As Mother's Day Approaches. . .

The stories will flow. The mothers will be celebrated everywhere, in every corner, church, home and the media will definitely look at making money off this celebration, while ensuring that some “deserving” mothers win prizes.

It is good to celebrate mothers, and people in general who are responsible. Yet, the stories of biological mothers who had had to run over themselves to ensure their children got an education, to took them away from an abusive man, or sold her entire wardrobe to ensure her children ate never gets to me. I say never because 

I Sleep Around. . .

(This piece was inspired by knowing more on the effects of rape and defilement in children)

Oh I got your attention ha? What? You wish you had read wrongly? No, you didn’t. I sleep around, like really, seriously. See, it is my favorite fun activity and I must admit I enjoy it a whole lot, you have no idea. 

I am currently twenty two years, just done with my university education and my parents are so proud.

Three Years Of Viasat One

With the brightest screen quality, they launched themselves onto our television screens and into our homes some few years back and wowed a ,lot of us. They promised to deliver quality entertainment and surely they have lived up to expectation.

The Church Announcement

“There will be a Youth, Men and Women’s Fellowship meetings on Monday evening at 7.30pm. The Singing Band and Choir will meet on Tuesday and Thursday at 6pm and Saturday at 5.30pm. There will be the usual mid week service on Wednesday at 6.30pm. On Friday there will be an all night service from 10pm. On the same Friday, we will have our morning prayers from 8am. From Monday to Friday there will be the usual morning devotions from 5am each day.’

Click! Shutter!! Bobbie!!!

Emmauel Bobbie

I am not good at pin pointing. And because of that I have become a serious lover of Emmanuel Bobbie’s works, to the extent that I can recognize his works just about anytime yet I do not know how he achieves that. Is it because of his composition? Or his love for bright and somewhat contrasting colors? Or the fact that he is able to take snapshots of places in Ghana and make them look so surreal. He will take a shot of the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, publish it on Facebook and have people ask him where that is! He will say it is the Tetteh Quarshie interchange, and that he went up the Villagio Appartments to take the shots and the next comment will be, “how come I have always used Tetteh Quarshie Interchange and yet this looks so different?” Trust Emmanuel Bobbie to make Ghana’s landscape look so inviting.

I got charmed, for lack of a better word, with his works which he had published on Facebook.  I loved them to bits and I would usually tell Nana Kwadwo Duah of Oxygen that I love how Emmanuel is able to make sharp, bright and contrasting colors look so super cool in a given space. I was fascinated and wanted to know more about him, his works.

(Landscapes in Ghana)

One day, while chatting on Facebook with him, he mentioned that he has a shoot that Friday so if I can make it, I can come see him at work. This was after I had mention to him that I would love to witness him work. I got to the venue and had the chance of witnessing him and his “light man”, King George at work. I watched them set up, tripods and light equipment and checking the brightness as against using a filter or not. As they did all these checks, they kept mentioning some figures and taking test shots as they went along. The next series of shots involved adult and child models. The child models were a delightful pain to work with yet Bobbie found his way around them.

Sunset at Sea-Men drawing their fishing net

Through the shooting, we kept mild conversations. While moving from one venue to the other, he got us waakye from Katawudieso at Nyaniba. Through talks, I got to know that he worships with the Church of Pentecost with his wife and kids. He hardly goes out after 8 pm and the surprise of all was that he is a very shy man. So shy that when one of the ladies wanted to take a picture with him, his countenance changed instantly. The shot that was captured showed a man whose facial expressions were that of someone almost under duress.

A graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Emmanuel had his ‘O’ level certificate from the Odorgonno Senior High School and his ‘A’ level certificate from the Abuakwa State College. He sojourned to the United Kingdom and decided to come back to Ghana, pick up a camera and do magic with it for a living.

Amongst the professional photographers I have spoken with, Emmanuel has come up on the lips of many as one they admire. He has shot a lot of models and has a lot of corporate clients to his credit. He loves to travel around the country, taking shots and presenting Ghana in a very beautiful way. Some of the pictures get people to doubt him all because while we see a bare Afram Plains, Bobbie sees a beautiful landscape on the outskirts of Accra, much different from how we have all seen it all this while.

 

He is a lovely man to chat with, and you can go to Facebook and search for Emmanuel Bobbie. Whether through his personal profile page or business page, send him a message and be sure to get a reply from this photo magician!

FORGIVENESS, WEEDS AND LEAVES

Whenever we set off to pray, we have to forgive all those who have caused us bitterness. This is mandatory, for a part of the model prayer says “and forgive us our sins as we have forgiven those who trespass against us.”
Tis true that our human nature makes it difficult sometimes to forgive and to forget. But the God in us should make it easy. Sometimes, some people hurt us and we are able to easily forgive them and move on. Such people are needed by us as much as they need us. Let us consider ourselves as a tree.

HE IS KNOWN, SIMPLY, AS "BRA" EMMA

I love to write. I do not know exactly when this love started but I cast my mind back and realize there are many reasons that have contributed to this love. The main and strongest of all the reasons is my junior high school English teacher, “bra” Emma.
This man taught me from JSS one to JSS three. He taught us much more than the usual English curriculum that the GES gave us. He stuck to the curriculum alright but always went further than our level.

FOREVER REMEMBERED - JOSHUA LAWSON, YAA GYAMA, WALEED FAISAL HELWANI

Our Lecturers became flabbergasted. They just could not fathom what had happened. Was there going to be more? Why did it have to happen to three of us? It had never happened before.
This month of May has unconsciously brought memories. Memories I do not want to throw out. Memories I want to keep.

This month of May marks three years since we completed our studies at the College of Art and Social Sciences, Department of Communication Design, Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science And Technology, Kumasi.

Still. . .You Can Rise!

Beginning a project and having it go down the drain can be nerve wrecking. It can make you loose all hope you once cherished some time ago. Before you began, you dreamt of the success, you smiled at it, you smelled it and you began to think it. At that moment, troubles and trials seemed like grass beneath your feet. With all the thorns, some piercing you and some giving you a smooth walk, you were only seeing and feeling grass, smooth or rough.

GhSchedule.Facebook.Com

A few realisations I have made concerning the social network site, Facebook. Nothing personal. And if this happens to have a bearing on your particular self, that was not the intention.
Mondays on Facebook are inundated with motivational quotes and status updates, possibly giving enough energy for the coming week. Tuesdays come with a continuation of the Monday status’ updates. Still quite high on motivation.

Dear Men. . .

In as much as you would want your women to be submissive and all the other qualities that you yearn for, I feel you sometimes slack on certain things in terms of your being yet you never take it lightly when she, on the other hand slacks.

For one thing, every woman, naturally, is a submissive woman. Seriously. If you are the man you are supposed to be, she will be the woman she is supposed to be.

Until Love Finds You. . . .

(This piece was inspired by an excerpt from Michelle McKinney Hammond)

Age is just a number so am not going to give any age limits here. But then let’s see, . .you are next to the only single person amongst your friends, you no longer get their companionship for a boys day out. You don’t get to shop with the girls anymore and even if you do, they buy diapers and baby food and wipes while you are left, primarily with an apple in your shopping basket!

His Royal Design Highness, Nana Kwadwo Duah

It was back in 2007. I was then having my academic industrial attachment at Ultra Films in Bubuashie. In the same building as Ultra Films was Oxygen, a brand & design firm run by Nana K. With my very curious self, I usually wondered why the seemingly shy designer almost always walked with his head bowed. He never talked much, not that I heard and he locks himself up when he is in a design mood! The design of his from that time, which I remember is a small sticker for the Ghana@50 celebrations.