Facebook Home Ad – Spot Ghanaian moment

I was watching the new Facebook Home ad on YouTube and spotted a Ghanaian moment.

You know, the Ghanaian handshake [and snap].

That snap of fingers that makes the Ghanaian handshake unique….was captured accurately in the ad.

I’m wondering who, in Facebook’s creative department or their Ad agency team, pulled this off?

I bet this shot was taken in Ghana!

Of a mad man – Ken Agyapong, a twitter bully and the invisible hand of 2012 election connecting them

So I am minding my business as a student and thinking of internships and finals and the coming summer break…

..but here I am blogging about Ghana not because I am feeling nostalgic about a Ghanaian Easter/ Christmas and Azonto dance moves and the things that make me proud to be a Ghanaian but contemplating the implications of Ken Agyapong’s ‘declaration of war‘ in response to allegations of minors registering for the upcoming presidential elections in Ghana.

Arrogance, ignorance and money make for a bad combination in a culture where rich people are celebrated and vested with power. To even read that some persons besieged the Ghana Police Headquarters to demand the release of Ken Agyapong beats my wildest imaginations. I wonder if they understood Ken’s call for people to butcher others with machetes? and what misery a war can bring.

Most NPP politicians have decidedly kept quiet or risen to Ken’s defense or try to dampen the severity of his call for war. How can such a graphic call to war involving slashing fellow Ghanaians with machetes be explained away as ‘metaphorical’ and with no bad intentions? Counsel to Ken or no, Atta Akyea just lost all the respect I had for him as an educated gentleman and lawyer.

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing”

I applaud all who have roundly called Ken Agyapong’s outburst for what it is and Ghanaian artistes for their quick response and attempt to use social media to call for peace albeit wrongly targeted. The general populace who listen to Ken’s radio are not your usual twitter/facebook fans. Get your music together and do a peace concert. Throw in some Azonto competition and defuse this Ken Agyapong madness.

In other remotely related happenings on twitter in Ghana:

I will decidedly not mention any twitter handles but I think that some celebs shouldn’t ask some persons to campaign for peace in Ghana. People follow people on twitter for different reasons just as houseflies will settle on pastries and cow dung. Point here is that because someone is popular on twitter for breaking gossip doesn’t mean they have legitimacy to ask people to take socially positive action.

“Adjapong might be right. If only NDC didnt allow Togolese people into the border to register to vote all this wont happen!”

The above is what you get. SMH..

‘African’ – Usage and Abusage or Kony is not an African Warlord!

I find it very distasteful to read articles like the latest one on an Ugandan called Kony, who until yesterday I didn’t know existed [anymore]. You can wonder how up to date I am on current affairs all you want but an MBA schedule doesn’t allow me the time to read about people like the Konys of this world.

My rant is simply this.

Don’t refer to Kony as an ‘African Warlord’, and yes I am talking about The Christian Science Monitor’s latest headline on Kony.

Kony is an African but not an African Warlord. He probably qualifies as a Ugandan Warlord being the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and all.

To understand what I mean, Christian Science Monitor, go back to the dictionary to find the definition of ‘warlord‘. A warlord only applies in the context of a country and AFRICA IS NOT A COUNTRY.

There!

I did a presentation in class yesterday about Ghana and why investors should come invest there and you use your widely read website to plant another seed about why people shouldn’t invest in Ghana and other Africa just because of Kony 2012?

If you made the editorial decision of not headline “Kony 2012: Campaign against Ugandan Warlord..” because it wouldn’t drive as much traffic as “Kony 2012: Campaign against African Warlord..”  then you have to start examining your ethics as a Christian? media outlet.

In conclusion, I say learn to use [the word] ‘African’ appropriately and in the right context.

Kony 2012 is a campaign I support! Please Pledge!!

PS: Kony 2012: Is a good case study/ lesson in marketing communications and I applaud Invisible Children for pulling it off.

Ghana @ 55 – Ready for business

I am currently working with a couple of colleagues on a project about the business environment of Ghana to pitch to potential investors, well, classmates.

It is one of the highlights of my semester so far and as the date for presentation approaches I feel extra proud that my colleagues are genuinely sold on the huge opportunities for business in Ghana.

So I put up the draft presentation in celebration of Ghana’s 55th independence.

For students or business persons who do a lot of presentation, you will find that Prezi.com is a great presentation tool.

Please comment if you are not able to access my presentation. http://prezi.com/f0wwgnfza2ej/my-ghana/

Happy Independence Day! Happy Holiday!! I am proud to be a Ghanaian!!!