Category: Entertainment

The Ashanti Kingdom of Ghana, West Africa, is one of the few traditional institutions in Africa to maintain its rich culture since its inception in 1670. Until 1901 when they were defeated by the British, the Ashanti had a growing empire which was very powerful and conquered neighboring kingdoms in its expansion project.

The kingdom has inspired many documentaries and films as a result of its rich history and tradition. The latest is The Curfew, a movie that was inspired by the funeral of the late Ashanti queen mother, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II, who died in 2016 at age 111 and was buried in secrecy in late 2017.

Written, directed and executive produced by Ghana-based filmmaker, Mclistowel Koranteng (screen name Okra Kofi), The Curfew takes viewers through a journey of thrilling discovery, bravery, and activism as experienced by a clueless tourist who chances upon a secret transition ritual associated with royal burials.

“It is a work of fiction whose major plot points are inspired by true incidents. It took a year and a half; from pre-production, production to post-production to shoot the movie,” Mclistowel told Face2Face Africa in an interview.

The filming of the movie was done entirely in Ghana and Mclistowel, who is a Ghanaian, explains that the choice of the West African country is because of “originality, authenticity and the vibrancy of the culture.”

Produced by Elinam Amenyo, the movie has an unconventional cast of both local and international actors with the female lead role (Benyiwa) played by Princess Fathia Nkrumah, the granddaughter of Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

“It took us about five months to finally settle on the final cast, with the Benyiwa character being the hardest to find. We finally found the spirit of that character in Princess Fathia Nkrumah and it was a perfect fit, considering who she is and what the story hopes to inspire,” says Mclistowel.

The male lead role was played by seasoned Ghanaian movie director Pascal Aka, while the role of the tourist (Logan) was played by first-time Lebanese actor, Shadi Byrouthy.

“With the Logan character, the casting process started from the Cape Coast. We were there for location scouting and I remember we will literally stop and ask any white guy we think fits the role if they will like to try their hands on acting. We even went to the international students’ department at the University of Ghana to audition a few of them but had no luck there as well.

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“We finally met Shaidi at Osu Republic [A bar in Accra], and the moment the producer saw him, she screamed after him, Logan! So he turned and said ‘my name is not Logan’ and the rest is history,” the director told Face2Face Africa.

Other casts include Congolese-British actor and BBC producer, Emeline Nsingi Nkosi, Ghanaian veteran actors Adjetey Annan, Dzifa Glipkoe, Emmanuel France, PY Addo and many other young actors.

The film comes at a time when Ghana is commemorating the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in America. The “Year of Return, Ghana 2019” was launched in a quest to encourage African Americans and the black diaspora to return to the country where their ancestors were kidnapped and enslaved.

Mclistowel believes the movie will enlighten the black diaspora about African culture and traditions which have been labelled negative for far too long. “I think with this year declared as the year of return, our brothers and sisters in the diaspora, when they return, should know just like anywhere else, the continent has it’s good and defective side.

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“It is not enough to just rant about it, but that we should all strive to be a part of the solution and also know that changing the narrative is not about embellishment but by acknowledging and taking responsibility for our shortcomings and ensuring that all sectors get equal representation,” he said.

The Curfew is a co-production project of Blackmore Studios and Adfocus with support from London-based organisation, Sabre Education. It will be released by the end of the year.

Here’s an exclusive first-look of a scene from the film, The Curfew:

By on June 17, 2019 — The hit series “When They See Us” on Netflix and the racially biased incident that just took place in Phoenix, Arizona, are reminders that the vision of the majority of white people are still clouded by racial bias.

Ava DuVernay’s latest work, When They See Us is based on the true story of five teens from Harlem who are falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park and end up spending between 8 to 13 years in prison. Photo: Facebook/WhenTheySee Us

Ava DuVernay’s

Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us” is currently the most watched series on Netflix in the US. Beyond the US, many more people have equally been transfixed, particularly on the African continent. DuVernay’s deeply moving depiction and humanization of the five black men, known as the Central Park Five, who were exonerated of raping a white woman did two things: It highlighted the importance of black people telling their own stories, because no one else tells it better. No one else can accurately convey the pain and experience and cultural realities that these stories possess. Secondly, it underlined the urgency that exists for Africans and black people generally to own their own media in order to control their narrative.

The Title Of The Series

When They See Us, the title of the series, raises questions of who is doing the seeing. Does the white person really see us? And if he/she sees us, what do they see us as? Just last week, in Phoenix, Arizona, a four-year-old black girl picked up a US$1 dollar from a store while with her parents. The cashier called the police on the family. The police did what American police officers do – they pulled guns, swore at the couple, manhandled them (the woman is pregnant) and threatened to shoot them. But, as the Western media does, the American press’s headlines reported that the four-year-old had been stealing.

While one can say that DuVernay’s series is probably an attempt to force the world to see us, for many black people, they remain unseen. Would a four-year-old white girl who took a US$1 from a store be said to have stolen the doll? The American press is the first culprit, just like they were in the case of the now-exonerated Central Park Five, who were immediately labelled and judged by the media in a display of racist sensationalism.

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The adultizing of black children is a weapon that has been used not just in America but everywhere the white man has set foot, including in former colonial states. The black boy’s humanity is taken from him by ascribing adjectives to him that would never be used on his white counterpart. This adultization creates room to then view the black boy only through a certain lens of animality and criminality, thus justifying any cruelty inflicted on the black child.

The same script continues to be in play to this day. In the eyes of many white people, a 15-year-old black child is a full adult, capable of criminality. When They See Us makes one wonder, how do they see us? How do black people want to be seen? For centuries, the first step in creating an environment for the oppression of the black child is to strip away his or her childish innocence by refusing to label and acknowledge him or her as a child, and then proceed to violate such a child. This fact can be traced back to the many rubber plantations that Africans worked for the colonialists and to the children used in places like the Congo to mine minerals. And the incident that just occurred in Phoenix, Arizona, shows that this way of “seeing us” is still clouding the vision of white people the world over.

Freedom fighter Peter Tosh was genuinely revolutionary in his thoughts and ambitions for his music and he really did want to change the world with his lyrics. Although he was thought by many to be a complicated individual due to his no-nonsense, militant personality, one certain fact is that he was a man of many talents, a revolutionary and a freedom fighter who always spoke his mind.

Freedom fighter Peter Tosh

Tosh fought for equal rights and justice and never stuttered to tell the truth no matter who the message was directed to; he was fiercely outspoken and brutally honest. His songs ranged from the cry of legalizing marijuana, pleas for black people to realize their roots as well as social and racial equality.

In his song Equal Rights (1977) he says, “Everyone is crying out for peace, none is crying out for justice, I don’t want to peace; I need equal rights and justice”. Tosh recognized that peace can never be achieved as long as there is inequality and injustice.

Place of Birth

He was born Winston Hubert McIntosh in Westmoreland, Jamaica, in 1944. He later gave himself the moniker Peter Tosh and in 1976 he adopted his Ethiopian name, Wolde Samayat.

Tosh met Robert Nesta Marley and Neville “Bunny Wailer” Livingston in Kingston, and formed the group Wailin’ Wailers (later The Wailers) under Joe Higgs’ guidance. Tosh being the only one with skills to play musical instruments besides Higgs, taught Bunny and Marley to play guitar. He had learned the guitar for one day by just watching a man play. Tosh and Bunny left the group in 1973 due to unfair treatment they received from Chris Blackwell, then president of Island Records.

Solo career

Subsequent to Wailers’ disintegration, Freedom fighter Peter Tosh’s solo career allowed him to deliver more messages of equality and justice through his uplifting music. Armed with a guitar in the shape of a M16 rifle, he sang more about his revolutionary political views and critiques of the shitstem (his word for the system of government unfair to black people).

Tosh considered himself a displaced African and he dedicated himself to the political freedom of Africa and committed himself to its liberation in both words and deeds.

“Freedom fighter Peter Tosh often performed for free on many anti-apartheid concerts, at times paying from his own pocket those in the band and crew who insisted on being paid. Their demands would not prevent Tosh from giving his energy and talents to the cause of African freedom.”  Herbie Miller, former manager of Tosh writes in his biography.

The Apartheid (1977)

Among his many revolutionary songs, he recorded Apartheid (1977) in a deliberate move to denounce the oppressive system in southern Africa. Just a decade back, Tosh had been arrested outside the British High Commission in Kingston protesting Ian Smith’s takeover of the former Rhodesia (present-day Zimbabwe).

In 1978, during Bob Marley’s One Love Peace Concert which was intended to put an end to the bloodshed that had marred the 1977 elections in Jamaica, Tosh fearlessly lit a marijuana spliff and lectured about legalizing cannabis, and attacked Jamaica’s corrupt social and political system as the Prime Minister, Michael Manley, and his bitter rival Edward Seaga, the leader of the opposition were sitting right in front of him.

Jamaica and Tosh

Many people (including Tosh himself) believed that it was because of denouncing and calling down fire and brimstone on the Jamaican heads of state that he was arrested several months later for allegedly smoking cannabis and severely beaten by 10 officers in a police station for more than an hour, an incident that nearly cost him his life.

According to Peterthe plainclothes officers intended to kill him so he had to play dead and when they were satisfied and said “Yes, him is dead”, that’s how he survived. Tosh’s revolutionary lyrics and fearless defiance against the shitstem got him in trouble with the authorities numerous times, but that never derailed him from defending his and people’s rights.

Advocate for social and racial equality

As an unshaken advocate for social and racial equality, Tosh was known to turn down offers and reject awards if they did not represent equality and justice and if they had nothing to do with the improvement of the lives of black people world over.

He once refused to perform in a white-dominated section of apartheid South Africa in 1977, although the financial returns exceeded anything he had previously earned. He claimed he would perform, only if it was for those adversely affected by apartheid and if the benefits thereof were channeled towards their improvement.

Herbie Miller wrote in an article that: “I have seen him ( Freedom fighter Peter Tosh) refuse to accept a gold record in Holland, emblematic of his achievements, because he was dissatisfied with the circumstances under which it was presented and what he considered Dutch colonialism in the Antilles.”

African liberation

Tosh’s stance did not only express his support for African liberation, he was also strongly mindful of the world’s oppressed. In 1979, he refused to perform in Israel because of his support for a Palestinian homeland. Reports say he even went further to express his support when he walked on stage at a huge concert in New York dressed like a Palestinian.

Also known as the Steppin’ Razor, Tosh was not only armed with his M16 rifle lookalike guitar and fierce lyrics; he was also a dangerous martial artist with Kung Fu being his favorite and specialty. He often wore ninja outfit during his performances, and the audience was fascinated by his moves as his dancing integrated roundhouse kicks, chops and punches.

Standing at more than 6 feet tall, his roundhouse kicks reportedly reached unparalleled heights of more than 7 feet high. He was not someone you would like to irritate, although he never used his skills to hurt, but purely for the physical form and defence. With a black belt in karate, Freedom fighter Peter Tosh claimed that he had to be a martial arts expert to protect himself and that it was a part of African culture.

Riding on stage

Apart from his martial art skills and ability to make outstanding music, Tosh was also an avid unicyclist often riding on stage during his performances. His wordplay also left many stunned and some irritated, but that’s how he got his messages across. He would refer to the Queen of England as Queen ‘Ere Lies a Bitch; oppressive system as shit-stem; his manager as damager; Prime Minister as “Crime Minister”; bad situation as shituation; Jamaica as Jah Mek Ya; House of Representatives as  House of Represent-a-tief; and politics as “politricks”, just to mention a few.

Tosh Summit

When the late Grenadian Prime Minister, Maurice Bishop, once invited Tosh to a summit in Grenada and greeted him with a popular communist title “Comrade” in the presence of then Jamaican Prime Minister, Michael Manley, Tosh replied, “I man don’t come red, I come black.”

Now, more than three decades since the no-nonsense revolutionary joined the ancestors on September 11, 1987, Tosh is still recognized and remembered for his words and his actions, and remains one of the most important, insightful and committed twentieth-century political musicians and activists.

Rihanna fans all over the world have more reason to hail their favourite female singer as the 31-year-old has just been named by Forbes as the wealthiest female entertainer with a whopping 600 million dollars leading huge names in the industry such as Madonna with $570 million, Céline Dion with $450 million and Beyoncé with $400 million.

Years in the Industry

Her 14 years in the music industry has become the fastest growing career as she surpasses icons who have been in the game years before her. Affectionately called the Bajan Queen or more popular Bad Gyal Riri, the singer turned business mogul has established her surname as a brand that runs the entertainment and fashion industry.

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Only $400 million shy of becoming a billionaire like Jay-Z, Rihanna seems to be following closely in the ways of the first hip-hop billionaire who helped sign her onto a music label and catapulted her into fame. But every dollar the Pon De Replay hitmaker has earned is from her own hard work and determination.

The Barbadian native moved to the U.S. in 2005 from her home in the Caribbean and has given everyone a run for their money since.

According to Forbes, Rihanna owes her huge success to her smart move into film, fashion as well as beauty products slowly moving from collaboration to owning some of the most influential brands in the world.

In 2017, she launched Fenty Beauty earning a reported $100 million in sales in its first few weeks and generated an estimated $570 million in 2018.

Her latest accomplishment, the launch of her FENTY clothing and accessories line under LVMH is also set to not only influence the fashion industry as strongly as her make up line did but also rake in several millions for the mogul.

Feuding dancehall musicians Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale whose near-bloody scuffle marred the 20^th anniversary of the Ghana Vodafone Music Awards held in Accra last Saturday have been stripped of all awards they won at the night.

Stonebwoy and Shatta have consequently been ordered to immediately return to the organisers of the awards, Charterhouse Ghana Limited, the plaques they received for the two awards each of them won on the night.

This was a decision taken by the board of the awards scheme on Wednesday at a news conference to announce sanctions against the two artistes whose scuffle marred the beauty of the show.

Also, the two artistes have been banned indefinitely from participating in all aspects of the country’s foremost music award scheme.

They are thus not eligible for VGMAs nominations, selections and performances going forward.

According to the VGMA board, the decision was taken after “careful deliberations” and “extensive consultation” with stakeholders in the music industry.