Who said Make-up makes you beautiful?

There’s a company, Berlin Investments Limited, that manufacturers and distributes a line of cosmetics named Black's Secret Make-up products in Ghana. It started selling its products and has grown in popularity so the management decided to expand. This led to the decision to open up a make-up bar in Osu, a high-time shopping area in Accra, the capital of Ghana. Ghana’s economy is growing pretty steady right now and one sector that is seeing exponential growth is the movie/music/entertainment industry. Its becoming more and more westernized with celebrities creating their own Ghanaian hybrid pop culture so this really doesn’t come as a shock to me. Women will feel like they should look like what they see on tv and in the movies (just like they do here in the United States) so they’ll want to get all the works done to make it happen. What interests me is the reactions to this article on the Ghanaweb.com website.

The men don’t want it!!! The guys that commented on the article are so appalled at the fact that the make-up line offers sun screen and melanin protection that they just had to scream out.

And I must confess that I’m enjoying reading the comments. Why? Because traditionally Ghanaians (or should I Africans in general) don’t wear make-up. Its not a part of our culture. What we would put on our faces to beautify ourselves looks nothing like what L’oreal and CoverGirl put on the shelves. (An example can be seen in this picture of myself dressed in traditional wear for a performance at an African cultural show.)
When a woman puts on foundation, blush, mascara and lipstick, they’re seen as being artificial and fake. I know many men that totally look down on it including my own father. One person commented that “they are destroying our women.” That is really how someone feels. Another person commented that “My beautiful Black Woman is natural ... No makeup.”

Interestingly enough a day after reading this article I came across another one that talked about African women and their hair.

In this article a guy talks about his mom and how he never really saw her real hair ever because she always wore wigs. To him he had no clue why she did that thinks she would look just fine with her natural regular hair. Meaning her nappy bushy unpermed hair. (See exhibit two…. My hair). He brought this up after seeing the film/documentary by Chris Rock called Good Hair. Please go see it if you haven’t. Its extremely informative and hilarious at the same time. It will show you what black women really go through to look the way they look and how much it costs them (both financially and health-wise). So he says girls shouldn’t throw chemicals in their hair and make themselves sick in the name of having their hair straight and just leave it the way it is. Then he asks other guys to comment on what they think of his opinion. He got 88 comments and I might be adding one myself. After all, what makes you beautiful is what is on the inside, not the outside.

Togo Gets its First Female Presidential Candidate

I’m proud of our Togolese neighbors. This doesn’t happen very often in African countries. They have a woman running for president. Or should I say they had. She just dropped out of the competition. Why you wonder? It looks like her and two other candidates fear that the elections will be rigged to favor the incumbent president so they are dropping out in protest. The current president just so happens to be the son of the president before him and that one ruled for three decades. After his daddy’s death, he ran for president and rigged the election to make sure he continued the ‘family legacy.’ Obviously he has no intentions of letting go anytime soon.

But let’s get back to this lady president aspirant. I’m loving her story. She has been advocating for women in Togo for the longest and wasn’t just running up against the incumbent president but against a total of 6 men. Now that is impressive. She has her doctorate in law and holds positions such as the sub-regional coordinator of the NGO Femmes, droit et développement en Afrique (Women, Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) and an advisor to the African Women Development Fund (AWDF).

I think its unfortunate that she has been forced to step out of the race especially since she had the approval of so many. As the combined opposition was looking to select a single candidate who would encompass their main objectives into one force against the current government, she looked like a great choice. She had the experience of serving in the countries government for many years already and advocating for women’s rights. With women constituting 52% of the country’s population, I believe it would be a long-awaited breath of fresh air for the country.

Although others oppose her running and feel that she would be run over by the numerous male candidates plus the looming male majority in the existing government, I believe that those are just the conditions that would prove to the world that Togo is not only embracing democracy and equal rights but is also willing to put the past behind them and move towards their development as a nation.

Ghana's got oil.... now what? [A brief progress report]

Ghana recently (relatively) discovered that it has oil fields off its shore and has since then been preparing to start drilling for a major boost to its economy (hopefully). There has been a lot of buzz about it since it happened. There have been countries all over showing interest in the oil since then (including our former colonizer, Britain as well as China) and companies bidding to be in control of the whole set-up process. Right now it looks like they are getting those formalities worked out. Norway is collaborating on oil and gas management efforts. It is offering its experience in helping over 22 countries in order to make sure international standards and laws are applied as the industry develops.

The World Bank/Afro Global Alliance is mobilizing the locals of the Jomoro District in Western Region (the coastal community that the oil discovery will be affecting the most) to discuss the benefits of the people and to find ways or preventing oil-driven conflicts as seen in other African areas such as the Niger Delta and Angola. These areas have endured many environmental hazards that have been neglected and not benefited from the immense wealth being pumped around them. Some lack basic amenities such as clean drinking water and are exposed to human rights violations.

It is for this reason that the influential players in the affairs of this community such as chiefs, opinion leaders, youth groups, heads of departments and district assembly representatives have been gathered. We must learn from the mistakes of others and build our wealth with the right foundation.

So now the people and professionals of the land have to be trained on exactly how to handle what is coming at them. For this reason a three-day workshop was held at the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi in the Ashanti region to educate engineers and stakeholders in the gas and oil industry. They are doing all they can to beef up the oil and gas technical know-how of local Ghanaians and hope that the infrastructure set-up to support the new oil industry will not only create many jobs but also cater to other industries that are the current backbone of Ghana’s economy such as agriculture and the growing private sector. Hopefully with all this education flying around measures will also be taken to prevent any environmental degradation and employ the technicians being trained to maintain the efficiency of the system.


But amid all of this there are already rumors of foul play with the initial company transactions involving close affiliates of the recently ousted government. The Texas oil company Kosmos was the company that provided the financial input and technical expertise that resulted in the discovery of Ghana’s oil in the West Cape Three Points block. It was able to establish a relationship with the Ghanaian Ministry of Energy (MOE) and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) for this permission through a company called the EO Group. This company was established by two U. S. based Ghanaians that decided to invest into exploring the coastal waters of their country and ended up getting way more than they expected.

Now that the oil field discovery has been made and all Ghanaians are excited about the prospects involved, the originators of this good news are being accused of corruption. The owners of the EO Group are said to be friends of former president of Ghana, Mr. John Kuffour and are accused of using their access to top Ghana officials (at the time) to ensure that EO Group and Kosmos had the most favorable terms in the agreement. The Ghana attorney-general as well as the US Justice Department is investigating further into the transactions of the two companies and rumors are flying everywhere of what the real truth is.

This oil is a pivotal discovery for Ghana and I hope that it was not founded on fraudulent terms. These are the kinds of things Ghanaians seek to avoid. Being a country that has been applauded on its transition into a growing democracy on a continent known for continuous chaos, many international eyes are observing how Ghana will handle its newly found wealth. U. S. President Barack Obama chose Ghana to be the first African country to visit with his family after winning the presidency.

Ghanaians all over the world bragged to nationals of other African countries that we were the first because we’re such a ‘good example’ for others to follow but stories like this could throw all of that down the sink.

Oil means money and money means people breaking all kinds of rules. I hope Ghana cleans it up and keeps it clean. We have a reputation to protect. The best way to keep things transparent is to educate as many as possible to ensure accountability of all parties. I believe we’re stepping in the right direction.

A long way come but still a long way to go

On a scale of African counterparts, Ghana has come far.


In 1957, it was the first sub-Saharan country to gain its independence. Since then, it can boast that it has not had a war. The majority of African countries familiar to most Americans became so due to a war or famine (such as Ethiopia, Rwanda and Sudan). This is largely due to the fact that before colonization, Africa was divided based on ethnic and language groups (just like in Europe, Germans live in Germany and French live in France). During the Scramble for Africa, marked by the Berlin Conference, many ethnic groups were divided into colonies and territories based on the desire of European powers that did not take the location of various ethnic groups into consideration. This has resulted in many ethnicities being forced to live together as nations after struggling for independence from their colonial masters.

For this reason, Ghana (formerly the British Gold Coast Colony) is comprised of approximately 100 ethnic groups. Yes, Ghana has had its share of military coup d’etats and corruption has not been eradicated but never has it had a war. As the country has progressed throughout the years, its democracy has become an example to many and has been dubbed the “island of peace” in a very chaotic Africa. Many believe this is the reason that it was the first African country Barack Obama chose to visit after he became president.

Ghana has become a center for business and tourism in Africa. It has seen a phenomenal boost in its music and film industry with the emergence of ‘hip-life,’ the Ghanaian version of hip-hop and ‘Ghollywood.’ Improvements to the educational system are ever-progressing and many come from countries all over Africa to its universities. At independence there was just one university but there are now 5 public universities and the establishment of many private universities. There has been expansion in almost every part of the public and private sectors from mining (Ghana has an extensive Gold mining industry) to health to the fashion industry and of course, agriculture, its main revenue source. Ghana is currently the second largest exporter of cocoa in the world.

All these are achievements Ghanaians boast of daily but there is much more to be done. There are still many that live without electricity, running water and many amenities such as schools and hospitals. There is also a technological breach between the have’s and the have-not’s that is similar to the digital divide the US previously experienced. Internet access is open and available in urban centers but scarce in rural regions. Many visit cafes and in-house internet connections are still not a widespread phenomenon. This shows that Ghana still has a long way to go but is steadily on the path to getting there.

Introduction

When many Americans think of Africa, they think of the images that have been pushed by mainstream media. Starving children, poverty, war, disease…… a continent that just seems to never be able to get its act together and always needs to be relieved. And yes, Africa has had its ups and downs. Corrupt governments, ethnic clashes and some of the harshest living conditions have prevailed in several countries. Many of these situations are the remnants of colonization by the ever-exploitative, resource raping European powers that left begrudgingly (but that’s another blog for another day).

In the minds of many, the idea still prevails that most Africans live without electricity, pipe-borne water or a balanced diet, talk less of internet, cell phones and video games. As a Ghanaian born in America and raised in both countries, I am a witness to the very opposite. Especially within the last 5 or 6 years, Africa has seen a surge in technology that could be putting it in the same ranks as countries like India and China sooner than many would expect. There is more going on behind the scenes than mainstream media is willing to reveal.

I am here to introduce to you the Africa they never show you. The Africa that is doing more than just pulling itself up by the bootstraps. The Africa that has just as many facebookers as anywhere else. The Africa that has city-dwellers averaging two cell phones a person. As a Ghanaian, I will be focusing particularly in that region but will also incorporate other stories from within the West African region. I will focus on the development and adaptation of technology in the life of the Ghanaian. This blog will touch on all aspects from health to social networking to education to music and entertainment. It will attempt, to the best of its ability, to demonstrate how a country that has become a prime example of an African democracy is adapting western technologies as well as developing technologies of its own to bring itself to a global parallel. It will reflect the stories found on Ghanaian owned and run websites such as GhanaWeb.com, GhanaBusinessNews.com, GhanaMusic.com, GhanaThink.com, GhanaShowbiz.com and others.

Please keep in mind that this blog is being created for a class that I am taking at the University of Maryland- College Park (JOUR 289I) but is free to be viewed by all and welcomes as many comments as possible. Any sources that you might run into as a reader that you think might be relevant to the topic should please be forwarded to the author. Thank you and happy reading!