The journey of two people together for better or worse is never easy.
But with complete dedication, love and tolerance for each other, the challenges that may beset the marriage can be overcome.
Genevieve Nnaji is yet to get married and explains what her criteria are for choosing her right partner:
“As
for marriage, it’s every woman’s dream to get married. We can’t lie to
ourselves. I do want to get married but overtime I have had
opportunities to get married but I realize getting married is not
actually the problem. The problem is finding someone you are compatible
with because I’m born Catholic, I’m raised Catholic, I don’t believe in
divorce. If I get married, I really want to stay married and staying
married is not an easy thing. It means you are completely in tune with
your partner. It means you’ve found your soul mate because you’ll have
to be able to stand a lot of disappointments that would definitely come
but then again you have to learn to forgive.
For me, before I
choose a partner I have to ask myself if this is the kind of person I
would be willing to forgive no matter what when the time comes. If the
answer is no, then that person is wrong for me. That person is not the
person you want to get married to. If you know you can look into
someone’s eyes and say yes, this is the most you can do to me. If you
actually cheat on me the first time, I can find it in my heart to
forgive you. If you can answer that question honestly and truthfully to
yourself then you’ll know if that person is your partner or not. So
compatibility is the word aside from the physical attributes that have
to go with it.
I need to be comfortable because I’m a woman and I’m used to a certain lifestyle.”
Even
though the person may say they can forgive even when she cheats, can
that be guaranteed? And will that not let some partners go ahead and
cheat because they know they can be forgiven?
A serious but silent cause of road
accident in the country which has not caught the attention of drivers,
passengers, and the National Road Safety Commission, is movies shown in
vehicles.
In 2012, the Mayor of Accra Metropolitan Assembly AMA,
Mr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuye, announced to the general public, instructing
all buses or vehicles that show movies in their cars to desist. Since
enforcement of the said directive was weak, majority of the long journey
buses continue to show movies in their cars.
First, when the
movie is being shown in the bus, it soaks up the total attention of the
passengers, so when the driver is over speeding, the passengers don’t
realize it and to warn the driver to maintain an optimal speed. The
driver therefore does not get any form of caution, prompting or
criticism from anyone (passengers) to check his or her speed.
Secondly,
when the movie is showing, the sound it generates makes it impossible
for the passengers and the driver alike to hear or detect any faulty
sound the car’s engine produces so that the car would be stopped and the
fault rectified.
My recent experience in a long journey
commercial bus has brought to my attention, the above two reasons about
movies shown in vehicles. I travelled from Accra to Kumasi. All the
passengers (including myself) were busy enjoying a Kumawood movie
featuring Agya Koo and Lil Win. It was so hilarious that we were all
laughing our heads off; only for one old man who was seated quietly in
the car, started shouting (in Twi).
“Driver! Driver! Can’t you hear
an unusual sound coming from the engine! Driver stop the car! I say
stop!” Everybody became alarmed! The mate quickly minimized the volume
of the sound from the movie only for all and sundry to hear some kputsu,
kputsu, kputsu, sound coming out of the car.
The driver stopped,
opened the car’s engine only for a thick heat and smoke/vapour, come
out of the car’s engine. The engine was hot; apparently, the car was
over speeding and also had developed a mechanical fault, hence the
sound. The driver stopped the car for some minutes for the engine to
cool down whilst he poured some water into the tank and after that, we
continued.
When we started the journey again, I was still
watching the movie, but kept telling myself: “movies shown in movies,
though are a source of entertainment, are silent cause of road accident
in this country.” But for this old man’s mind which was off the movie
and for that matter could sense the ‘danger’ we might have…
As
for causes of road accident, many and proper research have been
conducted and published in this country…Mine is not any serious
research, but a personal experience I’m sharing. It could be proven
scientifically wrong or true later. I am not interested in scoring any
point with this notification or piece but I feel it’s a very crucial
thing to consider.
I am only drawing the attention of the
National Road Safety Commission to consider taking a serious look into
this observation – movies shown in vehicles.
TAXI DRIVERS NOW SHOW MOVES
Indeed, currently, it’s not only the long journey buses that show movies, but the ordinary taxis that we board every day.
The
number of taxis which shows movies is increasing by the day and the
danger is that, in the case of the taxi’s, the screen is right in front
of the driver – so he watches the movie as he drives on.
Forgetting that, just a glance can sway his focus and cause accident.
In
the meantime, the Film Producers Association of Ghana-FIPAG, is also
fighting the various drivers associations and unions to either show the
former’s movies in buses and pay a charge as royalties to the right
owners, or desist from showing the movies.
Before the negotiation
between FIPAG and the various drivers associations will yield any
positive results, thus, the drivers agree to pay a fee to FIPAG and show
the latter’s films, I call on the National Media Commission to step in
on movies shown in cars.
Nollywood actor Chidi Mokeme, says
the reason why he keeps his sideburns is to enable him portray any
character he finds himself in.
The actor stated that he is now 42
years of age, and sees some of his age mates with their children, but
feels he needs to look different.
Chidi added that people can
grow old in the mind and body, but as an actor, he needs to be able to
portray any character and in doing that, he needs to be in a state of
mind where he can move in these age grades.
He revealed that he
has a programme coming up which requires him living his sideburns to
grow. “People see me now and say they want me to take off the sideburns,
but I told them no, because someone is paying for it.”
The Founder of Bull Haus
Entertainment, Lawrence Nana Esiama Hanson, alias Bull Dog, has been
arrested in connection with the murder of Mr. Emmanuel Fennec Okyere,
alias Abodam.
The Homicide Unit of the Criminal Investigation
Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service arrested Bull Dog
yesterday, after two months of hunting for the perpetrators of the
alleged murder.
Threats
The Director General of the CID,
Commissioner of Police (COP) Mr. Prosper Agblor, told the Daily Graphic
that Bull Dog, 36, who is alleged to have threatened Fennec on several
occasions through voice and text messages, “is in police custody to
assist with investigations.”
He said investigations by the police
established that Bull Dog, who is also the Manager of dancehall music
artiste, Shatta Wale, had several confrontations with Fennec and
threatened to teach Fennec a lesson.
Citing some of the
instances, Mr. Agblor said on November 26, 2012, Bull Dog had a
confrontation at the Accra International Conference Center dubbed “Night
with the Stars.”
At the programme, organized by Joy FM, an
Accra-Based radio stations, Kwaw Kesse stood on a banner with the
inscription: VIP, when he mounted the stage to perform.
It was reported that Bull Dog, who managed VIP, a music trio, was not happy and confronted Fennec over the issue.
Fennec, on the other hand, tried to explain that it was just to prove that Kwaw Kesse was a VIP.
But,
according to reports, that explanation did not go down well with the
suspect, who organized thugs to chase Fennec and his group away from the
programme.
Following the invasion of the thugs, Mr. Agblor said,
the programme ended abruptly and other musicians scheduled to perform
on the night had to go home disappointed, as they could not perform.
Confrontation after radio interview
Later,
he said, investigations showed that during an entertainment programme
on Peace FM, during which both Fennec and Bull Dog were interviewed, the
suspect was offended by the answers provided by Fennec to questions
from the host.
“After the programme, Bull Dog called Fennec and
threatened to send his boys after him to teach him a lesson and to get
rid of him,” Mr. Agblor said.
The CID Director General said
Fennec retorted that “the boys cannot do him any harm and that he could
talk to them to calm down because he too has a group of boys he works
with.”
After that response from Fennec, he said, “the phone line
went off and Fennec then asked a friend who was with him to call the
suspect to thrash out the issue.”
Mr. Agblor said when Fennec’s
friend, named withheld, called, “the suspect went ahead to threaten that
he (Fennec) should never step foot at a said sound engineer’s
residence, else his (suspect’s) boys would deal with him.”
Phone calls and text messages
Subsequently,
the CID boss said, there were series of threatening voice calls and
text messages from unknown persons believed to be agents of the suspect.
The police investigations also established that on March 12, 2014, Fennec received a call from an unknown caller.
Unfortunately, Fennec was found dead at his residence at the Manet Gardens on the Spintex Road the next morning.
“Surprisingly,
the suspect went into hiding after the murder of Fennec. The police
monitored his house and other places, including entertainment shows, but
he failed to show up,” Mr. Agblor said.
Reggie Rockstone, the originator of
hip-life music in Ghana, has called on the hip-life fraternity to join
in the campaign for fairness, transparency and equity in the
distribution of royalties by the Ghana Music Rights Organization
(GHAMRO).
Rockstone was among the several music right owners who
turned up at a seminar on Tuesday to call on the interim GHAMRO Board
headed by Carlos Sekyi, to respect the constitution governing its
operations.
Okyeame Kwame, Kojo Antwi, Daddy Lumba, Abrantie Amakye
Dede, Rex Omar, Lazy, Daddy Bosco, Prodigal, Appietus, Bessa Simons, and
Obour were also present at the event.
Speaking at the seminar,
Rockstone said royalties are crucial to musicians, especially hip-life
artistes who are in the majority and the young crop of artistes in
Ghana’s music industry.
He said hip-life musicians would be the ones
to suffer most in the future if they did not join the campaign to ensure
the proper handling of royalties.
Reggie was at the seminar with the two members of the newly constituted VVIP group, which used to be VIP until Promzy exited.
However,
current hot artistes like Sarkodie, Samini, Shatta Wale, Castro, EL,
Joe B, Kaakie, Stonebwoy, Chase Forever, SK Originale, Guru, Obrafour,
Kwabena Kwabena, R2bees, Edya, Tiffany, Jon Germain and 4×4 among others
were missing at the event.
Reggie expressed disappointment at
the number of hip-life artistes who turned up at the meeting, urging
them to get involved in such activities.
“I know we shouldn't
wash our dirty linen in public. All right, this is for television. I am
quite disappointed in how many of the hip life soldiers turned up for
this meeting. If you are watching and you are home, I want you to
understand something; I have things to do too. This fight is for you
(hip-lifers). It is not for us; when your uncles can get up and come
here and represent. So please, I don’t know if they informed you or they
didn't. However, this fight is about you because if you leave me alone,
I am ok. I am ok. We can eat. It is about you – hip-life. Transparency
and Accountability,” Reggie Rockstone said.
A number of hip-life artistes had raised red flags in the past for not receiving royalties since they started their career.
Reggie felt this was the time to make sure they stood up for what rightfully belonged to them.
The Government of Ghana has granted
permission to the New York-based Red Crown Productions and its local
affiliation, Deal Real Productions Limited, to shoot a feature film in
Ghana from May 16– July 1 in the Eastern and Western Regions.
A
Military statement signed by Major Evelyn Asamoah, Deputy Director
Information and Press Relations, Ghana Armed Forces and copied to the
GNA in Accra said the filming will involve movement of some military
equipment and personnel from Accra to Koforidua where a major part of
the film will be shot.
“The general public is therefore urged
not to panic at the site of the movement of military personnel and
equipment to Koforidua within the stated period of the film shooting,”
the statement stated.
According to the statement, the film entitled “Beasts of no Nation” is set on the civil war in Liberia in the 1990s.
The statement said the film is based on a novel written by Uzodimna
Iweda, a Nigerian, about a young boy forced to join a rebel group as a
child soldier in West Africa.
The statement said in line with
this, the Ghana Armed Forces will be providing human and technical
assistance for the smooth implementation of the film.
