Kuffour, Nana Addo Hot Over Gambia Deaths

International Human Rights activist Anthony Rau has filed a case against John Agyekum Kufuor, Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Gambian President Yaya Jammeh at the International Criminal Court concerning the deaths of some Ghanaians in The Gambia.

Anthony Rau, who is also a Ghanaian born politician in Germany said he has filed a criminal case against the former President Kuffour, then Minister of Foreign Affair Akuffo Addo and Gambian President Yaya Jammeh at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague over the injustice that  was committed against the Ghanaians and Nigerians who were murdered in Gambia in the year 2005.

“There was an eyewitness who I sought political asylum for in Germany and he tells me that the number of Ghanaians who were murdered by Yaya Jammeh is not 44 or 22 like the then government of Ghana purported. He said in all, the killings involved 72 Ghanaians and 8 Nigerian,” Mr Rau said at a press conference.

According to Mr Rau, former President Kuffour should have ordered his then attorney-general to take immediate legal action against the Gambian president Yaya Jammeh after he told then Foreign Minister Nana Akufo-Addo that he was not ready to hold talks with them. Kufuor and Nana Addo did nothing to prosecute Yaya Jammeh.

“My guy who happens to be an eyewitness has even revealed to me that even the bodies which were presented to the current NDC government for burial were not the rightful bodies. He is also ready to testify at the international court of Justice and also show,” Rau noted.

Mr Rau stated that he has nothing against the New Patriotic Party (NPP), former president Agyekum Kuffour or Nana Akufo-Addo but rather the only thing he was interested in was the truth. 

“This is no propaganda and no politics as well. Kuffour and Nana Addo should have done what I am doing now. I just want the truth to come out and I am going to follow this till justice is served,” the passionate Mr Rau expressed.

He pointed out that it is only in Africa that we sell ourselves short and undervalue our citizens’ right. All of those thing, he prayed, must change.

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I’m Ready For Vetting -Bukom Banku

Ghanaian boxer and musician, Braimah Kamoko, popularly known as Bukom Banku, says he has all his documents ready and waiting to be vetted as Deputy Minister of Sports.

In an exclusive interview, Bukom Banku said on 14th July, 2012, it came to him in a dream that the then Vice President John Dramani Mahama had been elected as president. After telling President Mahama about the dream, the boxer said he was promised a top position in the Sports Ministry. 

“As you can see now I have all my documents ready for vetting. Even if the vetting committee calls me today, today, I’ll go for the vetting. I am ready,” Bukom Banku said.

The sensational boxer called on the President to fulfill the promise he make him a year ago.

“When I told President Mahama about the dream he gave me money and he promised to make me Sports Minister. But now, he has put someone there so I know inside me that he will make me Deputy Minister,” he said.

According to Bukom Banku, he has the skills to become deputy sports minister and would deliver if given the nod.

Bukom Banku also noted that he and President John Mahama were best friends even before he became president.

“It is a good thing John Mahama became president. God Himself ordained him to become president. He knows I have a mental problem but he still likes me so I’m begging him to give me the position so I can help Ghanaian boxers.”

He said arrangement had been made for him to fight on March 30th, stressing that he would not disclose his opponent.

“When everything is ready, I will tell the whole of Ghana who I am going to fight with,”

As it stands now, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah has been nominated to occupy the post.

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Gyan not thinking too far ahead

Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan says his sole focus is simply to see his side advance past the group stages of the Africa Cup of Nations.

After that, he will then start entertaining thoughts of bringing the cup home to Ghana.

Ghana's preparations for the tournament included a 3-0 win over Egypt and a 4-2 win over Tunisia to put them in a good position ahead of their opening match with Congo.

The Group B match takes place in Port Elizabeth at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday.

"The players know that, the people back home know that we are here to play for our country. We know that the other teams are here to play hard for their country," he said.

"As I said earlier we need to get through the group stages before we start thinking about think about winning the cup."

Ghana are aiming to end a 31-year trophy drought, and go into the clash against Congo having won eight of the 14 clashes between the countries.

The two last met in a 2006 World Cup qualifier where both games ended in draws.

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The Devil Wears White... A Fisherman's tale

Losing a lover is a heart ripped off, losing a brother is a soul taken away. June 13 1982 was the scissors which broke Nii Lartey Tsuru III from his umbilical cord. He was raised on the beaches of James Town where fishing was the oldest trade in the family and indulged every healthy looking male child.

After his kid brother was outdoored Nii Tetey Yen II (after their grandfather), Lartey Tsulu made a vow to protect his brother till death. “I’ll go to the end of the world to keep you safe. No son of Adam or daughter of Eve shall ever come between us”

The two brothers grew up like climbing plants, entangled in each other’s affairs. They would leave for sea early in the morning and return with their shoal at night. But in the rainy seasons, they left around 6am and returned the following morning with a bountiful catch. The women in the community are solely responsible for marketing the fish.

One Tuesday after my usual visit to the family house at Abolakpatashi, Nanaa packed fired Octopus and said “ kɔ mɔ mɔ lɛ fio fio kɛ ya shɛ shia.”

Tuesdays are traditional off days for all the fisher folks. They usually stay at home and mend their nets or service their outboard motors. I perched with half-buttocks on a bamboo bench at the shores of the sea, eating my snack and sipping on a bottle of club soda. After a few minutes, I heard a voice saying “Anyɛmi ha ma gbabo sane ko”. He introduced himself as Lartey Tsulu III and started his story.

He and Tetey Yen always went fishing together but on that sunny Thursday afternoon, he went to queue for premix fuel so they would have enough for the coming days. When the ‘Lɛ lɛ kɛ yaa’ was afloat, Tetey waved at him and shouted “tsɔne lɛ mli ye ni kpakpa, wɔ baa na loo waa”.

Early the next morning Lartey carried a gallon of premix and set out to meet his brother. All the boats had returned with the exception of the Amugi’s and theirs. After 5mins, he saw Amugi’s boat approaching the dock but theirs was nowhere to be found. “Ngbɛ wɔ yaa yɔɔ,” he questioned Amugi. Ngbɛ Tetey wɔɔ …. The news sank his spirits. “Your boat capsized and Tetey drowned in the process”, Amugi narrated. “The boat sunk and his body could not be recovered.” Tetey who had won fastest swimmer at the annual James Town Homowo swimming contest got drown at sea? Amugi you must be joking, Lartey fumed. “Produce my brother now now oo me I’ve told you.” It took several hours to come to terms with the obvious reality that Tetey Yen II was no more. Later that night after enough wailing, Lartey decided to take solace in the bottle. He moved to the blue kiosk near by and drunk his head off. Mostly, he drank his tears in place of the hot Apkɛtɛshi gin he was clasping.

Lartey found himself floating on the sea clinching on to his green bottle. Out of the blue he had a voice “Lartey Tsuru III do you want to join me here or do you want to know what really got me killed” It was Tetey dressed in a white suit –something which was very usual of him because he never liked the color white- . “Come, let me take you to where it all started,” Tetey said.

As though in a trance, Lartey felt a sharp pain in the head and before he knew it, he and his brother were standing in their boat. Tetey put out his lantern and started pulling his net into the boat. His net had caught a lot of fish, and was bursting at the seams due to the weight.

Then they both heard a loud cry “Tetey jump, the ship will kill you…” before Tetey could heed the call, his boat was destroyed by a foreign ship. His body was drawn by the current from the super powered motor of the ship and was instantly sliced into two. In a split second, Lartey saw himself standing with his brother. “This is what actually happened, this is what killed me…The white man’s ship.” Lartey went blank, coming back into his body to realize he was lying on the floor in a bar, holding on to his green bottle.

“So that is what happened to my brother… tell those politicians to stop drinking the FONKAR beer while they smoke the ‘all die be die’ weed” .

“I lost a brother…. Another lost a father…another lost a son… some other lost a grandfather. I thought they said Pair trawling was a thing of the past?

“Go out there and tell my story… tell the world how I lost my brother.”

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NDC and the Mysterious Dove: A Sign from Heaven? By Bismarck Nii Ogbamey Tetteh

During the funeral of the late president John Evan Atta Mills, a group of doves were release at the independence square as part of the proceedings for his burial.

Some of the birds flew away while others returned to where they were released. For some strange reason which is still unknown, one of the doves decided to land on the former first lady Naadu Mills’ car.

Members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) among other Ghanaians read many meanings into that happening. The Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Ammisah-Arthur, even said it was a sign from the late president Mills that he was leaving Ghana as a stable an peaceful country.

According the Christian Bible, when Noah and his Ark endured the flood for 40days and 40nights, he sent forth a dove to see if the waters were abated from the face of the ground. The dove returned with an olive branch.

In another part of the Bible, when Jesus the Christ was baptized, the heavens were opened and John the Baptist saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and came to rest on Christ then John heard a voice from heaven saying “Behold this is my Son with whom I’m well pleased

During the National Delegate Congress which was held by the NDC at the Baba Yara stadium in Kumasi, there was another strange occurrence with another dove.

Some NDC party faithfuls who were in the ‘popular stands’ of the stadium were seen releasing doves but unknown to the President of the Republic of Ghana John Dramani Mahama, and the rest of the party faithfuls, a white dove flew from nowhere and sat of the shoulder of the president.

For some seconds, the crowd together with the John Mahama stirred at the bird not knowing what to think or what to do. The bird later took off.

In the history of Ghana and the NDC, this is the second time a dove has been related to the presidency. But the question on the lips of many Ghanaians including NDC party faithfuls is ‘what does the sitting of the white dove on the shoulder of the President of Ghana mean?’

Could it be related to the baptism of Jesus the Christ and God is trying to send a message to Ghana that the president John Mahama, is the one He has chosen to win the 2012 elections and rule His nation?

We will all have to wait for the results from the secrete ballot come December 2012.

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Yearning for Rose Greenfield

My yearnings grapple for an invincible obsession
so strong like asthmatics yearn for oxygen
Not touched…not seen. Yet lurking in the dark corners of my mind
her beauty resonates from afar


There she sat in my garden among the lilies
Filled with life and love
a chunk to suffice the world


Halt! For my green eyes shall keep the chunk
her pink lips glow in darkness
And when she decides to paint them red
One will need Redbull before viewing them


She sat on a pot of loom; her dress woven from leaves
Treated with love, care and patience, she is the perfect ingredient to make the whole world smile
But maltreated and disrespected, she will get into your skin and come out like a pin
With a pain sharp to ache your heart and a few drops of your blood to make you pay
There you are my beautiful addiction
The one thing I yearn for, my rose flower

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The Love Call

My six-figure salaried banker friend called me on the phone, hysterically wanting to tie nuptial knots with his girlfriend who was also a student nurse. However, he needed one crucial litmus test; a test to prove the quantum of love his girlfriend had in her love pot for him; whether it overflowed and touched the lid, or it formed just a drop at the bottom of the pot. He wanted us to take her through a little drill. I came up with a few ideas; we put our heads together and were set to put our idea on wheels. He called her and conferenced the call;

Banker: Sweetheart will you marry me if you heard I cheated on you two nights to our wedding with your best friend?

Girlfriend: Yes, I’ll forgive you and get even with your best man. Hahahahaaa…. I’d love to see the look on your face after that.

Banker: Will you marry me if you heard I lost my job.

Girlfriend: Yes, that wouldn’t be a problem because I’d also be working so I’ll take care of the family but if you don’t get a job within a year, we will start a business or some sort of trade with all the money we would have saved.

Banker: Will you marry me if I lost my legs?

Girlfriend: Sure why not. You’ll be 99.5% of the man I love and I wanted to marry and with my little knowledge in Math; you will still be ‘that guy’ for me.‘100 perfect.’

Banker: Will you still marry me if I became impotent?

Girlfriend: The devil is a liar!!! I’m afraid my answer to that one is no. how can I be the mother of your kids if you are firing empty shell casings at a fully armed woman like me?

Banker: Nii, did she pass the test?

Now that was when she realized that they had not been alone the whole time and asked if I heard everything. I answered in the affirmative.

This was what I told My Guy;

Dude, is this the girl you introduced to me as your girlfriend years ago? She is crazy but one thing is for sure, she loves you very much. Marry her before someone else does.

Then the girlfriend who couldn’t stop laughing asked, “Nii how much did I score?”
“Congratulations dear, you scored 99.5% which according to the lil Math I know is 100‘perfect”, I answered.

But before I leave you two love birds alone, who will that lucky best man be?

Then they both yelled “You”.
Oh hell Nooooooooo. They’ve got to be kidding.

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Extend Biometric Registration Exercise- NUGS

The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has petitioned the Electoral Commission to extend the date of the end of the biometric registration exercise till the end of May.

The group made this call to, according to them, give their colleagues who are saddled with academic work the opportunity to have their votes counted in the choosing of their constituency Members of Parliament (MP) and the next President of the Republic.

According to a statement issued by NUGS, a large number of students in tertiary institutions are currently writing their end of semester exams therefore making it difficult for them to leave their books and go through the registration exercise.

The Biometric Registration Exercise which is supposed to last for 40 days, started in March 24 and is due to end on May 12. But NUGS believes that “the Electoral Commission will extend the exercise thereby giving us the chance to exercise our political and constitutional mandate”.

The group also asked the EC to clarify the issue on whether voter transfer will be permitted since some people registered in a particular centre and they would want to transfer to their home village.

NUGS congratulated the Electoral Commission and its Registration Officer across the country for their conduct thus far which has injected some energy into the body politic of our democratic country. By your actions, the exercise though has seen many faces some sordid and some more blissful, we are moving as a nation.

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Is Faint Medal the next Osibisa?

After the great Osibisa band which told the African story across the world, people have been searching for the next band to continue with the legacy.

Some music lovers who listen to the afro-rock band Faint Medal perform, believe that the band is the next generation of Osibisa.

Faint medal, an afro-rock band formed by singer and song writer Syn, and the incredibly gifted guitarist Kyekyeku. Both individuals are well noted musicians emerging from the alternative music scene in Accra having mounted the same stages all over the city and internationally.

The deep appreciation for one another's musical art and the very evident passion that both musicians employ in their individual creative processes made them a menacing artistic duo.

Their sound is greatly influenced by a lot of rock music interlaced with rich African melodies influenced by great musicians like Agya Koo Nimo and Osibisa with a potent mix of rich Pidgen English lyrics. This new blend has seen crowds of music lovers go ballistic as they catch on to the easy melodies and interesting lyrics in just a few seconds.

The group has since its inception played various events and venues including the maiden edition of 'La Poilette Takpekpe' at the Alliance Francaise in Accra, Reggie Rockstone's Office, The Movenpic hotel in Accra, Marvel's mini golf course and Indie Fuse, a musical concert organized by ace events producer Accra (dot) alt amongst others.

The group has since its inception played various events and venues including the maiden edition of 'La Poilette Takpekpe' at the Alliance Francaise in Accra, Reggie Rockstone's Office, The Movenpic hotel in Accra, Marvel's mini golf course and Indie Fuse, a musical concert organized by ace events producer Accra (dot) alt amongst others.

The group is currently working on their hit single with Pidgen Music's Yaa Pono titled 'I dey feel you die'. In an interview with the band, they promised that their hit single will be out in a few weeks.

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Mad Rush For Glo SIM Cards

After the long wait, thousands of Ghanaians have been trooping to the various Glo World shops across the country to activate their reserved lines, port their existing numbers to Glo and purchase new SIM cards.

Glo commenced operations on April 29, half a decade after its first announcement which soon followed with massive sponsorships and advertisements in the country. The company launched its data packages last year but delayed on its voice service.

Three years ago it acquired a telecommunication operation licences in Ghana.

Ahead of the voice service launch, the company embarked on a number reservation campaign, where it recorded over 1.5million special subscriptions of 023-3 and 023-5 numbers.

Subscribers who reserved their numbers received a second confirmation text message on May 1 asking them to pick up their reserved numbers from any Glo World shop or approved channel partner.

When Ghanaian blogger Nii Ogbamey Tetteh visited the Glo World Shop on the Ring Road around 7am on May 2 , enthusiastic subscribers were seen in long queues waiting to be served. The scene was the same at the Madina, East Legon and the head office at Osu among others.

Most of the excited subscribers who were waiting to be served expressed delight about the exciting offers Glo Mobile has to offer like the “good day Ghana package” which will give subscribers free 20Gp worth of credit every day for one hundred days.

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