While we were sleeping, the Discovery Channel was projecting an image of Ghana in 'Jungle Gold'

@KwakuSpider Protected account18 Mar

@abena_serwaa have u seen #junglegold ?

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To be frank, I had never even heard of the Discovery Channel's Jungle Gold before being asked if I had seen it by the intrepid Kwaku Spider via Twitter. Clearly I may have been too busy getting my brain fried by excessive reality television viewing via TLC. Did you know TLC stands for "The Learning Channel" ? Now that is irony right there.   

Anyway, I digress. Back to Jungle Gold. Apparently it premiered last year on my mother's birthday which is also curious since areas very close to her place of birth feature heavily in this show. 

So here is the Jungle Gold premise according to Wikipedia:

Jungle Gold is an American reality documentary television series on the Discovery Channel.The series debuted on October, 26, 2012.The series follows George Wright and Scott Lomu as they attempt to earn some cash in order to recover from losing everything in the real estate crash of 2008. The series focuses on the duo as they encounter the task of gold placer mining in the Ashanti Belt along the Birim River in Ghana of West Africa. The tools they use to recover the gold are: mercury, a trommel, water pumps, and an excavator. The local village where they extract the gold is across the river, while the nearest town is Romaso, Ghana, and the nearest city is Dunkwa, Ghana.

Source: wikipedia.org

Scott and George in search of "Ghana gold" [as oft repeated by the narrator]
source: nydailynews.com

To be fair I have not watched an entire episode of Jungle Gold and have only had the pleasure of watching clips via Discovery Channel's online site. 

As far as I can see: 

Jungle Gold = 1/4 A-Team + 1/4 Tintin in the Congo + 1/4 Lord of the Rings + 1/4 Reality. 

Snippets of Jungle Gold that I find particularly worrying:

• Environmental degradation being shown in Ghana's rich tropical rain-forest
• Seeming absence of any Ghanaian authorities 
• The adventurers being shot at by a masked gun man who was caught on film
• The heroes of the piece negotiating with a seemingly dubious British land-owner in Ghana for HIS gold-filled land

These clips got me thinking: 

• Where are the Ghanaian chiefs and other authorities in this production? 
• When Scott and George were shot at by a gun-man did the police get involved? 
• How come the news of a gun-man shooting at foreigners never made it into even one newspaper? 
• Was all this gold surface mining done with permits?
• Isn't mass degradation of the environment reserved for Ghanaians only?
• What do Ghanaian authorities have to say about this entire show and the type of image of Ghana it is projecting? 
• Is Ghana really a free-for-all for country where foreigners can simply walk in and do mining?
• Are these the types of foreign 'investors' Ghana is attracting?
• Who is checking the activities of these and other foreign 'investors' in Ghana anyway?

Apparently the duo started this quest for gold three years prior to 2012. So that would be in 2009. I must concede that after watching more of the clips, it seems the entire show is probably 80% Lord of the Rings but with very real environmental degradation.

Interestingly, I could only find one article condemning this show from a Ghanaian media source (GhanaMediaNews.com):

Discovery Channel promotes illegal mining in Ghana - Jungle Gold

This article was from November 2012 and had a link to petition signed by 1,481 people. It seems the premiere of this show in the US last year made few waves in Ghana itself. Was it simply a case of lots of things happening while we were all sleeping?

Political Animals

Not sure if it is the stellar cast, riveting storyline or the politicking angle that made the US television series Political Animals so enjoyable for me. Unlike many who proudly declare that they "hate politics" or "don't do politics", I'd be the first to admit I really enjoy politics as practiced under democratic dispensations anywhere in the world. The jostling for power, shady deals, the compromises, broken promises, the neverending scandals, the manipulative nature of good politicians and of course the collective amnesia exhibited by electorates everywhere.

I am not sure if what makes Political Animals so good is the way it blurs the line between fact and fiction. By the way, is there some literary device for basing fictional characters and events so closely to real people and events but cleverly making slight deviations? 

See for example, the plot synopsis for Political Animals on IMDB:

"A divorced, former First Lady, is currently serving as the Secretary of State. She deals with State Department issues, while trying to keep her family together"

I should also add that this former first lady was married to an affable fictional President of the US in office in a fictional 1990s when he lied about an affair. This former President has a strong Southern accent and perchance for cigars.

Anyway, like me, some loved Political Animals:

" 'Political Animals' Review: Sigourney Weaver Owns This Delish Washington Soap"

- Maureen Ryan, Huffington Post 

 

Perhaps 'Soap' is the operative word since some were not so in awe:

"What was sold as "The West Wing" comes out looking a lot more like "Dallas." Not necessarily a bad thing, if you can lower your expectations" - 

Timothy Goodman,The Hollywood Reporter

Speaking of Dallas, I'm still reeling from the fact that its back after a 21 year hiatus. The theme song should be on the soundtrack of my life. Well, probably not as prominently featured as the themes for other fine soaps such as Santa Barbara, Bold and Beautiful, The Young and the Restless and of course Days of Our Lives. One day I will blog about how the Young and the Restless was broadcast on South African TV for years dubbed in Afrikaans during the dark days of apartheid. One day somewhere in 1990, around the time apartheid was collapsing all around, we turned on the TV to find the Young and the Restless was inexplicably in English. I kid you not. Alas I digress.

As a kid I cramped my big sister's style when she tried to secretly trying to watch Dallas and Dynasty after our bed time by plugging earphones into the TV.  I must admit that despite pestering her to explain what was going on, I understood absolutely nothing about the 'complex' Dallas storylines.

Main Dallas cast then:

Source: imdb.com

Main Dallas cast now (it really does still revolve around JR):

Source: tnt.com

But isn't real-life politics like a soap opera anyway? Aren't they all about money, power and respect and much more? Anyway, the bottom-line for me is that Political Animals is worth a watch. Oh and so is Dallas.....I'm sure.

BBC's Sherlock: A Stroke of Genius

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson outside 221B Bakers Street
Source: www.bbc.com

I must admit that I completely ignored the buzz and hype around the BBC TV series Sherlock when it first debuted in 2010. Although I'm a great fan of most interpretations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character Sherlock Holmes, a rendition set in modern London just did not seem appealing. Well, that was before I watched the first few minutes of the first episode of the first series and was instantly sucked in. I am not sure if it was the riveting plot, offbeat humour or the slightly gloomy modern London setting. More  likely it was brilliant acting from all the cast and the perfect onscreen chemistry between the two main actors. Although I had seen Martin Freeman years ago in the original 'The Office' series, I had sadly never heard of Benedict Cumberbatch whose turn as Sherlock Holmes is unforgettable. Rather than the modern interpretation taking away from the Sherlock Holmes story, it just made it even better. This is Sherlock Holmes digitalized, social media-ed, interneted and smart-phoned.  The worst part is having to wait until 2013 for the next installment of Sherlock.

Of Bent British Coppers** and Life on Mars

Life on Mars - Sam Tyler (John Simm) in the centre

Back in 2008, I blogged about my  fascination with the UK TV series Life on Mars. Quick recap:  The year is 2006 and the setting is Manchester where a high-ranking police officer (Sam Tyler) gets hit by a car while listening to the David Bowie classic Life on Mars? (great song, horrible video...orange hair and a pastel blue suit? Seriously...like what was David Bowie thinking back in the early 70s?). Anyway, Sam Tyler wakes up in Manchester in 1973, is he in a coma? Has he traveled back in time? He is completely clueless and so are we.

So Sam Tyler is stuck in a 1973 nightmare without the internet, mobile phones or computers. He is also forced to put up with dinosaur police colleagues who are sexist, racist and smoke too much. The best character on the show is Sam's whiskey-swigging wise-cracking boss from hell Gene Hunt; an expert at making sexist comments, planting evidence, carrying out grievous bodily harm and of course taking bribes. Since Sam comes from 2006 where all policing is followed strictly by the book, he feels like he "landed on another planet" [part of the show's tagline],

Modern British policing all strictly by the book? Hahaha!  The recent phone-hacking scandal in the UK revealed (among other things), that journalists bribed several police officers over an extended period of time in order to get information about criminal investigations. As appalled as I was about the revelations, the fact that policemen in a model western democracy took bribes gives me ample satisfaction. Why? Well, over the years, us in the [so-called] Third World have been preached to, patronized, and admonished by the West about our weak and corrupt institutions. Turns out people who live in glass houses.....

However, I cannot be rubbing my hands with glee for too long. One thing I know is that once the problem has been identified in the UK, swift corrective action will follow. Indeed, as I type, heads have already started rolling. Alas, that is the difference between our part of the world and the West. On a few occasions, we actually identify the rot but we are either slow to act or choose to ignore the problem for various reasons. So in the end who gets the last laugh?

By the way, someone better tell Sam Tyler that he may be better off staying put in 1973. After all,   things may not have changed that much between then and now. 

**Bent British Coppers= Corrupt British Police officers

Kofi Kingston; the Jamaican Wrestler from.... Ghana?

 Jamaica's own son Kofi Kingston in a rich display of national colours

source: wrestlingvalley.org

Back in 2008, the BBC featured the fascinating story of Kofi Kingston; a professional wrestler claiming to be the first Jamaican wrestler with the multi-million dollar franchise the  World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

To be frank, I have not watched the WWE since it was the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) before those pesky legal problems with the other WWF (World Wildlife Fund for Nature). Back in those days, the hottest wrestlers on the bill were The Undertaker, Bret 'Hitman' Hart and Shawn Michaels! Nevertheless, I was impressed that there was  some young Caribbean representation in this eerily popular franchise. But...

• Apparently Kofi Kingston spoke with the worst Jamaican accent known to man
• Kofi's real name is Kofi Sarkodie-Mensah which sounds mysteriously like he was born on a Friday and hails straight from the hinterlands of Ghana
• Although  a large number of Jamaicans can trace their ancestry directly to Ghana, Kofi Kingston looks uncannily like dozens of Ghanaian guys I know or see on the streets of Accra  EVERYDAY!
• Kofi's mum was head of the Ghanaian-American Association and she claimed that Kofi was born in Ghana and not Jamaica.

So it appeared that poor Kofi Kingston was facing a cringe-worthy corporate-fueled identity crisis! Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I randomly tuned into the WWE on that new TV station eTV Ghana. Just as I was about to hop to another channel I heard: 

"...hailing from Ghana, West Africa...Kofi Kingston!"

What? What happened to Trenchtown? What happened to the land of Bob Marley and reggae? According to the good people at Wikipedia, Kofi Kingston has been billed as coming from Ghana since October 2009.

So what brought about this change? 'Change' may just be the key word. Could the ephemeral spotlight shone on Ghana by  the Obama family visit in July 2009 have had a ripple effect? Very possible.

Speaking of change, since the whole Jamaica facade has  been dropped, isn't Kofi in need of a new ring name:

"Kofi Accra" ?

"Kofi Tamale" ?

"Kofi Kumasi" ?

"Kofi Koforidua" ?

 "Kofi Kintampo" ?

I like the sound of Kofi Kintampo!

Those finely-toned buttocks could only be of Ghanaian origin!

Source: wikipedia

When Samia met Abena: Two Daughters, Two Legacies and One Meeting

Between waves of stomach bug-induced nausea this past weekend, something caught my eye in the Saturday's Daily Graphic newspaper (19-9-09). According to an advert in the paper, the popular TV3 interview programme Kwaku-One-on-One hosted by seasoned journalist Kwaku Sakyi-Addo was scheduled to have two guests. One of the guests was going to be Hon. Ms. Samia Nkrumah, Member of Parliament for Jomoro and only daughter of our first president Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. The other guest was Professor Abena Busia, Professor of English at Rutgers University and daughter of Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia, Prime Minister of the Republic of Ghana 1969-1972.

During their lifetimes, Nkrumah and Busia can best be described as political adversaries on opposing sides of the political divide. On the one hand, there was the Nkrumahist ideology: the leftist, pan-African socialist force that led us after independence from 1957 until 1966. On the other hand, there was the Busia legacy: the liberal democratic right of centre force, that underlines the 'Danquah-Busia' political tradition and is associated with the Kufuor administration from Jan. 2001 to Jan 2009. So despite, my weird stomach bug and promises of a scheduled power outage by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), this was one show I did not want to miss.

Yet I missed the first 5 minutes. I missed the initial exchange of pleasantries as both women in their beautiful afro-centric themed outfits recounted their first meeting sometime in 2007 or 2008. Their smiles were beautiful, the atmosphere was warm and one thing I noticed was how both women bore striking resemblances to their respective fathers.

The first sign of controversy revolved around a statue. In 2007, a number of parks in different regions were renamed Jubilee Parks as part of the celebration of 50 years of Ghana's independence. This included the Kwame Nkrumah park in Sunyani, the capital of the Brong-Ahafo Region. A statute of Dr. Busia (being a son of Wenchi also in the Brong-Ahafo region) was erected in this very park. Apparently they are calls to rename the park and remove the statue. Prof. Busia was appalled about being called by radio stations to answer whether she felt that the statue should be removed.

Ms. Nkrumah agreed that the park should revert back to its original name while Prof. Busia did not see why the statue would have to be removed. After all, is her father not one of the most famous sons of the Brong-Ahafo? Ironically, Kwame Nkrumah can also be credited in creating the Brong-Ahafo region in the first place. During the commercial break, the two women came to an interesting compromise; maybe the park can be renamed Kwame Nkrumah (Jubilee?) Park with the statue of Kofi Busia allowed to remain. They both laughed at how little say they actually have in the fate of the park or the statue.

Most of the show was devoted to both women recounting their differing stories of forced exile and the bravery of their respective mothers in the face of family upheaval and adversity. They talked about the effect of the political turmoil in Ghanaian history on their own family units.

I learnt something very interesting from the programme. According to Prof. Busia, in 1959 when her father escaped from Nkrumah's Ghana, the person who warned her father about impending danger and precipitated his exile was none other than Kwame Nkrumah's ebullient loyal minister Mr. Krobo Edusei. Imagine that?!

The tone of the interview was civil, conciliatory, full of stories of separate but paralled histories and also quite emotional. Both women avoided the finger-pointing that is so characteristic of Ghanaian political discourse today. The show convinced me more and more of something; we need more intelligent, strong women as political leaders in Ghana. Ms. Nkrumah has made already made a brave and dignified entrance into the murky Ghanaian political scene and I quietly await Prof. Busia.

Prof. Busia and Hon. Ms. Nkrumah. Unfortunately, the positioning of the cameras meant that we got more side views of Ms. Nkrumah more than anything.

When Fears come true: Car Trouble at Midnight

I think I watch too many television series involving psychopaths, serial killers, ghouls and demons. Two of my favorites series are Criminal Minds which revolves around a group of FBI profilers chasing the criminally insane while the other is Supernatural which has two brothers driving across the US in search of really scary supernatural forces. Interestingly, these two series have both featured similar scenarios where a woman is driving along an abandoned, isolated, rural road deep in the night. As she drives along, she gets a flat tire. The distraught lady tries her phone and for some reason it is always out of network coverage area. She is always forced to get out of the car and attempt to change the tire when either:

1. A hooded person emerges from the darkness with a long butcher knife
2. A strange car pulls up and offers help and that's the last time the lady is seen alive

So as I headed home alone last Friday around midnight, you can imagine my shock and horror when my car engine stalled after I hit a speed bump. It all happened when I was making the steep descent outside Can-West heading towards the railway line that divides Airport Residential area and Dzorwulu. I managed to reach the bottom of the hill and parked in the darkness on one side of the road. I started the car again and it would not spark! So I reached for my phone and realised that I deserved the 'Genius of Year award' because the whole day I had had silly conversations on both my mobile phones and completely run all my credit down. *Yikes*

I thought about leaving my car there overnight...the only problem being that by the next morning I would have been likely to find that my car had proved useful for anyone looking for free (well-worn) tires, a cellotaped-down dodgy car radio and a battery.

As I sat in the darkness contemplating my next move, a dark-coloured pick-up pulled to a stop in front of me. The images of my car being stripped down were rapidly replaced with picture of a dimly-lit room where my body parts were being cut into small parts and being separated into plastic bags to be sold for juju charms. Out of the car emerged a nice-looking man dressed all in white. White like an angel but I was still very suspicious. For this narrative we will call him 'Man X'. Man X asked politely if I needed help and I nodded desperately as my adrenaline levels started to rise. He tried my car engine and alas, it was very much still dead. He went over to get a rock to hold something steady but me being a little paranoid imagined the rock being the blunt instrument that was about to knock me out cold. So I moved over to stand by the roadside making a call with shaky hands as some woman on the line told me "You have no call credit!"

Man X went over to his truck and took out a short rope...At that point paranoia really took over and I found myself hailing down a passing taxi. The driver stopped and I realised what a ridiculous thing I was doing especially since Man X was trying to help me so waved him on. In the end, my good samaritan concluded that the only way to deal with the predicament was to tow me home. However...
Problem number 1: The rope he had (which was not to tie me up) was too short and not standard issue for towing.
Problem number 2: The Ghana Police Service night patrols may also agree that it was illegal to be towing a car with such a rope and would as we say in Ghana "worry us"

Man X tied up the cars and we set off...all I had to do was watch the brakes and steer...Problem Number 1 was okay and it was all working pretty out well when Problem number 2 set in. Very close to my home in Dzorwulu, Ghana Police Service officers were hot on our heels in full pursuit. They flagged us down full of glee. Man X got out of his truck and explained the scenario and informed the officers that he did not even know me. I confirmed that this was the first time I had set eyes on him and that he had actually saved me from a potentially dodgy situation.

The police were not having it. They said I should have called a tow truck. "A tow Wha??? At that time of the night??" I thought "Where the @#$#@%$@ is that number anyway?" After extensively searching my car, they told me that it was an offense so what was I going to do?...

In the end, the nice officers understood..Well, the understanding came after I gave them a small token for a soft drink. They allowed me to be towed home and were helpful enough to follow us from behind for the rest of the way. I just hope mini-buses brim full of armed robbers were not whizzing by as they provided an escort for me home.

It was only when I got home that I found out Man X's name. His rope was ruined but he refused to take any money to replace it., Last Friday night, this good samaritan really restored my faith in the goodness of Ghanaians. The most annoying part of the whole story was that after Man X had left, I started the car and it sparked without a problem! I wish I had tried the car earlier...before we ran into the cops!

'Celebrating' 49 years of the Republic of Ghana???

Yesterday marked 49 years since Ghana was declared a Republic. This public holiday is what we call "Republic Day" in Ghana. Was it really Republic Day yesterday? It passed by so subtly, so quietly and it almost went by un-noticed. Why would that be?:

• 49 is a strange odd number...not quite 50 years so it hard to be over-joyed just yet
  
• Public holidays in the middle of the week (Wednesday) are strange things. They make you think the day after (Thursday) is Monday and the day after that (Friday) is Tuesday. You also think that the day before the holiday (Tuesday ) was last week Friday..Completely disorienting

The main Ghanaian newspaper the Daily Graphic chose to celebrate the day with a picture of the first President of Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the great Muhammad Ali. The caption said something like: Ghana became a Republic on 1 July 1960 paving the way for visits by important personalities from across the world. Something like that. Since Muhammad Ali only came to Ghana in 1964 I was a little perplexed about his connection with Republic Day. Besides, I'm sure he did not count the fact that Ghana was a republic among his reasons for visiting.....or did he???


Republic Day 2009 started out full of hope for me. During the BBC Network Africa show between 6:30am and 7:00am, I was quite proud when they played the beautiful In Ghana by Rocky Dawuni. I love that song. Afterwards, I hoped the the good people at the BBC would mention that Republic Day was being celebrated in Ghana but alas I was disappointed...

In Ghana by Rocky Dawuni from 1998. I never tire from posting this video on my blog!



The rest of Republic Day was completely mundane. I drove around town later in the morning and found no signs of life or any indications of any 'Republic Day' fiestas. Alas, the only jamborees being celebrated were a football match and 2 years of the radio station Oman 107.1 FM. This particular show was broadcast all night on Net2 television station. Thrills.

Later in the evening, the Republic Day boredom almost killed me and I settled down to watch Weeds Season 2 on DVD. How I got through Weeds Season 1 is still a mystery to me. In case you have never had the pleasure of watching Weeds, it is an American TV series about a middle-class suburban soccer mum who loses her husband and somehow decides to sell marijuana to make ends meet. As I said how I got through Season 1 is still a mystery to me. Weeds Season 2 episode 2 got my attention through. The protagonist ends up at a weird convention where marijuana is being tested and sold. There is sweet reggae music being played in the background by a live reggae artist who is none other than Ghana's own ROCKY DAWUNI! In case there were any doubts, his name was emblazoned across the back of the stage. So my Republic Day celebration came full circle. It started off with that great Ghanaian patriot Rocky Dawuni and when I was just about to give up, Rocky came back to me again...thru Weeds. It was definitely a sign!

Big Brother Africa: Why I'm the "Need Not Apply" Candidate!

Big Brother Africa (BBA) auditions are here again! Well, at least that's what I heard on the radio. I must admit that I quite the reality television nut. There is something alluring about watching real people facing real challenges or just making a fool of themselves on TV. I enjoyed the recently-ended Da Viva Sew Project on Ghana Television, I used to love watching people descend into Lord of the Flies-esque chaos on Survivor and MTV Real World marathons were always a wonderful source of inspr...procrastination.

Aside from cheese, clogs, windmills and Rutger Hauer, Big Brother is clearly the best thing to come out of the Netherlands! The first Big Brother Africa was a particular joy to watch. One of my bestest buddies from high school was selected to represent her country and opted to make it a complete surprise. You can imagine my shock on the opening night when my brother pointed out that there was a person in the house that looked a lot like her.... even sounded a lot like her....HANG ON...was her!! She made us all proud during her stint in the house. Even though I’m a fan of watching strangers sit around all day and get on each others' nerves, I have been contemplating the reasons why I would never survive in the Big Brother Africa house:

1. Not Ghanaian enough: Let's face it, my fellow Ghanaians would vote me off first. My presence in the house would be a source of irritation and out-rage and I'm inclined to agree with them. Although my accent has lost most of its foreign inflections (after years of constant practice), the average Ghanaian would be quick to detect that I'm a foreign inter-loper not worthy to represent Mother Ghana. Indeed this may be true. After all:

• I do not have any Ghanaian boarding school hazing experiences…I was bullied in boarding school elsewhere.
• I never read Courtesy for Boys and Girls
• The only time I watched the popular show Osofo Dadzie was on holiday or when some family friend had a bulky VHS tape from the Motherland

2. The Bore factor: I’m actually quite an un-interesting person. It is very rare to see me throw caution to the wind. I have had very few wild and wacky moments....(well, my friend Sagar would beg to differ but lets ignore him!) ….I just cannot see myself doing body shots of tequila off the armpits of strangers or playing truth or dare naked in a hot-tub.

3. The (Dreaded) Shower Hour: A guy I know tuned in to Big Brother Africa ONLY for the famed shower hour. This is enough to prevent me from EVER auditioning for the show.

4. I'm a news junkie: I need to know what is happening in the world around me. I cannot imagine being cut-off from the news for 90 days..even news about family and friends counts. In 2007, Big Brother Australia was under fire for not telling a contestant that her father had passed away. Scary world we live in...

5. The Age Factor: I will not lie...I'm no spring chicken! I know Big Brother UK does have a taste for more "mature" contestants but alas, this is Big Brother Africa and:

• The averge BBA candidate probably remembers enjoying Britney Spears' Baby one more time as their first video as a kid. I on the other hand enjoyed Billie Jean as my first video and REMEMBER the Thriller hype.**

• The average BBA contestant probably grew up listening to Westlife and think of the Backstreet Boys and N 'sync as classic boy-bands.....I grew up listening to New Edition and think of the Jackson 5** as a classic boy-band.

There are so many other reasons to mention but there is really no point since I would probably not make it past the first round of selections anyway! Sigh...I will have to be content enjoying Big Brother Africa from the comfort of my couch.

**Ironically, references to Michael Jackson were made before his untimely departure.