During my National Service in my holy village of Wasa Akropong, one of my colleagues was Richard Bessah, who was then a graduate from UST, in Physics. Uncle Bee, as we called him, told me about Chemical Engineering. I decided to apply for those two courses: Mechanical and Chemical. I was offered the latter, which I accepted. After the first semester of School of Engineering, and my struggles with Technical Drawing, I thanked God that I wasn’t offered Mechanical.

I would go on to do a second degree in Chemical Engineering and to also author books.

At dawn today, I was reflecting on what my children would want to be and what they would eventually be, when they grow up. The cycle has started.

Listening to the interviews post the NDC primaries elections, especially with those who were successful in unseating incumbent MPs, I had one key question on my mind: Is there any politician who DECIDES to stand for a position, particularly a parliamentary slot, on his/her own accord without having to respond to the PRESSURE/DEMAND of the people? The oft used line that they had to respond to the call of the people brings them across as people without minds of their own. And why do some of them lose elections if the people are so eager to have them?

Have a blessed week, y’all.

With the rains, I thought of my holy village of Wasa Akropong. After a heavy rain, our suburb of Low Cost Estates, which is a swampy area, is usually flooded, with the waters snaking their way through the grass. The night following the rains, and especially at dawn, one is always assured of a rendition of Handel’s Messiah in F-Major. By the Throaty Philharmonic Choir of Wasa Akropong. Made up of toads. Fat ones. And nowadays, quicy has been added to the description of these amazing voices.

My mum tells me there are lots of Chinese in Wasa Akropong now. Doing galamsey, surface mining. And that the croacking of toads after rains have reduced. Soon this dawn singing of the Throats would be a thing of the past. Unless we launch a special initiative for the preservation of Wasa Toads.

I was the MC at the cocktail in honour of my friends Theo and Naomi Tetteh yesterday after their wedding. On our way from the event, my sons asked me when I will wed their mother. I replied that we have have our wedding a long time ago.

“When I was a small baby?” Nana Kwame asked.

“No, you were not born then.” I responded.

“I don’t remember,” he insisted.

Haha, of course, my boy. But they were not done.

“You have to do the wedding again.” That was Nana Yaw. “Because I want to be there.”

Hmm, how do you re-wed your wife? Things that kids get you to think about.

Any suggestions for this dad in a dilemma?

Mingling with this august list were two young writers: Kofi Akpabli and Nana Awere Damoah.

The occasion was a special afternoon of literature with the Vice President, and to welcome his Bloomsburg editor, Ms. Nancy Miller as well as introducing her to the literature and authors of Ghana. There were readings by Meri and Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng and a hilarious reading by his Excellency the Vice President John Dramani Mahama from his upcoming book, MY FIRST COUP D’ETAT And Other True Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa, which will be published by Bloomsbury in July 2012. 

What a wonderful afternoon it was!

The Vice President has taken the lead in answering the ever-present request that our statesmen leave us memoirs. May more follow this example.

“My First Coup d’Etat and Other True Stories From the Lost Decades of Africa, which already received critical acclaim from the legendary Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Commonwealth Prize winner Aminatta Forna, and US National Book Andrew Solomon.”(http://panafricannews.blogspot.com/2011/07/republic-of-ghana-vice-president-john.html)

The information below is culled from the Bloomsbury catalogue: http://www.bloomsburyusa.com/books/catalog/my_first_coup_detat_hc_597

My First Coup d’Etat

And Other True Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa

By John Dramani Mahama

An important literary debut from the Vice President of Ghana, a fable-like memoir that offers a shimmering microcosm of post-colonial Africa.

My First Coup D’Etat chronicles the coming-of-age of John Dramani Mahama in Ghana during the dismal post-independence “lost decades” of Africa. He was seven years old when rumors of a coup reached his boarding school in Accra. His father, a minister of state, was suddenly missing, then imprisoned for more than a year.

My First Coup D’Etat offers a look at the country that has long been considered Africa’s success story. This is a one-of-a-kind book: Mahama’s is a rare literary voice from a political leader, and his stories work on many levels–as fables, as history, as cultural and political analysis, and, of course, as the memoir of a young man who, unbeknownst to him or anyone else, would grow up to be vice president of his nation. Though non-fiction, these are stories that rise above their specific settings and transport the reader–much like the fiction of Isaac Bashevis Singer and Nadine Gordimer–into a world all their own, one which straddles a time lost and explores the universal human emotions of love, fear, faith, despair, loss, longing, and hope despite all else.

 

For someone who stayed in an out-of-campus apartment throughout my years in the university, Tales from Different Tails vividly captures all the extra-curricular activities I missed on campus. I’m definitely going for a re-read, something I hardly do.

Meantime, I have  been trying my hands at creating some descriptions of characters, just for fun. Perhaps these will become useful in the days to come.

1. His head was as bald as the bum of a newly born baby. I can imagine this guy’s face, at noon, with the sun directly above  his head, and this plateau of a headtop reflecting the rays of the hot celestial body.

2. When he smiled, he revealed a gap that appeared as if a Kufour bus had made a detour through his mouth. Hehe, that would look like the road that goes under the motorway, from the Spintex road (near Action Chapel) to East Legon. Imagine standing on the road infront of Galaxy International School and looking at the motorway, and seeing that under-pass.

3. This soup looks like a fish pond. My friend Dapaa and I used to think that our soups at Tech had that attribute, fish occupying more space than soup, the combined volume of the solid (fish and/or meat) being more than the liquid. What comes close to this picture is the Fanti woman’s delicacy called fanti fanti, a stew made with fresh fish. When a Fanti girlfriend/wife cooks that for you, and sits by you with her hands drawing delicate symbols in your head…the best pampering session one can get!

4. When she walked, her behind shook like a goat in a jute sack. Now, that is not unusual to see in a typical African country south of the Sahara. Schooling in the UK for a year, I saw how dangerous it was to copy blindly, especially by our beautiful, 300ml Coca Cola shaped ladies. The dresses worn by most of the white girls that didn’t even ruffle my eye lashes, when worn by our African girls, could cause a tsunami in my eyelids!

5. His head was shaped like a box iron. An old line we used when growing up, to irritate our friends.

6. His forehead extending above his eyes reminded me of the Kwahu mountains. Especially when one approached the mountains from Nkawkaw.

Just the ramblings from my mind. Eish, that could be a title in the series after Excursions in My Mind and Through the Gates of Thought.

This year, I intend to do some more of such ramblings. This blog should not have only the well-structured articles and stories. Who knows which of these ramblings would open the floodgates of my mind, and make it a creative one, at last.

As a post-script, I saw a posting by Francis Ocloo this morning on Facebook that cracked me up. Here it is: “What is the world coming to? Just saw a cat running away from a mouse. Incredible!” Yeah, amazing indeed.

Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps)

Epub (Apple iPad/iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, others)

PDF (good for reading on PC, or for home printing)

RTF (readable on most word processors)

Plain Text (flexible, but lacks much formatting)

…and others!

Do share the news.

Check out the book and purchase here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/123064

Excursions in My Mind is also available at: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/123160

Only 13 nations took part in the inaugural World Cup in Uruguay, with a majority of seven coming from south America, but it proved a huge success.

The referee blew the final whistle six minutes early, realised his mistake and then had to call the players, some of whom were already in the bath, back to finish the game.

World Cup history – Italy 1934

Of the last eight, Spain and Italy required a replay to separate them after drawing 2-2 at the end of extra-time.

They played again the next day, with Italy’s Guiseppe Meazza scoring the only goal of the game.

On Sunday 10 June, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini called the nation to a standstill in anticipation of a glorious triumph for Italy. Mussolini saw the competition as a chance to spread fascist propaganda, something that cast a shadow over the tournament.

World Cup history – France 1938

Brazil and Czechoslovakia’s first match ended in an all-out brawl, with three players sent off and two taken to hospital.

Dr Ottorino Barassi, the Italian Fifa vice-president, kept the trophy safe in a shoe-box under his bed throughout the Second World War.

World Cup history – Brazil 1950

India pulled out because Fifa would not let them play in bare feet.

Defeat was too much for the Brazilian officials and they forgot to present the trophy to the winners, leaving Jules Rimet himself to seek out the Uruguayan captain and belatedly do the honours.

World Cup history – Switzerland 1954

There were some incredible scorelines, with 26 matches producing 140 goals at an average of 5.38 goals per game.

As expected, Hungary bulldozed their way through their group, beating Korea 9-0 and an under-strength West Germany 8-3, before knocking out Brazil 4-2 in the last eight.

The game ended in an all-out brawl in the dressing room after three players were sent off.

Despite going 3-0 up, the Swiss were beaten 7-5 by Alpine rivals Austria in the quarter-finals, a World Cup record for the number of goals in a game.

West Germany defeated Yugoslavia in the last eight and demolished Austria 6-1 in the semis to set up a rematch against Hungary in the final.

World Cup history – Sweden 1958

Brazil won their first World Cup in a finals that marked the arrival on the world stage of the incomparable Pele.

Before the final, Brazil had the Swedish cheerleaders banned from the pitch because they were worried they would give the hosts an added advantage. But, when Brazil won, the entire nation showed the world just how to celebrate.

World Cup history – Chile 1962

A fan threw a bottle at Brazilian Garrincha, hitting him on the head, after he was sent off during the semi-final against Chile. He replied by parading the Chilean flag after Brazil won the final, but there was plenty of violence involving the teams as well.

It started in the opening round, with the worst trouble occurring in the game between Italy and hosts Chile, which became known as the “Battle of Santiago”.

Italy’s Ferrini was sent off and had to be dragged from the pitch by police when he refused to walk.

Team-mate Mario David was also ordered off when he retaliated to a punch in the face by kicking his opponent’s neck.

World Cup history – England 1966

A dispute over qualification meant 16 African nations refused to take part, but Portugal was among those who did so for the first time.

England beat the South Americans 1-0 but the match was played in a bad spirit. It was held up for 10 minutes when Argentina’s captain, Antonio Rattin, was sent off and refused to go, before he was finally dragged away.

The final match was not without controversy, as a Russian linesman awarded England their third goal after the ball hit the bar and bounced onto the ground.

TV replays failed to prove if the ball had crossed the line, and 40 years after the event it remains a major talking point.

World Cup history – Mexico 1970

Brazil took the Jules Rimet trophy home for good after a wonderful display of attacking football helped beat Italy.

Holders England had a difficult build-up to the tournament. They were labelled “thieves and drunks” by the Mexican press and defensive lynchpin Bobby Morre was arrested on trumped-up shoplifting charges in Colombia. He was bailed to play in the tournament.

West Germany came up against Italy in the last four, with Franz Beckenbauer forced to play with his arm in a sling. His courage went unrewarded and the Italians ran out 3-2 winners in extra-time to earn their first final appearance for 32 years.

World Cup history – West Germany 1974

Off the pitch there was little harmony among the West Germans and their players were constantly at loggerheads with the authorities over player bonuses.

Bad feeling remained after the final and the team’s victory celebrations were spoiled when several players walked out of the banquet after officials barred their wives.

World Cup history – Argentina 1978

Argentina won their first World Cup – 48 years after reaching their first final – but the event was shrouded in controversy both on and off the pitch. There was huge opposition to Argentina hosting the event as the country was run by a military dictatorship.

There had been threats of a major boycott in protest at General Videla’s totalitarian regime. But many of the top footballing nations – and first-timers such as Iran and Tunisia – ended up going. However, when a leading tournament official was assassinated en route to his first press conference doubts about Argentina’s suitability to host the event intensified.

World Cup history – Spain 1982

The most bizarre incident came when Kuwait walked off the pitch in their game against France in Valladolid after a row over whether the referee had blown his whistle to stop play. They were ordered back on by Prince Fahid and France eventually won the match 4-1.

World Cup history – Mexico 1986

The Mexico World Cup was dominated by one man – Argentina’s Diego Maradona. He proved beyond doubt that he was the best player of his generation as he helped his country to their second World Cup with a win over West Germany.

But as well as moments of genius he plumbed the depths with his notorious “Hand of God” goal against England.

Colombia was scheduled to host the tournament but had to give up that right for financial reasons.

World Cup history – Italy 1990

A tournament dominated by negative, defensive football proved memorable for England’s showing – their best in football’s showpiece event since 1966.

England lost on penalties in the semi-finals to West Germany who went on to win probably the worst final in history for their third title.

They beat Argentina 1-0 courtesy of a dubious Andreas Brehme penalty.

England’s semi-final in Turin produced one of the most vivid images of the tournament as Paul Gascoigne burst into tears after a booking which meant he would miss the final if his side went through. They did not.

World Cup history – USA 1994

There was a shocking postscript to the USA group match against highly-fancied Colombia when Andres Escobar was murdered on his return to the troubled South American country. Escobar had conceded an own goal in a surprise 2-1 defeat.

And controversy followed Argentina’s Diego Maradona who was banned mid-tournament after taking illegal, performance-enhancing drugs.

World Cup history – France 1998

Brazil had required penalties to get past Holland in their semi-final and the game had taken its toll.

And on the day of the final mystery surrounded the “convulsion” Ronaldo suffered the night before the game.

The striker was first left off the team-sheet and then reinstated after rushing to the Stade de France when a hospital check-up gave him the all clear.

World Cup history – Japan & South Korea 2002

French boss Roger Lemerre was sacked after the reigning champions and Euro 2000 winners went out without scoring following shock losses to Senegal and Denmark.

More than three million people took to the streets of Korean capital Seoul to celebrate the defeat of Italy.

I am curious about anything African so when I came across this book by an African and Ghanaian writer,I had to check it out.

Nana Awere Damoah has put together a collection of short stories set in different parts of Ghana. He covers stories starting with life on a University campus to students parting ways, a national service chapter, Kojo seeking greener pastures in the city and a hilarious public transport journey amongst others.

The decision to put down or flip along the pages of any book is made from the first chapter and the writer bears this in mind as he captivates the reader from the beginning.

Nana Damoah’s descriptive choice of words and creation of vivid scenery takes you into the lives of the characters making it even more captivating.
The stories are memorable, humorous and thought provoking with lessons to be learnt.

The book overall is an easy read and will certainly lighten up your day from start to finish.

She urged Ghanaians to embrace the habit of reading and writing, saying “writing and indeed authoring a book is not the preserve of any one profession.  He has challenged all of us by telling us that it is about time we tried our hands on something else during our spare time.
“Writing starts with putting something down each day.  One day, all that will build up to become a book.  Let us all start to cultivate the habit.  It can start with writing your own biography or racing your family’s history.  Once you can read and write, there is the hidden talent in you,” the former IPR President stated.
Reviewing the book, a Communications Manager of the Newmont Gold Ghana Limited, Mr Kwame Gyan, paid tribute to the writer, saying “Nana carries his reader to a typical scene within the four walls of a typical Ghanaian university and manages to walk you through each setting as though you were sitting around the fires as our fathers used to to hear stories of our ancestors.”
The first copy of the book was auctioned for $1,000. Other books authored by Nana Awere Damoah are ‘Excursions in My Mind’ (2008) and ‘Through the Gates of Thought (2010).’

Here’s an excerpt:

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