Dust Magazine - March 2012

ISBN : 08-1204
www.dustaccra.com
Kanye West coming to Ghana in April
<< Story on Page 9.
FREE MAGAZINE
ACCRAS BIGGEST SELLING FREE MAGAZINE SINCE 2009
SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012.
NO. 008.
PRICE GH 0.00
Woyome Donates 51 Million

Story: Kobby Graham
After claiming to have been advised by none other than Kwame Nkrumah in a dream, controversial businessman, Alfred Woyome, has donated the sum of 51 million dollars to the State of Ghana. While he would not give details of what Osagyefo told him, he did quote the new song by P-Squared and Akon singing, You can chop my money... I dont care... because I get am plenty...
Continued on Page 9
Mr. Jos Mourinho at the press conference in Accra
Mr. Woyome
Please note that none of the stories on this page are remotely factual
For AFCON & World Cup

Agya Koo to run as independent candidate in 2012
Story on Page 9
Barack Obama discovers Ghanaian ancestry

Story on Page 9
The undisputed king of the Ghanaian movie industry, Agya Koo (or Kofi Adu, if you are looking for him on Wikipedia) has announced his intention to run as an independent candidate in the upcoming elections.
Contd. on Page 9
contents
7. Editorial 8. Contributors
25. Visual: Album/Art 29. Playlist 30. Freestyle: Hair to the Thrown
SHORT
44. Boomerang
FREESTYLE
11. You Know Youre in Accra When 12. Health: The Truth About Detoxing 13. Heart: A College for Ama 14. Tech: Green Gold 15. Passing Through: Sena Dagadu 16. Out There: Fred Swaniker 18. Shada: Leaders of the New Kool 23. Freestyle: Tall, Chocolate & Handsom
SEX & RELATIONSHIPS

48. The Fluidity of Sexuality
POLITIK
31. We the People 33. Whats in an Anglicized Name? 34. LAFA 36. African Wax. Foreign Made. 37. Me Firi Ghana
SHOT
49. Shot
50. Dr. Esther Ocloo
FEATURE
38. Nneka
Photo Credit: Seton Nicholas / Model: Nneka
ICON
DUST MAGAZINE
Advertising +233 277 828 109 Editorial +233 26 888 1111
Editor: Kobby Graham Thanks to... The African Womens Development Fund, Alfred Acheampong, Golda Addo, Yaw Agyenim-Boateng, Hanson Akatti, Daniel Akrofi, Professor Nana Araba Apt, Aba Ayensu, Leonora Baddoo, Sena Dagadu, Esenam Dogoe, Afua Entsuah, Efua Akyere Graham, Kwesi Hagan, Kotibotor, DJ Juls, Mutombo Da Poet, Tacitus Nana-Yabani, Jason Nicco-Annan, Seton Nicholas, Nneka, Bubu Ogisi, Adenyo Oke-Lawal, Victoria Okoye, Marilyn Mona Osei, Sandi Owusu, Elvina Quaison, Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Fred Svanikier, Eli Tetteh Dust Magazine is a publication of Chrysalis Publications, P.O. Box CT2838, Cantonments, Accra Corporate enquiries: enquiries@dustaccra.com Editorial enquiries: editorial@dustaccra.com Subscriptions: subscriptions@dustaccra.com The views expressed in this magazine are the views of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of the pulisher. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Printed by Buck Press All rights reserved. Copyright Dust Magazine 2012
NoNstop to
New York
From AccrA
editorial
Dont believe everything you read in the media...
Ghanaians love humour, and so it makes perfect sense that April Fooling is very popular here. With its Roman/Medieval European roots, April Fools Day is clearly not an indigenous celebration. Ghanaians are hybrids though: children of both African tradition and the consequences of colonization and globalization. Sadly however, we are hybrids who often hold our own traditions in disdain, while producing quite limited facsimiles of other peoples traditions. Its like absorption without quality control. Like the fact that an April Fool is not the victim of an April Fools Day prank, but rather refers to someone who plays a prank after midday that day. Or our (convenient) forgetfulness of the fact that the Western-style white weddings we so love are not supposed to be inherently extravagant affairs but are - traditionally - a gift (within budget) from the father of a bride to his daughter. Ghana is awash with such hybrid contradictions. We are proudly African, yet find it strange when a Ghanaian has only Ghanaian names. We have several home grown languages, but retain the colonial masters language (and perfect our Locally Acquired Foreign Accents accordingly). We denounce skin bleaching, but dont blink when advertisements praise light skin over dark (strangely, this applies not only to beauty product adverts but technology ones too...) We import our hair from other continents, looking at the woman who chooses to wear hers naturally as weird. Even our beloved African Wax prints are not actually African. As we celebrate yet another year of independence, we at DUST thought it worth pondering over some of these hybridities that influence us and make us who we are today, and we have invited a motley crue of writers to help us out. Enjoy.
www.dustaccra.com
Oh, and if you find yourself wanting more, simply hop online and head to our newly-launched (beta) website, www.dustaccra.com .
Kobby Graham
dust
7.
contributors
Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah
Crystal Svanikier
Crystal is the publisher of Dust & co-host of our show on YFM 107.9 DUST LYVE!. A freelance writer for over 5 years, she has studied in Cape Town, Oxford & Dundee. She has worked with a number magazines, newspapers & organisations. She is a former employee of Global Media Alliance.
Ghanyobi
Nana Darkoa is a modern Ghanaian woman in the business of breaking the mould. With her strong interest in womens rights & issues, she manages Ghanas first & most popular blog on African sexuality, Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women: a safe place for women to express themselves - sexually or otherwise.
If you have ever looked at DUSTs design and found yourself scraping your jaw from the floor, blame Ghanyobi. Breaking out of the confines of graphic design, he uses design, layout, photography & more to create art that is fun, fresh... & - above all - Ghanaian.
Seton Nicholas
DUST Editor-at-Large Eli Tetteh has had a lifelong love affair with words. Most recently, the communications consultant, freelance writer & social media enthusiast worked as head of Ashesi Universitys Writing Centre & as Senior Communications Officer with Stratcomm Africa. This issue, he writes about Ghanas obsession with LAFA.
Eli Tetteh
DUSTs Photo Editor is a photographer who uses the power of his lens to observe and reflect on all the intricacies of Ghanaian life. Seton is responsible for most of the magazines original photography.
Leonora Baddoo
Golda Addo
Golda is the founder & director of Energy Soolutions Foundation. When she isnt inventing green innovations, she can be found lecturing part-time at the University of Ghana, running communications &/or blogging. Here she writes Green Gold.
Leonora has been told (& knows) she is a kubolor, unable to sit still for too long. This ties in nicely with her job as a transportation engineer, helping to improve the image & operations of traffic & travel behaviour in the country. This issue, she writes on the phenomenon of Anglicized names. One of Ghanas youngest literary talents, Marilyn Osei is already a fixture on the local poetry scene. Currently an undergraduate, she took time out of her busy schedule to write the piece Boomerang, perfectly capturing the some of the problems of Ghanas hybrid identity. Elvina has wandered around and finally moved back to the homeland late 2011, where she is studying her environment, inhabitants and herself through a social modern anthropological eye... or (simply) just being inquisitive and writing about it. She alludes to her experiences in Me Firi Ghana. A cupid for the digital age, Afua is one of the bright minds behind Bandeka, an invite-only online community where well-educated Africans connect and build relationships with other equally successful professionals. She shares her personal take on finding a match in Tall, Milk Chocolate & Handsome.
Seytey Waa !
HAPPY APRIL FOOLS
Victoria Okoye
Esenam Dogoe
Afua Entsuah
An aspiring lawyer & an unconditional lover of art, music & the written word, Esenam is a student of Ashesi University College, currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration. In this issue, she pays tribute to an icon of Ghanaian business, Dr. Esther Ocloo.
dust
09 . www.dustaccra.com
Elvina Quaison
Paa Koti
The irreverent hair to the thrown of Kotikrom, Paa Koti is to Twitter what Anansi is to stories: a trickster. Regularly cutting egos down to size, Paa K points out & creates absurdities, but (unlike more recent pretenders to the throne...) he barbs his wit with truth & intelligence. This issue, he gives us his unique take on the weave.
Marilyn Osei
Victoria is a communications specialist who engages words, design & media to discuss community & urban development issues on her blog, African Urbanism. Although shes not Ghanaian, shes living in & loving Accra... just like the mayors motto says to do. She contributes here, African Wax. Foreign Made.
free style
YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN ACCRA WHEN...

01 02 03 04 05
You cant imagine living anywhere else because Accra just feels like home. Pharmacies dont stock contraception because the Pope says the pill kills babies. Politicians face more problems from people within their party than from people in the opposition. The economic middle class think themselves upper class. State utilities are owed more than GH 200 million but the entire nation is more concerned about a GH 55 million political scandal. You can expect TV hosts to taunt guests to expose themselves in the nude on TV and they guests actually do it! The latest road is named to celebrate an American president (Are there no Ghanaians or Africans our donors would be happy for us to celebrate?) You have to wait 20 minutes after the official movie start time to actually watch a movie. The Circus comes to town and half the kids and adults in the audience are scared stiff when one of the performers walks on the tight rope. You complain all week, but when Friday arrives, there is no other place on Earth youd rather be.
06
07
08 09
Photo Credit: Ghanyobi
dust
10
Health
detoxing
By Crystal Svanikier
the truth about
Where you call it a fast, cleanse or a detox, depriving your body of food can clear out your system, making you feel lighter and healthier. A lot of people detox to lose weight, but if thats your goal, you might want to reconsider it. Living on no protein, fat and fewer than 1000 caloriescausesyourbodytomake the transition to survival mode. What youre doing when you go on a fruit or vegetable detox is answering your brains hunger signals with pure fruit sugar (which is better than refined sugar, but its sugar all the same) which causes your body to
produce insulin to move that sugar from your blood stream to your cells. This process causes a reduction in your blood sugar levels and can cause dizziness. After two days of this process, your body has begun to draw the energy it needs from two sources: triglycerides (fat cells yay!) and protein directly from your muscles. At this point, you begin to lose muscle mass even if youre exercising every day. Muscle loss, fat gain... its not hard to see where this leads.
Photo Credit: hdptcar http://www.flickr.com/photos/8788342@
Heart
Ama
As in most of Africa, it is the women of Ghana who hold the key to progress and to change. But many of its young women are deprived of education to help parents, siblings and members of their extended family survive. They often do physically demanding work like walking miles for water, planting and tending the crops and looking after animals. Most will marry young and have children at a young age. At best, they will have limited education and their daughters will carry on this depressing cycle, often made worse by poor health, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS and early pregnancy. And so the cycle continues. College for Ama (CofA) attempts to break this cycle. It aims to change the attitudes of intelligent and gifted young women so they understand the advantages of a better education, getting married later, acquiring more wealth and prosperity, and thus having fewer children who they can look after better and support through school.
A college for
By Aba Ayensu
After about three days, your mental functions begin to feel the effects of the lack of proteins in your system. An inability to concentrate, irritability, and depression are likely symptoms of the detox. Also, the proteins youre losing from your muscles break down into ammonia and uric acid and enter the blood stream. Your body is essentially trying to detox your detox. By the time youre back to eating food again, you would have lost muscle tone, which means you have less muscle mass to metabolize the calories youre consuming. At this stage, your calories are more likely to be turned into fat.
CofAs mission is to provide creative and educational opportunities for 12 to 20 year-old girls - particularly those in rural areas - to attain college education. CofA offers free preventive, educational, motivational and social programs to meet the needs of adolescent girls. Through these programs CofA offers a way out of the poverty trap and challenges girls to see that they have a purpose in life. Through education they too can play an active role in modern Ghanaian society. For CofA to be able to deliver its mission it needs suitable volunteers and financial support. What is a success story for Ghana could be a model for Africa. To find out more about CofA you can go to www.cofa-foundation.org.
So the next time you think about going on a juice or veggie detox think again. It is much more advisable to introduce a healthy, balance diet and stick to it. For more information of how to eat a healthy balanced diet with fruits, vegetables, etc locally grown, go to DustAccra.com and look for Eating a Balanced Diet
dust
dust
Green
By Golda Addo
In a modern world where populations are expanding into simultaneously shrinking global resources, it is almost inevitable that innovation and necessity will merge to produce very alternatives. In simple English, it is sometimes in our most turbulent moments that we find our centre. We have spent the past several generations drooling over black gold (crude oil) and it is running out. Yet our green gold (renewable energy), that can actually earn us more, just sits there; and we cannot see the forest for the trees. The world is now running out of fuel and energy options. Options that were the boldest and baddest, were not the best, and we all know the morale to that story. Now, all of a sudden, it seems, we must go natural, sustainable, green, environmentally-conscious, eco-friendly AGAIN, because it is not a new thing. It was THE thing, before we decided we looked better being bold and bad.
water, generates bags of plastic, paper, glass, and food waste. Daily.
gold
Sena
dagadu
Comfortable within a number of genres, including hip hop, spoken word, reggae and broken beat, Sena has
dust
Where does all this waste water and matter go? All the rubbish thrown away? Multiply all this waste by 30,000 people, then by 300 days out of the year. All that waste under the ground? Does it really all go? So Legon now has a large-scale biogas and waste-water recycling facility at its Jubilee Hostels site, to convert the human waste into cooking and electrifiying gas/energy as well as recycled water for the lawns, etc. Central and Valley View Universities have also done the same. Ashesi University, though, has gone one better in terms of the eco-focused architecture, landscaping, layout, and sustainable water purification system of their new location in Berekuso. Aaaw, Ghanas very own Ivy League of Green Universities. Colour me shy. Patrick Awuah, Founder of Ashesi, said, When you hire a graduate, you are not just hiring a pair of hands; you are hiring a brain. In my green-infested mind, what better brain to hire, than one which has also been educated in the essence and ethics of protecting the primary sustenance of all other life forms; what better entities amongst us to begin this trend, than the very ones that educate us and prepare us for the future? Go on, tell me. Ill wait.
Passing Through
Tech
But perhaps, all this hoop-la about depleting resources is good, because it brings us full circle back to the basics. It pushes those amongst us who can, to go eco-friendly, and this is exactly what some of the Tertiary Institutions in Ghana have commenced now. I mean, think about it: Legon currently has about 25,000 people on its campus, Ashesi about 500, Central about 2000. Every day, each of these 27,500 people goes to the lavatory at least thrice and flushes litres of water and human waste down the drain; baths with litres of water which goes into the sewers; drinks litres of
dust
Anyone who happened to be at Rockstones Office for its weekly Wednesday night event, Grown & Sexy, would know who brought the house down in the first week of March. The multitalented Ghanaian/Hungarian singer, Sena Dagadu, is down from Hungary on holiday, and is still making her mark on Ghanas increasingly sophisticated music scene.
Check her out on her Myspace page: myspace.com/dagadusena or watch our 5 minute interview with her on our homepage: dustaccra.com
been a rising star within Ghana and Europes musical universes. Her first album, Sena First One, was hugely popular within Europes underground establishments and she is known for her incredible, Lauryn Hill-esque performances, as well as for scorching the FOKN Bois on their own track, Aha Aha.
Out There
fred Swaniker
& the African Leadership Academy
If you dont know who Fred Swaniker is by now, then we dont know where youve been hiding. Labelled by Forbes as one of the 10 youngest power men in Africa, Fred Swaniker, 34, is a Ghanaian on a mission to provide Africa with generations of innovative and inspired leaders. The founder and CEO of the prestigious African Leadership Academy (ALA) in South Africa, Fred has been featured a number of times on CNN, the BBC, and Forbes Magazine for his dedication to educating Africas next generation of leaders. Through the ALA, Fred and his team pick over 120 teenagers from all over the continent for enrolment in an intensive 2-year program or an 18-month gap year program to introduce promising future leaders to practical skills to help them make a difference in their communities. ALA looks for five things in each student they admit: previous academic achievement, leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit, dedication to public service and a passion for Africa. If you know of a child that is already making a difference in his or her community, why not send an application to the Academy?
By Crystal Svanikier
For more information go to: www.africanleadershipacademy.org/
dust
dust
shada
Bubu Ogisi is a Nigerian fashion designer, stylist and entrepreneur, and the brains behind iamISIGO, a small independent company based in Ghana and Nigeria. This super-talented lady strives off her eccentric sense of style and mixing an eclectic palette of influences into her line. iamISIGO released some exciting and colourful collections last year, including the videogame graphic influenced T-Shirt & Polo line Charlatans and the bold Spring/ Summer line called Le Poseur.
Bubu, you co-organized the pop-up market Soko Stingo (Swahili for style market) in Accra last year with Adebayo. You guys all showcased your collections there. How often do you come to Ghana?
Q1.
By Jason Nicco-Annan
From The Charlatans collection by Bubu Ogisi
dust
Sandi: It was impressive. A lot of people

came down, some people spent some money, got some insight. It was great exposure and so much fun networking with other designers and manufacturers.
dust
LEADERS OF THE NEW KOOL
Utilizing bold graphics and a variation of stylistic influences, African fashion is now embracing individuality without sacrificing quality for style. Jason Nicco-Annan chats with the African design & style leaders behind three of todays most innovative and promising brands. In their own words, they reveal what inspires their brands, their thoughts on the rise in African fashion and what identity means to them.
Bubu: I actually used to live in Accra,

went to school here and everything. I just moved back to Lagos in September 2010. I was sitting down one day and I was like hey, what about starting an African market that moves around African countries? And why not start with Ghana? So Soko Stingo was born! I think Ghana is an amazing country, since I moved back I try to come at least once a month to Ghana. Its always a peaceful and exciting trip whenever I come back.
Adebayo: It was an amazing experience considering it was a venture my friends and I started together, so seeing how successful it became made it even more pleasurable to not only be one of the drafters but to also have people appreciating the presence of my brand Orange Culture.
Adebayo Oke-Lawal
is a Nigerian designer, consultant, stylist and writer, establishing himself as one of the busiest and coolest new kids on the block! He is currently putting his design skills to work as the Creative Director and CEO of his own venture Orange Culture. He also manages a styling outfit BUBAAI with Bubu Ogisi.
Sandi Owusu is a Ghanaian

model, designer and the creator of accessory brand Diva Delicious. Her beautifully hand-crafted line of handbags, clutches and purses are pure eye candy. Sandis signature style balances bright bursts of colour with a touch of elegance.
Q3.
As young entrepreneurial creatives, what sort of challenges have you faced in the past??
Q2.
What made you want to go into fashion in the first place?
Picnic Totes from Sandi Owusus Diva Delicious
Bubu: We have to deal with

criticism, financial challenges, dealing with labour that is unskilled; dealing with competitors, dealing with the media...the list goes on.
Bubu: Everything started in Ghana

actually. I always wanted to go into Fashion but was something was always holding me back so in my 3rd year in University I decided that I needed to make some money on the side and thats how iamISIGO started. Now, I eat, pray, and sleep fashion.
dust
dust
Adebayo: Ive loved fashion since I was a kid, so it became a natural aspiration for me. I started sketching when I was about 10; I loved reading magazines and watching fashion shows, dressing up my sisters and my mum, so even at that age, I kinda already knew I had to do something connected to fashion.[Laughs]
From Orange Cultures Heartbroken by Adebayo
Sandi: My passion for fashion drove me straight into the industry. I had so many ideas of how I wanted things to be made, especially my accessories. All these ideas sprung up when I made my very first bag. Ive had an academic background all my life. Ive got a BSc in Nursing and now Im practicing, so the sudden turn around into the arts world was a bit of a surprise.
Adebayo: Challenges are more or less based on resources, whether financial or material. Acquisition of resources locally is one. And acceptance; its not the most acceptable career path to choose, so the issue of persecution sometimes comes along. [Laughs] Sandi: Ive faced my fair share of challenges...I still do sometimes, but as time goes on you get a grip of it. My change from nursing to the fashion world was so sudden, and I lacked the financial and marketing aspect of it in the beginning, but Ive gotten a hang of it now. [Smiles]
free style
TALL, Milk Chocolate &Handsome

Period.
By Afua Entsuah
Thats how I like my men. Tall. Because on my best day, I tower at a proud 5feet 1.5inches. Milk Chocolate. Because its all that cocoa goodness with the right amount of creaminess. Handsome. Because I want my babies to have good genes. Superficial, probably; but thats what I like. Or so I thought. A conversation with a friend of mine brought me back down to reality. Afua, thats not your type. A quick trip down memory lane to the last few guys I have been involved with led to the realization that - in actuality - Afua really likes her men Medium, Dark Chocolate, and Handsome and Ghanaian. That last characteristic hasnt been a conscious effort, but certainly a consistent one. The truth is as a sort-of Liberian, sort-of Canadian, sort-of American, fully Ghanaian woman, my identity has led me to struggle with my preferences for a man. Unlike the more superficial ones I listed above, my stated preferences and my reality dont seem to match up on other deeper things like religion, ethnicity, and even how traditional a man is. Being a part of the Bandeka - the world first invite-only connections site for well-educated Africans - Ive found the same to be true of our members, none more true than traditional aspects of dating, such as who makes the first move. Nowadays African women are initiating the first move; messages on Bandeka are being sent by men only 26% more than women. Whats interesting is that African men are slowly becoming comfortable responding to these advances: the ratio of responses to messages initially sent by women versus men has been 7/9. This more progressive stance isnt widespread though, and one way to verify
this is to look categorically at the responses of men to the question of the role of the woman in the household: I expect her to be able to hold the household down to a certain degree.
On a higher level, weve heard several times that Africans dont need a dating site to meet people, and there are a sufficient number of opportunities to connect with other Africans. However, over the past five months, Bandeka mixers and speed dating events have seen a consistent showing of Africans who are looking to meet and connect with other like-minded Africans. At our recent Accra mixer, we had over 40 Ghanaians in attendance. These events have taken place in intimate settings, which have allowed for more meaningful interactions between attendees. I could be wrong, but - honestly - the welleducated, worldly Ghanaian doesnt know what they want. Im not talking about me coming to the realization that I dont need Mr. 6ft2 towering over me to feel secure or that Mr Dark Chocolate is actually more healthy for my heart, but Im talking about my preference for upholding a traditional order in my household and also wanting a man who wants to share the chores. Our preferences evolve with time and the opportunity to meet new people and see new things, but they are also largely based on what our own identity is - mine being shaped by upbringing in a Ghanaian household around the world. Ghanaians at home and abroad will continue to wrestle with their preferences: all Bandeka aims to do is provide them more opportunities for self-discovery.
Does African identity play an important role in the creative process of your collections? How do you factor it in?
Q4. Q5.
Any advice for upstart brands?
Sandi: It sure does. Even though I have a

contemporary touch with my products in terms of the embellishments, the basic raw material is organic grass straw, bamboo, raffia, etc. Everything is proudly Ghanaian and handmade.
Adebayo: Just be original. Be you. Bubu: Just stay focused. Quality will
always get you to the top.
dust
from the different tribes to their traditions. Its all inspiring so for every collection we try to incorporate an African element either through styling or through an intricate detail.[Laughs]
dust
Bubu: Yes it does. Everything in Africa is inspiring,
Adebayo: Im African and my collections are inspired by my experiences, so my African identity definitely plays a role in my collections. Maybe not as visibly as others, but sentimentally, with the stories Ive told and the inspiration behind the collections.
Sandi: Dont coil in a shell if you encounter a setback. Get back on your feet, have fun with what you do and get some knowledge in the business, financial and marketing aspects of it. Surround yourself also with constructive critics.
Other fun stated preferences of our users
75% would still carry on with a marriage if their parents did not approve. 54% would rather be alone than settle (though they want to be married by a certain age)
Most important compatibility factors in a mate ranked as: 33% Values 8% Income 23% Education 7% Body Type 16% Religion 5% Ethnicity
We would love to connect with you on and off-line. If you dont know anyone on the site, email us at talktous@bandeka. com. Look out for our next Accra mixer very soon! To read more of Afuas writing, check out her blog at loveafrican.wordpress.com
91% would date outside their race, and 71% would marry outside their race
67% of Bandeka women would date a younger man, 44% would marry a younger man
mr.
Sound
Art transcends genre, with art forms often influencing each other. The relationship between music and design has always been a close one and nowhere is this more apparent than in the art of the album cover. DUST recently caught up with two designers behind three mixtape covers that have been on heavy rotation at DUST HQ.
album/ art
By Kobby Graham
hagan
dust
To download Rotten Jollof, visit http://soundcloud.com/mr-hagan/rotten-jollof-a-west-african
dust
For his (very dope) musical journey through West African funk, producer & DJ Mr. Hagan enlisted the services of the ever-brilliant Hansen Akatti, who simply said: It was really about the character of the text rather than what the text said. I wanted that to be felt, not read. Oh yeah and Africa... West African swag.
Rotten Jollof.
da poe
juls
Jungle Book Mixtape: DJ Juls
art
Photosentences: Mutombo da Poet
Jason also designed the cover for Mutombo da Poets recently releasted (and DUST recommended) debut album, Photosentences, which you can find at the Silverbird Lifestyle Store at the Accra Mall.
To design the cover for his Jungle Book beat tape, DUST affiliate DJ Juls didnt have to go very far, selecting none other than his brother, Jason Nicco-Annan: The art direction came about solely on Julians musical direction. He wanted to make highlife beats. Hed posted a couple of videos where he was playing around with old highlife samples. I always wanted him to do something like that. Madlibs Medicine Shows where hes sampling lots of Nigerian and highlife music - have become quite popular. If theres one thing that everbody complains about, its the fact that people in the States are using our samples and what are we doing with it?
dust
dust
Once he came up with that idea, I decided to come up with something aesthetically similar to that sound. I did some research on vinyl covers back in the day and I found this image of a school boy running and flipped it a bit. That was it. Something dirty, something gritty but something also fun that reflected Julian and reflected Ghana.
dj juls
jungle book
utombo
a snapshot of fresh local music, books & films being consumed at Dust HQ
film / tv
Peep (TV show) Directed by Shirley Frimpong-Manso
music
African Woman Lady Jay (feat. Sena Dagadu) Photosentences (album) Mutombo the Poet The Afropolytank Mixtape Ecxtreme the Lyrical Wanzam Merry Go Round Maria Bossman My Everywhere The FOKN Bois All the Girlz Kay Ara Round & Round (acoustic version) Oga Chux
books
When the Drumbeat Changes Dance a Different Dance Albert Mensah The Clothes of Nakedness Benjamin Kwakye Unbowed Wangari Maathai
dust
I Dey Feel You Die (feat. Yaa Pono) Faint Medal
WE THE PEOPLE
Freestyle
hair
TO THE
THROWN
By Kotibor As I dey galley for town most days dey practice my Bird-Watching Azonto for my head inside, plentey things I dey see. Fine you catch me; I dey love pop girls but e no be my fault say Ghana girls fine san get plentey duna and bobby. Dem fine papa! But still some tings dey tear demma fine-ness top. And I no dey mean the new ting e come town wey dem dey commot go town no dey wear dross. Anti-Pay no dey tear marks for my eyes top. I dey talk about weaves! I no go lie; everybro knorr say I dey love plentey tings about Braizillian women. The bikini, the beach sand, demma duna... Even my grandmommy always dey ask me why my pono be India fo) nkoaa. I no want get into why my grandmommy dey open my laptop dey sight my blue fims....sometimes next issue. I dey love Braizillian hair... but only for Braizillian woman in head top. But these days everywhere you go pass so-so weaves sonn. Why wonna own hairstyles no dey be we? When I go fitto go portay den see 5 to 10 girls dem kut demma hair short or do some ntekuma or wuor-bibii-afee?
If you go talk p3 dem go say Oh Im not doing it for any man. I want to feel good within myself but lets face it, them wire you make you do things take attract man. Wey ridee wonna minds dey do we like weave wey e fine, but Chale, biz your body say if you dey some portay wey almost every girl get weave wey one kut in hair short... wey one she go your interest waa? Mek you no ask me... cos me de3rr everybro knorr say I go go for the loose one. Seriously though, from my basic shashiis to my sugar-mummies all get weave so e dey make am difficult give me. No be say I want make no sis do weave koraa... but imagine how nice e go be if wonna own hairstyles dey the majority inside for most of the time then women go do weave if they want something different? I knorr say I go happy... but in the meantime, I go take the monies my sugar-mummy take give me, give my Pent girl make she dey take buy weave. I just never go touch her hair as we dey do the ting... e dey mek I feel pervy small. Like I dey play plus Kingsway tsoobi. Like joke, like play... start den change your small corner. Try go 6-months without weave and see how you go happy.
We traditionally invest great value in names. So lets name our roads after great people.
dust
dust
Our condolences to the families of the victims of poor planning and bad driving on the Mallam Motorway.
ICIZED ANGL e
Baddoo By Leonora
whats in an
Politik
nam
Neonora. Laura. Leolora. Lenora. Leowaya.

the variations dont end there...
How does your English/Christian name aid or abet your existence? Does it cast suspicion on you at the polls during election year are you truly Ghanaian? Guys, do you have a better chance at grabbing, because ladies are in favour of the more exotic Christian names? Do you fit in wherever you go in the global village we live in? Is it more likely that your name wont be crucified in Western pronunciation, unless youre Nana, from Ghana? An English name alongside your Ghanaian one is a supposed mark of prestige. It can also reveal ones religious background, for example my Catholic friends have a saints name - given at first Communion - whose qualities they wish to emulate or be associated with. However, another viewpoint on the use of the English name is that it preserves the sanctity of ones Ghanaian name. For some, the Ghanaian name is special, part of ones core identity, and so should not be used by just anyone; using the formal English name outside the family and friends special circle provides that requisite protection. For my fairer-complexioned countryfolk, possession of a local name lends credence to your identity. It is possible for taxi drivers to be semi-deterred from charging excessively exorbitant (note, exorbitant will happen anyway!) fares because one knows the cultural intricacies of ones name: for example, Adoleys nickname is Moley. In their eyes, you have qualified your claim to Ganyobi citizenship. Some black Americans visit Ghanaian slave trade sites and leave with an African name, to cement their rediscovered identity in their roots.
Our names, Anglicized or not, are our primary form of identification. But they should not necessarily define our identity or should they?
dust
Of course, there are those who dismiss the name = identity equation as a fallacy. What if Adwoa Mensah, for instance, was born and bred outside Ghana, and so the only hint of her nationality is in her name? How about Paul Brown, a fierce patriot, born and bred in Korle-Bu? Should he be denied his Ghanaian identity because of his English-sounding name?
Insecurity is a crippling thing. If you happen to be a flawlessly rendered superhero pulled from the pages of a comic book geekily handsome by day, muscled and mysterious by night you have nothing to worry about. The rest of us, on the other hand, live with an eternal fear of having our gnarliest corners exposed. Those angular edges desperately in need of sandpapering? Those things keep the rest of us up at night, tossing and turning. The root of all this self-persecution? Inferiority. Ever since our chromosomes crawled out of the primordial slop, congealing into the first fully-formed human beings, every society on earth has been obsessed with measuring up. Over the years, humankind has only gotten craftier at pushing our proverbial skeletons even deeper into the darkness of the proverbial closet. And who excels most at this obfuscation olympics? Why, post-colonial peoples, of course. Simply cast your mind back to the 19th century and the infamous European colonial project and allow me to illustrate. The year is 1884. Following a period of brief deliberation France, Britain and their other European buddies decide to carve up the African continent for themselves, mindless of any rights the indigenous peoples inhabiting its 30 million square km may already possess. The caveat: to realize this preposterous ambition, our would-be rulers needed to occupy our territories, institute foreign laws and begin the daunting project of subjugating hundreds of unique and independent cultures. Bring on the brainwashing
laa f
init?
By Eli Tetteh
dialects. The most common, the American strain, has been known to turn water into waarhdurr and God into Gaaahd. The newer, trendier incarnation is the Fake London Boy accent (thank you, Tiffany) which adopts an affected Cockney swagger sprinkled with right? and innit? Once upon a time, L.A.F.A was a niche pastime. Within the last few years, however, it has all but overrun our communal spaces. Youll hear it being crooned into cell phones as you walk the city streets; on the trotro as passengers converse; even on the airwaves of national radio. Without accounting for our colonial past, one must still admit that as cardcarrying citizens of an increasingly interconnected world, Ghanaians (like the other 7 billion people who dont live in China) must speak a language that isnt their own. I would even call it commendable to desire to reach the lofty heights of fluency. The problem with L.A.F.A, however, is that its objective isnt fluency: its superfluousness. Rather than the warm glow of achievement one gets from the actual mastery of a language, L.A.F.A grasps at the hollow admiration earned by showboating for a crowd. Far more concerning is that this is merely a symptom of a larger societal sickness: Ghanaians burgeoning obsession with the superficial, to the neglect of the significant. Achieving fluency in the international language of the moment isnt only noble; its advantageous. Actual fluency, however, occurs when one comprehends correct grammar and syntax. It demands that one builds a decent vocabulary and puts it to semi-frequent use. It involves matching verbs to their subjects, getting ones tenses right. To disdain these building blocks of actual language mastery and exchange them for rolled Rs and softened Ts or innits is to approach language from a thoroughly warped perspective. And let us not neglect the question of self-hate. Already, we live in a world dominated by Western ethnocentrism. Wherever we turn, Africans are told that ours lacks the luster of theirs. The result? We clamour for straighter hair and lighter skin. We quote Shakespeare and Freud, knowing nothing of Ata Aidoo and Gyekye. We clothe ourselves in Dolce and Gucci, paying lip service to Ghanaian fashion once a week, if at all. And as if that wasnt enough, we feed our natural accents to the trash compactor, retrieve them mangled
beyond recognition and actually consider these Frankenstein creations superior? At a certain point, the blanket of self-loathing weve wrapped ourselves in stops comforting and begins to suffocate. Id say we passed that point quite a while ago. While our fawning for the West and callous dismissal of the beauty of our own culture is significant, theres at least one other element of the L.A.F.A concept that is problematic: L.A.F.A is an affront to your audience. Whether that audience is a broadcast listenership numbering thousands, a circle of old secondary school mates or the neighbourhood credit wura you buy recharge cards from, deploying a fictitious accent is an act of purest disdain. What the L.A.F.A linguist suggests without ever explicitly stating it is that you arent sophisticated enough to spot them faking the funk. Lets pull back a bit to revisit the interconnected world we glimpsed earlier during our colonialism overview. For better or worse, we now live in a neocolonized world. On a planet saturated with Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama, where CNNs talking heads have become as familiar as family and our toddlers can recite Lil Wayne choruses without a single hiccup how audacious is it to presume nobody can tell the difference between that hodgepodge of unfamiliar sounds youre emitting and a genuine American or British accent? Audacious enough to make you reconsider the fabricated inflection in the first place? We can only dream. Of course, the painful irony is that the jokes on you, Mr. and Mrs. Masquerade. Whilst youre busy making ill-mannered assumptions about your audience, they are staring, not with amazement but rather incredulity. See, they know. That thought could be frightening; hopefully, its also sobering. Because when you strip us all down to our barest elements, each of us is simply a lone skeleton dangling in a closet of fears and insecurities. Thats the very nature of the post-colonial experience: selfdoubts loom larger and rough-edges seem more jagged than they ought to. The solution isnt pretense, however. Its excellence. Its proficiency. Its mastery. And trust me: that can be achieved with your Rs and Ts intact.
Politik
LOCALL ACQUIRED fOREIGN ACCENT Y
Ever heard a Ghanaian you know (for a fact, mind you) has never set foot on U.S. or British shores speak with an accent you found downright baffling? Or had a friend return from the briefest of summer vacations with a new, inexplicable tendency to slur words while completely sober? This, my dear friends, is L.A.F.A the Locally Acquired Foreign Accent and it is taking Accra by storm. Oh, and it gets better: the motherless tongue actually has
dust
dust
To stamp out our way of life, the Europeans didnt have to actually eradicate our practices. They simply needed to inculcate their disdain for our rich, varied cultures into us. Sufficiently convinced, we the oppressed would do their job for them. After more than a hundred years practicing this psychic suicide, African peoples have become skilled at viewing their own languages, fashions and food (to name a precious few) with mild embarrassment in some cases and outright contempt in others. And rarely is this more obvious than the delicate issue of how we handle English.
african wax
By Victoria Okoye African print has gone from being second-class clothes to becoming a part of everyday life. Some wear it every day, while others bring out their best outfits for dress down Fridays, Sunday church, weddings and funerals. Some buy it ready-to-wear; others by the yard, taking it to tailors or fashion designers to create outfits. When it comes to African fabric, the first thing that comes to my mind is wax print and its brightly colored, geometric and symbolic print designs. But these prints have complicated beginnings: African wax prints were actually developed by Indonesian invention, through Dutch manufacturing and with Indian influence. Also, one the most well-known, respected and profitable manufacturers of wax prints isnt even African: its Vlisco, a Dutch company. Vliscos wax prints are beautiful, its quality superb and its profits in the West African market sizeable. But as someone interested in urban development, I cant help but wonder about its long-range impact on any local, Africa-based textile industry, and for how we use this product to define ourselves. Local (and increasingly, international) demand for African prints is huge. With that kind of local consumer base, it would make sense to support local production. It would promote the local economy by providing jobs. Using locally grown materials would drive rural production and economic opportunities, and exports would draw foreign revenue. But thats easier said than done. and develop their own products. Then in the 80s and 90s, governments - under structural adjustment pressure - replaced import-substitution policies (lets make our own products instead of importing stuff) with trade liberalization (lets open up our doors to international trade). It was a continent-wide trend with a key result: a decline in local industries like textile production. A few years ago, I worked on research to identify viable investment opportunities for the city of Kaduna, Nigeria. One opportunity was to revive Kadunas local textile industry but it just wasnt viable. Raw materials could be sourced locally, but machinery was old, had to be imported, and usually wasnt well-maintained. In addition, government policies made it too difficult to start and run businesses, or provided little support or incentives. Finally, low-cost, low-quality copycat designs from China have flooded the market, and there is little way for local producers to compete, even though their products are of better quality. Another big issue is shifting consumer tastes. In both Ghana and Nigeria, the growing middleclass have more money to spend, but for many, there is an increasing preference for foreign-made over locally made goods. Possessing foreign-made products can be a sign of class and economic status. But in the end, its really tough for the local economy when we support sizeable foreign conglomerates (and/or cheap copycat Chinese designs) over local producers. Am I the only one seeing the irony in the ascribed value that Dutch-printed African wax has over locally printed wax? Its a complicated issue. I wont lie: the Dutch stuff is nice. But in the back of my mind, Frantz Fanon is mumbling that in dictating designs and trends of African printed wax (a marker we use to define ourselves as distinctly African) and with its immense hold over the African market, the metropole continues to define us (albeit stylishly). To read more of Victorias writing, visit africanurbanism.blogspot.com/
Ghana is changing rapidly in response to modern life truly making the Global, Local, the internet, social media and many other modern means of communication and travel are shrinking the worldfor some. I say Ghana is changing, and it is, but perhaps this is most visible in the Afropolitan town, Accra.
ME FIRI GHANA
By Elvina Quaison
a bitter taste in the mouth of those who have returned home. To be called Obroni, which is the term for white people, creates a distance that is unfortunate and being seen as a white person in Africa when you are black, can be as isolating as being a black person in Europe. On the whole conversations with the newly (re)located Ghanaian resonate with Dorothys thoughts on how Ghanaians view her: Ghana is home but in reality, I am an expat, a visitor, a foreigner in Ghana actually a fraudulent foreigner. It is possible that I can get away with being Ghanaian as long as I dont open my mouth. It is not as completely depressing as it may sound. A cosmopolitan life and various communities are springing up to reflect this merging of cultural influences. People are having to recognize they are in a limbo of identity and it is pushing some to see this space as an opportunity to create something new and reflective of their experience, a place others will gravitate to and start feeling that they do belong and they are indeed in their homeland Ghana. To read more from Elvina, visit http://amomentinmymind.wordpress.com
Politik
As increasing numbers of Diaspora Ghanaians are turning their eye to the land of their heritage to become their home, all kinds of questions around identity are coming to the fore. This question is definitely political and personal, from Dual Nationality becoming a hot contentious topic to people having to address the question, who is a Ghanaian? or even more poignant, am I Ghanaian? Speaking to Dorothy Acheampong, founder of HeavenlyEventz, she has had to reflect on her ability to say I am a Ghanaian since moving to Accra from London almost a year ago: Im not sure. I feel more accepted as a Ghanaian in the UK but rather a fake Ghanaian whilst in Ghana The opposite of the song Fake London Boy. However, people do not live in isolation and the response from indigenous Ghanaians can be quite isolating, from being called abrokyir fo and perhaps most painfully Obroni does leave
Politik
dust
How did this happen? At independence, many African nations aimed to reduce foreign reliance
dust
Ghana used to have a sizeable local textile industry, with a number of local companies producing and exporting abroad. In 1977, textile manufacturing employed 25,000 workers (27% of all manufacturing employment) and there were sixteen medium to large-sized companies producing in Ghana. By 2000, this had shrunk to 5,000 workers, with only four sizeable textile manufacturers.
Feature
Photos by Seton Nicholas
There has always been musical (and political) cross-pollination between Ghana and Nigeria. It existed back in the day when Fela Kuti was as influenced by the politics of Nkrumah as he was by the music of Ghanaian-based Sierra Leonean artist, Geraldino Pino, and it continues today, visible in the popularity of Nigerian songs on Ghanaian radio and to a lesser extent vice versa. As such, it was not surprising when the African Womens Development Fund - an innovative organization at the cutting edge of social justice and womens rights philanthropy in Africa named Nigerian artist, Nneka, as their first ever Ambassador for the Arts, under an innovative new programme to use the arts, culture and sports as a tool for social justice. The thirty-one year old half-Nigerian, half-German singer (who sings in English, Ibo and Nigerian pidgin) has established herself as an international musical force. Singing about everything from love and corruption to the politics of her native Niger Delta, she has won or been nominated for awards from Channel O, MOBO and Museke amongst others; shared the stage with a host of stars including Damien Marley and Nas (who featured on a remix of her track, Heartbeat). Her song Kangpe even features on the soundtrack for EA Sports FIFA 2010 video game. During her recent visit to Accra for AWDFs Arts, Culture & Sports programme launch, she sat down with DUST Editor, Kobby Graham, and answered a few questions. DUST: In your personal opinion, what is the single biggest issue facing the African girl-child today?
dust
dust
Nnek
Nneka: I would have to think very deeply to answer that question. Every person has her own cross to bear. [You] cannot compare the weight of one woman to another woman. I cry myself as well. Why I have decided to work with AWDF is because while Im carrying my cross, I have a little less weight on my shoulders to bear... Im okay, so maybe I can help [someone] carry [theirs] in the process of living life. Pain brings people together. But I can never carry your cross for you. In the end, we all have to strengthen ourselves and empower one another. I have my own history as well. Thats why Im doing what Im doing. Thats why Im doing music. Thats my own way to channel that energy into a different direction. But there are many problems that I have not met before. It is about being selfless to a certain degree. Dropping the ego. Thats why I like what AWDF is doing. DUST: When you talk to young people about politics they say, Oh God, I dont do politics... You have however been able to merge politics and popular culture quite well. Does your politics stop your music from spreading? How well do young people receive it? Nneka: I think the youth are becoming more conscious about being involved. When I was growing up, politics was just a subject you were learning, far away from your personal life. You just crammed the states of Africa and the governors, but we were not close to what was happening. If elections come we elect, but our problems dont change due to the kind of leaders that we have (unfortunately). But this is changing, partly because of the African diaspora or those who are coming back home to bring the change that they have been raised in. We have been able to identify where we went wrong and change that way of educating ourselves. Youth are becoming more outgoing towards politics... more courageous; women as well. I dont think about difficulty of pushing music. Someway, somehow there will always be difficulty. People wont allow you to perform somewhere because they think your message is too harsh. I have once or twice had problems with the police or secret service wanting to arrest me. But people invite you for a reason. So if you like me... na you sabi now. Abi? Why you now want to block my road. I will do it: I wont yab you. I will yab myself first. Then I will yab everybody. Then I go. Its normal. That doesnt stop me... thats what triggers me. Roadblock? Okay, lets go! DUST: African parents are not renowned for their support of children going into the arts. How encouraging were your parents of your art? Nneka: I left my fathers house in Nigeria at quite a young age for an African person. From there on, I was cut off from family entirely. Music is what sustained me. I found music a long time ago but I never saw her until I went away from Africa. So basically, everything Ive done up until now is without the support of my family. Now that I have moved back to Nigeria, of course I had to reintroduce myself to my father. Tell him,
dust
this is a part of me and how I weave my stories. Just to let you know. I have my degree, so nobody can hold my yab oo. I know God has sustained me to do [this]. I know other musicians from intact family backgrounds who have problems with their parents. But I always tell other artists that you can have love for music but you must always deliver to Caesar what Caesar wants. It is important. Educate yourself and have an alternative in life. You cant just walk one way. One day your voice will be gone. One day you cant travel. Anything can come up. DUST: You have benefitted from being able to make music both in and outside of Africa. Is there anything you see abroad that you think could be utilized over here to foster a better arts scene? Nneka: Sound engineering is the most important: audio. Whether in media, making soap operas, programmes... it is very important. Mastering and mixing. Then there is the other aspect: the marketing of albums; creating institutions and labels that promote artists, and protect their rights. Piracy is a big issue here, especially in Nigeria. Its not almost legal. Alaba is in the ghetto. It is a big pirate market. All you have to do is sell your record to one of the Alaba people, they will give you money and then you serve up your rights. Whatever they earn from your record is their earning. You dont get anything. Thats how the big artists... some artists get their stuff done. Im trying to set a label [and] change that: do the right thing. Its difficult. Its the longer, narrow way. But you have to be the change. To hear more about Nneka and AWDFs Arts, Culture & Sports programme, visit their website: www.awdf.org
dust
Short
And all of this you say you have to do in how many days?
from Accra to Kumasi yesterday so I was justified for sleeping in. Nana thank you, I croaked as she made her way out of the room. I gobbled the food down in such a hurry; you would think I was sharing it with a dozen people. I grabbed a simple pair of shorts, pulled a white shirt over my head and went into the kitchen holding the tray. My grandmother and cousin sat at the little bamboo table where I had had lunch for almost fifteen years of my life before I went to the United States. I put the tray in the sink and turned to my cousin, Abena, wash my plates when you finish eating. To this statement, both my grandmother and my cousin looked at me as if I had committed a taboo. What has twenty-three years in America taught you? Eh Kwamena? my grandmother asked. I was surprised and amused at the same time. Dont you know that young girls of today dont wash plates or engage in any activity of that sort? They are too occupied with reading, school and looking good. I wanted to stand and argue but I knew I didnt have the time; I had to meet with the chiefs of the town in less than fifteen minutes, so I just nodded and made a mental note to confront Nana later. Walking through the streets of Bantama reminded me so much of my childhood; I almost felt like I was twelve again. I passed by a sign that read: MINE CLOSED. DANGEROUS. KEEP OFF. I shook my head, remembering what Akosua had said. Undeterred, I reached the chiefs palace and walked with confidence through the gates. I had already arranged with the Okyeame to make local gin available, as it was considered disrespectful to visit the chief without bringing him a gift. When I reached the front door, the Okyeame met me with two large bottles of local pito. Before I took the bottles and went in, the Okyeame motioned for me to draw closer so he could whisper something into my ear. Massa, he addressed me, You are fine man. I wont like you to be deceive. The chief no have power for land ooo. Now na government oversee the land. Chief no fit do anything give you. I nodded, grabbed the bottles and walked into the room; I didnt want to keep the chief waiting. The current chief was a light-skinned man with
BOOMERANG
By i Ose ilyn Mar
Five She smirked. Well, I continued, ignoring her rudeness, Ill be setting off to Kumasi early tomorrow to meet with the chief about the land. The actual setting up of the business will start in a few years. She nodded
If colonization had a shape, it would be a boomerangtoo many citizens believe they belong to a higher civilization somewhere elsethis state of mind allows too many of us to lie to cheat and steal from ourselves and others Kurt Vonnegut, Bluebird Friday, 6 May, 1983. Kotoka International Airport, Accra. 19:35. I looked up from my watch. I could have sworn I told her to pick me up at seven. My eyes raced across the room in search of what I thought Akosua would look like. I had not seen her since she was seven, but I knew exactly what to expect; an African goddess, cowries in natural African hair and a curvy African figure draped in local cloth. All I could see, however, was a clipping from an American magazine. Every woman in the room either had a perm or a weave. Excuse me sir, a polished accent that almost sounded English addressed me from behind. I turned around in surprise. The owner of those words was in her late twenties. She was sickeningly thin with light brown skin, expect for the slightly darker blotches that showed she used to be dark skinned. Like most of the women around, her hair was not her own; most likely imported from some far away land. Are you Walter? she spoke again, stressing on thet so much I almost couldnt tell she was saying my name. Well, my name is Nana Kwamena Arhin, but some do call me Walter. My words seemed to hit her like fire on a sunny day. She scrutinized me more closely,
and seemed insulted by my appearance: from my low quality sandals, my shirt tailored from African print, eventually settling on my unkempt afro. Im Victoria, she said, finally breaking her fixation. After noticing my confused expression, she mouthed, Akosua with a menacing grimace. For a split second, I took a step back and the buzzing of the crowd faded into nothingness. All I could see before me was a stranger who had introduced herself as Akosua. My Akosua. I forced a smile. She nodded and motioned for me to follow her. Walking through the Kotoka glass doors and into the outer courts of the building, a hot gust of air hit my face to remind me I was no longer miles across the ocean in a foreign land. Akosua walked ahead of me with a clearly rehearsed feline gait that could match up to any super model on television. She stopped beside what I thought was her car and unlocked the doors with the flick of the car key. A few minutes later, my only bag was in the back of the blue-black Datsun and we were speeding through a partly deserted street. So Walter -, I cut her off before she could go on, Please, call me Kwamena... She grimaced again. Kwamena, she said the name with so much distastefulness, You said you were here on business? I nodded. Yes. Mining business. I want to set up the first mining enterprise managed by a black man, I said with a smile.
But you know what they say about the mines, she said, The white man was smart enough to take all our minerals and leave the land uninhabitable. I frowned. That was true. I had heard several stories from colleagues who had gone to their home countries with the same intention, only to realize that, there was close to nothing left to be mined. There are no minerals Walt Kwamena, she said in what was almost a whisper. Just then we pulled up next to a large building that I assumed was the hotel she wanted me to stay in. When she turned off the ignition she turned to look at me with an awkward expression. So what is really up with this look? she asked, Still not American enough after twenty years? I was embarrassed and disappointed. My clothes are comfortable and above all, African. I shook my head and followed suit as she hoped out of the car, stifling laughter. I grabbed my bag and followed her as she sashayed up the stairs and into the building. Sunday, 8 May, 1983. Bantama, Ashanti Region. I was awakened by a woman shaking me. Eat this. Her voice was pleasant. I opened my eyes to see my grandmother bent over me with a tray of what looked like breakfast. I sat up in bed and noticed it was already afternoon. I had been bone tired from the journey
dust
a stomach so huge, it made a potbelly look decent. As the chief spoke on and on about the land, I couldnt help but think back to what the linguist had said. From the little I gathered from the English he had tried to speak to me, I was wasting my time. The way to access land was now through the government. But how was that possible? The chiefs had always been the sole custodians of the land. After ranting on for over an hour, the chief finally told me he would look into the situation and get back to me. I thanked him and took my leave. If what the linguist had said was true, then there was no use coming to Kumasi. I felt a tinge of disappointment as my rubber slippers hit the untarred road. I walked through grandmothers door and into the living room. Grandmother and Abena were all dressed up in heavy clothing, despite the heat outside. Kwamena, we are going to church so get dressed in one of your fancy American suits and come along with us, that was grandmother. I shook my head. I havent been to the ancestral shrine in years, I said, Besides, we worshipped God perfectly before the white man came with all of the Christianity thing. Clearly Nana and Abena were both shocked. They stood there with their mouths wide open. I walked upstairs, totally ignoring them, and began to pack my bags. I would not spend another night in this place. Tuesday, 11 May, 1982. Accra. I sat at a table in an exotic restaurant with a menu that did not intrigue me in the least. I was going back to the United Stated that evening and I was craving fufu and palm nut soup. I would have given anything to be at a chop bar instead, but I needed to talk to Akosua, and she insisted we talk over breakfast at this overly expensive restaurant. If I didnt already know she was the one sitting across me, I wouldnt have noticed her. She looked so much lighter than I remember. You know its very rude to stare, she said, sipping her orange juice.
I smiled. You know. Its very rude to make me stare. We both laughed, and for that split second, I saw the little girl I had loved in my childhood. What happened to you, Akosua? I asked with a straight face. Her change in expression clearly showed she took offence at my question. Dont you like it? she asked, extremely hurt. I kept a straight face. I didnt just come across the ocean to see the chief, Akosua I said. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a cowry. Akosuas expression suddenly changed. She remembered. Years ago I had wanted to tell you something I had rehearsed, but you were upset. You told me you had lost the only red cowry you had. The one your mother gave you. You asked me to help you look for it, but when I found it I didnt have the courage to tell you what I had rehearsed. I told myself I would return the cowry to you when I was bold enough to tell you. Akosua sat there with a blank expression. She took the cowry from my palm, tears in eyes. At fifteen years old, I fell in love with you. If a child that young can understand love, I reached out and held her hand. I put a piece of paper next to her, put some cedi notes on the table and got to my feet. That night, as I sat on the airplane, it occurred to me that I was a stranger not only in a foreign land, but also in my own land. I had crossed the ocean to find the two loves of my life: my motherland and my childhood sweetheart. Neither were the same; time had claimed them and transformed them. Victoria, I fell in love with Akosua Yours, Nana Kwamena Arhin 11.05.82
Sex & Relationships
Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women
Shot
By Seton Nicholas
Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah
While the West has its parks, Ghana has its beaches. We flock there en masse - especially on national holidays - to relax, have fun and soak ourselves in the awesome beauty of sand and sea... ... well, all except for that last part if this selfexplanatory photo - taken by DUST photo editor, Seton Nicholas - is anything to go by. That last line should read HELP KEEP GHANA CLEAN.
The Fluidity of Sexuality

We live in a world that loves dichotomies: black or white, man or woman, gay or straight. We love to simplify things and package lifes complicated issues into neat little boxes preferably ones we can label. Fortunately or otherwise, most things, especially human sexuality, are never that simple. In her reader African Sexualities, Sylvia Tamale (2011:2) states: The notion of a homogeneous, unchanging sexuality for all Africans is out of touch not only with the realities of lives, experiences, identities and relationships but also with current activism and scholarship. Ideas about and experiences of African sexualities are shaped and defined by issues such as colonialism, globalisation, patriarchy, gender, class, religion, age, law and culture. In other words, African sexualities (the implied plurality is no accident), like sexualities of people all over the world is fluid, dynamic and influenced by the external environment. This school of thought may be anathema to the die-hard biological essentialists amongst us, but to a social constructivist like me, it makes perfect sense. I particularly believe that female sexuality is a lot more fluid than society would have us believe. A few months ago, a friend shared with me an article she had come across in the New York Times titled What Women Want . The article highlighted research carried out by Meredith Chivers, a scientist and editorial board member of a leading journal on sexual research, Archives of Sexual Behaviour. It discussed shared details of the experiments in which both male and female subjects were shown videos of bonobos mating, of homosexual and heterosexual sex, of a man masturbating, and of a naked woman performing calisthenics. Chivers found that men who identified as straight were aroused when they watched the video clips of heterosexual sex and of the naked woman performing calisthenics. Gay men were aroused when they watched male homosexual sex and the naked man masturbating. Women, regardless of how they identified sexually, were aroused when they watched clips of men sleeping with men, women sleeping with women, and heterosexual sex. They were even aroused when they watched the bonobos mate, but to a lesser degree than the human interactions. Chivers work, along with that of other researchers cited in the same New York Times article, supports the conclusion that female sexuality is a lot more fluid than tends to be conventionally acknowledged. As a sex blogger, I have been privileged to be confidante to many women who have shared stories of their sexual experiences with me. Here is one such story: Like most Ghanaians I went to a boarding school. It was an all-girls school, and a strict one at that. I had a dear at school. We would kiss and cuddle at night. Sometimes we would touch each other down there. I wasnt the only one at school who had a dear. Many of us had dears. I dont know if everyone touched their dears the way I did. When I left that particular school I went to a mixed college and from then on only dated boys. A few years ago I remembered my boarding school experience, and became curious about what it would be like to sleep with a woman now that I was older. So I did, and it was very nice. I mostly have sex with men, but not exclusively; occasionally I sleep with women too. I dont think of myself as bisexual. Its not an identity I relate to. I see myself as heterosexual, but I think thats mainly because my society is hetero-normative and most people think being gay is some sort of taboo. I dont know how I would identify if my society was more open-minded. Maybe I would have considered myself to be bi-sexual; but maybe I would not. The woman in the story above describes herself as heterosexual. Her sexual experiences, however, have been both homosexual AND heterosexual, which would lead some people to describe her as bisexual, a label she has stated she does not identify with. A key component of identity is a sense of community being able to feel part of a group, and sharing common experiences with other people like you. The fear of being stigmatised also has a strong influence on how people may choose to identify. Against a backdrop of extreme homophobia, why would anyone choose to identify as LGBTQI ? Are we too quick to categorise peoples sexuality? Does sexual practice automatically equate sexual identity? Are you a woman who experiences fluidity in her sexual attractions? What are your thoughts? Share your opinions at ww.dustaccra.com or via twitter @dustaccra
Food for thought.
dust
dust
ocloo
Dr. esther
Icon
By Esenam Dogoe
Nkulenu is a name synonymous with industry and enterprise. If you dont know, ask your parents. In a time when there are so few female industrialists, it is also a name that one woman came to be known by. Dr. Esther Afua Ocloo (1919-2002) was the founder of Nkulenu Industries Limited, Ghanas first food processing and preservation factory. Started back in 1942 with only six shillings, the company came to be known for its fruit juices, marmalades, and soup bases. Its founder is a lot more than just that though. Dr. Ocloo is recognized by the Cambridge Biographical Society as one of the foremost women of the 20th century. A Ghanaian industrial pioneer, she was a founding member and the first elected president of the Federation of Ghanaian Industries (now the Association of Ghana Industries). Coming from a poor background, it was always her mission to assist and economically empower the underprivileged in society. Engaging in Corporate Social Responsibility before it became cool to do so, Dr. Ocloo was the quintessential humanitarian and had a total of eight NGOs to her name, including Aid to Artisans; an NGO dedicated to pushing Ghanaian artisans into international export trade. She was also a direct contributor to Ghanaian arts and crafts, engaging in tie-and-dye and handicraft businesses herself. That said, the most prominent of her NGOs is the Sustainable End of Hunger Foundation (SEHUF), an organization focused on providing women with employable skills: My main aim is to help my fellow women, Dr. Ocloo said at the time; If they make better marmalade than me I deserve the competition. She was the first chairperson of Womens World Banking, advocating strongly for the microfinancing of small women-run businesses. In recognition of her commitment to improving the lives of her fellow Africans, she became the first woman to win the Africa Prize for Leadership in 1990.
Dr. Ocloo passed away in February 2002, taking with her a long list of honours and achievements both locally and internationally. This extraordinary woman is a testimony to what the Ghanaian can achieve, once determined and in empathetic touch with his or her identity. The legacy she has left is (or ought to be) an inspiration to all. In the end, Dr. Esther Afua Ocloo embodies threewordsnecessaryfortherevolutionizing of our society: Industrialist, Humanitarian and - most importantly - Ghanaian.
dust
Illustration by Alfred Achiampong
the website
Dont forget to check out the brand new DUST website for the most compelling content on Accra, Ghana, and Africa!
www.dustaccra.com

Dust Magazine - March 2012

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Dust Magazine - March 2012

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ISBN : 08-1204

Kanye West coming to Ghana in April

<< Story on Page 9.

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012.

Woyome Donates 51 Million

Mr. Jos Mourinho at the press conference in Accra

For AFCON & World Cup

Barack Obama discovers Ghanaian ancestry

SEX & RELATIONSHIPS

50. Dr. Esther Ocloo

Photo Credit: Seton Nicholas / Model: Nneka

YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN ACCRA WHEN...

the truth about

For more information go to: www.africanleadershipacademy.org/

From The Charlatans collection by Bubu Ogisi

Sandi: It was impressive. A lot of people

LEADERS OF THE NEW KOOL

Bubu: I actually used to live in Accra,

Sandi Owusu is a Ghanaian

What made you want to go into fashion in the first place?

Picnic Totes from Sandi Owusus Diva Delicious

Bubu: We have to deal with

Bubu: Everything started in Ghana

From Orange Cultures Heartbroken by Adebayo

TALL, Milk Chocolate &Handsome

Sandi: It sure does. Even though I have a

Bubu: Yes it does. Everything in Africa is inspiring,

Other fun stated preferences of our users

To download Rotten Jollof, visit http://soundcloud.com/mr-hagan/rotten-jollof-a-west-african

Photosentences: Mutombo da Poet

I Dey Feel You Die (feat. Yaa Pono) Faint Medal

Neonora. Laura. Leolora. Lenora. Leowaya.

LOCALL ACQUIRED fOREIGN ACCENT Y

Photos by Seton Nicholas

Sex & Relationships

Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah

The Fluidity of Sexuality

Food for thought.

Illustration by Alfred Achiampong

You might also like