r ow i n g o i l a n d g a s industry, adding, “the initiative demonstrates Delta’s strong and continued commitment to the Ghanaian market”. Mr Cantar utti said Delta had undertaken service training programmes for frontline employees and flight attendants to improve services, both on the g round and onboard, pointing out that “for instance , our menus now feature meals appealing to our Ghanaian customers.” The Delta vice president said two new departure gates at the Kotoka Inter national Airport, which the airline built in partnership with Ghana Airports Company and KLM, had improved their ground service tremendously, including personal escort-from check-in to the boarding gate. The company has voted about $2 billion to expand and improve its operations worldwide, inc luding the continuation of its internship programme in Africa, as well as its future investment plans on the continent. Delta Air Lines launched its first business school internship in Ghana last year, offering interns on-the-job training and valuable work experience. The programme is also in four other African countries. The Ghanaian Times
The New Ghanaian | 16 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
Ofori & Associates 20th Anniversary Celebrations in Pictures
Liz & Samantha
Prophet & Mrs. Akapo with Mrs. & Mrs. Charles Ofori
Obeng & Baby
Mr. & Mrs. Charles Ofori with guests
Dr. Charles Danquah & Mr. Charles Ofori
Ms. Edith Carr
Harriet & Charles Ofori
The New Ghanaian | 17 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
Ofori & Associates 20th Anniversary Celebrations in Pictures
Pastor Dan & Pastor Cover
Dinner & speeches
Mr. Charles Ofori, CEO of Ofori & Associates
Mr. Ofori & Pastor Steve Agyemang
The Oforis with friends
Curtis & Otis Ofori and friends
Mr. Ampate receiving an award
Mrs. Ofori with friends
Hilda receiving an award
Mrs. Ofori with friends
The Oforis with staff from their Connecticut office
The New Ghanaian | 18 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
MOURNING KWAKU MARFO, ALEXANDRIA, VA
Chief Mourners
Emma Ampofowaah
Young man Sakyi
“Kwaku why did you do this to us?”
Stephen Yeboah Kodie
Kwaku’s children
Pastor C. Owusu & Elder T. Takyi
Rita Tutu
Chief Mourner
Rev. Quartey & Pastor Charles Owusu
ICCM Choir
The New Ghanaian | 19 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
Africa
Nigeria: African Movies to Canadian Cable TV HOLLYWOOD has officially lost its title as second largest film industry in the world after Mumbai, India's Bollywood to Nigeria, West Africa's Nollywood, according to a survey taken by UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) in 2009. The growing global popularity of African films around the world has created a demand for African content on television. In April 2012, for the first time on Canadian cable television, Canadians will be able to access and watch African movies, dramaseries and entertainment programming on African Movies and Entertainment Television (AMET TV) in partnership with independent Canadian broadcaster, Channel Zero. Fo l l o w i n g B l a c k History Month's celebrations, and being reminded of the crucial contributions to society by African descendants in Canada, it would appear as though the g reat honour would be reflected with positive images on television. Unfortunately, Canada has lagged in representing programming that showcases and targets its African, Caribbean population on television. The need for presenting African culture is evident with the approval for a second Afrocentric school in Toronto. Whether in cultural appreciation, education or entertainment, AMET TV's main mission is to make African content accessible to Canadians who have been neglected as consumer audiences. Starting on April 29, 2012, AMET TV will broadcast African Movies and Drama Series on Cable Networks: Rogers Channel 122, Bell Canada Channel 207, Videotron Channel 614. AMET TV programming line up is as follows: Every Saturdays; African Music Videos Show between 6pm to 7 pm , A f r ica n Dra m a Series between 7pm to 8pm, African Movies between 8pm to 10pm and every Sundays, African Gospel Vibes between 2pm to 3pm.
Zimbabwe: Corrupt Mineral Dealings Attract International Mafia BY NEVANJI MADANHIRE
A Ghanaian national Kingsley Attah Ghansiah is caught with 7kg of gold worthy US$325 000. A policeman's wife causes mayhem and a death in Shamva over an illegal gold deal that has gone sour. An Israeli man Shmuel Kainan Klein flies into Harare in the morning and a few hours later is caught at the Harare Inter national Airpor t carrying a US$2 million diamond loot. Ju s t a f e w w e e k s earlier a crack police unit arrests Israeli and Russian nationals at a house in Follyjon Crescent in Glen Lorne, Harare, linked to dealings in diamond and other precious minerals. Two high-ranking cabinet ministers are implicated in the deals. These are just but four recent examples of how everything isn't as it should be in the precious minerals sector. They are just a tip of the iceberg. Last year Reserve B a n k o f Z i m b a bw e governor Gideon Gono
told parliament that the country was losing up to US$400 million yearly through the smuggling of precious minerals, mainly gold. That figure could be grossly understated. It takes only three Ghanaians like Kingsley Attah Ghansiah to smuggle out US$1 million worth of gold. A n i nve s t i g at ive report by our sister paper Zimbabwe Independent last year showed that the country was "bled of nearly US$500 million by mining syndicates i nvo l ve d i n u n d e r invoicing, smuggling and general lack of quality policing by state agents in the gold and mineral sections of the police." The report said the mines register was in a shambles as many small and medium-sized miners remained unregistered and therefore operated outside the law. Their production figures were not captured in the national statistics and more often than not they traded their minerals
clandestinely. According to the report, then Mines and Mining Development ministr y per manent secretary Thankful Musukutwa told parliament that most Chinese small-scale miners extracting chrome in the Great Dyke were not registered with the ministry due to loopholes in the country's laws. This made it easy for them to smuggle the mineral out. Centre for Research and Development director Farai Maguwu was quoted in the report saying: "The practice of smuggling and underinvoicing was rampant in the country. These companies have the bl e s s i n g s o f s e n i o r politicians. They pay rent to senior politicians and nothing to the fiscus." Gono also alleged the involvement of political elites in the smuggling of precious minerals. Cont’d on page 23
The New Ghanaian | 20 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
President Atta Mills’ Town Hall Meeting in Washington DC
President Atta Mills and his team of Ministers
Pastor Kennedy Odzafi
Adolf Afful Chairman of COGA
Ghanaians and friends of Ghana
Hannah Tetteh Minister of Trade & Industry
Dr. Kwabena Dufuor Minister of Finance
Anoma Addision presenting a copy of his book to the president
Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah NDC General Secretary
Seth Tekpeh Minister Deputy of Finance
Kwame Ansah-Brew
Yaa Adu Carey, Mercy Asiedu & Kwame Ansah-Brew
Mike “Spy” Archer and family
The New Ghanaian | 21 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
Happy 1st Birthday Keren-Lynn Kwakyewaah Adjei “Kwakyewaah Abranoma Ahocfe” c It is clear that God created you for a great purpose. Happy Birthday!
The New Ghanaian | 22 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
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The New Ghanaian | 23 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012 Zimbabwe: Corrupt Mineral Dealings Attract International Mafia Cont’d from 19 He told parliament the RBZ had hired a reputed international consultant that had unear thed "rampant smuggling of minerals by organized syndicates in the country." B u t gove r n m e n t w a s reluctant to implement its recommendations. "There seems to be no political will within the government to pursue the findings," Gono said. The recent ar rests seem to confirm findings that the international syndicates involve C h i n e s e , Pa k i s t a n i s , Israelis, Indians and Russians. These are not nice people. We have heard of the Russian Mafia, the Chinese Triad and other underground organisations operating in places such as Hong Kong, Mumbai and Pakistan. They are ruthless criminals who won't stop at anything to have a share of our precious wealth. M any people h ave begun to link the death of General Solomon Mujuru to diamond dealings that went wrong. The method of his death is still a puzzle to anyone interested in spite of a court ruling that concluded that he died of smoke inhalation. If it was an assassination, then it showed the professionalism and ruthlessness of the assassin. The Russian Mafia is linked to the oligarchs who control the Russian underworld. The arrest of Russians in Glen Lorne points to a sophisticated racket that has roped in senior government officials t h r o u g h w e l l - k n ow n methods such as blackmail or promises of incredible wealth. According to US State Department "the Russian Mafia is the mafia of all mafias. World-known mafia brands such as Cosa Nostra and Yakuza pale in comparison with the great and terrible Russian gangsters". "Triad is a term used to describe many branches of Chinese criminal organizations based in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Macau, Taiwan, China, and also in countries with significant Chinese p o p u l at i o n s , s u c h a s Malaysia, Singapore, the United States, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The Chinese triads are one of the world's largest criminal organizations, encompassing other criminal organizations with a steady membership of around 1,5 million in mainland China alone and 2,5 million members worldwide." (Wikipedia) It would be unimaginable how such groups could be kept out of a country that has 25% of the world's diamonds! The Chiadzwa diamonds have been touted as the biggest diamonds' discovery for a long time. These gangsters' job has been made easier by the corruption that has permeated all the important arms of the Zimbabwean government. Having lived aristocratic lives in the past three decades and fearing the end-game of their political careers many see the accelerated accumulation of wealth as the only way to safeguard their future when they get into political oblivion. The endemic corruption has seeped down to the lowest levels of the public service. This is exemplified by the Shamva policeman whose wife sparked the r eve n g e m u r d e r a n d assault of residents of Canterbury mine. Recent reports show that wherever new precious minerals are discovered policemen and soldiers are the first to arrive and engage in illegal activities. It happened at Sherwood Block in Kwekwe and in the recent Chinhoyi gold rush. Now if policemen and soldiers are involved in such legal activities who is left to enforce the law? What are the chances of one police officer arresting another for illegal dealing in precious minerals? There is no doubt the recent arrest at the airport will reveal a long chain of accomplices that will include senior politicians, senior police officers and senior management at the diamond mines. Facile attempts by management at these mines to hoodwink the public into believing that the mining, transportation and auctioning of our diamonds are done above board become insulting in the face of the recent debacle. But what is to be done?
West Africa Regional Bloc Seals Borders With Mali By LAURA BURKE and RUKMINI CALLIMACHI BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — West Africa's regional bl o c a n n o u n c e d l a t e Thursday that it is closing all land borders with Mali and freezing the nation's bank account in an effort to force mutinous soldiers from power who seized control in a coup last week. The financial sanctions are among the harshest imposed in recent years on a nation in West Africa and are likely to strangle impoverished Mali, which imports nearly all of its gasoline from neighboring Ivory Coast. Kadre Desire Ouedraogo, the president of the commission of the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, told reporters in Ivory Coast that the sanctions will go into effect in 72 hours. He said that in addition to the closure of the borders, all countries belonging to the 15-nation bloc will stop allowing Mali from using their ports. And in addition to the central bank freezing the country's account, Ouedraogo e xplained that the bloc will instruct the central bank not to transfer money to any of the Malian government's commercial bank accounts. Already there have been long lines outside of the main banks in the Malian capital of Bamako, as panicked residents tried to take out their cash. The military junta ousted the country's democratically elected As long as there is no willingness on the part of the presidency to weed out corruption, the situation will get worse. It is highly unlikely that President Robert Mugabe is unaware of what's going on; it is incumbent upon his intelligence services to inform him of what's happening. It is likely that the same people on whose shoulders his political survival is borne are the same people who are involved in these illegal activities. His legacy now hinges on cleaning up his party's politics and the corruption it has entrenched otherwise the country will be sucked into the underworld of organized internationalized crime.
leader in a coup last week. Already the United States, France and the European Union have cut off aid. The financial sanctions are bound to be a severe blow to the junta's ability to function. Earlier Thursday, five African presidents seeking to restore Mali's elected government were forced to make a mid-air U-turn and head to Ivory Coast to hold their meeting, after demonstrators supporting the military junta took over the tarmac to stop the jets from landing, officials said. The presidents of Ivory Coast, Benin, Liberia, Niger and Burkina Faso were due to arrive in Mali on Thursday. The planes carrying the presidents were turned around after it became clear that the demonstrators had taken over the tarmac. They landed in Ivory Coast, where they went ahead w i t h t h e i r m e e t i n g, officials said. Last week's coup happened in one of the few established democracies in
the troubled western half of the African continent. Capt. Amadou Haya Sanogo, who is in his 30s, seized power from President Amadou Toumani Toure, who is considered one of Africa's senior statesman and was just months from stepping down. Sanogo's soldiers have ransacked the presidential palace. They have set up their de facto seat of power inside an aging, two-story building in the Kati military barracks located around 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the palace. It was at that garrison that a mutiny erupted on March 21, led by troops angry over the treatment of fellow soldiers killed in operations in the country's north, where they were sent to fight Tuareg rebels. T he soldier s accused Toure of mishandling the operations, and of sending the military to the remote region without enough arms or ammunition. S e ve r a l t h o u s a n d people took to the streets
this week in support of the military takeover, indicating that frustration at Toure's handling of the rebellion is more widespread. Toure has gone into hiding and his whereabouts are unknown. He gave an interview Thursday to French radio RFI saying that he was in good health and was carefully following the developments. Meanwhile on Thursday, a joint force of Tuareg rebels began attacking the besieged northern city of Kidal using shells, rockets and gunfire, said a Niger g ove r n m e n t s o u r c e speaking to both sides in the conflict. The Tuareg leaders' decision to attack came after more than a week of negotiations failed, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the press. Kidal would be a major prize for the rebels, who relaunched their decadesCont’d on page 24
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The New Ghanaian | 24 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
Any How You Call Me
Cephas Haywood Amartey (Rev.), Accra
It is quite sad, isn't it? That someone who talks to you about many things at different times; someone you refer clients and business to; someone you will vouch for and who will equally go to great lengths to serve and protect you - then one sad day, you find out that they never truly know your full name. And shamefully, neither do you know theirs. A while ago, Akwasi Krife (pseudonym to protect his identity) pleaded with me to stop prodding the issue further because try as I can, he simply didn't know the full name of the man of God who has been his founding minister and general overseer some the past few years. The young Christian zealot was filling out some forms in school and needed the full name of his head pastor but after rattling away in tongues and still not getting the full name, he called for help. Of course he didn't have his pastor's direct line and to further compound his academic ache, the landlines were not getting answered. When he reached the church secretary, the instructions that had been spelled out to her was nonnegotiable and inviolable: Osofo Panyin was not to be disturbed under ANY circumstances! Now since time was not on his side, as his last resort, he called Yours Truly to the
rescue. (I am still thinking of starting a new church at the backside of every plantain tree called " Called To The Rescue Ministries International with Rev AZONTO as the associate Minister in Dance 2012). This has no direct bearing on your salvation but WHAT IS YOUR PASTOR’S FULL NAME? I find it quite amazing that people will leave the destiny of their souls in the hands of ministers, sit at their feet week after week and not bother to equip themselves with the basics about their spiritual leaders. Part of this problem should fairly be laid at the feet of our spiritual leaders because in many ways, they make knowing their names quite a burden we the flock are hesitant to endure in addition to the things that so easily beset us. You join a church and within three to five years, the head pastor has more titles than the members in his choir. The funny thing is that they want ALL of their titles to be listed in the order in which they come. And God help the one who introduces the man or woman of God and shortens the founder's list of appellations! A NAME NAMING RECEPTIONIST: At the very least the titles s h o u l d b e c o m m e n s u r at e with and reflect the healthy growth level of the ministry. I quite remember an interesting experience I had with Rev. John B. Ghartey at the front office of one of the primary telecommunication companies. We were rolling out an event in which they were on board with us as partners. While we waited to be ushered in to meet with the marketing director, the
receptionist after getting our names and notifying her boss engaged us in some friendly chat. Most people generally find it easy to open up to radio related ministers and this lady was no exception. In between attending to other clients, she slipped in a question or two. However, it was obvious that she was getting some names seriously mixed up and after a while the whole experience became quite irritating. Now if you ever get to really know him, few things really itch Rev. Ghartey and top on the list is mistaking him for another or name swapping him. So even before we got into our meeting, . . . .you get my drift, right? REV. JOHN GHARTEY or REV. TETTEH DJANGMAH? In the first place, right before the lady in question was the form we had just filled bearing my name and that of Rev John B Ghartey, but throughout the time we spent in that corporate building, she repeatedly referred to Rev John Ghartey as Rev Tetteh Djangmah. Now a few things link the two ministers the primary being the association with Dr Mensa Otabil and Central University College. Both of them are staff of Otabil's University. Both of them are EYELLY challenged so they both wear glasses. Now, unlike Yours Truly who will strain at an ant and swallow a camel during bio metrication, these dual Sikaman ministers are fairly dark, gentle and soft spoken. They are also familiar faces on TV and familiar voices on radio. They are both established counselors and quite accommodating. They adorn themselves formally as
the perfect coastal gentleman pre made - and your perfect combination of the best of British class and Ger man precision! She was telling us about how much she enjoys Rev Djangmah's lectures. But in this case Rev Ghartey is seated in front of her and she is singing his praises and yet still calling him by the other man's name. When George was available to see us, she ushered us in and I was nudging and teezing Rev Ghartey about the innocent but errant name swap. When George walked us out to the reception, she lifted her head to say goodbye to us and said, "Rev Djangmah, please don't forget to bring my copy book on Fruitful Families to class next week." 'Fruitful Families' is a book authored by Rev John B. Ghartey so you get the drive. But of course this twitch also occurs beyond church borders. Little Things Matter: Little things should sometimes matter to us and more so should names. How your wife likes her flower wrapped and what her best colors are. How much meat your Joe-NoGo-Contribute-Hubby likes on his fat-feeding fufu. How long or short your skirt should be when you intend to pass by your mother in law (or mother without law's) abode. What colors your best friend's dog likes or dislikes unless you want to ran a rat race years after the passing away of Reggae Marley. A few years ago, I met a lady whose entrance into one of the state universities was complicated because another young lady bearing the same name, same age range, same ethnic base also chose the same
Life as an Alien
Meri Nana-Ama Danquah
“I only now understand why it is that people lie about their past, why they say they are one thing other than the thing they really are, why they invent a self that bears no resemblance to who they really are, why anyone would want to feel as if he or she belongs to nothing, comes from no one, just fell out of the sky, whole.” – Jamaica Kincaid, My Brother
It is a name as long as history with enough vowels for each of its children to claim. It is the memory of wearing open-toed shoes in December. Of mango juice running a straight river from your hand to your elbow. Love is a plate of steamed white rice and pig's-feet stew. As a child, this was my favorite meal. I would sit at the dining table, my legs swinging back and forth, and hum as I scooped the food into my mouth with my hand. I always ate the rice first, saving the meat in a towering heap on the side for last. After I had finished the rice, I would wash it down with some water or Coco Rico, this coconut milk
West Africa Regional Bloc Seals Borders With Mali Cont’d from 23
GROWING UP ACROSS RACIAL & CULTURAL DIVIDES I don't know where I came from. When people ask me, I have to stop and wonder what it is they really want to know about me. Do they want to know where I was born, where I grew up, where I have lived as an adult, where I live now? It troubles me to be so scattered, so fragmented, so far removed from a center. I am all and I am nothing. At the same time. Once, a long time ago, when I believed that answers were as easy as smiles, someone told me that home is where the heart is. Perhaps this is true. Love has always been a magnet. It is half the sky, the raggedy part that needs to be held up and saved.
course. It was when she went to pay her admission fee that she was duly informed that the letter actually belonged to other girl. She had given up and was on her way to teacher training college. The god Of Exaggerations: But my spy-birds are filing in reports suggesting possible bloating of the numerical strength of some prominent churches on this side of the Jordan. Here we are in April 2012 crying the beloved country because in several ways there seem to be so many thorny issues dogging bio metrication of the sons and daughters of Sikaman Ghana. Now as the various political parties run to Electoral Gyan crying foul, let our Pastors also learn that there should be honesty in our numbering of numbers and in our titling of titles. Closing Thoughts: After over fifty years of an outstanding ministry to the world, he still refers to himself, and is addressed, by millions simply as Rev. Billy Graham. Then there is Oral Roberts, DR. Kenneth Hagin, and Joel Osteen. On the African factor, there is Matthew Ashimolowo, Archbishop Duncan Williams, and Central University’s Pastor Mensa Otabil (he prefers this to Dr. Otabil). Paul Simon still rings true across his Graceland album and like the Apostle Peter, "Lord we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing", rendering us without Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes, anyway you call me, you can Call Me AL!
soda my mum used to buy. Then I would greedily dig into the pile of pork and choose the largest piece. When my teeth had grazed all the flesh clean off the bone, I would hold it to my lips and suck it dry of its juice. I would bite down hard until it broke in half and I could touch the marrow with the tip of my tongue. Right then, right there, I knew my world was complete. Several years ago, in what I can only assume was a temporary loss of sanity, I decided to become a vegetarian. Swept into the New Age organic, fat-free health obsessions of Los Angeles, the city in which I Cont’d on page 28
old fight in mid-January, led by battle-hardened officers and troops who fought for Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi and returned home heavily armed. Kidal is one of two major northern towns that failed to fall in two previous Tuareg rebellions in the 1990s and 2000s. Laura Burke contributed to this report from Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Associated Press writers Martin Vogl and Baba Ahmed in Bamako, Mali and Michelle Faul in Agadez, Niger also contributed to this report.
The New Ghanaian | 25 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
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The New Ghanaian | 26 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012 Dr. Kwame Nkrumah At A Glance Cont’d from 1
established branches in all towns and villages, each with its own branch executive. The Evening News became the par ty’s mouthpiece. •The success of the Evening News encouraged Nkrumah to launch the Morning Telegraph in Sekondi and the Daily Mail in Cape Coast. •The CPP accused the colonial government of delaying independence. The party stepped up political agitation through Positive Action, modelled on the non-violent protests of Mahatma Ghandi in India. •The CPP and the Trades Union Congress organised a mass gathering which became known as the “Ghana Representative Assembly.” The UGCC and the Aborigines’ Rights Protection Society were invited but they turned it down. •The assembly passed the following resolution. “That the people of the Gold Coast be granted immediate selfgovernment by the British g ove r n m e n t , t h a t i s f u l l dominion status within the British Commonwealth of Nations based on the statue of Westminister. That the assembly re spe ctfully dema n ds t h e immediate grant and sanction of full self-government for the chiefs and people of the Gold Coast.” •Nkrumah warned the colonial authorities that if they continue to ignore the genuine grievances and concerns of the people, they would be responsible for any violence that would result. He sent a copy of the CPP’s manifesto to the Colonial Secretary and offered to discuss the party’s demands and to find a way to avert mass civil disobedience. •After several meetings with colonial authorities, it became clear that no progress was being
made on the central demand for a constituent assembly. On 8th January 1950, in front of a large CPP crowd at a public meeting in Accra, Nkrumah declared positive action. He travelled to Sekondi, Cape Coast and Takoradi to repeat the declaration. •The colonial government declared a state of emergency, effective 12th January 1950 and prohibited the holding of processions, imposed curfews, and disconnected public services in certain areas. •CPP and TUC leaders were arrested. The Accra Evening News and the Cape Coast Daily Mail were banned and their editors arrested. •On 19th January, at a meeting of the Legislative Council, the government passed three bills – the Sedition Bill, a newspaper registration bill, and a bill to allow the Governor-incouncil to impose curfew in any part of the country without having to resort to legislation. •On 21st January 1950, Kwame Nkrumah was arrested and tried for inciting an illegal strike and for sedition for an article in the Cape Coast Daily Mail. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment. •Gbedemah kept the party running and was in constant touch with Nkrumah who was held in James Fort prison from where messages were smuggled out on toilet paper to the headquarters. •In the 1950 municipal elections held in the major cities – Accra (April), Cape Coast (June) and Kumasi (November) – the CPP posted stunning victories. •In the Kumasi municipal election the CPP won all seats. As a result of these victories, the colonial government began to revise its view of the CPP, they recognised that the CPP “was clearly more politically skilful than any mere hooligan element could have been”.
But more importantly the CPP’s local organisational ability was proving useful to the government as it prepared the country for its first general election. The CPP assisted with the registration process and the political education campaigns “ d e s i g n e d t o ap p r i s e t h e population of their rights and the importance and significance of exercising those rights as voters”. •As plans for the elections to the legislative assembly gathered pace, the CPP put up Kwame Nkrumah, who was still in jail, as the candidate for Accra Central – which now forms part of today’s Odododiodoo Constituency. This decision by the party generated enthusiasm throughout the country. •The CPP once again achieved a stunning victory in the February 1951 elections. The party won the directly elected urban seats with ten times as many votes as those of the combined opposition, with Nkrumah polling a massive 22,780 of the available 23,122 votes in his Accra Central Constituency. •In the 33 rural seats elected indirectly through electoral colleges, the CPP obtained 29 seats and the UGCC only three. In the two-member constituency of the Akim Abuakwa, Dr J. B. Danquah and William Ofori Atta barely won their seats: 95-85 votes and 87-83 votes, respectively. Dr K. A. Busia, on the other hand, lost his seat and secured his seat in the Legislative Assembly through one of the seats reserved for the Ashanti Confederacy Council. •Soon after the elections the CPP wrote to the Governor asking for the release of Kwame Nkrumah. So that he did not appear to have been forced, the Governor delayed the decision until after the Territorial
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How Can I Improve My Credit Score? Cont’d from 10
to your credit report and wreak havoc on your credit scores. You need to do this…do one or all of the following: set up reminders on your calendar, have your creditors email you reminders, and set up auto pay for all of your credit accounts. Make a regular time of the week to pay your bills, and never skip your appointment. Resolve today that you will no longer pay your bills late! Don’t close those accounts I’ve heard from many of my clients that they closed one or more of their credit accounts because they thought it would help them to have better credit or higher credit scores. This is simply not true, and in most cases will lower your credit score. Remember, one of the primary goals of credit scores is to let companies know you will buy from them; when you close an account, you lower your purchasing power, which in turn will cause your credit scores to go down. It also works with older credit accounts that you do not use; if you don’t use them, they will no longer have a positive affect on your credit score. You need to do this…don’t close older accounts. If you have multiple credit cards, use them on a rotation basis. Use them at least once every three months so they count positively towards your credit score. Don’t run those credit card balances up! What good are you to stores if you have maxed out your credit limit? When you’ re spending close to your credit limit, it’s believed you might be experiencing financial trouble, and your credit scores will be negatively affected even if you make your payments on time. You need to do this…never use more than 40% of the available balance (credit limit) on your credit card accounts, and request a credit limit increase at least once a year on each account. Just say no to new credit accounts Every time you open a new credit account it will lower your credit score for the next few months. Ask your self, “Do I really need this new account?” You need to do this…once you have 4 or 5 credit accounts open, don’t open new credit accounts unless you need them and plan on using them regularly. Resist the urge to save the 10% that many stores offer you for opening a new account… remember their goal is to get you buying from them on a regular basis, so if you don’t plan on being a regular shopper, don’t do it.
It’s my credit, so stop pulling my credit report The credit bureaus take into account the number of times you are having your credit pulled. Make sure you know when you are giving someone your social security number whether or not they are going to pull your credit. If you are always having your credit checked, you will negatively affect your credit score. There is an important exception…credit bureaus know the difference between someone that is shopping for the best terms for a loan and someone that is constantly applying for new credit; so go ahead and shop around, it won’t hurt your score. You need to do this…be selective about what credit accounts you apply for. Make sure you really need that account. Don’t be afraid to shop for better terms; if you are looking for the best rate and have multiple companies order your credit, the bureaus will count multiple orders as one as long as it’s done within a short period of time. Paying off collections Pay off all newer collections and judgments as fast as you can. The most recent ones are negatively affecting your scores the most. I recommend paying off all collections, but wait on the older ones (greater than 24 months) if you are looking to buy a home or make another major purchase in the near future. Paying off older collections and judgments often lowers your credit score at first, but then over time will be a positive for you. You need to do this…pay off those collections and judgments. If you have a bill that you cannot pay, work out a payment plan with the creditor before they send you to collection. How long have you had that account? The older the account, the greater positive or negative effect it has on your credit score. Having accounts with long histories shows stability and consistency. New accounts, or accounts with little history, don’t add much to your credit score. You need to do this…be committed to that credit card you’ve had for many years. Plan on using one or two accounts for a long time and be consistent with them. Jean Aboi is an Associate Real Estate Broker licensed to sell real estate in the states of Virginia -Maryland and the District of Columbia.For further Questions,please contact us www.YourForeclosureHomes. com JeanKacou@hotmail.com 703 400 9633 Ph
The New Ghanaian | 27 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
Sports & Leisure
Ghanaian actress sets record in Hollywood Ghanaian born actress Nancy Ama Agyapong has set a record as the first person with no previous acting experiences whatsoever to have played a lead role in a Hollywood movie. The actress’ first attempt into America’s motion picture industry has landed her a lead role in a Hollywood movie which has started making the headlines. Nancy’s first and only movie, ‘Money Can Buy Almost Everything’, is the sub-title to ‘DSK Unauthorized’, a movie d i r e c t e d by D a m i a n C h ap a , a H o l ly w o o d director. ‘El Padrino,’ ‘Trying To Pull It’, ‘Dark Crossing’ and ‘Bad Cop’ are some of the movies he has directed. The movie stars Rico Chapa, Odette Warder, Ronnie Banerjee, Ron Millkie, Anthony P. Maida, Dr. Christine J. Svetina, Jeff Kennedy among other stars. Playing the lead as Nafissatou Diallo, the Ghana bor n said she would not call herself a Hollywood actor until the movie was out. The movie, ‘DSK Unauthoriz ed’, which was shot in the last quarter of 2011, is set to be premiered in 90 days. Nancy Ama Agyapong, so far, is the only African t o h ave s t a r r e d i n a Hollywood movie without any experience or precoaching. Commenting further, she extended her gratitude to God, her late mum who used to encourage her, Damian Chapa for giving her the opportunity, her recent wedded husband and Prince David Osei.
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Kustom Looks showcases Miaka Collection
by Shirlene Alusa-Brown Kustom Looks founded by Kwab Asamoah has c l o t hed s ever a l l o ca l celebrities/personalities, including news anchor, Leon Har ris; head of Re publicans’ Michael Steele; Brian Mitchell, for mer NFL Football Athlete; and TOP Black CEO, Russell Wright A s a m o a h r e c e n t ly u nve i l e d h i s n e w e s t
line of c lothing, the Miaka Collection, which is produced and manufactured exclusively in Ghana. The designs are chic and modern and can be found in his Ghana store. Ku s t o m L o o k s i s also a finalist for the
Best Tailor award in the Fashion Awards MD 2012 competition. Voting is open until May 31, 2012 at 11:45 p.m. EST. Incidentally, the Fashion Awards MD also feature some other African contestants including Alison Beshai,
Olulola Sosanya, Apuje Kalu, Therese Wenja, Magi Tareke, Afua Sam, Vanette Tolbert, and Paul Umeora. To fo l l ow Ku s t o m Looks’ clothing lines online, you can visit their website, or become a fan of their Facebook page.
The New Ghanaian | 28 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
Throne Room Orphanage & Educational Center, Inc. Fundraising held at Sheraton National Hotel, Arlington, VA.
MC
Ms. Kai thanking her team for their support
guests
Ms. Kai Cooper
Mr. Fode Conte
Pastor Kibby of Action Chapel
guests
Conte - Cooper family
Ms. Kai, Mr. Conte and guests
Founded in June 2006, Throne Room Orphanage & Educational Center, Inc., is a charitable organization serving in the United States, Sierra Leone and other West African countries. TROEC seeks to better the lives of orphaned children by providing shelter, clothing, food, counseling, and vocational services. Since the civil war ended in Sierra Leone, child fostering has become the preferred solution for the estimated 800,000+ orphaned,
abandoned, and vulnerable children. TROEC is one of only a handful of Residential Care Facilities in the nation of Sierra Leone. Throughout the past four years, Ms. Kai Cooper and Mr. Fode Conte have rescued numerous wandering children in Sierra Leone. Their passion for children, and commitment to each child’s stability, has been their driving force. Cooper and Conte have opened their own
home numerous times to many orphans, to provide them shelter. After recognizing that the needs of the children were greater than what the Cooper-Conte family could financially support, Ms. Kai Cooper resigned from her job and devoted all of her efforts to helping the children. After selling most of their possessions, they purchased 4 acres of land to build an orphanage that will house up to 50 children. Throughout the past four years, the building process has
been an on-going effort, and is the scheduled to open in the fall of 2012. ADOPT AN ORPHAN Saving a life, and rescuing a nation of displaced orphans is our #1 goal. The needs of the children are growing, and the necessity for assistance is rising. Help us reach our goal and make a difference in a child’s life. For one dollar a day, or $30 per month, you can sponsor an orphan, and secure their bed in the Throne Room Orphanage
today. By sponsoring a child, you will be able to personally connect with them and receive updates on their progress. Visit our website www. troec.org to view profiles of the orphans and read their stories. Your donation will provide a child with life’s necessities; food, clothing, shelter, educational assistance, medical services, and counseling. Bring a smile to a child’s face, and give them hope.
GROWING UP ACROSS RACIAL & CULTURAL DIVIDES Cont’d from 24
purse of dissatisfaction after swallowing. What I really wanted to be eating was fried chicken. It felt strange to not eat meat anymore; nothing I took in seemed to fill me. "You'll get used to the change," a friend promised. "Pretty soon, the idea of putting that stuff in your body'll turn your stomach." We were at an Indian restaurant celebrating my newfound diet. I pondered what she said, scanned the menu, reading only the selections listed under the heading "Vegetarian," and ordered the sag panir with basmati rice. When my dinner arrived, a gentle nostalgia descended upon me. The food -- a creamy stew of chopped
spinach -- resembled kontumare, a Ghanaian dish I very much enjoy. I was, all at once, swept up by the force of habit -- the habit, that is, of moving my head, torso and legs in rhythm to a series of closed-mouth "yums." Except the pot of gold at the end of my culinary rainbow was missing. There was no meat. And that absence left me feeling so cheated out of an integral part of the experience I was having that before returning to my apartment I stopped by an uncle's house and begged the leftover remains of his curried goat dinner. My attempt to be an herbivore was but one in a long list of attempts I have made to
create or try out a new identity. In my 24 years of living in America, I have adapted to all sorts of changes. I have housed many identities inside the one person I presently call myself, a person I know well enough to admit that I don't know at all. Like a chameleon, I am everchanging, able to blend without detection into the colors and textures of my surroundings, a skill developed out of a need to belong, a longing to be claimed. Once, home was a place, perhaps the only place, where I imagined that I really did belong, where I thought myself whole. That is not so anymore, at least not in the home that I grew up believing was mine. That word,
"home," and all it represents has shifted in meaning too many times. From the age of 6, when I left Ghana and arrived in Washington, D.C., to be with my mother, who had been in the States already for three years, it was quite clear that someday we would return. There was always talk of going back. There were always plans being made, sentences being spoken that began with words like "When I go home . . ." Even after my father joined us, America was still just a place of temporary existence, not home. And in consideration of our imminent
live, I vowed never again to eat another piece of meat. Not fish, not chicken, and certainly never pork. In preparation for what I believed would be a permanent change of lifestyle, I spent the morning of my first meatless day in the produce section of the supermarket stocking up on lettuce and carrots, and at the bookstore buying books like Diet for a New America. Throughout the day, whenever I grew hungry, I would pull out a carrot stick or rice cake and nibble, often squeezing my lips into a tight
Cont’d on page 31
The New Ghanaian | 29 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
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The New Ghanaian | 30 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012
Ghana Wesley United Methodist Church
Come join us worship this and every Sunday in Woodbridge: St. Paul United Methodist Church 1400 G St., Woodbridge, VA. 22191 11:00am - 12:00noon in Arlington: Calvary United Methodist Church 2315 South Grant St., Arlington, VA 22202 1:00pm - 3:00pm Officiating Minister: Rev. Emmanuel Nkrumah For further details please call: 703.342.7886
The New Ghanaian | 31 | FOCUSING MORE ON THE COMMUNITY - MARCH 2012 GROWING UP ACROSS RACIAL & CULTURAL DIVIDES Cont’d from 28
departure, assimilation was frowned upon. My parents tried to fan the flames of our culture within me, in hopes that they would grow into a raging fire and burn fully any desire I had to become an American. English was only spoken in the presence of people who could not communicate in our languages (Ga or Twi). It wasn't as if my parents forbade me to speak English, but if I addressed either of them in English, the response I got was always in Ga. These days my father, now remarried to an American, speaks to me primarily in English, unless I speak to him first in Ga, and even then chances are he will respond in English. My mother still insists upon conversing with me in Ga. When it appeared as though I was losing fluency, she became adamant and uncompromising about this; in her mind, to forget one's mother tongue was to place the final sever in the umbilical cord. I do believe that she was right, but over the years, I have praised and cursed her for this. Although we didn't speak English in my house, we surely did sing in it. Music was a constant. We listened to reggae, calypso,
high life, jazz, and sometimes R&B, especially Motown songs by Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and the Supremes. We also listened to country music -- Kenny Rogers and Willie Nelson (which might explain my Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Lyle Lovett collections) -- and disco. On weekends, my mother -- wrapped like a burrito in a single piece of cloth and wearing traditional thong sandals -would listen to Manu Dibango while she was frying fresh fish or dipping a whole chicken she had just killed in our tiny kitchen into a pot of boiling water so its feathers would come off easily; or my father would sit -- without shoes, socks or shirt -- in the living room playing Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley records, his head swaying from side to side, his knees bouncing. Like my mother he, too, was in the company of animals. On one wall of the living room where he sat and sang was the long, scaly skin of a baby python. On another was the skinned coat of a wildcat, its head plastered in profile against the white wall, with an oval hole where the eye would have been. Not far from the wildcat were two bows; hanging inside the open arc of each one was a tall, slender pouch containing 10 poison-tipped arrows. They were his pride and joy. Sometimes
I would beg my father to pull down the arrows and let me touch one. When he did, I would hold it carefully, my small hand trembling as it wrapped itself around the thin stick. After a few minutes, he would take it from me and place it back in its pouch with the other arrows. I remember asking my father once if he had actually used those very weapons to kill the snake and the wildcat. I imagined that only someone with tremendous strength could do something like that -- a warrior. I don't recall whether he said yes or no, but the image of my father holding his big, muscular arm high above his head and darting an arrow straight into the body of an animal became my pride and joy. But, like the pig's-feet stew, it was a pride that I was able to acknowledge and partake in only within the confines of our apartment. Most of the exposure I had to homes outside my own was through my friends who invited me over to play or eat dinner. Yet that was all it took for me to see how vastly different the life I led was from their lives. None of the Americans I knew in the suburbs of Washington had dead animals and deadly "primitive" weapons tacked up on their walls. They had plaques, awards, framed photos of their smiling families. They had pets, animals that were very much
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alive and very much loved. They bought their food prepackaged in boxes or on cardboard trays. And there were no bare-chested warriors singing of the Zion train, no mothers peeling, slicing, chopping, killing. Taken out of the context of my home, my life -- live chickens, reptile and wildcat skins, bows and arrows -- became a source of shame and embarrassment for me. I n t h i s w ay, t h e s p l i t between the me who lived in that apartment and the me who had to learn how to survive outside it was immediate. It had to be. Initially, I suppose, I viewed that split simply as an external divide, straight and pronounced, like the threshold of our front door, marking the point of separation between two distinct realities. On one side was America, on the other was Ghana. And I didn’t know how to bring them together, how to make one make sense to, let alone in, the other. Why do you talk like that? Where are you from? Is that string in your hair? Newness is easy to detect, especially with immigrants. Everything about you is a dead giveaway. And people constantly watch and stare through the scrutinizing lens of curiosity. That was a foreign thing for me, being questioned, being eyed. From top to bottom, the eyes would
travel. From top to bottom, taking a silent inventory of the perceived differences: the way I wore my hair wrapped with thread as thick as an undiluted accent, or in small braids intricately woven like a basket atop my head; my clothing, a swirl of bright, festive colors dyed on fabric much too thin for the shivery East Coast climate. B e i n g bl a c k m a d e t h e transition from Africa to America extremely difficult because it introduced another complex series of boundaries. In a racially divided country, it isn’t enough for an immigrant to know how to float in the mainstream. You have to know how to retreat to your margin, where to place your hyphen. You have to know that you are no longer just yourself, you are now an Asian American, a Latin American, an Irish American, or, in my case, a black American. (Only recently has the label become “African American.”) TO BE CONTINUED. Meri Nana-Ama Danquah is the author of “Willow Weep for Me: A Black Woman’s Journey Through Depression.” This article is excerpted from Half and Half: Writers on Growing Up Biracial and Bicultural, to be published this summer by Pantheon Books. © Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
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