Pastor James Owusu-Bonsu, leader of
Awesome Grace Network (AGN) is the biological father of Wanlov the
Kubolor, the Ghanaian rap musician with a special ability to generate
controversy and get people talking about him for both good and bad
reasons.
Pastor Owusu-Bonsu has told NEWS-ONE what he thinks
about his son and also expressed optimism that the ‘gipsy musician’
would eventually end up as a man of God. Read the interview below:
Kubolor’s father is a Pastor! Quite unusual.
Well, all things are possible.
Did you give your son the name ‘Kubolor’ at birth? (Kubolor means vagabond!)
No. I did not give him the name, Kubolor. He picked that name by himself. I gave him the name, Emmanuel Owusu Bonsu.
Has he been a controversial person from childhood?
He
has always been that way; very intriguing person. But what is
interesting about him is that he is very consistent, very strict ad very
honest. I can tell you something about Kubolor’s honesty.
From
childhood, when something got broken at home and you called the children
to find out who broke it, he would step out and say ‘I, Emmanuel, I
broke it’. Whether you would spank him or not, he would tell you the
truth and run away.
I remember when he was in his final year in
secondary school at Adisadel College; there was a time I had a call from
the Headmaster, Mr. Kitson. He told me that there was a problem and one
of the masters was demanding that Kubolor be sacked from the school.
But
the headmaster and other staff would not agree because they believed in
the story Kubolor was saying even more than what the master was
alleging. They gave me several instances that the boys had done
something wrong and Kubolor was the only one who would step out and
speak the truth and confess even when there was some punishment at
stake.
So in this instance, they listened to him, listened to the
Teacher, and believed what Kubolor was saying. I was very touched by
that testimony from the Headmaster of Adisadel College, Mr. Kitson.
As a father and pastor, how do you feel about the negative publicity
your son attracts from critics who do not understand his style?
Well,
I look at it with a different eye from the way the public would look at
it. I believe and trust in God. And as I am serving God, I believe in
God to take care of all my children. When I pray, I pray for them. When
things are going that way I do not get worried but when I disagree with
him, I call him and tell him the truth, that he should have done this in
a different way. But I leave it to the hands of God.
But listen,
let me tell you something. If you look at the history of mankind, there
were people whose behaviour seemed bad but at the end they changed for
the better. I believe that in the end, Kubolor, eventually, would turn
into a pastor.
Are you proud of your son?
Yes, I am. I am very proud of him. I am proud of my children.
Are you aware he does not wear boxer shorts or briefs?
I
am fully aware. It was not like that from his childhood. I do not know
at what point he turned that way. But if that is how he feels
comfortable and he does not walk around naked in public, I am okay and
do not have any problem with that.
Tell me briefly about your church and your 1st July programme.
The
July 1programme is called ‘Africa in Prayer and Praise of Our Maker’.
It is a prayer and praise programme for all Africans resident in Ghana.
We are taking advantage of the Republic Day to stand with Ghana in
prayer because we believe that what Ghana needs is the intervention of
God.
We need Godly wisdom in running the affairs of the nation
because we have tried it by the wisdom of man and have failed. That
should tell you that we need to look elsewhere at the Creator who
created us. If we have tried all other things and they have failed, we
need to turn to our Creator and ask Him for direction.
The Bible
has hundreds of examples of how God has directed and led nations to
success and that is what we would be praying to God for at the Accra
Technical Training College on July 1. Admission is free.
Thanks for talking to us.
The pleasure is mine.
A large number of music rights owners
who have declared their support for the Ghana Music Right Organisation
(GHAMRO) and its board have called on Nana Kwame Ampadu and 100 others
to withdraw the suit filed against GHAMRO in order to make way for peace
to reign among the stakeholders of the music industry in Ghana.
The
rights owners, who could not hide their feelings, told BEATWAVES in
separate interviews that the music industry and the stakeholders would
not forgive anybody or group of persons whose agenda is to destroy the
industry for their selfish gain.
They noted that the collective
management organisation is a very demanding job that requires
personalities who do not only have the ability to do the job, but more
especially the capability and energy to run around, adding that Carlos
Sakyi, who is currently the Chairman of GHAMRO, is one of the
stakeholders who could better manage the affairs of the collective
society in Ghana.
The Chairman of Association of Music Right
Organisation (AMRO), C.K Morrison, who is not happy about the court
action filed against GHAMRO, told BEATWAVES in an interview that “we
don’t support the court action. We want peace in the industry and not
war. If there are problems, all we need to do is to organise a meeting
to find solutions to the problems. Going to court will not help the
industry to grow, it will rather destroy it.”
Mr Morrison
disclosed that due to the court action instituted by Nana Kwame Ampadu
and 100 others, a number of music users in the country have refused to
pay their royalties and the situation is currently affecting the living
conditions of the musicians as well as the development of the music
industry in Ghana.
One of Ghana’s seasoned highlife musicians,
Abrekyereba Kofi Sammy, who is also worried about the current state of
the music industry, disclosed to the BEATWAVES that some elders and
veterans in the industry have been sidelined “by those who think they
have the power to determine the future of the music industry.”
He advised stakeholders to stop making speculative accusations without evidence as it is unhealthy.
Kofi
Sammy continued…“Let’s encourage GHAMRO and its board made up mostly of
our younger colleagues who so far are doing well by working with them
to transform and improve our livelihoods. Enough is enough. Let’s stop
doing things that divide us. It’s time for unity and progress, and that
must be the focus of all.”
One of Ghana’s celebrity ambassadors
to the World Cup in Brazil, John Dumelo has confirmed that indeed he
advertised his J.Melo brand in addition to his core responsibility to
sell Ghana in Brazil and help raise funds to support Ghana’s world cup
participation.
Speaking in an exclusive interview today on Peace
FM’s “Kokrokoo” morning show, John stated categorically that he made
meaningful use of the privilege accorded to him to represent the country
at the ongoing 2014 World Cup tournament in Brazil.
“I have
killed two birds with one stone”, he said on Peace FM’s morning show
‘Kokrokoo’ when he was answering questions in connection to allegations
leveled against him for promoting his own brand of cloths instead of
promoting Ghana’s image which was the main reason he was in Brazil.
“My
decision to wear my own brand of cloths was to enable me explore the
numerous business opportunities available in Brazil”, he added. He
stated that the effort of government to attract more investors into the
country has been boosted and more Brazilians have expressed interest in
coming to Ghana. John Dumelo is an actor and owns his own clothing line.
He
was among a number of musicians, actors and veteran footballers chosen
by the Ministry of Youth and Sports to represent Ghana as official
Ambassadors for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The rest are Becca, Jackie
Appiah, Grace Ashy, C K Akonnor, Tony Baffoe, Abedi ‘Pele’ Ayew, Kwame
Ayew, Augustine Ahinful, Samuel Osei Kuffour, Tony Yeboah, Ali Jarrah
and Azumah Nelson.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports reportedly
gave each Ambassador about 20,000 dollars but John refuted this claim,
adding that the media misunderstood the situation.
“We were not paid 20,000 dollars, it was a volunteer work”.
He
agreed that they had some challenges on the day of the Germany – Ghana
match when they had to sleep at the airport overnight due to the
unavailability of flight to Fortaleza. Otherwise he was generally
satisfied with the trip.
The special Ambassadors, he said, were
able to raise about 2 million dollars from corporate bodies to enable
Supporters Union of Ghana to travel to Brazil in order to support the
Black Stars.
Ghanaian gospel singer Gifty Osei has shot down rumours she’s bleached.
In
an interview on TV3's New day programme, the singer said: “I have not
bleached my skin, I am not fake, I don’t pretend, I am just being
myself.”
“My fans should accept me and those who say I am
bleaching, that’s their opinion. I do what pleases me. And if you are
really a fan, just love anything I bring out,”she told co-host Sandra
Ankobiah.
Osei, who will be touring the US, and Canada in the
coming weeks added: “My style in music is a ministry, and it’s a calling
from God. I do what God asks me to do”.
When asked if music had
open doors for her, she added; “I met my husband through music and that
is the best thing that has ever happened to me”.
“My children are my greatest inspiration. And about me being Africa’s Beyoncé, it was just a joke. Nothing serious”
At age 26, dancehall genius Stonebwoy
has a pleasant and warm personality uncommon among his peers and quite
unusual for a contemporary dancehall musician.
Chief Executive of
Burniton Music Group, Livingstone Etse Satekla aka Stonebwoy, is one of
the few musicians living an exemplary life that makes one doubt the
belief that the dancehall music genre has a tendency to promote
profanity, vulgarism, immorality and violence.
He told NEWS-ONE
that there is no way his music career will make him abandon the proper
upbringing he had from his parents in his childhood.
“I believe
my lifestyle cannot change. I have been simple, I have been me and I
have lived my life just as I was taught. I am not a perfect person but
the Bible says by their deeds, you shall know them,” was Stonebwoy’s
response when NEWS-ONE asked about his positive attitude.
He
explained: “Positivity is one thing. My attitude is from my upbringing. I
was born into a Christian home, and not a house. So you have your
parents, especially your father checking you. You have to read the Bible
and believe you me there was no idle moment for me when I was growing
up. The little free time you had, your parents would literally force you
to go and read the Bible and study it like a text book.
“So the
quest for wisdom became important to me at a young age. I was taught
that you just could not live your life anyhow, say anything and just do
anything. We are not all the same but it pays to make a positive attempt
to be a different person. When I say a different person, I mean a good
and decent person and not a bad one,” he added.
Checks by
NEWS-ONE showed that Stonebwoy literally spent his childhood in church
because his dad was an elder of the Deeper Life Church.
But he declined to comment when the paper asked which church he attended as a child.
“The
church does not really matter and I do not want to mention it although a
few people are in the know. Fact is, mentioning one church would make
it seem as if I am saying this is the church that teaches the best. But
it is not about church. It is about the Bible and the philosophy of
life.
“Life itself is deep and nature teaches us all the time as
we live and we grow. Even if you do not go to church and you do not read
any book, I believe that within you, God has given you a special thing
that hints you if you are doing something bad and also hints you if you
are doing something good.
You feel the freeness in your spirit
when you are doing the right thing and you feel the heaviness in your
spirit when you are doing something wrong but you do not stop because
you silence and kill your conscience,” Stonebwoy added.
When
asked to tell who Livingstone was as a child, he said: “He has always
been that guy that would rap, sing, read his books and top the class.
That has been Livingstone but let us come back to my musician career
because I believe that is my lane now and I want to focus on that.”
The award-winning musician recently returned from a tour of Europe and is working on his second album, ‘Necessary Evil’.
Earlier reports gathered by
peacefmonline.com indicated that renowned gospel musician, Cecilia
Marfo, had been ex-communicated from the Church of Pentecost for opening
and operating a prayer camp which is against the policies of the
church.
According to the Ashaiman area head of Pentecost, Cecilia
Marfo was called and advised several times to desist from operating the
prayer camp but she refused.
Again, it is established that for
almost 2 years now, she had stopped attending church service but only
operating her prayer camp even on Sundays.
Ashaiman Area Head Speaks
The
Church of Pentecost, Ashaiman area, has indefinitely suspended
inspirational gospel musician, Cecilia Marfo, from playing any active
role in the activities of the church.
The Renowned gospel icon has been suspended for flouting the church policies.
Recounting
the details to Peacefmonline.com, the Ashaiman area Head of the Church
of Pentecost, Apostle Nene Amegatcher explained that the church has
instituted a rule which warns all members of the church not to establish
prayer centers outside the church.
According to him, Cecilia
Marfo refused to obey the rules and has advanced her plans to set up her
own prayer camp without the notice of the leadership.
Cecilia
Marfo, who happens to be a member of the church, is therefore said to
have "deceived" the Area Executives who initially thought her prayer
camp was purposed for her music career.
Speaking in an interview
with Peacefmonline.com, Apostle Nene Amegatcher highlighted that Cecilia
Marfo misled the Executives by informing that she was not establishing a
prayer camp but rather organizing a prayer meeting with her producers.
But
the leadership later found out that she had set up a new prayer camp
for the entire community and had been operating it since last year.
Mr. Amegatcher further revealed that since last year, the church has recorded no traces of her footsteps during services.
“She has never stepped in any church premises in Ashaiman area since September 2012," he said.
“The
church has had a policy that nobody should operate a new prayer centre
or prayer camp. We have some prayer centers and prayer camps which are
authorized by the church. And that anybody who is gifted with any
spiritual gift should operate it inside the church and not to go outside
the church and have his or her centre somewhere. And that we realized
that she has started operating prayer centre outside the church; we’ve
called her about four times to speak about it.
“She didn’t obey
the Area Executive Committee decision and therefore the Area Executive
Committee sat down and realized that so long as you don’t want to go
with the policy of the church; there should be a disciplinary action
(suspension) until you change your mind,” Apostle Amegatcher confirmed.
He
however debunked claims that the Church of Pentecost has
"ex-communicated" her and further emphasized that she is not a
"deaconess" in the church.
“She has not been ex-communicated.
Ex-communication means that she has been dismissed from the Church of
Pentecost. It is not true. She has been suspended from taking part in
active work in the church. That’s indefinite.”
All this
notwithstanding, the Ashaiman Area Head assured Cecilia Marfo that the
leadership is ever ready to revoke their decision only if she would also
comply with their directives.
"If today, Cecilia changes her
mind; the church will welcome her openly. If she changes her mind
tomorrow, the church will do so. If she decides to change her mind in 5
years’ time, the church is still waiting.”
Meanwhile, the Cecilia
Marfo's family is yet to receive any official letter communicating her
suspension, from the Church of Pentecost.
Selorm Galley aka Selly of Big
Brother Africa fame has been on the quite for some time now, after she
was bombarded with controversies last year on her return from the BBA
house.
The beauty queen and reality star has popped up in the
news again looking hot in some bikini shots. Peacefmonline.com has
spotted Selly in a colorful bikini and our investigations have revealed
that the leaked photos were taken recently in Nigeria for the cover of
Vergeria Lounge magazine in Nigeria.
Selly who recently returned
from Nigeria told Peacefmonline.com in a brief chat that the pictures
taken by Seth Appiah photography were indeed meant for the Nigerian
Magazine and disclosed that she is not really a fan of bikini.
“Am not a bikini person. I love the
water but I don’t do much swimming”, Selly said adding that she only
pose in bikini if she has to do it for a magazine or on a movie set.
Selly has just finished shooting a new movie “Wedding Night” featuring Jackie Appiah, Prince David Osei and others.
Peacefmonline.com
is also reliably informed that Selly is about to launch a new cosmetic
product in Ghana soon. According our sources she went to Abuja recently
to seal the deal.
