The reality is Mr. Trump is not the only one. There are so many people in our America who think just like Trump on these matters -even so called white liberals, and if we are going to keep it all the way real, even Black people do as well. As long as we keep pretending and being shocked by the reality that we have been living with for generations , we will continue never to truly genuinely move ourselves and our nation forward.

Words matter and have had direct meanings in effect and affect for generations. Whereas “Ghettos” were once associated with Jewish segregated settlements in Venice, the word has grown to be associated with areas of a city or town where minorities live and Hip-Hop gave it a higher rise in being associated with Black poverty and living conditions in cities. When are Americans on all levels going to get real with ourselves and start being honest about how we all contribute and perpetuate the racist’s perceptions and associations that has been part of the American way of life for generations? When Marvin Gaye wrote “Inner City Blues” he wasn’t just talking about the general blues of the city, but specifically the conditions of Black people living hand to mouth in conditions that made him want to holler and throw up both of his hands! We as a collective have created and conjured up images with the words that we put out into our national lexicon, and the reality is when many hear words like “Inner City”, “Ghetto” , “Hood” etc. images of Black and Brown, and minorities living in poverty come to mind, and as a New Yorker, I would be living in an alternative universe if I denied that regardless of what color I am or my political affiliations.

This has always been a big issue for me because working in the fashion industry at the height of hip-hop and so called “Urban” Clothing lines, I remember fighting against and pushing back at the labeling of Black designers, Black owned collections or Hip-Hop generation targeted clothing lines being called “Urban Clothing Lines”, while my peers saw an opportunity of false exclusivity that they were more than happy to run with. I saw the limitations and the pigeonholing from the onset even spreading as far as having a Black model in your Ad. could associate you with the limitations of the “urban” label – making my fight even harder in bringing inclusivity to my clients’ advertising and marketing campaigns because they had to protect their brands in not being seen in the limitation of “Urban”.

Whereas some of my clients who were Jewish owned manufacturers could create the same denim and other styles -their label could be put in Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Nordstrom’s etc. and also be found in so called “urban clothing departments”, while the so called “Urban Clothing Lines” at the time were not welcomed in these mainstream department stores even though they had very similar clothing styles because those stores had not established departments for “Urban Wear” at the time. These labels could only be found in stores like Dr. Jay’s etc. who catered to the so called “Urban and Inner City” fashion clientele -which we all knew meant Black/Brown and minorities, and everyone in the business was complicit in its pigeonholing and marketing as just that. Later on when the rise of hip-hop saw these clothing lines earning huge profits then all of a sudden the mainstream stores like Macy’s, Bloomingdales and Nordstrom’s started creating “Urban Departments” which still could only grow as long and as far as the hip-hop music that was pushing it as one of its core cultural elements. When the industry had accepted that “Urban” was now mostly associated with blackness void of its actual definition in being synonymous to the word “City”- then the industry preferred to use words like “Cosmopolitan” to bring back the chicness in association with the city void of the industry association of “blackness” of the word Urban.

As much as the Trump is deplorable in his racists bend, let’s not act like he’s the only one that associates poor Black and Brown people and minorities with words like “Inner City”, the only difference with Trump is that he is unsophisticated and has no f*cks to give in his way of speaking, unlike his opponent, Hillary Clinton who is the consummate professional in Politricking in knowing and choosing her words carefully to appease specific audiences.

Written by aretha amma sarfo

The post Why Does Trump Think “Inner City” Is Synonymous With ‘Black People’ appeared first on Global Fusion Productions.

When you have a plan and do great business, the market and money will come. A great amount of major beauty brands source ingredients for their products in Africa… Shea butter has become ubiquitous in so many beauty products and even food products, yet one will be be hard pressed to name an international recognized beauty brand from Africa. Is it that many African nations do not make the business climate easy for African entrepreneurs in Africa, or is it that we only acquire the true hustle mode to dream big and make big things happen when we leave Africa? I see so many Ghanaians complain of lack of jobs and not having money, yet I constantly have to battle and force Ghanaians to work- when they are being paid in accordance to their own asked for prices to do said work. Our customer service and enthusiasm about work in Ghana is lacking in the most painful of ways, to a point that I repeatedly go to the same people -no matter how near or far- who give me good, quality and friendly service. It’s sad that we raise our bar in work ethic more so abroad while working for others than at home in building our national economies and building our standing locally and globally.

The story of Richelieu Dennis should have easily been a homegrown African based story, but somehow from what I witness daily in work ethic and the confidence of my people to go beyond mediocrity – it’s hard to imagine. Out from ashes a phoenix can rise up globally from tradition, culture and dreams. We all have something to offer the world regardless of economic status or geographical location. Great to see more global inclusion at the table of the multi-billion dollar beauty industry. Africa must do more than just enrich the world with its raw materials. Manufacturing, packaging and local and global branding must be the next step.

“When you are able to have the relationship where you can talk about what you think merchandising ought to be and actually see that come to fruition and see your product in an environment where that is and it is respectful of the consumer that you are serving, That’s the Wow! -Richelieu Dennis CEO of SunDial Creations/Shea Moisture

….Still mad that some of Shea Moisture’s ingredients are being sourced in Ghana, but the finished product is not sold in Ghana- I need my dry oil mist for the body ASAP! Why can we import foreign brands without African affiliation and not foreign brands with African affiliation. Seeing images of any people in success allows others who identify to also see their own ability for such success.

Written by aretha amma sarfo

The post African Representation in the Beauty Industry: SheaMoisture CEO Richelieu Dennis appeared first on Global Fusion Productions.

#MondayMotivation in Accra City came via Tony O. Elumelu, Nigerian economist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, the United Bank for Africa, Transcorp and founder of The Tony Elumelu Foundation.

As Mr. Elumelu stood on stage with William Sanyo-Founder of Impact Hub Accra, I couldn’t help but think -this is what African development looks like – For Us By Us. When a billionaire banker pays it forward in investing in African entrepreneurs and gets to stand next to one of his success stories, who has used the seed money given to build a leading social entrepreneurship and innovation center in the heart of Accra. Each one lift one – one nation at a time – Africa is not only the future but Africa is now! This is not to be exclusionary, but rather to be self-determined and self-sufficient in global competitiveness, while solving our own needs and problems as Africans utilizing our own resources.

While we praise and find motivation from Entrepreneurs and self-made billionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet; Africans should know, praise and find motivation in our own homegrown self-made billionaire philanthropist- Tony Elumelu. It was great to be in the presence of this most impressive, humble and affable man.

We give so much credit to philanthropic organizations like the Gates Foundation in its so called developmental efforts in Africa, while overlooking the real sustainability of the work and investment in entrepreneurs in Africa with not only seed money, but also shared resources and mentorship programs being provided by The Tony Elumelu Foundation. These are the types of billionaires and industry leaders that we need to grow Africa’s future – the ones who put their money where their mouth is, pay it forward, and understand that to whom much is given-much is expected. The Tony Elumelu Foundation helps entrepreneurs beyond just providing capital, so we are not setting up businesses to fail, but rather to grow and be sustainable, while growing and investing in more home grown businesses in order to truly rid ourselves of the dependency on charity and foreign aid.

The new Africa in its new modus operandi is focused on development that utilizes homegrown natural resources and people capital in a development plan that is truly sustainable!

Africa is slated to have a population of a billion + with the majority being youth. The best way of intra-Africa trade is first and foremost through our ever growing travel and tourism sector. We focus on tourism coming into Africa from abroad, while neglecting the demand at home with many desiring to get to know one another in our unique cultures, cuisine and lifestyles through easy, inexpensive and accessible travel throughout the continent in a new focus on developing Africa through Pan-Africanism with Intra-African Travel, Tourism and Trade at its forefront! It is not progress when after 60 years of of independence, I can travel from New York/USA to South Africa or Nigeria for cheaper than I can from Ghana. We have had the AU, ECOWAS and other governing and organizational bodies talking for years about improving intra-Africa trade and travel as the way forward for Africa’s development, yet with travel and tourism to Africa from abroad at an all time high, Intra-Africa travel and tourism remains stagnant and financially out of reach for the majority of the citizens of the continent. We need bold investors to lead the charge in creating affordable and accessible jet liners and chartered flight services serving the African continent, while entrepreneurs like myself provide the customer base through technology!

#TownHallWithTonyElumelu #DevelopingAfricaThroughItsEntrepreneurs#PanAfricanism

#IntraAfrica #Travel #Tourism #Trade #ABillionStrong#OurGlobalFusion

Written by aretha amma sarfo

The post Ghana Town Hall With Tony Elumelu appeared first on Global Fusion Productions.

A lovely Saturday spent @jamestown.cafe live on EezyFM107.5 #SaneGbaa radio show hosted by world renown Ghanaian Architect and Creator of Inno-Native Architecture concept -Joe Addo and world renown musician, Hugh Masekela. This is a weekly show speaking on important national and global topics pertaining to Art, Culture and the creative sector in general. Saturday’s topic was on #Fashion #Kente #EconomicViabilityOfFashionInGhana #Globalization #PolicyMaking #ProtectingAndPreservingCulture #BrandingGhana #GhanaAt60

I, along with esteemed panelist, included leaders in Ghana’s fashion and media industries such as Ester Armah (Radio Host and Founder of EA Media Productions), Joyce Ababio (Fashion Designer/ Founder of Joyce Ababio College of Creative Design), Belinda Baidoo (Belinda Baidoo Model Search Africa currently on GHOne) , Makeba Boateng (MCPR/Fashion Forum Africa), and Rema, who just curated an exhibition on kente in Ghana from both the Ashanti and Ewe cultures for Ghana’s Diamond Jubilee anniversary.

There was great talk about the need for a viable plan to brand Ghana for the future in its economic pursuits, particularly in the fashion sector, along with the need for policy and proper trademarking of national identity in our kente and adinkra symbols. As these distinct parts of Ghana’s national culture have caught on globally through the art and fashion sectors, and as the world of fashion has been taking inspiration from Africa for centuries and most aggressively in the past two decades; it is catamount that the nation recognize the arts and fashion industries as an important contributor to its economic development and globalization. There is also a great need to tell Ghana’s centuries long story in fashion and the arts as many at home and abroad have not been privy to the depths of Ghana’s global contributions in these sectors.

We were honored with the presence of Photography Icon and Living Legend James Barnor whose exhibitions are ongoing at @archiafrika and @movenpick_accra … If you have not seen them yet do yourself a favor and get a dose of Ghana’s history at home and abroad spanning over 60 years via the lens of one of our national treasures.

Written by aretha amma sarfo

The post Talking Kente and the Economical Viability of Ghana’s Fashion Industry appeared first on Global Fusion Productions.

The more we see African entrepreneurs featured on magazine covers and other media outlets, telling their stories of success and failures on the road to success -the less of an anomaly it becomes to current and future African entrepreneurs to dream bigger in also fulfilling their dreams on the continent instead of seeking greener pastures away from home. Africa’s development begs for its people to act as invested and participatory citizens and not just as dependant observers awaiting foreign investments for development.

Media is one of the most powerful tools one can develop and own because as Malcolm X said: “The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses. ” If African nations like Ghana desire to control their global image and narrative in re-branding themselves to showcase their developmental accomplishments and potential for greater success, then a thriving, critical, globally competitive and professional media industry is one of best ways to get out the message.

#BlackStarRising #KnowledgeIs Power #ImageMatters

Written  by aretha amma sarfo

The post Forbes Africa : Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom Cover Story appeared first on Global Fusion Productions.

Now, more than ever, there are Black and Africa focused travel groups like Tastemakers Africa, Travel Noir, Up In The Air Life and so many others springing up everywhere with hashtags abound like #BlackWomenTravel #BlackMenTravel #BlackWanderlust #TravelNoire #SoulTravel and so many more. There has also been a returnee influx to Africa of young first and second generation American and Europeans born to African immigrant parents abroad, those born in Africa who lived for many years abroad for education and work, along with a global Black exodus to Africa dubbed “Blaxit” of mostly African-Americans and other Diasporans looking to find their roots, a new life and opportunity in Africa with nations like Ghana recently granting long time residents citizenship.

These expats and repats like myself, have created a new niche market in the travel, tourism and leisure industry with a desire to travel within the continent of Africa; yet there is a lack of access to daily flights and inexpensive means to do so. While the Jet Blues and Easy Jet type of budget airlines exists for American and European travelers to easily and inexpensively get around within those continents Africa has yet to spring up its own to serve intra-Africa travelers. Far too often, it is easier and cheaper to travel to South Africa, Senegal or Nigeria from New York or Washington DC than it is to travel from Ghana to those same countries that are on the same continent and neighbors. The affordability and access for young wanderlusters and the average coach traveler to travel within Africa is almost non-existent because of the high cost and overwhelming routes that have you stopping off in 2-3 different cities or countries to get to your destination, when if African nations had properly developed roads and infrastructure, one could basically drive from Senegal to Ghana easier than to fly.

With African nations like Ghana inviting the Diaspora to come to Ghana to visit, live and help to develop the nation, it will be a shame for African leaders, the travel, tourism and aviation industry, along with the African Union to not make Intra-Africa travel a priority in investment and development efforts. This is a multi-million to billion dollar industry waiting to be served properly; yet continues to be neglected.

There are a few entrepreneurs like myself looking to make intra-Africa travel more accessible and less expensive through lobbying, media and technology. This past Saturday, with the introduction of the new issue of Suitcase Magazine‘s Ghana travel cover story, many of us gathered at Architect Joe Addo’s ,Jamestown Cafe for his weekly live radio show where creatives and community alike in Ghana gather to engage with the every day through discussions on issues concerning the creative industry as well as the community at large, in an open atmosphere where patrons of the cafe can join in the discussion of the day. Inno-Native Tourism was the focus because not only are Ghanaians and other Africans not traveling within their countries to boost tourism, they are also not traveling within country to country because the travel, tourism and leisure sector has pretty much ignored this close to a billion niche market of would be travelers for far too long.

This is what an authentic Ghanaian community experience looks like. It felt like being back in #MyNYC #HarlemWorld with our Boricuas representing loud and proud and people from all over the world and the local community communing and speaking about travel and tourism and what brought them to Ghana.

A Liberian who studied in Puerto Rico and now lives and works in Ghana invited his long time friend and his family to have their first experience inAfrica. While others came from other parts of the US and the world as new expats through marriage, work and #Blaxit. Ghana is truly the gateway to Africa and #BrandingGhana starts with authentically giving Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians a true Ghanaian experience that showcases all of the greatness we have to offer locally in our global connectivity that is not the Ghanaian version of an American or European experience. With a new focus on #PanAfricanism it is more important than ever to focus on intra-Africa travel and tourism with Ghana as the gateway in reconnecting our trans-Atlantic community to our common experience in culture and cuisine that has contributed to creating world culture. Why aren’t we having a Plantain Festival in Ghana with the plethora of ways we use this one food that has traveled and is eaten world-wide, mixed with our culture, music , art and dance in a celebration that can compete with global festivals in inviting revelers from all over the world, while being authentically African.

I love seeing so many of our people from all over the world making #OurBlackStarNation their destination of choice for business, travel and leisure! We have a hugely neglected market of Africans and African descendants at home and abroad who want and need an easier and less expensive way to travel throughout Africa. I still dream of an African railway system that easily transports us from country to country through our beautiful countrysides in the same way that I have been able to easily travel throughout Europe along with budget airlines that cater to intra-Africa travel!

Whether we are in America, Europe, Asia or the Caribbean our culture and cuisine has carried us in maintaining our global and local connection. This is what #OurGlobalFusion is all about! #Akwabaa #TravelGhana

Written by aretha amma sarfo

The post Intra-Africa Travel: The Neglected Sector of Travel and Tourism appeared first on Global Fusion Productions.

While her debut record Pure Heroine had critical acclaim, the song “Royals” was what elevated her to “It Girl” status amongst pop music royalty. “Royals” was an ironic admonishment to her newly found acceptance amongst  “pop royalty” and “cool kids club” lifestyle, that her other side of royalty outlook wanted nothing to do with in their “gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin’ in the bathroom, ball gowns, trashin’ the hotel room… Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece, Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash” because, as she continued to profess on the track, “we don’t care, we aren’t caught up in your love affair, and we’ll never be royals, it don’t run in our blood, that kind of lux just ain’t for us, we crave a different kind of buzz”.

Four years after Grammy Awards, magazine covers, Time Magazine’s Most Influential People Under 30 accolade, hanging with the late great David Bowie and being part of Taylor Swift’s girl power squad, Lorde’s second record, entitled Melodrama, is here to let us know exactly what this different kind of buzz she was craving is all about in a cathartic lyrically driven story covering the past four years. With her new producer and co-writer, Jack Antonoff, another Taylor Swift connection in toe, Lorde has embraced her pop star status creating her generation’s caterpillar turned butterfly masterpiece in teenage to young adulthood angst with a perfectly weaved story navigating her way through the varied emotions of a break-up after cuffing season emphasised through songs like “Hard Feelings / Loveless”, and subsequently spreading her wings to fly into the warmth of an endless summer of road trips and music festivals. And if she runs into the boy who broke her heart, she knows her sisterhood of travelling cut-off denim shorts and rompers have her back driving off in the drop top – giving the middle finger to her ex, laced with mean girl laughter, while blasting the single and lead track “Green Light” into the sunset. With a month-long Instagram absent Taylor Swift coming out of reclusion to give the ultimate green light to her 100 million followers, calling the single a “magnificent bop for the ages”, perhaps the power of the social media influencer will garner Lorde yet another hit song and according to Swift, she may even make up an interpretive dance to go along with what could be her generation’s summer party anthem!

Lorde’s eleven-track sophomore record is true to the Melodrama title, where she sticks to her mellow, dark and sobering delivery amped with a newly found 20-year-old young-adulting sex appeal on dancepop-heavy productions with songs like “Green Light”, “Sober”, “Homemade Dynamite”, “Supercut”, “Perfect Places”, and “The Louvre” – reminiscent of Britney Spears’s pop-princess era. With “Sober 2 (Melodrama)”, Lorde allows the listener a look into her newfound life amongst the Royals, where after the evening passes and everyone has left, she wonders who she is, while cleaning off the champagne glasses asking herself why she even bothers with all the terror, horror, glamour, girl fights, lime lights, and the fucking melodrama. The title track is more of a production I would expect from Aaliyah or AA (After Aaliyah) pop artists like Ciara rather than Lorde, but as she said “this is melodrama”. And perhaps we may see an entirely new side of Lorde in choreographed dance sequences if bestie Taylor Swift has anything to do with it.

The song “Liability” seems like an ode to her experience creating this sophomore record in the face of high expectations after going from awkward goth 16-year-old to global “It Girl” status, while still feeling as if people treat her like a toy. “They say you are a little much for me, you’re a liability, you’re a little much for me, so they pull back, make other plans, I understand I’m a liability, get you wild make you leave, I’m a little much for everyone, the truth is I’m a toy that people enjoy til all of the tricks don’t work anymore and then they are bored of me”. In her stellar songwriting skills, Lorde is able to capture an experience that many can relate to with great storytelling where each track flows seamlessly into the next without skipping a beat, something rare in pop records of today, where artists and record companies alike are more invested in making hit songs, rather than focusing on making a fully explored hit record. The record feels like this generation’s perfect summer filled with road trips, bonfires at the beach, pool parties with supersize water guns spraying, open air clubs and festivals with lots of fists pumping, crowd surfing, awkward white girl dance moves, summer hook-ups in a big fun experience to be had by all with Melodrama on rotation.

A teenage Lorde, in reference to how at 17 years old she could keep up with her newfound fame, once told The Guardian’s reporter, “You can work hard and make it manageable”. Now at the still young adult age of 20, we will all once again bear witness to how she navigates the work hard manageability of life as she awaits her next #1s and all that comes with it, empowered this time around with experience, growth, and Taylor Swift shout-outs!

Written by Amma Sarfo-Kantanka

The post Review: Lorde – Melodrama appeared first on Global Fusion Productions.

Freshly off of his European Tour, Barabás Lőrinc took America by storm with a three week tour covering Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City. The classically trained Hungarian trumpeter and composer showcased his versatility in style and elevation of classical jazz in a new era that fuses many genres of music from electronic, to pop, to Euro-house, layered with synthesizers that perfectly blend the analog and digital worlds together to create a sound ripe for this generation; yet reminiscent of New York in the 80’s and 90’s – where one could find a global mixture of patrons at clubs listening to punk rock, pop, hip-hop and house music with the likes of Blondie and Fab 5 Freddy in a perfect rapture.

Barabás Lőrinc in his musical formation and collaborations shows that he sees no borders when it comes to the art of music because music is truly a universal language that cuts across all man made boundaries, limitations and labels. Barabás Lőrinc has worked with artists from around the world including: Bonobo, Nicola Conte, Erik Truffaz, and Valerie June in 2014- as she toured with the late great Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. As Nina Simone once said “an artist’s duty is to reflect the times”. While some artists choose to speak to the horrors of the times in reflection, Barabás Lőrinc like his song “Strange Night” from his 2009 album Trick, which fused his classic jazz trumpet with soul and hip-hop sounds, chooses to give us a reason to lift our heads up, while making our way through faith with music that gives the listener a reason to dance and smile. With six independently produced albums to his name in a period of ten years, Barabás Lőrinc has continued to show his versatility in creating sonically different albums that have crossed over and fused different genres of music, while remaining true to his classic jazz roots, letting the world know that he is not an artist that can be put in any box when it comes to his musical talents.

His American tour introduced two unique styles of shows on different nights. One showcasing his latest album Beardance (Barabás Lőrinc Quartet), which seduces the listener with more traditional jazz sounds, where his classical trumpet takes center stage amongst a live band consisting of piano, bass and drums. Whereas the other show presented his 2013 album Sastra and 2015’s Elevator Dance Music, bringing the usually shy and reserved artist out of his shell in creating a EDM style rave as a one man band, playing the role of DJ and multi-instrumentalist, conjuring up the perfect dance grooves with computer generated visuals that put the audience in a happy trance of dance in a seemingly shock and awe state of mind as they enjoyed a unique experience in local bars like Freddy’s Bar in Brooklyn, where the last of his shows took place. With a resurgence of the love for live music in local hipster style bars and clubs, it seems like the eclectic multi-genre style of jazz-fusion music that Barabás Lőrinc serves up is right on time for a generation that likes the comforts of the familiar elevated to a new experience that reflects the times.

Barabás Lőrinc has always defied the odds of limitations, as a competitive swimmer in his childhood competing in national and international competitions, when some of his friends decided to become Paralympic champions, Lőrinc followed his dreams of becoming an internationally recognized musician. Where many see the impossible of a one-armed trumpet player, Barabás Lőrinc can only see “I’m Possible” in his seamlessly effortless stage shows and musical productions, where he takes on the roles of artist, producer and composer, whether in collaboration with a live band, as a one man band or scoring for films.

As many artists struggle for funding in times of austerity, Hungary as a nation is setting the example by supporting and growing its artist community in seeing the importance of funding the arts and utilizing its artists as global ambassadors. With sponsorship from Cseh Tamas Program, Barabás Lőrinc was afforded the opportunity to collaborate with artists worldwide, including New York based artists:  Rene Ferrer and Alon Cohen on this world tour. When an artist loves his art it becomes infectious to the audience, which was undeniable in seeing the smiles, screams, whistles and applause from the people witnessing a new and unique artist. Barabás Lőrinc is unstoppable in his zeal to take the sound of his city of Budapest and classical trumpet globally as he seeks more collaborations and fusions worldwide. With technology and social media making the arts and artists more and more accessible to global audiences, Barabás Lőrinc is definitely an artist to watch for 2017 as he continues to shine his star power on the world, one tour at a time.

SOUNDCLOUD LINKSBeardance (2016) – https://soundcloud.com/barabas-l/sets/beardance
Elevator Dance Music (2015) – https://soundcloud.com/barabas-l/sets/elevator-dance-music Sastra (2013) – https://soundcloud.com/barabas-l/sets/sastra

The post Barabás Lőrinc Ends His World Tour In New York appeared first on Global Fusion Productions.

“Three ranges of the much anticipated Kantanak cars would be launched Friday and would go on sale immediately. They are the Kantanka Onantefuo (SUV), Kantanka Omama (Pickup) and Kantanka K71 (Mini SUV)… The good thing about Kantaka vehicles which put them ahead of other luxurious vehicles like the Range Rovers, Nissan Patrols, SUVs is that they are home based… Even in capital cities, roads are notoriously ragged, deplorable. Some are inaccessible to plush imported cars, but Kwadwo assured prospective clients, “Kantanka vehicles know how our roads are” because they are designed to withstand the rough condition… “The vehicles can stand the test of Ghana’s bad roads,” he touted, adding proudly that, “All vehicles are open to customization including responding to voice command to start your ignition. A lot of people want to drive SUVs, we are giving you something that you can feel in a Range Rover, in a Land Cruiser  in a very cheap price,”… What gives the Kantanka range of vehicles advantage over the imported ones is that they are durable, designed for the Ghanaian ecosystem, affordable and one does not need to order parts from abroad because they are available here.” READ MORE

 

Today, Ghanaians buy more imported goods than they export or manufacture, and since the hey day of independence- the manufacturing sector has practically disappeared with factories once producing for companies such as Clarks Shoes all abandoned. One would think with the millions doled out for The Millennium Development Goals during the past government and the countless loans taken by the current government all geared toward so called “development” and eliminating poverty, that homegrown manufacturing would be a major part of the investment; however too many entrepreneurs are left unsupported in having to do everything on their own even when their ventures are beneficial to the collective nation in creating much needed jobs, particularly for the growing number of unemployed and under-employed youth.

There are great entrepreneurs like Apostle Dr. Kwadwo Safo Kantanka and his family who are changing the dynamics of sustainable development for the future of an Africa and a Ghana in particular that believes in itself and its self-reliance. Because we have little knowledge and preservation of history, many are reporting that these are the first cars ever manufactured in Ghana, but I know for a fact that this is not true because my market woman aunt owned one of the first cars manufactured in Ghana decades ago that was the only vehicle she could afford to move her goods for sale. Unfortunately Ghanaians back then just like now had little faith in a fellow Ghanaian being able to produce a car that could match up to the western standards that they coveted, so there was little to no significant support to sustain the business in Ghana. The poor and middle class market women and others like them have always sustained the economy and continue to do so by supporting homegrown products.

“Imagine having a television set that comes on after an effortless clap or by blowing air; picture yourself in a car that is engineless and starts with a simple push of a button tucked to your dress; or a change-over-machine that speaks and tells you where exactly a fire or electrical fault is in your home.

This is not fiction. It is not magic. It is not happening in Europe or Asia and not even in the United States. These products are being manufactured in the West African nation of Ghana. 

The brains behind this is Apostle Dr Kwadwo Safo, owner of the Kantanka Group of Companies. He is naturally gifted. A genius. An inventor and a philanthropist. He has no formal or sophisticated technical background. He imagines, dreams and creates at will. He lives in his own world.

“We have delayed … going commercial because Africans and Ghanaians in general have the perception that once it is from Ghana, it is not good – durability is not assured, safety is not guaranteed. So we have decided to use the products ourselves and make sure they are good to go and standardised before we hit the market. 

“I was in Brazil about six months ago and I was in tears. The whole of Rio de Janeiro was packed with Marcopolo buses … and these are buses that were assembled and made in Brazil.

“They patronise it. In India they encourage made-in-India vehicles – like Mahindra – and that’s my dream to one day see Kantanka cars on the streets of Accra, Kumasi and all over. I will be fulfilled,” a visibly euphoric Safo Jnr pointed out in his office fitted with a locally made air-conditioner that is switched on and off by slotting in a card.

In some countries projects such as this attract financial assistance from the government. But Ghanaian governments upon governments seem to have ignored the “Star of Africa”, as Apostle Dr. Safo is called by the people of Ghana.

Not even his self-made Limousine dubbed “Obrempong”, the speaking change-over-machine, or a range of flat-screen television sets made with wood covers that respond to a simple clap to come alive, increase or reduce volumes have fascinated the government enough to support one of their own.

“Most of the promises they have made, they say they are in the pipelines. I’m sure African pipelines are very choked so the water is not flowing. Not even the corporate world has shown concern … We are still hoping,” said Safo. 

“We have had several offers from Asia and Europe, but we turn them down because we just want to stay in Africa and make sure that whatever we are doing here we’ll be able to achieve our dreams.

“People tell us that we are wasting our time because we won’t get anywhere. But we pay no attention to them, rather we make sure that we prove them wrong by meeting targets that we set for ourselves.” READ MORE

We complain about the dismal state of our economies throughout Africa and the fact that we have moved backward instead of forward since independence, but how many will support the efforts of those who are doing their part in being the change that we all say we seek instead of finding every excuse not to support their efforts in determining our own destiny in order to have generational wealth and opportunity? Today every Ghanaian should look up the history of the Ashanti Kingdom’s Sarfo-Kantanka and know why the name alone is party of our great history in self-reliance and empowerment both past and present.

“The whites believed in themselves and got to where they are now. They are no different from us. We all stayed in our mothers’ womb for nine months … If you cut a white and a black man you get blood. The only differences are our names and colors. So we should believe in ourselves. We must reduce the talking and put in work.“- Safo Jnr. – CEO of the Kantanka Group of Companies

#BlackStarFriday #BlackFriday #BlackStarNation#BlackStarsShine #CooperativeEconomics #PanAfricanism

The post Kantanka Group Introduces Ghana’s New Era Of Automobile Manufacturing appeared first on Global Fusion Productions.

Over the years, with the diligent work of many, James Barnor is finally getting his just due. Now the world is slowly, but surely taking notice of his contribution to photography in telling the story of Ghana and Africans at home and abroad since the 1950’s.

October came with the release of his first photography book followed by exhibitions at Galerie Clémentine de la Féronniére in Paris( October 7- November 21, 2015) and Tropen Museum in Amsterdam (October 16 – March 13, 2016), along with write ups in The Washington Post and The New York Times. Now I’m getting calls from friends in Amsterdam saying that they are seeing James Barnor’s posters and billboards on their streets, announcing his exhibition, while seeing more and more Ghanians and people worldwide being introduced to his work with a sense of pride and gratitude in his contribution to the art of photography. International love and recognition is amazing, but it can never compare to the love and recognition of home.

I dream of a #BlackStarNation where one day soon, the powers that be will recognize the greatness in the responsibility of preserving, protecting, maintaining, telling and keeping our history on our shores and soil, in making the old space for “Ever Young” photography studio in Jamestown, Accra a national landmark, to preserve and cultivate the globally growing multi-million to billion dollar industry of photography, which is seeing vintage and African photography at an all time demand. We are not new to this in talent nor competitiveness, but we have to get out of our own way and allow our dreams to flourish and the phoenixes to rise from the ashes and soar, instead of always finding every excuse and obstacle for stagnation. The Ghanaian proverb says “It takes a village to raise a child”, but it also takes the children of the village to praise and raise our elders in their rightful recognition. It is never too soon or too late for dreams to come true, and for excellence to shine in concrete actions! #BlackStarsShine #OurGlobalFusion

“A civilization develops when people plant trees under which they will never sit” -James Barnor

James Barnor Exhibition & Book Launch – Paris France from Africa Probe on Vimeo.

The post James Barnor : Ever Young -The Long And Steady Road To Recognizing An African Photographic Icon appeared first on Global Fusion Productions.