Saturday, July 3, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 27)
By Rebecca Kwei
As Ghanaians bask in the exploits of the Black Stars at the ongoing World Cup, one lady who may not be having fun right now is TV3’s Ghana’s Most Beautiful, Nasara Mariam Abdul Rauf.
Nasara has been stripped of her title by the organisers of the pageant, TV3, for allegedly stealing a mobile phone belonging to Miss UK when they camped in the Philippines in preparation for the Miss Earth 2009.
Nasara, however, insists she did not steal any phone but only ‘borrowed’ the phone to make calls.
“As far as I know, I am still Ghana’s Most Beautiful. I don’t have any problem with TV3, everything that is being said about me is false rumour and I leave it all to God” she told the Graphic Showbiz.
TV3 also says it arrived at the decision to strip Nasara of her title after series of investigations, internal discussions and evidence it had. The lady whose phone has caused the controversy is Miss UK, Kirsty Nichol who works as a model and lives in London. She is also a trained singer under the Royal Associated Board and the Academy Of Contemporary Music. She was crowned Miss Earth England 2009 at the Royal Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, England.
The evidence TV3 had was an e-mail from Miss UK which was an itemised phone bill with lots of calls to Ghana at a time that the chip had disappeared. Efforts to get her comments on the unfolding drama were not successful.
In another development, Laura Anness, a teacher who was crowned Miss Cornwall and was set to participate in the Miss England final in Birmingham, has lost her crown after the organisers of the pageant discovered she had deceived them.
Her entry forms for 2010 said she was 22. So, too, were her entry forms for the competition in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Laura is, in fact, 27. Entrants have to be aged between 17 and 24. To make matters worse, the new Miss Cornwall actually lived in Plymouth — in Devon.
She was found out when Miss Cornwall organiser, Becky Chapman, spotted the age inconsistencies on the entry forms and then went to visit her Devon home.
Laura apologised and handed back her sash, crown, her 12-month modelling contract and £2,000 worth of prizes.
Another beauty queen, Venus Raj, who won the Pilipinas Universe title in the Philippines on March 6, 2010, was also stripped of her crown when the organisers discovered inconsistencies contained in her birth records, in contrast to her personal account of her birth.
In 2008, there was the case of a Mexican beauty queen, Laura Zuniga, who was detained on suspicion of drug and weapons violation was stripped of her crown in the Hispanoamerican queen pageant.
Laura was detained on December 22, 2008 along with seven men, some of them suspected to be drug traffickers. Authorities found a large stash of weapons, ammunition and $53,300 with them inside a vehicle.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Commit more resources to cervical cancer screening
Saturday, June 26, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 34)
By Rebecca Kwei
A CANCER CONTROL FOCAL PERSON of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Kofi Nyarko, has called on the government to commit more resources to the effective screening of cervical cancer in the country.
He said cervical cancer was the most common cancer affecting women in Ghana and the lack of an effective and systematic national testing or treatment as compared to other developed countries was increasing the cases of the disease.
Cervical cancer affects tissues of the cervix (the organ connecting the uterus and vagina). It is usually a slow-growing cancer that may not have symptoms but can be found with regular Pap tests (a procedure in which cells are scraped from the cervix and looked at under a microscope). Cervical cancer is almost always caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
Dr Nyarko made this known during a press conference in Accra ahead of the 4th Stop Cervical Cancer in Africa to be held in Accra between July 25 and July 27 this year.
It will be on the theme: “Africa unite in action, mobilising political and financial support to strengthen cervical cancer prevention”.
The three-day international conference is in collaboration with Princess Nikky Breast and Cervical Cancer Foundation, a Nigerian based non-governmental organisation (NGO) at the forefront of breast and cervical cancer prevention and control in Africa.
Giving the cervical cancer statistics, Dr Nyarko said 274,000 deaths were recorded annually, out of which 61,000 (78 per cent) of those deaths were from Africa. About 79,000 women are diagnosed of cervical cancer in Africa each year.
He said women in developing world had the highest risk of developing cervical cancer because few are effectively screened.
He said although there had been interventions in Ghana such as the cervicare project to prevent and treat cervical cancer, there was the need for a systematic national campaign to increase awareness of the disease.
For his part, the Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, quoting from a World Health Organisation (WHO) studies, said that 18 per cent of all cancer deaths in Ghana was due to cervical cancer.
He noted that unfortunately, most of the cancers seen at the country’s health facilities were advanced cases which could have been cured if they had been detected early and that management of those advanced cases was very expensive.
“Prevention, early detection and treatment of early stages of cervical cancer is very cost effective and has good outcome,” he said.
Dr Kunbuor expressed the hope that conference would accelerate Ghana’s efforts at advocacy and awareness creation, as well as enhance the country’s efforts to implement a comprehensive cervical cancer prevention programme.
The Executive Director of Princess Nikky Breast Cancer Foundation, Princess Nikky Onyeri, said the conference was expected to advocate increased awareness of cervical cancer in Africa; to reduce stigmatisation of people suffering and living with cervical cancer.
She said the conference also had the objective to mobilise the needed resources for the development of policies, strategies and action to fight cervical cancer at national, regional and international levels.
By Rebecca Kwei
A CANCER CONTROL FOCAL PERSON of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Kofi Nyarko, has called on the government to commit more resources to the effective screening of cervical cancer in the country.
He said cervical cancer was the most common cancer affecting women in Ghana and the lack of an effective and systematic national testing or treatment as compared to other developed countries was increasing the cases of the disease.
Cervical cancer affects tissues of the cervix (the organ connecting the uterus and vagina). It is usually a slow-growing cancer that may not have symptoms but can be found with regular Pap tests (a procedure in which cells are scraped from the cervix and looked at under a microscope). Cervical cancer is almost always caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
Dr Nyarko made this known during a press conference in Accra ahead of the 4th Stop Cervical Cancer in Africa to be held in Accra between July 25 and July 27 this year.
It will be on the theme: “Africa unite in action, mobilising political and financial support to strengthen cervical cancer prevention”.
The three-day international conference is in collaboration with Princess Nikky Breast and Cervical Cancer Foundation, a Nigerian based non-governmental organisation (NGO) at the forefront of breast and cervical cancer prevention and control in Africa.
Giving the cervical cancer statistics, Dr Nyarko said 274,000 deaths were recorded annually, out of which 61,000 (78 per cent) of those deaths were from Africa. About 79,000 women are diagnosed of cervical cancer in Africa each year.
He said women in developing world had the highest risk of developing cervical cancer because few are effectively screened.
He said although there had been interventions in Ghana such as the cervicare project to prevent and treat cervical cancer, there was the need for a systematic national campaign to increase awareness of the disease.
For his part, the Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, quoting from a World Health Organisation (WHO) studies, said that 18 per cent of all cancer deaths in Ghana was due to cervical cancer.
He noted that unfortunately, most of the cancers seen at the country’s health facilities were advanced cases which could have been cured if they had been detected early and that management of those advanced cases was very expensive.
“Prevention, early detection and treatment of early stages of cervical cancer is very cost effective and has good outcome,” he said.
Dr Kunbuor expressed the hope that conference would accelerate Ghana’s efforts at advocacy and awareness creation, as well as enhance the country’s efforts to implement a comprehensive cervical cancer prevention programme.
The Executive Director of Princess Nikky Breast Cancer Foundation, Princess Nikky Onyeri, said the conference was expected to advocate increased awareness of cervical cancer in Africa; to reduce stigmatisation of people suffering and living with cervical cancer.
She said the conference also had the objective to mobilise the needed resources for the development of policies, strategies and action to fight cervical cancer at national, regional and international levels.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Rally round the flag
Saturday, June 12, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 3)
By Rebecca Kwei
STILL having the notion that football is an exclusive men’s sport? Wrong.
In the past few years, the world’s most widely-followed sport has expanded its fan base as ladies have also been hit by the football bug as much as the men.
At various tournaments around the world, women have suddenly assumed the role of cheerleaders, beautifying the stands in their chic, colourful, national colours to cheer their teams to victory. Not just that, they seem to also understand the rules of the game.
As the 19th historic World Cup kicked off in South Africa yesterday with 32 teams, thousands of beautiful ladies lent their support to their teams.
It may not be official, but Miss Malaika 2009, Gezelle Maame Konadu Addai, sees herself as a chief cheerleader for the Black Stars and is optimistic that the Stars will shine during this tournament and particularly, when they play Serbia in their opening Group D game tomorrow.
“I can feel it in my heart. I’ve watched them play and I think they play very well and with a lot of determination” she said with a lot of passion in an interview with The Mirror.
The Black Stars have received a lot of flak about their performance and preparation towards the world cup, especially, after the Ghana and The Netherlands friendly match which Ghana lost 4-1.
But Gezelle said it was important that all Ghanaians supported the Black Stars through thick and thin.
Gezelle, who rode on US President Barrack Obama’s audacious phrase “Yes, we can” to win the Malaika crown, said that phrase is still as relevant as when it first spoken.
“It is sad that we only have confidence in the team when they win, but we have to support them whether good or bad. We have to cheer them on and also remember them in our prayers.
“ They had proven when hopes were down that yes they could, and I want to remain optmistic that they can do very well at this World Cup. Yes, they can!”
Gezelle who leaves Ghana for South Africa today to cheer the Black Stars said she was hopeful the Black Stars will thrash their Serbian counterparts by at least three goals to nil.
She said Dominic Adiyiah, Asamoah Gyan, Kwadwo Asamoah, Matthew Amoah and Prince Kelvin Boateng, whom she described as the new kid on the bloc, were her favourite Black Stars players.
She encouraged the Black Stars to play as a team , listen to the coach’s instructions and stay focused adding “ I believe in my heart they will make Ghana proud and make the nation stand out on the international map. Go Black Stars, Go!”
Eighteen-year-old Gezelle entered the Miss Malaika Ghana competition with an ambition. Then a graduate of Holy Child Senior High school, she described herself as confident and ambitious — traits that proved useful which won her the crown as Miss Malaika 2009 over 16 other contestants.
Months down the line after winning the coveted crown, Gezelle, who aspires to be an International Journalist and a model, has been on the war path against malaria in Ghana — a responsibility that comes with winning the crown.
Winning Miss Malaika has opened a lot of doors to greater heights for the ambitious young lady and she has not taken the responsibility lightly.
She began not long after her crowning by hosting a Christmas party for the pupils of the Dzorwulu Special School and immediately followed it up with painting the Princess Marie Louis Hospital (Children’s Hospital), donated artworks to the wards, painted the walls of the wards in cartoon characters to encourage them to heal quickly.
It is interesting to note that, all this effort was before she took on full responsibility as the Malaria Youth Ambassador attached to the National Malaria Control Programme.
Gezelle also participated in the MTN 21 days of Yello’ Care for community enhancement project.
This community- based programme included distribution of mosquito nets, painting of selected hospitals, indoor residual spraying, tree-planting exercises and a malaria awareness talk in all the 10 regions.
Aside supporting the Black Stars,she took on other responsibilities such as the Malaria Youth Ambassador and a role as a Charity Icon for MTN. One will find a very active young woman who is constantly on the move to make her community a better place.
By Rebecca Kwei
STILL having the notion that football is an exclusive men’s sport? Wrong.
In the past few years, the world’s most widely-followed sport has expanded its fan base as ladies have also been hit by the football bug as much as the men.
At various tournaments around the world, women have suddenly assumed the role of cheerleaders, beautifying the stands in their chic, colourful, national colours to cheer their teams to victory. Not just that, they seem to also understand the rules of the game.
As the 19th historic World Cup kicked off in South Africa yesterday with 32 teams, thousands of beautiful ladies lent their support to their teams.
It may not be official, but Miss Malaika 2009, Gezelle Maame Konadu Addai, sees herself as a chief cheerleader for the Black Stars and is optimistic that the Stars will shine during this tournament and particularly, when they play Serbia in their opening Group D game tomorrow.
“I can feel it in my heart. I’ve watched them play and I think they play very well and with a lot of determination” she said with a lot of passion in an interview with The Mirror.
The Black Stars have received a lot of flak about their performance and preparation towards the world cup, especially, after the Ghana and The Netherlands friendly match which Ghana lost 4-1.
But Gezelle said it was important that all Ghanaians supported the Black Stars through thick and thin.
Gezelle, who rode on US President Barrack Obama’s audacious phrase “Yes, we can” to win the Malaika crown, said that phrase is still as relevant as when it first spoken.
“It is sad that we only have confidence in the team when they win, but we have to support them whether good or bad. We have to cheer them on and also remember them in our prayers.
“ They had proven when hopes were down that yes they could, and I want to remain optmistic that they can do very well at this World Cup. Yes, they can!”
Gezelle who leaves Ghana for South Africa today to cheer the Black Stars said she was hopeful the Black Stars will thrash their Serbian counterparts by at least three goals to nil.
She said Dominic Adiyiah, Asamoah Gyan, Kwadwo Asamoah, Matthew Amoah and Prince Kelvin Boateng, whom she described as the new kid on the bloc, were her favourite Black Stars players.
She encouraged the Black Stars to play as a team , listen to the coach’s instructions and stay focused adding “ I believe in my heart they will make Ghana proud and make the nation stand out on the international map. Go Black Stars, Go!”
Eighteen-year-old Gezelle entered the Miss Malaika Ghana competition with an ambition. Then a graduate of Holy Child Senior High school, she described herself as confident and ambitious — traits that proved useful which won her the crown as Miss Malaika 2009 over 16 other contestants.
Months down the line after winning the coveted crown, Gezelle, who aspires to be an International Journalist and a model, has been on the war path against malaria in Ghana — a responsibility that comes with winning the crown.
Winning Miss Malaika has opened a lot of doors to greater heights for the ambitious young lady and she has not taken the responsibility lightly.
She began not long after her crowning by hosting a Christmas party for the pupils of the Dzorwulu Special School and immediately followed it up with painting the Princess Marie Louis Hospital (Children’s Hospital), donated artworks to the wards, painted the walls of the wards in cartoon characters to encourage them to heal quickly.
It is interesting to note that, all this effort was before she took on full responsibility as the Malaria Youth Ambassador attached to the National Malaria Control Programme.
Gezelle also participated in the MTN 21 days of Yello’ Care for community enhancement project.
This community- based programme included distribution of mosquito nets, painting of selected hospitals, indoor residual spraying, tree-planting exercises and a malaria awareness talk in all the 10 regions.
Aside supporting the Black Stars,she took on other responsibilities such as the Malaria Youth Ambassador and a role as a Charity Icon for MTN. One will find a very active young woman who is constantly on the move to make her community a better place.
Maternal mortality rate still high
Saturday, June 5, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 13)
By Rebecca Kwei
Ghana has one of the highest maternal mortality rate in the world. The Ghana 2007 Maternal Health Survey revealed that about 451 women per 100,000 live births died in the country due to pregnancy, unsafe abortion or complications of labour (GSS 2007).
According to the 2008 Ghana Demographic Health Survey, the total fertility rate (TFR) in Ghana is as high as 4.0, but the modern contraception usage rate is quite low at 17 per cent among married women.
The use of modern methods slightly declined from 19 per cent in 2003 to 17 per cent in 2008. The modern method distribution among married women is as follows: Tubal ligation - 1.6 per cent; Pill - 4.7 per cent; Intrauterine Device (IUD) - 0.2 per cent; Injectables - 6.2 per cent; Implants - 0.9 per cent; male condom - 2.4 per cent and female condom - 0.1 per cent
Although the government of Ghana has made some gains in the area of reproductive health services, the low levels of family planning practices and in particular, underutilisation of long-acting and permanent methods continue to indicate a lack of information about reproductive health as well as lack of access to these methods.
To support government’s response towards achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 of eliminating maternal deaths due to unsafe abortion in Ghana, a consortium of five agencies initiated a programme dubbed; Reducing Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (R3M) in September 2006.
The five agencies are EngenderHealth, Ipas, Marie Stopes International, Population Council and the Willows Foundation, all international non- governmental organisations that work to improve women’s reproductive health.
The R3M programme provide financial and technical resources that enable the government to significantly expand women’s access to modern family planning and comprehensive abortion care (CAC), reduce unwanted fertility and severe complications and deaths caused by unsafe abortion.
Additionally, it is working to help achieve the government’s contraceptive prevalence goal of 39 per cent by 2015; make family planning services, especially, long acting and permanent methods and comprehensive abortion care routinely available and utilised at all levels of the Ghana health system.
Furthermore, it aims at reducing mortality and morbidity due to unsafe abortion by 2015, by eliminating the majority of the severe complications and make abortion services available to the extent permitted by the Ghanaian Law of 1985, and to educate providers and communities on the law.
The initial three-year phase of the R3M programme ended in December 2009 and was implemented in three regions namely; Greater Accra, Eastern and Ashanti regions.
According to Mr Placide Tapsoba, Country Director of the Population Council, the organisation that co-ordinates the activities of the R3M, the consortium members have met their original objectives of training, promoting community behavioural change, and the use of long acting or permanent family planning methods and providing comprehensive abortion care in both private and public health facilities.
Mr Tapsoba indicated that, the second phase of the programme will run from January 2010 to December 2011.
By Rebecca Kwei
Ghana has one of the highest maternal mortality rate in the world. The Ghana 2007 Maternal Health Survey revealed that about 451 women per 100,000 live births died in the country due to pregnancy, unsafe abortion or complications of labour (GSS 2007).
According to the 2008 Ghana Demographic Health Survey, the total fertility rate (TFR) in Ghana is as high as 4.0, but the modern contraception usage rate is quite low at 17 per cent among married women.
The use of modern methods slightly declined from 19 per cent in 2003 to 17 per cent in 2008. The modern method distribution among married women is as follows: Tubal ligation - 1.6 per cent; Pill - 4.7 per cent; Intrauterine Device (IUD) - 0.2 per cent; Injectables - 6.2 per cent; Implants - 0.9 per cent; male condom - 2.4 per cent and female condom - 0.1 per cent
Although the government of Ghana has made some gains in the area of reproductive health services, the low levels of family planning practices and in particular, underutilisation of long-acting and permanent methods continue to indicate a lack of information about reproductive health as well as lack of access to these methods.
To support government’s response towards achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 of eliminating maternal deaths due to unsafe abortion in Ghana, a consortium of five agencies initiated a programme dubbed; Reducing Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (R3M) in September 2006.
The five agencies are EngenderHealth, Ipas, Marie Stopes International, Population Council and the Willows Foundation, all international non- governmental organisations that work to improve women’s reproductive health.
The R3M programme provide financial and technical resources that enable the government to significantly expand women’s access to modern family planning and comprehensive abortion care (CAC), reduce unwanted fertility and severe complications and deaths caused by unsafe abortion.
Additionally, it is working to help achieve the government’s contraceptive prevalence goal of 39 per cent by 2015; make family planning services, especially, long acting and permanent methods and comprehensive abortion care routinely available and utilised at all levels of the Ghana health system.
Furthermore, it aims at reducing mortality and morbidity due to unsafe abortion by 2015, by eliminating the majority of the severe complications and make abortion services available to the extent permitted by the Ghanaian Law of 1985, and to educate providers and communities on the law.
The initial three-year phase of the R3M programme ended in December 2009 and was implemented in three regions namely; Greater Accra, Eastern and Ashanti regions.
According to Mr Placide Tapsoba, Country Director of the Population Council, the organisation that co-ordinates the activities of the R3M, the consortium members have met their original objectives of training, promoting community behavioural change, and the use of long acting or permanent family planning methods and providing comprehensive abortion care in both private and public health facilities.
Mr Tapsoba indicated that, the second phase of the programme will run from January 2010 to December 2011.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Civil society train on CEAL guide
Saturday, May 29, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 34)
By Rebecca Kwei
A workshop to train representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs) on the Citizens' Education Action Learning (CEAL) Guide has been held in Accra.
The CEAL guide, which was inspired by the Commonwealth Foundation's Citizens and Governance programme, provides practical ways of bringing about the greater participation of people in the governance of the things that affect their lives.
About 25 participants from countries in West Africa and Cameroon took part in the five-day workshop, which was hosted by Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) and sponsored by the Commonwealth Foundation.
The facilitator was the Executive Director of Dignity International, Jerald Joseph.
According to Mr Frank Bodza of WiLDAF Ghana, the Commonwealth Foundation was formed to strengthen CSOs across the Commonwealth as the CSOs promoted democracy, advanced sustainable development and fostered inter-cultural understanding.
The CEAL Guide, he said, would enable members of CSOs to better engage with citizens and their beneficiary audience for development.
He said the training was at the same time being held in East Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.
Mr Bodza said the training workshop would enable CSOs to develop knowledge and skills and involve citizens as active participants in the governance process.
He noted that if people participated in governance, better decision-making processes would be formulated and that would ultimately lead to more effective development and a better society.
He said the CEAL Guide was primarily written for facilitators, trainers or community leaders in the field of citizenship and governance education.
However, it could be used as a resource material for anyone who might be interested in citizenship and governance, he added.
By Rebecca Kwei
A workshop to train representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs) on the Citizens' Education Action Learning (CEAL) Guide has been held in Accra.
The CEAL guide, which was inspired by the Commonwealth Foundation's Citizens and Governance programme, provides practical ways of bringing about the greater participation of people in the governance of the things that affect their lives.
About 25 participants from countries in West Africa and Cameroon took part in the five-day workshop, which was hosted by Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) and sponsored by the Commonwealth Foundation.
The facilitator was the Executive Director of Dignity International, Jerald Joseph.
According to Mr Frank Bodza of WiLDAF Ghana, the Commonwealth Foundation was formed to strengthen CSOs across the Commonwealth as the CSOs promoted democracy, advanced sustainable development and fostered inter-cultural understanding.
The CEAL Guide, he said, would enable members of CSOs to better engage with citizens and their beneficiary audience for development.
He said the training was at the same time being held in East Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.
Mr Bodza said the training workshop would enable CSOs to develop knowledge and skills and involve citizens as active participants in the governance process.
He noted that if people participated in governance, better decision-making processes would be formulated and that would ultimately lead to more effective development and a better society.
He said the CEAL Guide was primarily written for facilitators, trainers or community leaders in the field of citizenship and governance education.
However, it could be used as a resource material for anyone who might be interested in citizenship and governance, he added.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Efya — Musician with new identity, new direction
Saturday, May 22, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 46)
By Rebecca Kwei
She is simply Efya now. In the recent past she was Jane Awindor which then metamorphosed into Jane (as part of the duo, Irene and Jane) and later became Miss Jane.
To the young bubbly singer making ample waves on the scene now, the name change signifies maturity in vocal ability and lyrical content as well as a new identity and new direction in her music.
“The little Jane grew up to become Miss Jane and later to become Efya. I needed to be Jane, Miss Jane in order to grow to be Efya. I found myself. That’s my name — Efya because I was born on a Friday,” she told The Mirror
Note the peculiar way she spells her name — Efya (rather than Afia, Efua) and she explains that there are a lot of “Afias” but her unique spelling is to make her stand out so that “when you mention Efya, everyone would know who you are talking about.”
Efya who just completed the University of Ghana, Legon, majoring in Theatre Arts Directing is working on her first solo album.
Although she could not give a specific time (saying between June and August this year) when the album will be released, she said she was working hard on coming out with “something that will round up everything I want to say and a very good album.”
She describes her genre as Afro neo-soul which she said is a potpourri of Afro-beat, soul music and a little pop.
“Although it’s slow, you’ll want to groove with it” she says of her genre adding: “I find my genre a very good way to express myself and also it’s because of the kinds of songs I listened to while growing up — a lot of soul. I enjoy Erika Badu, Usher, Aretha Franklin.”
Already her hit singles, Blow Your Mind, Nothing and A Moment’s Notice are receiving great airplay.
Nothing and A Moment’s Notice were some of the sound tracks on Shirley Frimpong-Manso’s movie, Perfect Picture.
Interestingly, Efya writes most of her songs and she says she loves to write songs and sing but finds writing more challenging.
"You are writing for a lot of people and you’ll need to express yourself in such a way that someone else listening to you understands what you mean and make the right impression you want,” she said.
Her inspiration comes from everything around her, nature, friends and experiences.
For instance, her song Nothing is based on her and three friends — four friends who love, how much they love and how much they will do for the people they love.
Most musicians started at a very tender age and it was the same for Efya (real name Jane Fara Fauzziea Awindor) who started singing at six in church and by the age of nine was leading the Missionette Choir of the Assemblies of God Church as its director.
“I was brought up in the church. I come from a family of singers and my dad also plays the guitar. At a young age, I knew I wanted to be a singer. It was fun singing at church and I looked forward to going to church always,” she told The Mirror.
While in secondary school at Yaa Asantewaa in Kumasi, Efya continued to develop her singing abilities by being in the choir, and performing at entertainment shows.
She says she was also active in sports in secondary school and participated in the 100m, 200m and 400m relay disciplines.
Nana Adwoa Awindor (Efya’s mom), host of the TV programme Greetings From Abroad (the show that linked Ghanaians abroad with those at home) had an influence on her daughter who was always with her on location to try her hands at editing and production at her mom’s firm, Premier Productions.
“After secondary school, I learnt how to edit, enabling me to edit my mom’s programme for about two years before I started university,” she said.
Although she was singing in church, she didn’t take it so serious till she auditioned for Stars of the Future, a music talent hunt organised by Charterhouse.
Although Irene Logan won the competition and Jane placed third, the two decided to come together under the stage name Irene and Jane.
The duo’s album titled Irene and Jane Unveiled featured Wutah, Amandzeba and Blu 3, a trio from Uganda.
Within a short period, the duo were one of the ‘hottest’ musicians in the country and they performed at various platforms in Ghana and other countries.
The duo split in 2008. According to Efya, the Stars of the Future prize was a three-year contract deal as ‘Irene and Jane’, and after three years they decided to go their separate ways because that was what they had agreed on before coming together.
She said they do different genres of music and they wanted to explore themselves and so were better off going solo.
Efya insists she and Irene are still very good friends and there was no bad blood between them as was being speculated.
Recently, there has been talk about lyrics on women which mostly portray them as sex objects. Efya shares the concern and observed that it was just a strategy for people to market their stuff adding: “This is not nice. I don’t like girls being portrayed as sex objects.”
She says she concentrates on positive lyrics and those that will empower young women.
In the next five years, the 23-year-old Efya envisions her name being “all over the place” and would have won more than 10 Ghana Music Awards in various categories.
By Rebecca Kwei
She is simply Efya now. In the recent past she was Jane Awindor which then metamorphosed into Jane (as part of the duo, Irene and Jane) and later became Miss Jane.
To the young bubbly singer making ample waves on the scene now, the name change signifies maturity in vocal ability and lyrical content as well as a new identity and new direction in her music.
“The little Jane grew up to become Miss Jane and later to become Efya. I needed to be Jane, Miss Jane in order to grow to be Efya. I found myself. That’s my name — Efya because I was born on a Friday,” she told The Mirror
Note the peculiar way she spells her name — Efya (rather than Afia, Efua) and she explains that there are a lot of “Afias” but her unique spelling is to make her stand out so that “when you mention Efya, everyone would know who you are talking about.”
Efya who just completed the University of Ghana, Legon, majoring in Theatre Arts Directing is working on her first solo album.
Although she could not give a specific time (saying between June and August this year) when the album will be released, she said she was working hard on coming out with “something that will round up everything I want to say and a very good album.”
She describes her genre as Afro neo-soul which she said is a potpourri of Afro-beat, soul music and a little pop.
“Although it’s slow, you’ll want to groove with it” she says of her genre adding: “I find my genre a very good way to express myself and also it’s because of the kinds of songs I listened to while growing up — a lot of soul. I enjoy Erika Badu, Usher, Aretha Franklin.”
Already her hit singles, Blow Your Mind, Nothing and A Moment’s Notice are receiving great airplay.
Nothing and A Moment’s Notice were some of the sound tracks on Shirley Frimpong-Manso’s movie, Perfect Picture.
Interestingly, Efya writes most of her songs and she says she loves to write songs and sing but finds writing more challenging.
"You are writing for a lot of people and you’ll need to express yourself in such a way that someone else listening to you understands what you mean and make the right impression you want,” she said.
Her inspiration comes from everything around her, nature, friends and experiences.
For instance, her song Nothing is based on her and three friends — four friends who love, how much they love and how much they will do for the people they love.
Most musicians started at a very tender age and it was the same for Efya (real name Jane Fara Fauzziea Awindor) who started singing at six in church and by the age of nine was leading the Missionette Choir of the Assemblies of God Church as its director.
“I was brought up in the church. I come from a family of singers and my dad also plays the guitar. At a young age, I knew I wanted to be a singer. It was fun singing at church and I looked forward to going to church always,” she told The Mirror.
While in secondary school at Yaa Asantewaa in Kumasi, Efya continued to develop her singing abilities by being in the choir, and performing at entertainment shows.
She says she was also active in sports in secondary school and participated in the 100m, 200m and 400m relay disciplines.
Nana Adwoa Awindor (Efya’s mom), host of the TV programme Greetings From Abroad (the show that linked Ghanaians abroad with those at home) had an influence on her daughter who was always with her on location to try her hands at editing and production at her mom’s firm, Premier Productions.
“After secondary school, I learnt how to edit, enabling me to edit my mom’s programme for about two years before I started university,” she said.
Although she was singing in church, she didn’t take it so serious till she auditioned for Stars of the Future, a music talent hunt organised by Charterhouse.
Although Irene Logan won the competition and Jane placed third, the two decided to come together under the stage name Irene and Jane.
The duo’s album titled Irene and Jane Unveiled featured Wutah, Amandzeba and Blu 3, a trio from Uganda.
Within a short period, the duo were one of the ‘hottest’ musicians in the country and they performed at various platforms in Ghana and other countries.
The duo split in 2008. According to Efya, the Stars of the Future prize was a three-year contract deal as ‘Irene and Jane’, and after three years they decided to go their separate ways because that was what they had agreed on before coming together.
She said they do different genres of music and they wanted to explore themselves and so were better off going solo.
Efya insists she and Irene are still very good friends and there was no bad blood between them as was being speculated.
Recently, there has been talk about lyrics on women which mostly portray them as sex objects. Efya shares the concern and observed that it was just a strategy for people to market their stuff adding: “This is not nice. I don’t like girls being portrayed as sex objects.”
She says she concentrates on positive lyrics and those that will empower young women.
In the next five years, the 23-year-old Efya envisions her name being “all over the place” and would have won more than 10 Ghana Music Awards in various categories.
Constance — 10 Years of making metals talk
Saturday, May 22, 2010 (The Mirror Pg 3)
By Rebecca Kwei
Oscar Wilde, the Irish writer and poet, said, “A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament”, and for Accents and Arts, a company that deals in furnishing and decor, it’s been 10 years of unique and creative exploration.
While most companies in the furnishing and decor business use mainly wood, Accents and Art, very early in its business, realised the need to break away from that and use the finest quality iron.
Using metal and blending it with the language of art, vision and imagination, Accents and Art manufactures chairs, gates, balustrade (a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling), sculpture, chaise lounges, bar stools, desk chairs, tables, consoles, chandeliers, curtain rods, light, lamps, mirrors and other products with a touch of class.
According to Ms Constance Swaniker, the Managing Director and Founder of Accents and Art, the company was established to rediscover the striking and artistic nature of wrought iron.
She said over the years, the company had gone on to skilfully blend wood with glass and various materials to bring out the splendour of metal art.
Having gone through the showroom on the factory premises located at Bubiashie, a suburb of Accra, I realised that products from Accents and Art have a unique look; the pleasant designs draw one to them — a mixture of traditional and contemporary designs, the twists, folds, scrolls not normally associated with metal and high-end finishes which are missing in most items produced in Ghana.
“Every design, every product is very well thought of before it comes out. The artistic element makes it different from what you see of others in the same business. We focus on how the iron details of flowers and leaves make ordinary products like fences, gates and chandeliers extraordinary,” Ms Swaniker emphasised.
From humble beginnings of three workers using very basic hand tools, the company now boasts 38 workers using sophisticated industrial machines.
Her clients include hotels and lodges, restaurants/bars, corporate institutions, churches, boutiques, malls, shops and private individuals.
The company was registered in May 2000 as a sole proprietorship but became a limited liability company from November last year.
Most Ghanaians do not take the arts and sculpture seriously and it is also a venture not taken seriously.
However, Ms Swaniker notes that “over the years, the growing middle-class in Ghana are beginning to appreciate fine art and are very particular about their homes. Some have also travelled extensively and they know the value of quality art pieces so the demand is high”.
Additionally, she said the real estate business was very vibrant, making the demand for functional art high.
On why she chose to use metal, she said getting access to wood was becoming difficult and there was, therefore, the need to explore other areas other than the traditional wood. Additionally, she said metal tended to be cheap and lasted longer.
Over the last 10 years, Accents and Art has carved a niche for itself and developed a brand that adds an artistic touch, such that Ms Swaniker says, “Someone sees an art piece somewhere and immediately knows it’s from Accents and Art.”
However, like every venture, it has not been entirely smooth sailing. Ms Swaniker says there have been challenges.
A main challenge, she said, was finance and that several banks did not find small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) attractive enough to do business with.
The high interest rates on loans, according to her, also did not help businesses grow.
She pulled out and showed me an article titled, “Interest rates ‘killing’ economy” published in the African Business magazine.
The article indicated that interest rates charged by Ghana’s commercial banks were the highest in Africa and second highest in the world.
She called on Ghanaian banks to lower interest rates so that small businesses could access loans to grow. She also urged the government to identify key businesses which had potential and create a special fund for them to meet their specific needs.
But over the years, doing good jobs has opened a lot of doors for Accents and Art.
The company also got a grant from the World Bank, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and that led to a team of consultants helping to put modern systems and structures in place for the company to operate till now.
She noted that when businesses were helped to grow, the ripple effect it had on society, such as creating employment for the many unemployed youth, was enormous.
“We need to encourage SMEs that it is possible to grow small businesses to this level, using my company as an example,” she said.
Having established Accents and Art at the young age of 26, Ms Swaniker also believes that young people ought to be given a chance to prove themselves.
Being a woman operating in a male-dominated field, she said she was actively involved in every process of manufacturing the products.
She also doubles as the Creative Director.
Ms Swaniker is an artist and sculptor by profession. She holds a degree in Fine Art (Sculpture option) from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
As the company celebrates its 10th anniversary, Ms Swaniker is working hard to consolidate the gains made as a medium-scale business. She is also anxious to move the company on to a bigger scale, while continuing to delight her clients with exceptional quality furnishing and decor.
As part of activities to mark 10 years of achievements, there will be a special exhibition of works from Accents and Art on its premises at Bubiashie at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 27.
By Rebecca Kwei
Oscar Wilde, the Irish writer and poet, said, “A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament”, and for Accents and Arts, a company that deals in furnishing and decor, it’s been 10 years of unique and creative exploration.
While most companies in the furnishing and decor business use mainly wood, Accents and Art, very early in its business, realised the need to break away from that and use the finest quality iron.
Using metal and blending it with the language of art, vision and imagination, Accents and Art manufactures chairs, gates, balustrade (a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling), sculpture, chaise lounges, bar stools, desk chairs, tables, consoles, chandeliers, curtain rods, light, lamps, mirrors and other products with a touch of class.
According to Ms Constance Swaniker, the Managing Director and Founder of Accents and Art, the company was established to rediscover the striking and artistic nature of wrought iron.
She said over the years, the company had gone on to skilfully blend wood with glass and various materials to bring out the splendour of metal art.
Having gone through the showroom on the factory premises located at Bubiashie, a suburb of Accra, I realised that products from Accents and Art have a unique look; the pleasant designs draw one to them — a mixture of traditional and contemporary designs, the twists, folds, scrolls not normally associated with metal and high-end finishes which are missing in most items produced in Ghana.
“Every design, every product is very well thought of before it comes out. The artistic element makes it different from what you see of others in the same business. We focus on how the iron details of flowers and leaves make ordinary products like fences, gates and chandeliers extraordinary,” Ms Swaniker emphasised.
From humble beginnings of three workers using very basic hand tools, the company now boasts 38 workers using sophisticated industrial machines.
Her clients include hotels and lodges, restaurants/bars, corporate institutions, churches, boutiques, malls, shops and private individuals.
The company was registered in May 2000 as a sole proprietorship but became a limited liability company from November last year.
Most Ghanaians do not take the arts and sculpture seriously and it is also a venture not taken seriously.
However, Ms Swaniker notes that “over the years, the growing middle-class in Ghana are beginning to appreciate fine art and are very particular about their homes. Some have also travelled extensively and they know the value of quality art pieces so the demand is high”.
Additionally, she said the real estate business was very vibrant, making the demand for functional art high.
On why she chose to use metal, she said getting access to wood was becoming difficult and there was, therefore, the need to explore other areas other than the traditional wood. Additionally, she said metal tended to be cheap and lasted longer.
Over the last 10 years, Accents and Art has carved a niche for itself and developed a brand that adds an artistic touch, such that Ms Swaniker says, “Someone sees an art piece somewhere and immediately knows it’s from Accents and Art.”
However, like every venture, it has not been entirely smooth sailing. Ms Swaniker says there have been challenges.
A main challenge, she said, was finance and that several banks did not find small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) attractive enough to do business with.
The high interest rates on loans, according to her, also did not help businesses grow.
She pulled out and showed me an article titled, “Interest rates ‘killing’ economy” published in the African Business magazine.
The article indicated that interest rates charged by Ghana’s commercial banks were the highest in Africa and second highest in the world.
She called on Ghanaian banks to lower interest rates so that small businesses could access loans to grow. She also urged the government to identify key businesses which had potential and create a special fund for them to meet their specific needs.
But over the years, doing good jobs has opened a lot of doors for Accents and Art.
The company also got a grant from the World Bank, through the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and that led to a team of consultants helping to put modern systems and structures in place for the company to operate till now.
She noted that when businesses were helped to grow, the ripple effect it had on society, such as creating employment for the many unemployed youth, was enormous.
“We need to encourage SMEs that it is possible to grow small businesses to this level, using my company as an example,” she said.
Having established Accents and Art at the young age of 26, Ms Swaniker also believes that young people ought to be given a chance to prove themselves.
Being a woman operating in a male-dominated field, she said she was actively involved in every process of manufacturing the products.
She also doubles as the Creative Director.
Ms Swaniker is an artist and sculptor by profession. She holds a degree in Fine Art (Sculpture option) from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
As the company celebrates its 10th anniversary, Ms Swaniker is working hard to consolidate the gains made as a medium-scale business. She is also anxious to move the company on to a bigger scale, while continuing to delight her clients with exceptional quality furnishing and decor.
As part of activities to mark 10 years of achievements, there will be a special exhibition of works from Accents and Art on its premises at Bubiashie at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 27.
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