A New Dawn

We were here at the birth of dawn
Through the bloody struggles
And peaceful agreements
Foe became friends and friends, family

We were here before the rising of the sun
Through the forging of alliance    
We became a force to reckon with
Our heads high, chin up

Now we are stronger than ever
The sun is yet to set
So when all is said and done
We will be walking hand in hand
Towards achieving our greatest feat

Accessibility of Development

Accessibility in development

|| 14.3.2014 || Jacqueline Muro, Harriet Abena Ndanu, Jessi Ristilä, Erja Andersson, Eetu Ampuja ||

Development does not happen in a vacuum. Even if you depend on nature you still need to have a plan and that plan should often aim at inclusivity.
Most countries in Africa are still striving to develop; however, in their quest to develop they tend to marginalize a large section of the population. For instance people living with disability are often marginalized and discriminated against during the development process. Even though there are laws, regulations and conventions which stipulate that these people should be in included and be allowed to participate in the national development  most Third World government lack the necessary resources to implement these basic human rights.
Article 30 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities states that, people living with disability should be allowed to participate in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport of which most African countries are signatories to.
Both the 2006 Disability Act of Ghana and the 2010 Disability Act of Tanzania also states that public buildings and transport should be made accessible to people living with disability but till date, these laws and conventions are not being implemented. Finland has a comprehensive disability policy programme – VAMPO that caters for the needs of people living with disability.
Ghana and Tanzania can take a cue from Finland by eliminating structural and infrastructural barriers and prevalent attitudes in society that restricts the independent living, coping, self-determination and social inclusion of people with disabilities.
Development is incomplete when a section of the population is excluded. Development is the inclusion and participation of ALL.

This article was produced as international team work during “Newswriting – Focus on Development Journalism” –course in TUAS. The participants came from Ghana, Namibia, Tanzania, Netherlands, Belgium and Finland. The course was taught by Ms. Bertha Amakali, Deputy Head of Department from Polytechnic of Namibia, Mr. Geofrey Aloyce, Head of Journalism Department from University of Iringa and Mr. Kodwo Boateng, Acting Dean from Ghana Institute of Journalism.

The course was supported by JOCID project (Journalism for Civic Involvement, Democracy and Development). More information of JOCID: http://jocid.turkuamk.fi/

MEANING OF WOOD SCULPTURE DESIGN

Sculptors in Ghana in designing a piece do not design just for the sake of designing. They attach meaning to every design they make. Some of these designs have general meaning while others are peculiar to the sculptor or the client he is working for.

The most popular and common designs most sculptors use in Ghana is the Adinkra symbols. The Adinkra symbols are common to wood sculptors in Ghana as it has a shared meaning.

Adinkra Symbols

These symbols are very traditional and originates from Ghana precisely, the Ashanti region. Therefore, these symbols have become common designs for wood sculptors in Ghana since most Ghanaians can allude to it.

 There are symbols like the “Fawohodie” which means “freedom, emancipation, and independence”. There is also the “Nyame Dua” which means “tree of God” and “Nea onnim no sua a, ohu” which means “he who does not know can know from learning”.

There are other designs that are peculiar to the sculptor. Most wood sculptors in Ghana create certain designs that over time, becomes their signature. They create these designs and give them a meaning. Some designs are also created to suit the client. They design the sculptor to suit the meaning the client wants to attach to it.

Designing in wood sculpture is not done for the fun of it or just for the beautification. It is done to give meaning to the work.

Perspective: Meaning of Wood Sculpture Design

TELEVISION TALK SHOWS IN GHANA

Television has become a very popular phenomenon in Ghana. Not only is there a national broadcaster, there are several private television stations as well. There is the free to view and pay per view. I guess the popularity of television has led to the popularity of talk shows.

Talk shows have flooded the screens of all televisions in Ghana. They range from morning talk shows to midday shows and there are those held in the evenings. The subjects for these talk shows vary. They include politics, relationships, fashion, entertainment and religion.

I really enjoy listening to these talk shows as most of them are very educative, entertaining and informative. My problem is mostly with the political talk shows.

Most of these political talk shows are very biased as only representatives of the two major political parties are invited to air their views. The Ghana I know is made up of more than two political parties, therefore inviting just two parties to speak about their ideologies I think is not representative enough.

Most often, the panelists of these political talk shows are jack of all trades and master of none. They speak on all issues ranging from health, education, finance, agriculture, gender etc. They speak on these issues from fields where they do not have much knowledge.

Despite the fact that most producers of these political talk shows are biased in selecting their panelists, there are a few who make sure that all sides of an issue are brought to light by inviting all the parties involved. They also do well by inviting experts in the field of the subject under discussion.       

Perspective:The Bias Nature of Political Talk Shows in Ghana.                                                                               

HOW WOMEN ARE PORTRAYED IN ADVERTS

There have been several campaigns and awareness created in the media to change certain stereotypes attached to people by reason of their sex. Despite the numerous campaigns and awareness being created to achieve gender equality, there are still people who believe the place of the woman is in the kitchen.

I am not talking about some uneducated man living in a village somewhere who thinks all the girl child is good for is to be a wife. I am actually talking about the educated, those who uphold the concept of gender equality. I am referring to people who have educated their girl child to obtain higher academic laurels. They take them to the best of schools so that they can hold important positions in the future but still hold the notion that a woman’s place is in the Kitchen. I don’t know if it is done consciously or unconsciously.

I believe every advert we see in the media whether prints, electronics or online have two meanings to it, the general and the subtle. The general one would be to sell a product, service or idea. But there are hidden meanings in all advertisement in the media.

I have observed the Ghanaian media for a while now and can confidently say that women are often portrayed as kitchen materials in most of the adverts.  Of course, that is not what the adverts seek to achieve but these stereotypes are fed into our subconscious mind through advertizing.

I have realized that women are used to advertize food and cooking. Women are always used to advertise tomato paste, cooking oil and the like.  No wonder, Gino, Frytol and Maggi, all ingredients of cooking have women at the centre of it. To show how superior the man is to the woman, they also use him to advertize technology and business.

Maybe advertisers have never really thought of the subtle meaning they convey with their adverts. I pray advertisers would be more cautious when creating their adverts so as not to make the efforts of those fighting for gender equality futile.

Perspective: How women are portrayed in adverts.

DANCE IS COMMUNICATION

Dance has been defined as an art form that generally involves the movement of the body, often in a rhythmic way and to music. But dance, goes beyond movement of the body. Dance is a form of communication.

Likewise, all dances in Ghana communicate. The traditional dances like Adowa, Kpanlogo, Agbadza, Borborbor, Gahu, Gome, Kete, Atsiagbekor and even a contemporary dance like Azonto all are used for communication. The meaning of the dance is embedded in every step the dancer takes, the gestures with the hands and even the facial expressions.  I have always known this truth but I guess I didn’t really believe as I didn’t understand most of the dances I have witnessed.

I have seen most of these dances being performed on different occasions but very often I am unable to tell the meaning of the gestures. I am only able to tell if a dance is that of mourning or celebration based on the occasion. That story changed as I understood a whole story through dance.

Someone doing the Kpanlogo dance

It happened on the 11 October, 2013 at the Kama Conference Centre during the launch of the 2013 “Because I am a Girl” Campaign report. The event was dubbed “In Double Jeopardy: Adolescent Girls in Disaster Situations”. The dance was to depict the theme of the event. I had doubt because I didn’t believe anyone could depict such a theme through dance without having to say a word. I sat in my seat wondering how the dance would look like.

I was surprised or should I say shocked when the Global Arts and Development centre took over the podium, as they told a whole story which depicted the theme of the event through dance.

It was after that event, that I really understood the statement, "Dance is Communication".

Perspective: Dance as a form of communication

CONTEMPORARY CIRCUS PERFORMANCE

A circus is a company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, jugglers, musicians and the like. Their performances are mostly done in circles called the circus ring. Circus performers are mostly nomads who move from place to place with their entertainment.

 I have always been a lover of circuses even though I have never seen any live circus performance. I see them in movies and hope for a day when I will see some in reality. My favorite part of most of the circus shows I have seen on television is when the clowns and jugglers have to do their own thing. I can never forget the acrobats in the circus shows I have seen, not with those killer moves of theirs.

 I don’t know if I can describe what I saw as a circus performance, but I think it is a contemporary form of circus performance. It is a performance that took place on Viking lines Amorella that left the shores of Turku to Mariehamn on the 18 February, 2014.

The performance took place at the fun club on the ship. I described the performance as a contemporary form of circus as it has elements of traditional circus performances. It had music, acrobats, dance and it followed a storyline about life events and like traditional circus performances, there were moving from place to place with their performances.

I don’t think what I saw was different from what I see on television. The only difference was with the manipulation of the lightening system to give the performers a silhouette look. Even if that show is not a circus, I am satisfied knowing that I have witnessed something that is or is close to a circus.

Perspective: Contemporary Circus Performance