Hondred Percent

November 2, 2016

It's a Boy!

“So is it a boy or a girl?”, I asked my wife. “A girl”, she said. “The doctor can’t see a penis down there and he has tried saaaaa, so I believe we have a girl”.
(saaaa: a word in Twi which describes how long something has occurred usually emphasized by the number of “a” used)
I had always wanted a girl as my first child before a boy. (Look at me acting like I was in control of that decision) I had my reasons, which I will explain later as this isn’t the purpose of my post.
I was pleased with the results after numerous scans pointed in my favor. I was however hesitant in accepting the gender verdict as I heard of surprises from other parents.
Thus baby shopping was always in neutral colours. Except for the Manchester United onesie I bought earlier in the year. (What a proud purchase)

Unfortunately when the baby was delivered I wasn’t around. It was in the early hours of the morning and I was asked by the hospital staff to go home and rest assured. It was my mother-in-law who called to deliver the news.
It’s a Boy!
?
(that emoji was my face when I heard the news)
I was surprised but not disappointed. Laughed my head off at God’s way of playing pranks with me and started thinking of what to call my new born son.
Fast forward into the future, I get surprised at people’s reactions when they are told of the baby’s gender.
“Chale you force oooo!”
“You have done well!”
I may sound unappreciative but I found those comments at times disappointing. Especially when I mention that I was looking forward to a girl and receive an opposite reaction.
In 2016 I thought Ghana’s views on children will have changed but it seems the old ways are still present.
A girl and a boy are different and each bring something different to a family. However it is God who provides these blessings and knows what is best for us.

As much as I was looking forward to having a daughter, I am ecstatic about my son. Never did I know the feeling of pride and happiness he will bring into my life. I just don’t like the idea that boys are still perceived as major achievement and girls as a minor one. Maybe it’s just because it’s my first child.
I liken this to a football match. You always prefer your team to score first and win as opposed to being scored first and then winning from behind.
I just worry about the social and cultural pressure placed on women who had daughters first and how they must feel. I mean, that could have easily been us. Makes me wonder the reaction to the gender some would have given if my child was a girl.
Maybe I am viewing this all wrong. I however feel these perceptions should change. So as you keep it One HONDRED! What’s your take on this?

November 1, 2016

Ehalakasa Festival 2016 Review

The early morning rains on Saturday, 29th October, 2016 was definitely a sign of good things to come at Apam. Though I got stuck in the mud on the way to the Ehalakasa Festival 2016, I arrived in time for the festivities.
This was definitely an improvement from last year. The sound was better and there was a band – Genius Hive Band. As an artist who has visited numerous shows and considering the line up in store, my expectations of a quality show was short sighted.
The festival was EXCELLENT! Definitely ONE HONDRED! Threw me off guard completely.
The festival started with an open mic session which saw up coming artists perform before the main event. Poetry, dance and rap graced the stage as the Two Idiots, Dr.So and Gen.Ntatea ushered them as MC’s.

Students from GHANATA at Ehalakasa Festival 2016,Apam

Students from GHANATA were part of the open mic session and coloured the event with their art. Their confidence, stage craft and words pave a promising future for the art scene in Ghana.
“Black alone doesn’t make a difference but black and white make a gray”
–Yvonne from Ghanata
This line stuck to me throughout the festival. It’s similar to the saying “no man is an island” but puts more emphasis on racial unity as the way to get things done. Great minds are definitely blossoming on our shores and this goes to show the importance of Ehalakasa’s involvement in schools. Their workshops have definitely molded artists for the future.
The event was graced with the presence of Ghana music legend Ebo Taylor, who opened the main show with a short speech encouraging artists to continue in their craft.

Donad (SA) & Hondred Percent (GH) Ehalakasa Festival 2016,Apam

The festival was definitely an African one. We had Philo from Ivory Coast, Faithful from Cameroon and Donald from South Africa. Each artist had vibe that interacted with the audience and created a memorable performance. Donald’s “Hook em Up” Performance got the audience performing with him and our French brothers from Ivory Coast and Faithful tried their hands at Fanti and got us waving our hands and bumping to French.
Kacey Moore’s performance was a medley of genres. Hiphop and High Life mainly but I am sure the was some Reggae or Dancehall in there. The energy, the highs and lows in his tone accompanied by the band definitely made my body move. The host of Kona Live with Kacey Moore delivered and set the stage for the main act for the festival, Worlasi.
What follows Worlasi is hard to explain. His style is unique and laid back. Effortless and smooth. I could go on and on but let me stop and say that this guy has a way with his music and audience. He broke down on an intimate level why the songs he performed were written in a manner that you don’t get when you listen to his ŋusẽ mixtape.
My favorites of his performance was “Possible” and “Nukata”. What I loved about “Possible” was that it was an inspiration to the art community to keep pushing. He encouraged all by reminding us of how he had dreams (like we all do) of meeting influential artists like Da Hammer, Sarkodie and Manifest. He elaborated that he had met all these people and they all came to him and not the other way round. He concluded by saying that if your work is good people will come looking for you.
Worlasi concluded the event in style and reminded us that not only is anything possible but that you can have fun doing it.
The Two Idiots were excellent hosts and need to be given more events to showcase their with and humour. Without them the event wouldn’t have come off the way it did.
The sad thing about the festival was that it was not well patronized. That is what needs to be worked on next year.
The Haduwa Cultural Institute in Apam, Central Region is a beautiful beach location booming with opportunity. I challenge you all to make it a point to come out next year with a change of clothes so you can have a taste of the beach as well.
Ehalakasa did a great job in pulling this together. I know a lot more can be done but together anything is possible so let’s make it count.
In conclusion,I want to leave you with the punchline of the event. I don’t believe I have the exact phrase but it was by the poet Akambo who continues to amaze me each time I see him perform. The punchline is in response to a girl obsessed with technology (and a bit irritating to)
It goes something like this:

“Since you are so obsessed with technology, the next time you are on your period use an iPad”

Keep it One HONDRED!

October 27, 2016

Ghana Hates Art

Is it Ghana or it’s people that don’t appreciate art? This question baffles me every time I ask.
For the longest time art has been seen as inferior to other academic subjects. Especially the science subjects. In Ghana’s reality, a good portion of artists, be it actors, musicians, visual artists and the likes rarely get their art treated with the respect it deserves.
That’s not to say that people in Ghana don’t respect art but majority view it as something they themselves can do and don’t see reason in paying for its real value.
A good number of artists today are not where they should be not because they were lazy or took a wrong turn but because they were undervalued.
Recently I was hired by a lady from a well respected society in Ghana (I won’t mention the name) to perform at an event. I was called at the last minute on the day of their event to perform. I had to send in my piece to be scrutinized and accepted and was expected to be at the event at a certain time.
I was professional in my conduct. I dressed for the occasion, was punctual and delivered as expected. We agreed on a cash token to accommodate my transportation (Ghana’s sorry excuse for payment). After my performance I couldn’t be compensated as the event was still ongoing, so I settled for a mobile money transfer the next day.
I never heard from the lady again. I communicated with her the day after and the next and after that I decided to stop disrespecting myself and ignore that I had been used.
This is not the first time such has happened in my career as an artist. This time however I must say that I was surprised that the caliber of society I was engaged with treated me with such disregard.
When I look at my craft I realize that I have been blessed with a gift. When that product of my gift is treated this way it hurts. It doesn’t dampen my spirit but makes me stronger.
I just wonder whether my zeal to continue creating won’t be killed by the people I create for.
Keep it One HONDRED!

October 26, 2016

Is Secular Music Bad?

Everyone loves music. Some love a specific genre and others have a mix of genres that they enjoy. For me it’s Hiphop. The whole idea of Hiphop as a culture is synonymous with my Christian beliefs.
“Hip means to know
It’s a form of intelligence
To be hip is to be up-date and relevant
Hop is a form of movement
You can’t just observe a hop
You got to hop up and do it
Hip and Hop is more than music
Hip is the knowledge
Hop is the movement
Hip and Hop is intelligent movement
Or relevant movement
We selling the music.”
KRS-One
With that definition, the question of whether current Hiphop is really Hiphop is debatable. However, my mission here is to address the issue of secular music.
I have looked up the definition of both secular and gospel music. As clear as they might be, people usually refer to secular music as anything that’s not Christian related (by that we mean praising God).
That as a definition is not that bad to the ear until you realize that a lot of Christians frown upon secular music as if it’s pure evil.
I am not here to change views but to offer my perspective on the subject.
I love Hiphop music. I love the beats, rhythms, rhyme, lyrics and skill at which artists go at their craft. Is the content good? Not really. A lot of what is being rapped or sung about for a long time is nonsense. There are however great songs and also truth within some of the nonsense that’s out there.
I find the “don’t listen to secular music agenda” flawed on a number of levels. We live in a world surrounded by good and evil. It’s our job to discern which is which and take decisions that will bring out the best in us.
I am not saying go to a prostitute for advise but if she is giving advise, there is a possibility that it’s good advise. Just because she is a prostitite doesn’t mean she can’t do good.
It’s the same with music. You listen with a discerning ear. I must point out that not everyone can be in the presence of music and discern. If that’s how you are, establish safe zones and stick to it.
Christians are not supposed to judge but there seems to be a lot of judging that is done by us. We fail to see the good in people. Majority of the time I feel that’s how secular music is seen.
As an artist and a Christian I see Hiphop artist, Lecrae as a role model. I agree with his stance on not being labeled as a Christian artist. I don’t like being labeled as Christian artist. It restricts who views your art. As an advocate for good music (and by that I mean good clean music) I believe it should be consumed with no filters.
People should take in the art and be moved by it enough to question why the artist did what they did. What inspires them? What moves them? This becomes an opportunity to reveal Christianity and more importantly Truth.
I don’t have any qualms with artists that call themselves Christian artists. My only issue is that majority of their consumers are Christians. This is not bad, if that’s who the art is targeted towards. However, if your goal is to reach the masses then one must reconsider how they will take the message if it is wrapped as a Christian message.
People want hope and inspiration. They want the truth. Christianity has all this and more but how it’s presented makes a lot of difference. The reason why we Christians are tasked with spreading God’s love is because we are sinners. Sometimes we act as if we don’t know what that was like. People need to relate with us in order to see the light. It’s also not always instantaneous.
Secular music has its good sides and bad but so does gospel music. A good chunk of gospel music is awesome but there are some songs labeled gospel that are questionable.
I have always found the song Hero, by Mariah Carey to be gospel in essence. Though it’s tagged secular. People will even view Mariah as a secular artist. I would drop labels and just call her an artist and encourage her to make more songs like Hero to draw people towards God.
“There’s a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don’t have to be afraid
Of what you are
There’s an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you’ll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you”
Lyrics to Hero by Mariah Carey

With words like these, how can we view this song as secular. God is not mentioned in the song but it doesn’t mean God is not in the song. God is in all of us. When we allow Him to shine through us His glory is evident.
Allow God to work through you. Keep it One HONDRED!

October 25, 2016

Mobile Money – The Future

I had the privilege of attending a presentation by Ebenezer Twum Asante, the CEO of MTN some weeks back on mobile money. Here are some of the highlights of the presentation that I want to bring to your attention:

35% of airtime is bought through physical means. 65% through digital means.
MTN currently piloting near field technology .
Debit card/credit card will probably be needless in the future.
Money may be retained in the space as opposed to cashing in and cashing out.
Mobile money alone is responsible for over 10% of deposits in the banking system.
Current research shows that the central bank should raise the limit allowed.
Transaction size growing including amount transacted.
Security is as safe as the banks.
Scams still major concern but mainly because of literacy level
Mobile money is better placed to handle money laundering since they are able to deal with it in real time. Alerts are sent once a transaction occurs that triggers suspicious activity. Central banks and security agencies are contacted in realtime.

Makes me wonder why we are still using cheques.

(I just want to highlight that though this article is about mobile money, it’s not referring entirely to MTN. It involves the other networks as well. It’s just that MTN is privileged to have mobile money associated with its name.)
I started using mobile money actively in 2016. I had been registered but never saw the need to use it till I needed to pay someone and found it more convenient to use digital means.
Since then I have found it to be an excellent medium of moving money in Ghana and find it irritating that my bank hasn’t yet integrated it into their systems.
As a millennial, these developments are exciting because it breaks down the red tape associated with money transfer.
Ghana due to scams on credit cards and other fraudulent activities, have been sidelined and thus payment platforms such as PayPal are not easily accessible. This restricts e-commerce to a privileged few.
Mobile money is just the beginning of e-commerce in Ghana. Technology such as Slyde Pay and Express Pay facilitate everyday transactions at the touch of a button or screen expanding payment opportunities.
Ghana is gradually moving towards a future where our smart phones become more than just communication devices. They will become our wallets, ticket or boarding pass holders and identity documents.
I foresee payroll being run on mobile money platforms soon. It may even be used as a means to provide credit since your service provider has an idea of your cellular history and a bit more.
In this digital age where the future is uncertain, I urge businesses to begin adopting mobile money and e-commerce. That’s the future. With the way technology is moving I strongly believe that our laptops will shrink to become our cell phones. The power we hold now in our phones keeps growing. Hard drive space, processing power, camera specifications and more keep evolving each day.
So let’s position ourselves for the future. I look forward to my church adopting mobile money for offerings ?.
(I will definitely be blogging about mobile money in church. That will be such a hot topic)
Keep it One HONDRED!

October 24, 2016

My Superhero Day

I am a big Marvel and DC fan who has been loving superheroes from a young age and flying in my dreams. I believe the idea of superheroes is to inspire greatness and encourage us to put out our best regardless of the obstacles and challenges we are faced with.
One evening In August I felt like a superhero.
I was in my digital marketing class when I excused myself to receive a call from my boss. For him to call knowing that I was in class, hints at a possible emergency.
He needed me to highlight changes to an order that we placed to suppliers within 2 hours. The problem is I had saved my changes to the order and thought the new order on my spreadsheet would suffice.
Turns out that wasn’t the case. The task at hand at first glance looked impossible with the given time frame. I expressed my frustration and challenges due to the time restriction and my boss in a “I know only you can do this” voice asked me to see what I can do. I felt like a superhero thrown into a difficult mission.
I first retrieve the previous order from my sent mail folder and quickly used shortcuts to compare the orders. I started by making notes in Microsoft Word but quickly realized that would be confusing.
I eventually resorted to highlighting the cells that had changes. I know it sounds simple but we are talking about 13 different tabs with minute details and an ongoing lecture distracting me.
30 minutes after, my wife calls increasing the difficulty setting of the mission. The call was to remind me of some groceries I was to get before coming home.
Chaleeeee! Will I be done in time before the shops close?

When we return we will see whether our hero is able to get out of this sticky situation.

(Sorry it just felt right to add that.)
Anyways, despite these setbacks I came through. I emailed the changes to my boss who was grateful at my success and sped off to find an open grocery store.
My spider senses led me to an open store where I found my items and as I exited I finally stumbled upon a Charmander in Pokemon Go and caught him in one try.
Now if that is not a HOT conclusion to the day I don’t know what is. I hope tomorrow does not bring upon me similar challenges.
I felt proud to achieve all this that evening. It’s not often you are able to please your boss, wife and Pokemon Go goals at the same time. I guess God was in my corner cheering me on. I pray you all have a blessed day filled with similar success.
Keep it One HONDRED!

October 22, 2016

The Customer is Never Right

Let me start by just saying that customer service is Ghana is poor. Dirt, cheap, one sugar cube left in the fridge poor. (In fact that’s a great way of looking at it.)
The standard is supposed to be a full blue box of sugar cubes (that lion brand). Rich and sweet but often, many of us receive a piss poor excuse for customer service. Makes you wonder how the country prides itself on Christianity.
“Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.””
Mark‬ ‭12:29-31‬ ‭MSG‬‬
Love your Neighbour as yourself is the second most important commandment in the Bible according to Jesus. Yet, it seems that passage was never translated into a business lesson.
There are many ways to look at this problem but today I want to focus on one of the fundamental rules of customer service that front end staff of the retail and service industry must live by.
THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT.
This is where sometimes even established businesses who pride them selves at customer service get it wrong.
Yesterday I was at a cafe and a couple was making an order. The attendant at the till repeated the order after the couple was done to find out that the order according to the couple was incorrect. (This is where unfortunately, customer service reduced to one sugar cube)
Instead of the attendant apologizing and correcting the order, she decided to stage a mini debate of “but that’s what you ordered”.
WHO CARES?
Let’s even assume the error was the customer’s. IT DOES’NT MATTER!
What matters is that THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT. So you apologize for the error, smile and correct it.
Did she do that? No!
She kept going on about how the lady ordered what she said she didn’t order and her facial expression was clearly not pleasant. She had that “I am doing you a favor and you are pissing me off” look. Clearly not the look you want other customers to see.
The order ended up being changed but to me the service deserved a big minus. That was service with a pound of salt and not something you want your clientele remembering.
Whether you are Christian or not treating others the way you want to be treated is the best thing to do. When serving people you put your issues aside and serve each person like they are royalty.
God serves us each day with oxygen, sun, gravity and time regardless of whether we deserve it or not. How far are we willing to go for a paying customer?
Let’s treat each other better. Not for business goals but for peace of mind and harmony.
Keep it ONE HONDRED!

October 19, 2016

Everything is magnificent…Even YOU!

Last night I was on my way home from class with a colleague when we hit the Tema motorway.
As the journey progressed, something in the sky caught my attention. It was a white bright light of sorts that creeped towards us.
It was a rather confusing sight so I drew my colleague, Robert’s attention to this unidentified flying object in the sky. I was driving, so had to be careful not to be over fixated with this light in the sky.
Robert after a while came to a similar conclusion of uncertainty. What is that light thingy in the sky?
Were aliens upon Ghana? Is this the end of the world? Were we under attack? Is Kalyppo taking over Accra?
All these thoughts flooded my mind and my heart was caught in a dilemma of staying calm or panicking.
After about six minutes in this confused state, still driving and both Robert and I glued to the sky, our unidentified flying object revealed itself as the moon covered by clouds.
Whew! ?
What a relief. This incident however reminded me of how we take stuff for granted.
I don’t remember the last time I took time to appreciate the moon and its different phases. Last night I saw a side of the moon I had never seen before and it was beautiful. (a tad bit scary but beautiful non the less)
Everyone is like that. We all are magnificent even if we don’t believe it. God created us with this amazing feature. It may be beauty, talent or an ability you possess. The environment and people around you may not appreciate it but it doesn’t mean it’s not wonderful.
For these doubters or unappreciative audience there will come a time where they will have to attest to your magnificence. That’s because you may just go about revealing your self or your ability in a different way.
You may tryout a new hairstyle, sing a different song, do what you do in a different light and get positive feedback for the very thing you did that received negativity.
Variety is the spice of life, so I urge you all to go out and try something different. Who knows you may like the moon, get seen in a different light.
Keep it ONE HONDRED!

October 17, 2016

EHALAKSA Festival 2016

Ehalakasa Festival returns!
Ehalakasa is the junction where poetry intersects with music and dance. This community of creative minds have realized the need for collaboration as well as free, uninhibited self expression and have applied poetry as a potent medium through which to engage society.
This is the 9th year the festival is being held. In paving the way for bigger festivals in the future, The festival is being staged at the HADUWA ARTS & CULTURE INSTITUTE in Apam, Central Region.
The Haduwa Arts & Culture Institute is located in the heart of Apam along the Atlantic Ocean in the Central Region, it is a welcoming home for all performers and their creations.
This year’s festival features One Life artist, Worlasi. A promising young artist whose lyrics and creativity is synonymous with Ehalakasa’s ideals. The Supreme Rights artist, headlines this year’s festival which also features poets such as Kacey Moore (Ghana), Donald (South Africa), Faithful (Cameroon), the Genius-Hive band and many more.
Haduwa patron, Ebo Taylor will also be present to grace the occasion alongside Ghana’s sensational comedy duo, 2 Idiots ( Dr. So and Jeneral Ntatea) who are the hosts of the festival.
Ehalakasa since 2007, has been the quintessential experimental and interdisciplinary platform fostering new ideas and collaborations in spoken word, dance and music.
The festival will be followed by the Ehalakasa Slam Final in December 2016 at Nubuke Foundation, East Legon, Accra, which is the conclusion to this year’s intensive slam series, which saw Ehalakasa journeying Kumasi, Takoradi and Tema in the search of Slam finalists.
Poetry, music, arts enthusiasts and fans from across the country are all invited to this year’s event.
The event is free and takes place on Saturday, 29th October 2016 from 10:00 – 18:00.
Transportation is being arranged at an affordable fee. To sign up for transportation please call 0207568620.
For additional information, please call 0205043890
Visit Ehalakasa’s social media platforms for updates. Join the conversation @ehalakasa and hashtag #EHApam16 on Social media. Ehalakasa, it lives in us!!

October 11, 2016

Copy Cat Business

Copy Cat is a global term, popularly used to refer to plagiarism in Ghana. It is used where someone is caught utilizing copy and paste mechanisms or CTRL-C and CTRL-V for short ?. It is usually confined to the academic arena but for lack of creativity, has creeped into our business sector.
(Why the cat has been tagged with this trait is unknown to me. I guess their sneaky and cheeky nature, won them the coveted title)
So here I was last night after work, going through my timeline on Facebook for news to ponder on, when I stumbled upon this post.

Owner of Calabash Brews complains on Facebook about stolen concept — Calabash Brews Concept Stolen

My first reaction when I see posts of this nature, is to hear the other side of the story. Awuradwoa to prove her case attached photos of a post, marketing her business which was the same (ditto ditto – As we say in Ghana) as that of her competition in Cape Coast, Tintontin Brews. Here are the pictures.

To ensure that I was not drinking out of one calabash, I quickly searched for Tintontin Brews on Facebook to investigate the allegation made towards them.
Their landing page had negative reviews from audiences familiar with Calabash Brews. (This is not looking good)
I compared their pictures and more importantly, the text used in the pictures above.
My verdict?
Tintontin Brews was indeed the copy cat.
I have no issue with the concepts being similar. I am a firm believer of “there is no new thing under the sun”. It all depends on who pulls it off best.
Calabash Brews is not the first Ghanaian business or people, to introduce the concept of local drinks at events. The concept in it self is not unique. The same goes for the idea of calabashes and decor seen in the pictures. However, branding sets businesses with similar concepts apart.
MTN, Tigo, Airtel, Vodafone and Glo are all selling the same concept. They however go about it differently using colours and themes associated with them to set them apart. Even Airtel and Vodafone, both known for their distinct red colour, have clear differences.
When mobile money touched the shores of Ghana, the networks seized the opportunity and added their unique names to the concept. No copy cats in this industry. (More like dogs chasing the same bone)
So I don’t have a problem with Tintontin Brews concept. The problem I have with them is their code of ethics.
From the above posts, it is difficult to sway the perception that the intention by Tintontin Brews, was not to copy Calabash Brews and their branding (except for name of course).
If only they had changed the text used in the post above, I would have been writing in their defense instead.
It gets worse when Awuradwoa reveals, that the owners of Tintontin, called her and asked for the opportunity to expand in Cape Coast.
This is not behavior that is inspiring nor smart. It is not cool, wrong and should be frowned upon . Everyone is trying to make their mark out there. The least you can do is to add a twist to your concept so people can tell the difference.
This is the same issue going on between Apple and Samsung and their devices. In this case though the culprit is caught red handed.
I however like the idea of competition. Tintontin Brews should apologize and continue doing business. There is enough room in Ghana, Accra and Cape Coast for that matter for local beverage services to reap from. The repeat business of roasted plantain (Kofi Brokeman) sellers along the same street, is evidence that there is enough demand to go around.
What should be frowned upon though, is copy cat competition, such as that revealed in the pictures. Let’s hold ourselves to a higher standard and be reputable for our creativity.
Keep it One Hondred!