Sikaman Awards 2020

Compiled by Nana Awere Damoah

Contributors: Reuelah Addae-Mensah, Samuel Fahren Otoo, Theo Osei, Nii Okai, Seth Bokpe

This year’s Awards were sponsored by GHBasket.com, WearGhana, Booknook.store, Chopbox Express, Buelandland Flowers, Queens of Hats, Kasuwah.store, Beulahland Floral Products & Services, Horseman Shoes, Smino Detergents and Meannan Foods.

This year’s Awards are dedicated to the memory of my friends Sena Dey and Kotei Neequaye and to all our loved ones who departed in 2020.

Losses of the Year: Too many to count. When we reflect back on 2020, deaths will be one of the key highlights, with some high profile names: nationally, globally and personally. 2020 opened with the death of Koby Bryant and Nana Akwasi Agyeman (Okumkom) and ended with the death of ex-President Jerry John Rawlings and Maradona. Also everyone experienced a close loss. May the departed souls rest in perfect peace.
Most Significant Event of the Year: The global pandemic of Covid-19. It affected the world like nothing has in the past 100 years.
Sikamanians of the Year: Our Health Care providers – doctors, nurses, pharmacists, researchers at Noguchi and associated labs – all the frontline health professionals. In the year when few could travel abroad for medical services under Covid, they rallied and saved us all. We thank them!
Yɛ-Wɔ-Kromers of the Year: The Manufacturing Sector, particularly how they got together and got into new production areas such as producing face masks, hand sanitizers and other hygiene products to combat Covid. Also, institutions and innovators who produces ventilators, automated hand wash machines, etc. Kudos also to the Ghana Standards Authority and Food & Drugs Authority on how they rejigged their approval processes to fast track. Also, food manufacturers and farmers for sustaining us all!
Most Popular Sikamanian: Mrs Jean Mensah, the Electoral Commissioner. She got pundits for managing to organise a new Voters register in a Covid year and for a smooth voting day, and then got chewed for the collation and the aftermath wahala.
Seetay Waa Moment of the Year: When the price of face shields, which were selling at a high of GHS50 each at a point, dropped so drastically to 3 for GHS10 and some selling them for GHS1. This dropped at a time when late adopter-entrepreneurs, seeking to cash in, had tonnes of them still on the high seas and at the ports, awaiting clearance. My friend Yuri says it is yet another case of an item travelling along the curve of boiling beans to a zenith of fart.
“Sɛ Asa” Moment of the year (an event that finally happened after a long time of expectation or postponements or uncertainty): In 2020, the CPP became what we have suspected for so long – a joke!
DaySpringer of the Year: Sarkodie. He was awarded by Dr. UN.
Dayspring Institution of the Year: Sir Wyclef Kwame Owusu Fordjour. This man, Dr UN, is an institution by himself and we recognise him as such.
Most Used Word: Quarantine.
New Word of the Year: Covid/Corona
Most Used Number: 19
Most Popular Expression: Fellow Ghanaians
Action Word of the Word: Zoom. It was used as a noun, verb, adjective and everything else. Even as a venue, as in: Where is the meeting taking place? Answer: Zoom!
Election Word of the Year: Flipped. Our media houses show they really watched CNN, Fox and Trump Twitter. Flipping blue, flipping green, flip, flop, lollipop.
Most Misused Word: Pulled, for Polled. With all those votes pulled here and pulled here and there, I even felt for the votes.
CSR of the Year: Ghana Covid-19 Private Sector Fund building of 100-bed Infectious Disease Centre in record time. It showed us what we can do together.
Tracker of the Year: Covid-19 Tracker. Did it really work or we just didn’t use it?
Video Model of the Year: Uncle Ken the Dapper. After the premiere of the video, he reviewed the security settings of his national phone.
Rumour of the Year: I heard something this year that got me in stitches. My fellow Nana R.A. Yurigani informed me that it was rumoured that the Supreme Leader of Western Togoland registered for his Voter’s ID. This still remains a rumour.
Trumpish Covid Statement of the Year: Akua Donkor disputes the existence of Covid.
Fight of the Year: Top contenders are Ken vs Obinim, Ken vs Tracey and Tracey vs Mzbel. The EC is still collating the results at the time of going to press. It may end up at the Supreme Court.
Constituency of the Year: Ayawaso West Wougon
Sports Newscaster of Year: Akwasi Boadi Akrobeto, aka Who Nose Tomorrow. He went viral with his reading of results of the top European leagues and ended up on Spanish TV and with his video being retweeted by leading footballers across the world.
Book of the Year: Working with Rawlings. Sold like political promises. Even those who had hardly read any book since leaving school got copies, just to partake in the “Have you heard?” A number of these neo-bibliophiles read only portions they heard being discussed on air or on social media.
Fashion Icon of the year: Osebo The Zaraman!
Gaze of the Year: I hope in years to come we can still have this picture of the Ogyacious lady confronting the Police and going spiritual on them. Most people call her ‘Deddy’.
Campaign Song of the Year: “Okada” – Mahama Cartoon Song/Video. Danceable tune, awesome video!
Political Return of the year: Bede Ziedeng
Most Silent Politician: Uncle ABS, Oko Rokzay
Quarantine Diaries Author of the Year: Nana Yaw Koranteng. He gave us great insights during his 2 weeks of mandatory quarantine during the early months of Covid and got us all hooked on his stories.
Court Ruling Interpreter of the Year: General Mosquito, SCI
Practical Science Teacher of the Year: Sir Greenstreet of Redcockville. He got the entire Sikaman feeling the Electric Shock.
New Mathematical Term of the Year: Flatten the Curve
Subject of the Year: Mathematics. We all got mathematical, with R nought, finding out peaks, flattening curves and counting cases. The curve must be flattened, the curve must be flattened…and yet you don’t even understand dy/dx, cumulative frequency graphs and line graphs. When we said mathematics is life, you said the mathematics you learnt was never used in later life. See your life? By the end of the year, Mathematics came to the fore again with the Election results and collation. Maths is life!
Short-Lived Achievement of the Year: Accra being the Cleanest City in Africa. When we were all locked down, it was achieved. When we were released, it was back to square one. Default position!
Quarantinee of the Year: Mr “I am a Science Student”
Boys Abrɛ Leader of the Year: Akwasi Trump
Accessory of the Year: Face Mask
Safety Signage of the Year: Electric shock
UN Peace Prize of the Year: Fomena Treaty, which is still being discussed. But the lesson still stand. According to my UST roommate Seth Attram-Danso, if you are tempted to be nasty to someone you disagree with, remember the Fomena Treaty.
Political Loss of the Year: Dr Okoe Boye of Ledzokuku
Industry of the Year: E-Commerce. Under lockdown, many people turned to online service to provide food, books, drinks and more.
Occupation of the Year: Courier service rider
Most Attended Meeting: Zoom meetings. We all discovered that we can dress and put on perfume for even online meetings.
Most Downloaded New App: Zoom
Resignation of the Year: Special Akwasi Peter’s reversion to Citizen Vigilante. He said he was nearly corrupted by a mother serpent so he is now even wary of ropes.
Overtaker of the Year: Christian Kwabena Andrews, of GUM. He overran the shocked Akokɔ Kɔkɔɔ and all the coughing of Ayarigated contestants and got stuck like a gum to the 3rd spot during the Elections.
Boiling Beans Team of the Year: Arsenal. Dada noaaa!
Proven Theorem of the Year: The 24-Hour (Thawing) Rule. The 24-hour thawing time rule as stated “For Ghana news, always allow 24-hour thawing time. GH news changes much in its first 24 hours.”
Escape of the Year: Former CEO of Nissan Carlos Ghosn’s daring escape to Lebanon. Now, that was some thinking out of the box, escaping in a box. He allegedly used a team of mercenaries posing as musicians to smuggle him out of the country in an instrument case.
Artist of the Year: Moh Awudu
Occupier of the Year: Manasseh Azure Awuni. His report led to the resignation of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) Boss.
Most Generous Governmental Agency (also CSR Organization of the Year): GETFund. They even gave study abroad scholarships to people who said they never received them and had never travelled.
Goof of the Year: The President endorsing Nii Lante Vanderpuye instead of Nii Lante Bannerman at an NPP rally for the Odododiodio seat. When the mistake was pointed out to the President, he uttered the famous word “M’anka no yie koraaaa!”
Date Configuration of the Year: BC and AC – Before Covid and After Covid
Admin of the Year: This award goes to the Admin of the Twitter Account of Accra Great Olympics. Oly Dade, Oly Fomena MP, Oly Quarantine! Oly Vaccine!
Tourists of the Year: All of us. We became domestic tourists. Travelled from bedroom to sitting room. To bathroom and then to kitchen. And back to sitting room. Multiple times.
Political Discovery of the Year: African leaders can govern without travelling.
Pet of the Year: Kofi the Kraman, of the Australian High Commission. His godfather is Selorm of SeloArt who is working on a signboard to announce this award.
Hushed Influencer of the Year: Ray Hushpuppi” who flaunted his Rolls Royces, fancy watches and designer clothing on Instagram, arrested on money laundering conspiracy charges in Dubai and repatriated to the United States.
By-Force Leaver of the Leaver: Auditor-General Daniel Yao Domelevo. He spent the time exchanging letters with Jubilee. Now compiling them into a book. Working title: Dɔm La Va, Kplɛ Dɔm La Leave. Don’t ask me the language. It is Lat-Ewe.
Callous Walkabout of the Year: Walk by Carlos, with Covid in tow. That was careless.
Logo of the Year: Round-rimmed spectacles. Nicknamed Fellow Ghanaians. Adopted as Round 2 logo by the ruling NPP
Deal of the year: Agyapa. It bred a serpent from Special Kwesi Peter’s pen.
Legal Personality of the Year: Dennis Seyram Benson, arrested for acting as a lawyer for the supposed Western Togoland. A fake lawyer representing a fake country – a match made for the court.
Diplomat of the Year: Gregory Andrews, the Australian High Commissioner. He took to Ghana like wele to waakye, and used walkabouts and social media to engage a lot. Also used his page to promote small Ghanaian businesses. A breath of fresh air!
Musician of the Year: AY Poyoo. He’s the GOAT! He trended madly and got featured on BBC koraa. What else do you want from a GOAT? The YouTube video of his famous song I am the Goat garnered over 1.7 million views. He just released the sequel, titled…I am The Goatest. Of course!
New Country of the Year: Kumerica
Quarantine DJ of the Year: Ekow Fisho. He really got folks dancing with his Music for your Quarantine Feet
Video Clip of the Year: Interview by Citi FM of a lady during lockdown, at Chorkor. “We are dying for Choooorkor!”
Daddy of the Year: CKA Howard. A further title of International Uncle is hereby gazetted and conferred on him. All should note!
Advert of the Year: Vodafone Vodafone Cash TV ad (Red News) with Akrobetu and Adwenkesie
Best Dressed Female of the Year: Rasheeda Adams
Chief Mischief Officer (CMO) of the Year: Blaqq Qouphy
Male Journalist of the Year: Caleb Kudah
Female Journalist of the Year: Nana Aba Anamoah
Writer of the Year: Eben Ace (Ebenezer Ace Kojo Sarfsch)
Female Facebooker of the Year: Abena Magis
Male Facebooker of the Year: Se Lorm

January 11, 2021 2

Cowries in a Calabash

In the mid-2000, I had the opportunity to be away from Ghana for a year to study for my Master’s, on scholarship – by the foreign office of that country. I returned to Ghana within a fortnight after submitting my dissertation, rejoined the Unicorn, took a week’s leave in December to return to my school to graduate and came back to Ghana.

I won’t forget a call I received the month before I returned after finishing my studies, from a senior of mine who lives the country of my stay abroad. He enquiried about my plans after school and I told him I was returning to Ghana. He exclaimed and asked whether I didn’t like it there, quite plainly wondering if I thought it was the best decision to make. At the time, there was a facility to take a 2 year working arrangement for work experience and, especially for graduates with my background, training and experience, it was a desired transition. Indeed, quite a number of Africans including fellow Ghanaians stayed back and are still there.

In returning to Ghana, as I have noted in associated topics in some of my books, I was clear in my mind that I was returning to a continent that didn’t have all the top-notch facilities and services I had quickly got used to abroad. In fact, when I came back home, I had to go through what one can call a “reverse cultural shock” – reintegrating into how things work back home. But I told myself that it is us, who must till the land and build the infrastructure and systems that we admire in countries elsewhere.

This week, I have been thinking of this same theme and my career journey since then. This time in relation to the elements of the spokes of the bicycle that represents the ecosystem we need for small businesses to thrive. And it is an ecosystem. A small business that tries to do everything from end to end will fail. We can only succeed when the supply networks that ensure that the process from farm to fork, from plantation to plate, from raw material to the end user – the consumer we all serve – is seamless and works well. So we need each spoke of that bicycle wheel to work well.

And to improve. And be strong. So we must be prepared to build the quality and to the standard we want. And this can only be done if we balance well impatience with poor delivery standards and performance with patience to give constructive feedback and to transfer world class systems knowledge to our service providers, who most times are also small businesses. To grow together.

So, when that courier company gets it wrong, lambast but give a second chance and coach. When that printer delivers a poorly bound book, reject it but show him what quality means and try again. Those who have worked in big world class systems need to help small business operators build to same standards.

We can only get better as we push to build our systems – together.

Remember, Rome was not built in a day but it was built every day.

November 21, 2020 0

Corona Contemplations Cut 5

13 April 2020

My father was a professional driver. During his career that spanned over 4 decades, he drove trucks from the army (he was with the mechanised unit through to military police), UAC Textiles (where he drove for about 22 years distributing clothing all over the country), to a rural bank in our holy village.

From my teenage years, he travelled with me on some of his treks, when I was on vacation. Some of my favourite memories of him are times we spent on these trips. Years before I started driving, he gave me driving lessons.

But his biggest piece of advice to me was in 2002. I had just bought my first car, after a couple of years working post-graduation. It was a 1990s Opel Vectra. I loved that car and was so proud of it.

The weekend after I got the car, my friend, house mate and office colleague Albert Danquah (who had purchased a Peugeot a few months before I got mine and was a more experienced driver – by a few months) decided to drive from Accra to Wasa to visit my old folks. We took turns driving and by the time we got back to the capital, I had gained much confidence.

When we got to Wasa, my Dad – Bombay – was in his farm. We went there and fetched him. He took over the wheel and asked that we drive to Bogoso to visit a couple of people.

As we set off from Bogoso township and were about to join the main Tarkwa-Bawdie road, Bombay hesitated a few seconds and told Albert and I, “Anytime you get to a T-junction, just before you are about to enter after looking left, right and left again, hold on and count to three. Then you can move.” He later added that the same applied to when you are overtaking on a highway.

That 3-second rule has saved my life many times. Because there are blind spots when using your driving mirror.

On social media, that same rule can be applied and you can save your integrity and sanity.

Take 3 seconds to crosscheck. From official sources. From a credible source. From a second or third source. It helps.

It prevents you from sharing fake news. Especially in these Covidic times.

Back to my corner.

April 13, 2020 0

Be Caught Reading, Not Caught by Covid-19

As we stay indoors more and more during this Covid-19 world, more people are looking for books to read to engage their minds and those of their children. I decided to list out some of the exciting titles which are popular on Booknook.store (ranked by sales, to be fair to all) so parents and everyone can know which options are there for reading for pleasure. At the end of this article, there is a link to see all the books by Ghanaian authors or about Ghana. Enjoy and be caught reading, not caught by Covid-19!

Children’s Books

1. Grandma’s List

2. Ananse and the Pot of Wisdom

3. Ananse and the Food Pot

4. Birthday Zoo

5. The Boabab Tree of Salaga

6. Escalator

7. Uncle Spider’s New Law

8. A Saint in Brown Sandals

9. Besewa and the Honey Pox

10. Suma Went Walking

11. Flashcards: Asante Twi Phonics (100 cards)

12. Mr Bempong’s House

13. Lami’s Nightmare

14. Recipe For Light Soup

15. Tales of Ananse: A 3-in-1 Tricky Tales of Kweku

16. A Gift for Fafa

17. The Girl In The New Dress

18. Who Told the Most Incredible Story (Volume 1 to 5)

19. Once Upon a Time in Ghana (Volume 1 & 2)

20. A Visit To The City

21. Kente for a King – Hardcover

22. A is for Accra

Biographies/Non-fiction

1. The Bold New Normal

2. The Fourth John: Reign, Rejection & Rebound

3. Death and Pain: Rawlings’ Ghana – The Inside Story

4. Is There Not A Cause…To Rant?

5. Highlife Time 3

6. I Speak of Ghana

7. It Takes A Woman

8. The Trial of J.J. Rawlings: Echoes of the 31st December Revolution (2nd Edition)

9. Strength in the Storm: When A Loved One Dies

10. Leaders Don’t Have to Yell: National Team Coach on Leading High-Performing Teams

11. Kwame Nkrumah: The Great African

12. Speak Like A Pro: 10 Commandments of Public Speaking

13. Unfinished Journey: The Life and Times of VCRAC Crabbe

14. The Corrupt Elites – Anatomy of Power and Wealth in Ghana

15. Snakes and Ladders

16. Abrokyire Nkomo

17. Dark Days in Ghana

18. Africa Must Unite

19. Motherhood 101

20. Sam: A Life of Service to God and Country

Fiction (Adult/Young Adult) & Comics

1. Kenkey For Ewes: And Other Very Short Stories

2. Of Women and Frogs

3. The Hundred Wells of Salaga

4. Changes (African Writers Series)

5. Aseye’s Journey

6. The Lion’s Whisper

7. Bukom

8. The Dorm Challenge

9. Karmzah: The Unleashing

10. The Girl Who Can (African Writers Series)

11. Made in Ghana: A Collection of Short Stories

12. The Justice

13. Ama: A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade

14. Adabraka: Stories from the Centre of the World

15. Escape From Paradise

16. 3 Siblings

17. The Shimmer In the Photo Album

18. Rattling in the Closet

19. Those Who Wait

20. Betrayed By The City

Others

DEXT Science Set MAX

Giant Puzzles (Africa, Ghana, Nigeria)

You can find out more about books from Ghana/about Ghana through this link:

https://booknook.store/product-category/author-origin/african/ghanaian

March 27, 2020 0

Corona Contemplations Cut 1

19 March, 2020

I have heard some text messages on air from people who say relatives arrived from abroad and are staying with them; indicating that government has failed to ask those people to quarantine etc.

The first rule of safety is self-responsibility. Your safety and health are primarily your responsibility before anyone else. Don’t abdicate that role. Don’t expose yourself. Ask those relatives to self-quarantine. Ask how it can be done. Educate yourself and take precautions. The government can only send you an apology letter if the unfortunate happens.

If you are my friend and you come from any of those countries and you ask to see me before 14 days, I will do video call with you and wave at you. I am responsible for my family.

This Covid-19 thing is no joke! World leaders are already saying that “this is a crisis we have not seen the like of in the last 100 years.” Countries with much better infrastructure are crumbling. It is no joke!

Sorry for this long post. Back to my corner.

March 22, 2020 0

Ghanamanosyncratisms – A Wordcast

18.02.2020

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine in Senegal, who blogs about books and had interviewed me for her blog once, asked me to meet a young lady who was visiting from Senegal. The young lady was in Ghana and my friend wanted her to meet me and chat about Ghana in general. I met this lady (who was with a friend of hers, another lady) on my way to Cantonments for a program at Goethe Institut. So we used the route from the Spintex road Palace Mall to the Burma Camp road, behind the Airport. As we got close to the Burma Camp area and entered the military zone, more out of a deeply inbuilt habit than anything else, I remarked to the ladies that “this is a military zone so we are usually careful in this area.”

They looked at me with a confused expression and then asked “Why should one be careful in a military zone?”

I tried to explain and they still couldn’t appreciate my wisdom. It took me awhile to remember that they were from Senegal and had never lived under a military dictatorship.

The attached picture is a plastic chamber pot. It is basically a container. When it is produced straight from the factory, it is hygienic and as clean as the cup you used this morning for drinking water or your kooko or your beverage. But serve any adult in this container, in a freshly produced one, and the person will massage your cheeks with a friendly slap, at best. If you were to serve an infant from this same container, he will not cringe.

Why?

This is because the adult would typically have had prior experience linked to this chamber pot.

We speak of what we have seen and events bring memories, both painful and sweet.

If you are conscious of some of the events Ghana went through in our recent past, not all plastic containers have the same status.

@ndamoah

February 18, 2020 0