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#Ghana60YearsOn: #MightyAfrican stories, thoughts and hopes

We called it the GhanaThink Foundation because we thought (and would continue to think) about Ghana. It's been more than 12 years since GhanaThink was born. It's also been a while since I did a blog post, or even wrote a piece for this #mightyafrican blog . Today is a great day to break that duck. Ghana is 60 years old ! We are celebrating, marking, reminiscing, criticizing, strategizing, thinking and doing.  I love #Ghana so much. It's great to mark #Ghana60YearsOn . #Morevim 4 all that we do. #GhanaAt60 : Less talk, more action. More vim to that. pic.twitter.com/oy793QMr8X — Ato Ulzen-Appiah (@Abocco) March 6, 2017 To be frank, I am not as excited about Ghana, mostly because of our growth pace, development we can fell in around us and in our pockets and the politics and antics I've seen that are hurting Ghana and don't seem to be abating. However, I have always been excited about Ghana. More than 10 years ago, I decided to stop bothering and focusi

#MusicWeDeyFeel: All-time Favorites, including these from Sarkodie

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The last time I saw Sarkodie perform was at the #PresecBonfire night in 2022. I was chatting with some Odadees and all of a sudden, people stopped chatting and started paying attention to the stage. You Know What Time It Is ! It was Sarkodie who had appeared on stage and everyone had to listen to him, see him perform, and sing or rap along. He thoroughly deserved to be crowned the artist of the 2010s decade in Ghana. People believe he is the true torchbearer who took over from Obrafour. Sarkodie has been freestyling for ages in Tema and releasing mixtapes that went viral. He's become very commercial, but why shouldn't he? He deserves his success in my opinion.  Haa baako y É›  10K! I just love the way he reps Tema . One day, we shall find a way to bring Sarkodie to Barcamp Tema , that's a dream. SarkNation is a thing. It's not just the music, it's the aura, it's the concerts, it's the songs he drops with the pulse of the people. Truly, an artist. I am going

#MusicWeDeyFeel: All-time Favorites, including these from Usher

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In this tournament squad of musicians , this spot came down to Usher & Ne-Yo . Or this post for that matter. Usher won because he sang about waakye. I am lying? Have you seen this meme or clip before? There is a TikTok trend about this too o! I love American R&B and Usher is one of the all-time best. He even came to Ghana to perform at the Global Citizen Festival . No, I have not met him before. I have not even tried to go to any concert he is performing at. iTunes was good for me, YouTube is the ish. Let's enjoy the music, or the groove, if you wanna move.  U Remind Me I heard this song in 2001 before I went to the US to attend MIT. This song makes me think about fleeting crushes, women I saw and thought were cute and never really got to meet. "Yo, I ain't seeing you in a minute, but I got something to tell you, listen" "You remind me of a girl, that I once knew. See her face whenever I, I look at you. Won't believe all of the things she put me

#MusicWeDeyFeel: All-time Favorites, including these from Samini

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Buei!!! Samini was the first young Ghanaian musician to really cross our borders as a superstar. VIP is a group, they did theirs too. I went to him in Dansoman in Museke 's early days. He was a feeling brother! Since then, we have spoken a number of times, and he even joined a Konnect group! If you didn't know Samini was the GIMPA SRC President once, then you should look at him in a better light o. Akye saaa! He's one of the best live performers from Africa, maybe on a global scale too. Breaking News!!!!? You should see him perform live. Or watch this video .  He makes serious music, timeless music, danceable music, lovable music, the kind of music hits you and you feel no pain. There are so many top songs from Emmanuel Andrews Samini to go to bat with. Man! He should be knighted in the music industry. Batman  aka Dankwansere aka Samini has a Midas touch. Bam bili woy! Where My Baby Dey - 2009 Nsem pii. Hmmmm.  I was so excited to hear this song. How can you not shout at

The Ghanaian Dream We Should Be Waking Up To

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As you might know, GhanaThink (of which I lead) has been running the #GhanaianDream campaign. Learn about it here & there , and see some social media posts, especially these ones . There are lots of Ghanaian Dream versions by Ghanaians from all walks of life, and all sorts of opinions, needs, wants, beliefs, situations and experiences. What is my Ghanaian dream? Here it is . I have another Ghanaian Dream . One I would love to wake up to. Read on. Start A Ghanaian man / woman wakes up in the morning in his SSNIT Flat in Accra, turns off his alarm clock made in China , and then tunes into the Citi Breakfast Show via the Citi News app . He eventually gets out of his bedsheets sewn in Kumasi , puts on his clothes made by Wear Ghana , belt made in Kumasi, socks from Chale Socks , shoes from Horseman Shoes , puts on his  Caveman watch . He proceeds to have his breakfast -  Brother's Bakery , Tom Brown Mix from Kolikoli , eggs from Ulzenap Farms , drinks his pineappe juice from Bl

#MusicWeDeyFeel: All-time Favorites, including these from Viviane

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I have to start from the day I met Viviane . It was one fine day before the Afrotainment Museke Online Africa Music Awards in September, 2011 in New York . We were organizing the first ever African Music Awards in the United of States of America. We have done some. Museke . It was a rehearsal for the MOAMAS. Big Apple. Big Personality. Big Performance . Big Voice. Big Beauty. Now you know one more thing about the one-time sister-in-law of Youssou Ndour. I bet you knew she is one of the most famous musicians from Senegal. And a one-time winner of female African Musician of the Year, awarded by Museke .  She is very beautiful, after all these years. Someone would say I'm smitten . Probably my buddy Kwadade.  Viviane Chidid/Chedid/Ndour is one of most beautiful women ever.  I wanted to meet her when I went to Dakar, Senegal too in 2016. Beautiful country. Now, let us make you feel her beautiful music . Champion - 2010 Easy right? Award winner. How could I not like a song called Ch

#MusicWeDeyFeel: All-time Favorites, including these from Bruna Tatiana

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I first heard about Bruna through Big Brother Africa, the very first show in 2003. I think that is when I started loving Angola , and its women. I learnt that she was a musician then. As she fine , I continued tracking her music career, too. Turns out, she is really good at music as well. She is not related to Roberto Mendes . You know I love Kizomba a lot and I listen it to on Thursdays . Her music is one of many reasons. The other day, I was chatting with an Angolan friend on Whatsapp. Yes, she is a woman. She doesn't understand English well like many other Angolan friends of mine . Whatsapp started asking if they could translate what she was typing into English. And then it started offering to and translating my English into Portuguese. Shed a tear for Duolingo and Google Translate. Bruna lived in the US (Maryland areas) for many years. She can speak English . She was even cast in a movie by my friend Koby Maxwell called Paparazzi - Eye In The Dark . I am looking for the mo

#MusicWeDeyFeel: All-time Favorites, including these from Alikiba

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Today of all days, I am missing Tanzania . Because 12 years ago around this time, I was in Bongo land. I really loved being there. Hamis Ambwene Massawe too. Ndio. Before I ever visited Tanzania, I knew a lot about Alikiba . I had seen him perform in Oakland, Califorinia while I was still at Stanford . Before that day which I met my second girlfriend - Titi (She's Nigerian, not Tanzanian)  - I knew a lot of Alikiba songs. And it is not just because of Museke . I liked music made by  I hope you would love his craft more after reading this blog post.  I am sure you know Kiswahili is the official language of Tanzania. Hapana? Kabisa? I learnt how to speak Swahili from some East African friends . I took 2 Swahili classes while at Stanford, which is the period I really started loving more music from Bongo. Bonga Flava has many flavours. Ali Saleh Kiba has his own flavour. Alikiba was such a pleasant guy when I met him. He likes to sing about love songs. Titi was right there, al