The Ink
December 2015
A WRAP OF EXCELLENCE
SPOTLIGHT
The Ink December 2015 Edition
The Ink
December 2015
A
EDITORIAL I have been observing my twitter timeline and it seems a lot of people consider the past year as one of the worst ever. Well, it’s understandable
considering
the
Accra
WRAP
floods and the disappearing laptops. How-
OF
ever, it’s also good to count the good things
EXCELLENCE
that we enjoyed last year. We unveiled a splendid Engineering department, had two beautiful and successful ASC presidents, a vibrant team taking over, the entry of the 2019 year group with all their talent, and an unforgettable Ubora Awards. I think one of the biggest lessons from 2015
COVER Model: Wendy Naa Amerley Amartey
THE EDITORS Mawuli Adjei, Kingsley Agyekum, Ewurabena Hagan, Adwoa Adobea Armah, Ahomka Mills Robertson, Susana Abraham, Winston Ayisi, Odunsi Bowofoluwa, Eugene Akorli, Naa Adukwei Quarcoopome.
GRAPHIC DESIGN Alex Adu, Micaiah Wiafe
PHOTOGRAPHY Alex Adu, Ariel Woode, Charles-Martin Buckle, Daniel Bonsu, Juxtapose, Pixslrate Studios, Micaiah Wiafe
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Alfred Achiampong, Ashesi Student Council, Naw Dawn, Kingdom Christian Fellowship, Michael Fiifi Quansah
All rights reserved. Copyright © The Ink 2015
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is that we can all still be excellent irrespective of how terrible the times may be. Nothing should be too hard for us to do… Anyways, that was me attempting a motivational speech. I tried my best. The sad thing about doing these motivational things is that even if nobody gets roused up, I am bound to all the things I have tried to imbibe in you. So, I promise to you excellent and timely issues of The Ink irrespective of how hard 2016 may be. Till then, here is the last issue of 2015 for you to reminisce past events with. Happy New year, Happy reading!
Mawuli Adjei, Editor-In-Chief
CONTENT PROMO Barry: He Is Juxtapose Mazzuma
FEATURE The Great Debate Jam On Jockeys Worship Night CokeNFanta Fun’ta Night
SPOTLIGHT Joshua Albert Ninepence Mcbell Grace Amponsah
STORY The Missed Call Mirroring the Woman The Battle of the Hot Gates Creative Variety in Diversity
CAMPUS UBORA The Great Debate Christmas on the Hill Worship Night
PIECE Shape, Chocolate and PeptoBismol The Dissection A Dirty Poem for That Feeling Called a Crush Lost to an Unseen Treasure A Greater Fool
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STORY
THE MISSED CALL by Rodney Assan
Old Soldier looked at the coins in his left hand. Fifty, twenty, and four one pesewa coins. He had to buy water. He hadn’t had breakfast. Not that he had an option. He had stopped buying kenkey ever since thirty pesewas became smaller than his fist. Kooko, the only reasonable substitute, to him, had become more water than the actual stuff. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t blame the president. “Times are hard”, he thought. Disgruntled, he turned off his ignition. It was so hot. The cars weren’t moving, and he barely had any fuel in his car. Business was slow today, and he hadn’t even hit the ‘thirty Ghana’ mark. It was almost 12 o’clock. The passengers were getting frustrated and his half-full 12-seater ‘tro-tro’ had begun to empty further. Aboagye, the mate, could care less. They’d made their money. With all his might, Old Soldier turned the steering wheel clockwise. Driving carefully into the yard he knew so well, he whistled cheerfully at the young dame that passed. Today be today. For a moment he forgot about his hunger and his thirst. Well, not his thirst. The food can wait. He rubbed his hands in glee as he watched the young lady approach him graciously. She wore a yellow tank top over a pair of tight black-ish jeans. She lacked etiquette. She didn’t even chew her gum properly. But Old Soldier didn’t mind. What did he have to lose? After a short interrogation and a few giggles, he decided to take her number to arrange another meeting. She lived only two blocks away with her madam. “She comes home very late. I’ll be around”, she said, in between sly smiles. “No problem”, Old Soldier responded in his voice that had become so hoarse after spending twelve years at sea. “Just give me your number” “024 4543 2546” “Correct! That’s my girl” he replied, without bothering to check. “So I’ll see you, eh? Bye” Nana Ama responded in the affirmative, leaving the old man with eleven digits. “Foolish old man," she muttered to herself.
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SPOTLIGHT SPOTLIGHT
JOSHUA So it seems Santa, Sean Paul and Basketmouth had a love child. Seriously, that’s the best explanation we could come up with in trying to introduce this month’s student personality. With a love of of music, a sense of humour and a hearty personality, he is one of the more visible people in our community. We present to you, Joshua Mahama.
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SPOTLIGHT So what's your full name Joshua? My name is Joshua Obed Kwaku Rasheed Mahama. aka Sweet Amadann Why Sweet Amadann? Amadann is a name I got in high school which stuck. The “Sweet” part started from me being a “jon” boy in high school. Everyone back then was identified by their initials. We had guys like KBS, MIC, FAB. Yeah so I was thinking, these guys blast pass, my initials spell J.O.R.M. In pidgin, if something “dey jorm”, it means it's sweet so I was calling myself "Sweet" low key because it never caught on. For some strange reason, almost everyone wants to call me or calls me Mahama. Tell us about your music. Why dancehall? How far with it? Where do you want to go with it? Hmm, I'm not like most of the 'talented' guys who started making music at the age of 3 and things. All this started as a lie. It was this one time I thought to myself, I want to do music, but inwardly, I knew I was tacky so I was just in my corner waiting for some miracle to happen for me to start rubbing shoulders with Lil Wayne and Castro (my heroes back in the day). On one fateful day, there was an open mic in which people were told to audition for. I was in SHS 3 then; I decided to go but I forgot because I had volley ball training. Coincidentally, the judges after the audition walked right on the field where I was playing and I said to them, "Oh Charley I was going to come audition" and they said: "You dey fear, do it right here" so I gave them a freestyle. It was actually not mine but a verse from Shuga (a guy in my neighbourhood who does dancehall) to which I remixed and went like..."dis ya buoy dem call Joshua, the dancehall killer, onnu man, I'm here to murder..." They really enjoyed it, believed me, gave me fans and all; and when I had to perform, remember I had already lied to them about the fact that I raga, so I had to back it up and I wrote a few lines to go "freestyle" and since then people linked me up for features and till now, me in this dancehall game is backing up a lie I told back in Akosombo International School. As at now, I'm just doing it for leisure, even though it seems to be eating into my time more than it should if I describe it as leisure. I'm aiming at completing my first degree then anywhere life wants to take me, I follow.
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SPOTLIGHT How old are you really? Hmm... how old am I? I am actually planning to hide my age from my children. I don't want them to go through my school files to find it so just know, I'm quite old. Not your average youngin. How do you cope with the "pressure" of being the president's son? That is if you feel it comes with any pressure at all. Does it have any impact on your social life? Academic life? There is pressure because of two things, I don't see why people say I look like him when I clearly don't and secondly, I don't see the big deal but ah well...I'm just a mere mortal so I can't decide what people think. Most people love you for your upbeat attitude toward everything, how do you manage to stay that way with all the #AshStress? Hmm... you have asked a question. I don't know, it's just who I am. I just do me, and everything else follows. Is that appropriate? Are you single? I have a girlfriend.
Hot Seat
How do you feel about relationships? I think they are necessary because everyone needs companionship. And also for young people to test the waters before finding their soulmates. Earlier, your class awarded you and Hamza the Best Couple Award. If you were stuck on an island and could choose to be with one person, who would it be, him or a girl? Hahaha. Of course a girl. Any passion besides music? Yes many. Sports, video games, family time and sleep. Oh and counting airplanes that are flying over because my house is underneath the “path� they use when landing. Page 09
PIECE
SHAPE, CHOCOLATE AND PEPTO-BISMOL: A LOVE STORY BETWEEN MAN AND ELEMENTS OF DESIGN by: Mami Araba Kwenua Amuah The topo-typo relationship: A poem If words could speak, they would tell us how they want to be shaped, carved and moulded. If words could speak, they would tell us how amazing the skyline of Bangkok, Shanghai and Tokyo looked. If words could speak, they would paint pictures that would create a 3D cinema for the blind. -Yours Truly-
Hongtao Zhou of the University of Hawaii has just nullified the mystery of my three-stanza poem. In an exhibition, Zhou noticed how closely related topography could resemble typography. His inspiration stemmed from the wooden blocks first developed in China for printing as they looked like buildings to him. Intuitively, he thought: “What if Chinese characters could assume the shapes of what they were describing...Better still, what if braille could ingeniously be extruded to convert typography to topography?” Starting with text describing buildings, Zhou and three architecture students developed a 3D print model of a braille for the Hawaii School for the Deaf and Blind. The series was used as an educational tool for the students. Through the extrusions which form shapes, the blind can actually “see”
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the words described to them! Nendo and the Chocolate Factory: The Maison & Objet trade fair in Paris named Japanese studio, Nendo designer of the year with its design intervention in the art of chocolatiering. Nendo incorporated the use of shape, form and texture into a new chocolate concept that developed nine different types of chocolate. Each perfect 26 x 26 x 26mm chocolate either had a pointy tip, a hollow interior, a rough or smooth texture, zig-zagged edges or a combination of these. This is dubbed chocolatexture which is a technique used to explore how shape affects taste. Research carried out at Nestle shows that the shape of chocolate determines how fast it melts. The faster it melts, the sweeter it is…because that’s what the tongue gets
PIECE the brain to believe!
A handmade hotel in Budapest: The lobby boy in the purple suite, Gustave H., a painting called Boy with Apple and a majestic ski resort characterise the motion picture, The Grand Budapest Hotel. The film set in a fictional European town called Zubrowka has a unique culture noticeable in its fashion and money and intricate architecture. Most structures in the movie were built by hand with little computerised aid. Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) had no part to play in this Oscar-nominated 2014 film. Director of the movie, Wes Anderson prefers to use handmade “technology” whenever he can. The use of cardboard and pastry boxes in the structure of the Pepto-Bismol pink hotel itself creates a sense of intimacy and tactility (texture) which is almost absent in CGI-aided films. The handmade trains and the hotel in
the movie give a vintage feel – they are not new but give off a sense of sophistication and class. This sends the actors back into childhood as they are reminded of the forts they built in their backyards using cardboard. More importantly, it allows the actors freedom to have more organic interactions with the handmade places and objects which makes their characters come alive. Production designer Adam Stockhausen stated how there were no real trains in the movie. All trains were made with cardboard, tape and sticks painted in black and pushed on Lilliputian sized tracks. The optical illusion created by the cardboard is a trick that creates an exceptional sort of energy that has the power to enhance every impeccable detail in the movie and causes audience to care more. Pretty cool strategy to adopt to hit $174.6 million on a $30 million budget movie!
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SPOTLIGHT
ALBERT MCBELL NINEPENCE
by Susana Konadu Abraham & Samuel Agyeman Prempeh
Ninepence is that faculty intern who is loved for his quirks rather than any conventional characteristics that make anyone lovable. He is one deep character with a close-to-infinite level of verbosity and ambition. He is chatty and approachable but there is so much more that The Ink unearths in this personality interview.
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SPOTLIGHT Where from the name Ninepence? It was a family name that I have inherited. My grandfathers were the people who brought fishes. They use to label their boats as Ninepence to distinguish themselves from the other fishermen. So it was like a nickname given to them when the people saw them coming from the high seas. Then they adopted it as a name that is how my father christened me Ninepence. So who is ninepence in 3 words? I’m indomitable, a go-getter, compassionate. You haven’t been shy about your dreams, now everyone is wondering; what inspires your political aspirations? When I was very young, my father exposed me to reading a lot of political books. He admires history, made me read a lot of history books. And I’m from a community that was bereft of some resources that were needed for development. I found out that my dad somehow had a lot of influence on me and that was what influenced me for leadership. So that was what inspired me. I also want to be able to curtail and solve some of the issues and the inequity of the society. So is it in the same way that you like economics? I was inspired by economics in senior high school where mostly I would top from first year to second year. I will sweep all the awards, my professors will admire me and tell me to study economics because they thought I would do well there. That, and the fact that they had a category in the Nobel awards was what got me to take up economics. It seems Ashesi has a pull on you since you been here for quite a while and why is that? Today I’m pretty overwhelmed and beholding to Ashesi for everything they gave to me. When I graduated from senior high school, I had some of the best grades yet legon was not willing to take me to their business school since they wanted high grades and all that. To some extent I was denied twice by Legon and once by Tech. Ashesi saw potential in me, accepted me, gave me a position and financial aid. So I came, I learnt and I excelled. They nurtured my intellectual acridity and my prowess. Page 13
Today I’m very bold and I think Ashesi to some extent, has really solidified my intellect and helped me to look at things from various angles. If I told you to choose out of just one, from being a lecturer at Ashesi and being a member of parliament at your community which would you choose? I think I will like to be in the public forefront to and apply what I’ve learnt in the classroom before coming back to the classroom to instil in students what is in the real world. So I would first take the opportunity to become an MP. We know you are very intelligent and everything but what do you do for fun? What do you do for fun on a typical weekend, how is a typical weekend for ninepence? Mostly I play soccer and share jokes and play a lot of jester. When I wake up, brush my teeth, say my early morning prayers, I’m a pious person yah. I really admire righteousness and after I pick my books and start reading. I love my books and that’s that.
So, if you were to commit a crime what will it be and why? If I were to commit a crime, it would be to take power and take off a president. Commit a coup d’etat and rule in the right direction. Is Dr. Armah one of your close friends or it’s strictly professional? Ow Dr Armah is a baby boy to me. He’s my lover, he’s my girlfriend you know. He’s my professor, my father my mentor and he’s an astute personality. He’s a close Pal, he’s my wife. How did it feel being nominated for UBORA? Oh Ubora. It’s a great opportunity. When I was in undergrad I had a lot of nominations and I didn’t win. However, I think being nominated comes with prestige, honour and felicity, and today I’m pretty overjoyed. I thank the people who nominated me. I dedicate this award to the Ashesi community, to the Nungua community, the people of Ghana and all that. The inward feeling is sensational. I can’t wait to get this award and throw it to the world, and throw it to my mom and tell her “that’s your boy.” My mom said I will be a star in the world so I’m waiting. Have you ever dated a girl from Ashesi and are you off the market? They are Page 14
.
SPOTLIGHT two questions. Owww Ashesi girls if you try to… I don’t know. In my college experience, I was very focused. I had friends who were ladies. Some are, but there were some that really admired me. Someone really professed to me and I told her that “I’m focused on my ambition. So mostly I’d talk to you for one or two weeks then I’d forget about you.” So you are currently not off the market. I’m not off the market, I think I have even spotted one that I like. Ermm is there anything you will like the school to know about Ninepence in general or tell the school in general? I want to tell the school that righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproach to many nations. I was able to detect, through my in-depth and comprehensive research and reading assiduously from various angles, the secrets of success and the number one is the fear of God. From all the leaders I’ve read about, I read that one thing that is cuts across is the fear of the Lord. With that fear of the lord, their names still live on earth. Also, you should be humble, do not marginalise others, respect all and with that, your limit will be beyond the sky. So today inasmuch we say we are a community with high integrity let us live by those words. Let us extend compassion to the entire community and work together as one family without keeping our knowledge for ourselves. The world is waiting for us to use our knowledge. We have the power to transform the world and that power is within each and every personality In Ashesi.
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CAMPUS
UBO
The Red 4th Dec | Black
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ORA
d Carpet Tie | 1700 GMT
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CAMPUS
UBO
The Perfo 4th Dec | Black
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ORA
ormances Tie | 1700 GMT
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STORY AD
UBO
The Expr 4th Dec | Black
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ORA
ressions Tie | 1700 GMT
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STORY
Mirroring the Woman: Mama helped me. Before Mama started throwing out “the phrase”, I was a different person. She was a different person. I grew up happy, carefree and indifferent to the physical me. She was loud, boisterous and adventurous. I remember I used to hang around Mama a lot. Anytime I did, I realized men ogled at her at any given opportunity. This used to irritate me an awful lot and many times I felt like telling daddy about it. Before Mama started throwing out ‘the’ phrase, I was a different person. I had entered puberty and friends and family spent time outlining how I would grow physically to match up to nature’s call. It used to be fun. It was like a raffle. I was growing, evolving, and in the beginning it was interesting to be the center of attention for all those ‘predict and win’ rounds. One thing I knew, I look like Mama. That’s all I ever heard growing up. As such, it was only a matter of time till the striking resemblance solidified our genetic tie. Men ogled at Mama. Men ogled at me. I remember once when Mama was taking me to the hospital. A gentleman saw her and stopped her abruptly. His elegant self then began a long encomium that sparked my anger. I asked Mama why she endured such nonsense; she needed to tell daddy so he would do something about it. She only laughed at me and never said anything. I was worried some man would take my Mama away from my daddy. I secretly prayed every night that nothing like that would happen. Mama helped me. My body was beginning to feel strange. I didn’t know I was yet to endure years of transition; getting a somewhat new body and needing to fit into it. Yet, I was not comfortable in my own skin. For a very long time I struggled in my skin. The growth spurt began to Page 22
: She Once Was a Girl by Kekeli Shaibu
show and so did my assets, which gave me attention that further disrupted my understanding of what being normal meant. So for a long time I felt abnormal. I had well-rounded assets I did not appreciate nor want. In addition, I had to deal with compliments that were driving me crazy. I didn’t know how to deal with the reality that my body would always tell a story before my inner personality. For the first time, I began to grasp what Mama still went through. This is it; ‘the’ phrase, “You always have to work with what life gives you”. Maybe Mama realized I had begun to stay indoors more. Maybe it was my sudden transition into being timid and constantly complaining about how I wanted to be a boy. Probably Mama noticed how the boys as well as men in the neighborhood were always catcalling and trying to exploit me. Whatever the reason was, Mama spoke ‘the phrase’ at least once a day. To her it was applicable for gaining an easily forgotten perspective on everything. Though irritating initially, I had an epiphany one day: I could actually work with my body. Even if I could not, I would try. The worst to happen will be getting to that point of being less embarrassed about the physical me. Mama’s phrase helped me. I began to read voraciously, trying to understand what alteration my body was going through. Moreover, my support group of girls gave some sound advice on managing myself. Though I was still less confident, I gradually began to own my body, carrying myself through the neighborhood with poise. I would always run indoors once I got in through the gates. My pseudo-confidence kept me for more than five years; enough time to learn about the new me and be comfortable in this skin I’m in.
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FEATURE
TH GRE DEB
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HE EAT BATE
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PIECE
THE DISSECTION by Verissa Marian Owusu
“You used to call me on my cellphone…” Many of us like this song so much. Why? I guess it’s because most of us relate to it so easily. Come on, you know you have been in a relationship where it was all lovey dovey in the beginning and the hours in the day were just not enough for you to spend time together. Then the alarms started ringing; delayed replies, awkward conversations, fewer calls than before, and for the unfortunate ones the inevitable end came. But honestly speaking is it wrong that she started wearing less and going out more? Come on Drake you didn’t expect her to sit at home watching Netflix and waiting for you. Be real. So are you trying to say that because you don’t want her meeting new guys you don’t want her to go out with her friends? Well, you don’t own her. Besides women dress to feel good for themselves not for the opposite sex. If she stayed at home, just ate and became fat you wouldn’t want her any more when you came back. Hotline bling is the anthem for people who have been through long-distance relationships. *raises hand* It’s a struggle. It doesn’t matter where you are but long-distance relationships are hard and unluckily for those of us who find ourselves here in Ashesi it’s like the ultimate challenge. Like your boyfriend/girlfriend is in Legon wondering why you are never free to go out and it’s even worse for us freshmen with our weekends being stolen from us. Some of them also don’t understand how much the workload is because they are not doing anything in school. So obviously a person like this will not wait for you to come home so you can go out. They’re going to go out with or without you. And those of us who are ‘the girl’ in Hotline bling; if you think you’ve found someone else let your Drake go! Why should you be having fun with someone new while your boyfriend/girlfriend is worrying about your relationship. If you think you don’t need his calls anymore, please end it. PS: this is not a relationship column. I just write about my own interpretation of songs. For those still in long distance relationships; All the best and I hope it works out. But remember “Out of sight is out of mind.” Page 26
PROMO
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CAMPUS FEATURE
JAM N JOCKEYS
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SPOTLIGHT
GRACE AMPONSAH A NEW DAWN Page 30
SPOTLIGHT
Grace Amponsah is a senior at Ashesi University College studying Business Administration. She is a devout Christian and a calculated risk taker who believes that life as it is presents us with many options to choose from but the decisions that we make are always crucial to the destination that we head towards. Grace is passionate about Youth Development and has volunteered her time working with Leading Ladies Network, Tedx Spintex Women, Literacy Empowerment Action Project (LEAP) Global, and a tutor for Starfish Aid, a passion driven initiative that seeks to constructively nurture the mind of the rural child to be instruments of change in the society. Presently, she is the Founder of A New Dawn, a project that seeks to educate teenage rural girls in three key areas that is sex education, entrepreneurship and health so they become agents of change in their society. A new dawn was born out of her need to give back to society, knowing that she wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth and the initiative was inspired by the fact that she had received much support from people in various areas in her life. A New Dawn seeks to educate and teenage rural girls in three key areas; sex education, entrepreneurship and health so they grow up to be great leaders in their communities. They aim at building the ability to think critically about issues and make grounded decisions in diverse aspects in the girls. At A New Dawn, a strong emphasis is placed on making the girls grow in confidence together, love and the inner spirit to serve society. It started with 15 girls and currently has about 65 girls and counting. A New Dawn hopes to grow by finding sustainable revenue streams, developing partnerships and also forming a solid team who are passionate and have the capacity to work on the project outside of Ashesi University College.
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FEATURE
C
okenfanta stems out of the fact that Kevin and Rudy love talking to people. We like finding out what makes and drives their
actions. What motivates them, gets them excited and makes them stand out from the rest. Cokenfanta allows us to create that timeline that tracks the progress and growth of these talented and unique people around us. For now we are focused on the class of 2019 for now because we believe we are THE most unique class the school has hosted and will host for a while. Our vision is to be a platform through which adolescents between the age of 18-25 answer the question most of them are trying to figure out such as " who they are , what they are about , what their dreams and aspirations are ?, how they can achieve them" However for Phase 1 we are telling the world about the Ashesi class of 2019. Follow us on Instagram @CokeNFanta
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FEATURE
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FEATURE
FUN’TA
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A NIGHT
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STORY
The Battle o I felt a dull tinge ripple down my spine. Sweat dripped off my nose incessantly, almost to the rhythm of my pounding heart. The heat was unrelenting. Systemic homeostasis was barely maintaining my internal temperatures. Between that and fatigue, my brain felt like butter on freshly baked bread and my legs wobbled like dancing spaghetti propped up-right. But my eyes were unblinking and my lips remained pursed. I could hear my heart’s throb, the only thing breaking the steel glassed silence in my head. Never have I ever had such a singular focus in all my life. I was on my feet more by will than by physical ability, and yet I have never been so focused all my life. One shot… one shot at this scum, this tower of hubris sprawled before me like a peacock in full boasting regalia. One shot for them all, for every prosaic declaration he has ever spoken, for every reach he has ever made, for greatness, for immortality, for the god status. One shot… It felt like eternity. I felt like Leonidas. To me, he was Xerxes, the deplorable, skulking Persian mortal that conferred upon himself god-king. My feet felt heavy, but I had no armor to remove. I just had one shot to make, to win this battle, elude this monster, this self-declared champion of these wars. …and my leg finally struck and oh what a pure shot it was! I knew it in my tired heart. The trailing touch on my foot was tingling sweet. I knew that this was my best hit yet, with all my strength of body and strength of will. This one had to go in. It had to win. I could almost see time, my greatest enemy on this battered field (even more so than this beast before me), running even faster now. But my shot was faster than light, and light is the one thing we can see that can exists outside the limitations of time. So Page 36
of the Hot Gates by: Haq Inusah
my shot did not exist within time. My shot was a living breathing thing, with a mind of its own. I saw the beast dive, the grin on his foolish face fading, the length of his snaky body tightening, his fingers stretching, his eyes widening, his lips pursing … and time almost at its conclusion. But my shot had a mind of its own… A very defying mind of its own. It longed so desperately for the embrace of the net beyond the beast. More desperately than a man-of-war’s longing for the tenderness of his wife’s touch to steal him away from the horrors he has known. As I watched my creation go, I knew the battle was over. Even this cocky beast can’t stop what I have birthed. His face reeked with despair now. The shot went on. A silence was building, in hope of a glorious climax. I could hear the first few waves of the referees last whistle blast. I could see the fans rising in unison like a roaring wave at sea. I could hear the sweat rolling down my skin. I could hear the blood flowing through my veins. I could hear my breath slowing down to a whisper. Everything came to a weightless slow down… …a stand still. It was a goal. A beautiful, beautiful goal that left a tear in my eyes. I couldn’t celebrate. I was too stunned and weak to. I just dropped unto grass and lay there smiling. So it was true what the old man said to me. “You are the boy we’ve waited 40 years for. Now we can hope again as a people”. The world’s most coveted sport’s prize was ours to lift. It was all ours to lift. It was Ghana’s to sing about.
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STORY
CREATIVE VARIETY IN DIVERSITY by Kwasi Korboe
“Ryan walks up and down frantically in his room. He is late. The alarm decided to fail him today. But now he has no other alternative than to scurry out to campus. All dressed in his neatly-ironed blue-buttoned, long-sleeved Calvin Klein shirt, his Jordans also on fleek and last but not the least important, his double folded white jeans shorts, he leaves his hostel with hopes that the day will be promising.” This is just a little something to open the tap of “Creative Variety in Diversity.” Granted, it’s a little bit of a tongue twister but, it represents our daily lives in Ashesi University and the world at large. As we all know, there is so much variety in the world. From black people to caucasians, the rich and poor, and even the trend-setters to crowd followers and the I-don’t-care squad. But even with all this variety, there is still diversity within each unique group. Not every black person eats fufu. Neither does every white person know how to sing the US national anthem. It’s logic that holds. Every tom, dick and harry has his own “qualité unique.” So everyone does what suits him. Everyone will Dress the way he or she likes, “shadas” the way he can and swags when the girls or guys are watching. At this point, we are just beating about the bush. I just want to talk about one thing. One thing that we all need. Your closet needs it and your thighs ache for it. Its Shorts! Shorts! Shorts! Shorts! Why doesn’t everyone wear shorts? They’re comfortable, airy and gender unbiased but still we have problems wearing it. WHY? Girls have become less important in the shorts business. At this moment the boys are taking over. Swaging up and down the hill in their “m3 di wos” (booty shorts) and their “sexy shorts” Boys have now paved the way to just be free and wear shorts however they like. But don’t get me wrong; shorts that are too short are too short to be called shorts. There is a limit to how high they can be. We are not promoting boxers up in here. But we are saying that be free with it. Have fun. It all comes back to the fact that there is diversity in variety. You will wear trousers in Accra and I would wear shorts in the Antarctic. It’s a choice. And it’s a unique choice because there are so many varied opinions. We can’t all wear the same thing,so let it be. I’ll wear my shorts and you’ll wear your pyjamas. I swag and you will walk. Don’t be shy. Don’t be intimidated. You may not have the kankpe legs for it but its all cool. Be diverse. Change a little and don’t keep to your box. Page 38
PIECE
A DIRTY POEM FO R T H AT F E E L I N G C A L L E D A C R U S H by Daniel Kwaku Bempah
I hate crushes They make me all giggly and shit They give me that butterflies in the stomach feeling, but might as well be maggots in the stomach feeling Because it makes me all queasy and shit I most definitely hate crushes Because I want u to like me back and shit But oh no all I feel is invisible and shit Making me act all weird and shit, Losing focus and daydreaming about you and shit Get the fuck away from me Cupid, you motherfucking, crush giving, diaper assed weird looking baby angel piece of shit Why would u make me catch feelings and shit Gatdamn, them butterfly-maggots in my stomach keep making me feel like I need to shit and shit Peace out chale Fuck you Cupid Fuck your feelings Fuck you crush I fucking hate you.
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CAMPUS
CHRIST ON TH
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TMAS HE HILL
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PROMO
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PIECE
LOST TO AN UNSEEN TREASURE
by Winston Chimbueze
Clawing the earthen crust In search of a meal I might savor in solace Frantic eyes, I dared not gaze As my human claws scooped the soil In thy cloud of my despair I hit rock bottom My treasure is out, what could it reveal? My heart sank at the sight I beheld For in search of my treasure Blinded by foolhardy determination I had broken my seeming treasure And all my toil was to naught Void now is my cause And the beads of sweat on my forehead curse me In this light I regress For on the count of indolence I place my blame, On the lack of tools As I forged my way through like the barbarian I am Lost in the taste of dirt and sweat I was lost to my treasure unseen My lesson is over and the moral taught Shall I abide thereby where no treasures lie Surely, maybe in my path to perfection, I might just come by another struck of luck More possibly, the hidden treasure Shall of its own accord, greet my palms.
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CAMPUS
Best Worship Night...So Far J
by Victor Eghan
I checked the time on my phone. It was 5:00 pm. I’d been sitting in the sun for the last fifteen minutes, wondering why I decided to be an usher for this Worship Night event. I could have just been a regular guy, and saved myself from all this ‘distress’. “Worship night starts at 5…” they said, but all the seats were empty. Well, except for the seats that a few ushers had perched on as they waited for the programme to start. Other ushers were already standing in their positions. The sound engineers were doing their whole “testing mic….one two, one two,” thing, like they were having arithmetic lessons. I adjusted my black sash which had ‘USHER’ boldly inscribed on it. A few steps away, some two guys were trying to make their sash into a tie they could wear around their neck. The programme finally commenced, with the KKM group saturating the Courtyard with worship songs that makes one’s soul soar towards the heavens. I was basking in the aura of wonderful worship music when the usher before me began to direct two ladies towards me. I had almost forgotten that I was an usher! I welcomed them with a smile and showed them to their seats. Others came along later. Some people were cooperative, but others were quite fussy about the location of their seats. I was so occupied with ushering people that I missed some part of the programme. But the parts I witnessed were wonderful though. The Kingdom Sanctuary Choir’s performance was on fleek! The songs that were sung during this year’s worship night were quite familiar, so most of us could sing along. The songs performed this year were timeless songs—songs that have stood the test of time. I think it was a deliberate thing they did. Lighthouse Choir also rocked the stage with their awesome performance. And Overcomers, oh man! That was the first time I was hearing of them. Out of nowhere, they appeared and left us speechless, especially with their awesome performance of Twale. Well, we were not speechless literally, since they left us screaming and applauding. Rev. Denzel and the HeartBeat Music (HBM) team took us through another session of soul-soaring, with their spirit-filled worship session. There was a wonderful performance also by Gospel, as he used spoken word poetry to preach the Gospel of Jesus. It was quite wonderful how he bounced back even after he forgot his lines when he first came on stage. The KSC choir ended the programme with a praise session, which ended with the audience jumping on stage to sing along. Man, I saw some people I thought could not dance free-styling on stage. The programme started late, but it ended with style and glory. I guess it’s true when the Bible says the latter glory shall be greater than the first. Page 44
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CAMPUS
WORSHIP
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P NIGHT
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PIECE
A GREATER FOOL
by Samuel Gu
Over the past one and half years in Ashesi, I have been constantly brooding over whether I made the right choice to school here or not. And as if that weren’t enough, I’ve found myself continually grappling with what Ashesi really stands for. Who stands to profit and what has 13 years of preaching ethics and entrepreneurship really achieved? The interesting aspect thus far is that I’m not the only person in this dilemma. To that end, I was quite relieved when Akosua Abeka sought to confront this dilemma head-on in her article “Ashesi University – Blackface U.S. College Corporatism Reaches African Shores” with a simple message which I believe is Ashesi has simply become a greater fool. Honestly, I felt insulted to be referred to, whether explicitly or implicitly, as a fool just because Ashesi has strived to help. Nonetheless, there is definitely some truth in her claim and that made me feel worse. That, however, is a story for another day. However, the fact that such issues don’t feature in any discourse in a liberal community is what is more troubling. After all, such discussions would answer any questions on what Ashesi really stands for and which people stood to profit from its existence. However, coming to think of it, is it that bad to be called a fool? Probably not. In retrospect, the limit of foolishness is the only thing Albert Einstein was certain of. So then, what is the fuss about having a little foolery to help society? What is really wrong with a little foolery that will establish a university modelled after western constructs? What is wrong with Ashesi having the balls to tackle Ghana’s educational problem head-on? The simple answer to all these questions would have been; well, don’t bother, it’s none of your business. However, I have a better idea. Honestly, I think Ashesi has been a greater fool in the linguistic meaning of the word fool. No offense, but the truth hurts. Did I need to read Akosua’s article to be aware of a possible creeping corporatism into Ashesi’s model? Shouldn’t Ashesi have the responsibility to fill in the blanks? Or is the truth that it wouldn’t concern us so long as Ashesi promises exceptional career opportunities and the pride of being the best at what it does. That being said, I recently chanced upon a TV series, The Newsroom. In the series, I was quite fortunate to find another perspective about who a greater fool is. According to the author of the series, Aaron Sorkin, the greater fool is Page 48
PIECE actually an economic term. And for the rest of society to profit, we need a greater fool—one who would price an object not by its intrinsic value but rather by his irrational beliefs and expectation. And that, for the most part the greater fool is someone with the perfect blend of self-delusion and ego to think that he can succeed where others have failed. With the latter, I bet Ashesi would definitely qualify summa cum laude as a greater fool. Ashesi prides itself as a non-profit liberal arts in Africa dedicated to educating a new generation of ethical and entrepreneurial leaders in Africa. The Ashesi model claims to impact society while employing mechanisms such as an honor system to drive across its take on ethics. Why wouldn’t someone think Ashesi is entangled in a web of self-delusion to thrive where the Nkrumah Educational Model has failed thus making Ashesi a greater fool? How unfortunate for Ghana to be situated in a continent where mediocrity reigns. However, does that mean we sit on the fence or try one more time? And if we decide to try one more time, does it mean we welcome into our coast a model none of us fully understand because of greater foolery? Inasmuch as by becoming a greater fool Ashesi could fulfil its goals, there is absolutely the need for the limitation on its blend of self-delusion and ego. After all, given the chance human stupidity can become unlimited. It is true that the first step to solving a problem is realizing that one exists. And in realizing that our educational system is problematic, does the next step become what has to be done must be done? Truly, I am in no position to be judgmental. I’m just curious about the Ashesi way. For some of us, we just hope we would wake up one day and all our problems would be solved. It does start from somewhere and with someone and something, but there is a limitation on what can and must be done. It is commendable that Ashesi is a greater fool; branded to thrive where others have failed in raising ethical leaders. However, the question that arises is how far is Ashesi willing to go to continue in its quest to do what it does—being a greater fool— amidst cruel criticism? For me some questions are still persistent: what does Ashesi really stands for, who stands to profit and what has it achieved this 13 years of preaching ethics and entrepreneurship. Until then, the simple answer to all these questions is well, don’t bother, it’s none of your business.
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The Ink