Ghanaian Movie stars, Grace Nortey,
David Dontoh and Sinking Sands actress, Ama K. Abebrese, are among those
whose names have been making the rounds as having been offered roles in
Idris Elba’s movie being shot in Ghana.
Elba arrived in Ghana for the production entitled, ‘Beasts of No Nation,’ more than a week ago.
Directed
by Cary Funkunaga, ‘Beasts of No Nation’ is a film adaptation of
Uzodinma Iweala’s 2005 novel that takes its title from the 1989 album –
‘Beats of No Nation' – by Fela Ransome Kuti, the late Nigerian Afro beat
artiste.
Iweala’s book tells the story of Agu, a child soldier
in an unnamed West African country. Elba according to reports is playing
the Commandant – the ruthless head of the guerrilla group – that forces
Agu to join their ranks.
The movie is expected to be Elba’s next big production in Africa, after playing Nelson Mandela in ‘Long walk to Freedom’.
Veteran Ghanaian movie stars, David Dontoh and Grace Nortey, were spotted on set at a location in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
Ama
K. a onetime Africa Movie Award best actress, according to News-One
sources, was also in there, playing the mother of Agu in the Movie.
What is not clear is the identity of the boy who would play Agu.
The CEO of Sonnie Badu Ministries,
Badu Homes and the Worship Radio, Sonnie Badu has added another business
to his list of businesses.
The music icon has opened a day care
centre in London to cater for toddlers and children. The Day Care Centre
dubbed Dizney Day Care caters for children aged five years and below.
The
International Gospel Sensation who also doubles as a football agent, an
Aircraft and Jet Consultant, believes his love for children made him
invest in a Day Care Centre. He further believes that aside from his
singing prowess to win souls for the kingdom, his God given gifts should
also be channeled into his business life, hence the establishment of
the Day Care Centre.
In an interview at his base in London,
Sonnie explained that “being a gospel musician does not mean you have to
be poor, but you actually stand the place and chance of receiving ideas
to help change your generation”.
“I have great passion for kids;
they are our future leaders, so I believe giving them a great
foundation is a good fundamental for their future. Also nursery in
London is big business”. Sonnie further called on all Ghanaians to join
hands in prayers for the over 200 girls who had been kidnapped in Chibok
in Nigeria.
The Dizney Day Care which has officially started
operation was launched by Pastor Kingsley Appiagyei of the Trinity
Baptist Church in London.
Meanwhile, Sonnie who just rounded the
“Teach Me How To Worship Concert” that drew many souls to Christ in May,
is preparing for the biggest live recording project on August 2 at the
New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore, USA. The project is dubbed
“Africa goes Classic in America” and would feature three top American
stars. There would be hymns and spiritual songs by Sonnie Badu. The
project would be backed by String for Christ Orchestra.
Tickets
for the “Africa Goes Classic in America” are available on
www.sonniebadu.com and it are pegged at $15, $25, $50 and $35 for
standard, couples, for a group of 5 and for VIP respectively. Dress code
for the event is black tie for men and native attire for women.
The
“Africa Goes Classic in America” is supported by the Worship Radio,
Sonnie Badu Ministries, Plan It live, Afrique and Smartty’s Management
and Production.
After allegations early this year
that he has been sidelined by movie producers in the Ashanti region for
openly displaying his political colors and rallying behind the National
Democratic Congress in the 2012 elections, the Fanti speaking witty
actor, Clement Bonney, says his support for the ruling party will remain
unshaken.
Describing movie producers who have refused to engage
his services because of his political affiliation as “immature”, Mr
Beautiful as he is affectionately called, stated that political
differences should not bring about enmity between people.
Reacting
to a texter’s question to an entertainment program on ETV over the
weekend on why he joined politics, the audacious actor wondered why
celebrities who openly mounted campaign platforms and compose songs for
the New Patriotic Party’s 2008 and 2012 presidential candidate were not
given the demeaning same treatment.
“Four years ago celebrities
in this country supported Nana Akufo-Addo, but no one raised concern
about their involvement in politics, so why the fuss over mine. I can
assure you that I’ll forever remain NDC and support President Mahama
1000 times,” Mr Beautiful vowed.
Adding “anybody who thinks that
way is immature. Our political affiliations should not make us enemies…I
will continue to support President Mahama and NDC.”
Asked about
why he speaks Fanti in movies when most of the productions are done in
the Ashanti region and the scripts written in Asante Twi, the well-known
local actor retorted that he feels proud holding the flag of his mother
region, the Central region.
“I have received calls from ‘big
men’ and respected people of the Fanti land including chiefs for
speaking my native Fanti in all my movies. I can speak very good Ashanti
Twi, but I won’t use it for movies. I’m proud of my language and if a
producer gives me a script in Asante Twi I’ll reject it. My people back
home have been praising me for promoting the language,” he said.
Touching
on why movie production has been concentrated in the Ashanti region and
why other regions cannot do their own production, Mr Beautiful, in an
apparent swipe at Ghana’s populous region, stated that the Ashanti
dialect permits the use foul languages hence it is easy to use it for
movie production.
“The Northern belt frowns on the use of foul
language, it is the same in the Volta and the Southern coastal belt…,
those part of the country do not allow it either but those at the middle
belt of the country consider the use of foul language as normal, so it
is easy to produce movie in that part of the country because you have
the liberty to say all the bad things,” he explained.
According
to him the assertion that movies in the local dialect have no future is
true, explaining that “the movies are full of insults and anything made
of insults certainly has no future. That is how the language is
structured…it is full of insults.”
