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This is a poster for the Hiplife festival

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This is an interview with one of the founders of hip-hop in Ghana about hiplife 

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VIDEO-Reggie Rockstone talks about Hiplife On CNN's African Voices -GhCampus com

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This book discusses black feminism in Africa

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This article is about how women in Ghana are flipping the script

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Ghana Feminists Flipping the Gender Script

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Ghana Feminists Flipping the Gender Script

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YourCommonwealth | The Youth Perspective

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In many places around the world, 'feminist' can be perceived as an insult, writes Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu, 21, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Ghana. The majority belief that discrimination based on gender is wrong has failed to significantly affect social discourse in the real world, as many women continue to be constricted by societal conceptions of where their places lie.
A group of self-confessed angry women are hoping to change the situation for women. Over the last four months, Pepper Dem Ministries, a vocal movement of feminists has been 'flipping the script' on social media, to the admiration and condemnation of many.

By flipping the script, Pepper Dem Ministries and its supporters replace men in oversimplified roles women are expected to play, and vice versa. Some of their posts have had fictional married women complaining about their husbands not cooking or washing their laundry, or wives demanding their husbands quit their jobs and put their dreams on hold in order to look after children.

In an email interview, I began by asking the Pepper Dem Ministries (PDM) what the group fundamentally is.

PDM: Pepper Dem Ministries is a group of like-minded women who have tasked themselves and society at large to challenge normalised narratives around gender. This we do by basically flipping society's expectations of the different genders in a quest to generate some critical reflections in everyone. We believe some of the ingrained gender norms are impractical to an extent, especially when it fails to play out when the scenario is flipped. What's good for the goose should be equally good for the gander...The media furor that ensued highlighted the efforts of the many women who projected and sustained these 'flipped stories' and PDM was born out of it as a movement.

Kwasi: At first, 'Pepper Dem' appeared to me as a derogatory term that you appropriated. Was this the case?

PDM: That is a rather unfortunate misconception. We chose "Pepper" as the perfect metaphor, first, to localise our agenda and secondly to represent the importance of the truths we talk about despite how uncomfortable it can make us feel. Pepper is such a key spice in our society. We love it as much we hate it. Although a very necessary spice, we can't look past the discomfort it can create in our mouths, eyes, etc. Pepper, because we are dealing with uncomfortable narratives.

Kwasi: So, what are you seeking to achieve?

PDM: We seek to draw attention to long-held narratives about gender and have conversations, discussions and debates around them. The issue is many of us know that these gender biases exist; we also know that they are unrealistic and unfair to operate by. However, we hardly ever talk about them in the technical and upfront way we are doing. So, this movement is basically to get all of us to confront these truths about how some of these toxic gender narratives can hurt us, no matter how "uncomfortable" they are.

Kwasi: There is a lot of misconception out there about what feminism is and what it is not. How would you define feminism?

PDM: It is about providing a level playing field for both genders to thrive with equal social, political and economic opportunities. The misconceptions about feminism come from a place of misinformation, ignorance and the fear of what it is not. Feminism is just the idea that all humans deserve equal opportunities and that no one should be discriminated on the basis of their gender. Treating people fairly is one of the tenets of the UN Rights charter, and feminism is one of the ways to achieve this universal right. It is not man-hating. It is not shunning femininity. It is not against women having and caring for their families if they choose to.

Kwasi: There is a perception out there that this group is made of a bunch of rude, arrogant, angry, unmarried young women who hate men. What do think about this characterisation?

PDM: This isn't true, but we are very aware of what these tags seek to do; to demoralise us and shift us off the focus of speaking out strongly against the challenges societal structures and systems present its members, especially women.

Our focus is not our personal lives but the message of our advocacy. But it may also be useful to point out that we do not hate man, we are married or in fulfilling relationships or happily and by choice single but yes, we are angry at the inequalities in our society. Some people choose to refer to how we express that anger as rude and arrogant which is unfortunate, but we don't let us that get us down. After all, Nelson Mandela was once called a terrorist.

Kwasi: In two years, if we decide to have this conversation again, what should have happened to PDM and its work towards advancing gender equality in Ghana?

PDM: We hope the conversations are still ongoing, on and off social media and that conversations on gender issues are mainstream. We hope to have made significant progress in our advocacy on sexual violence and been able to engage the relevant stakeholders to ensure the structures that should protect the vulnerable [are in place] and ensure that abusers are brought to book.

Reflecting on my interview with Pepper Dem Ministries, it's evident that success has come quickly for the feminist activists. Since starting in September 2017, they have appeared on major radio and television talk shows, landed themselves a weekly radio programme of their own and had audience with the Minister of Information, who identifies himself as a feminist, too.

However, some women's rights advocates have accused the movement of giving a wrong impression of what feminism is, as many have still not come to really understand the reason behind 'flipping the script.' By spewing slews of vitriol, parody social media movements and trolls have also taken aim at the activists in a bid to discredit their work.

As such, a lot of work needs to be done, not just by Pepper Dem Ministries but also by a critical mass of the society to triumph in this highly important odyssey towards gender equality in Ghana...............................................................................................................................

About me: I am Kwasi, a journalism student from Ghana. I hope to use my skills to tell positive stories about marginalised communities in the world, with the belief that these stories would force action that improves the lives of the people.

Photo credits: Pepper Dem Ministries

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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Articles are published in a spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding. If you disagree, why not submit a response?
To learn more about becoming a Commonwealth Correspondent please visit: http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/submit-articles/

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"Ghana feminists flipping the gender script" | YourCommonwealth

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In many places around the world, 'feminist' can be perceived as an insult, writes Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu, 21, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Ghana. The majority belief that discrimination based on gender is wrong has failed to significantly affect social discourse in the real world, as many women continue to be constricted by societal conceptions of where their places lie.

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An opinion article about the misrepresentation of feminists in the Ghanaian media

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The Misrepresentation of Feminists in the Ghanaian Media

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The Misrepresentation of Feminists in the Ghanaian Media

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OPINION: The Misrepresentation Of Feminists In The Ghanaian Media And Why It Must Stop! - Ameyaw Debrah

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Decades ago, advocacy for feminism in Ghana started through literature where writers like Ama Attah Aidoo and other female writers wrote stories that

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Article about hiplife, a style of music in Ghana

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By Kwame Write Aidoo Some say music is the universal language; others are in doubt of this statement. In either case, we all bear witness to its communicative qualities and its international appeal, independent of dialect. The complex properties in music trigger emotional responses, even when one cannot make out the literal meaning of the content.

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Amaarae, an artist from Ghana, made this album to show that women are  bold

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Amaarae Album - The Angle You Don't Know

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Amaarae Album - The Angle You Don't Know

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Nana Akosua is a strong feminist in Ghana

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Ghana’s fierce feminist Nana Akosua | DW | 17.02.2021

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With her multipronged feminist activism, Akosua Nana Hanson is ushering a new age of feminism in her home country Ghana and in a male dominated, conservative society.

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An article about how young feminists are fighting against the rape culture in Ghana

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In early February 2019, someone on Twitter argued that that "Kakyerɛ me," a song released in 2007 by Ghanaian musical trio, Praye, "would have hit more if it'd been released this year than years ago, because feminists would have blasted them for daring to ask who will wash the husband's clothes and clean his room divider after his wife left him."

Some six months earlier, towards the end of August 2018, two other friends and I stumbled on another song, "Konkontibaa" by Obour (featuring Samini) whilst making a playlist for an old-school themed party. We initially thought about including it, because the song was a hit song from the past; fifteen years ago to be exact. We soon realized we'd be much better off not including it. We also realized that we had sang along and danced to "Konkontibaa" when it first came out.

A closer look at "Konkontibaa," points to how problematic the song is. Here's an English translation of Konkontibaa's opening lines: "... this one is indeed small / I know that she's small / but she's the only one that I like." The chorus goes: "The little tadpole is bound to grow into a big frog."

The tadpole he sings about is a young girl, specifically someone in her pre- or early-teens. Obour and Samini were both 22 years old when they put this song out, which makes the much beloved song predatory at best, and, at worst predatory.

As far as I know, "Konkontibaa" did not experience any significant pushback upon its release. However, something really interesting-and very telling-happened: One day in March 2005, the nomination committee of Ghana's National Music Awards show summoned Obour and Samini, asking them to defend their songs-which were all vying for the Popular Song of the Year award-against charges of indecency. The former, there to defend "Konkontibaa," and the latter, there to defend his own song, "Linda," which features a young man pining for sex from a temporarily absent lover.

In the end, according to one article that reported on the proceedings, "Linda" was sentenced to non-inclusion in that year's nominations while "Konkontibaa" was acquitted and included in the nominations. The article also noted that "another song that was dropped from competing in the Popular Song category was Mzbel's 'Awoso Me.'" (In MzBel's song, much like in Samini's, the singer expresses a yearning for sexual pleasure.)

So, the two songs wherein young adults were merely expressing sexual desire were incriminated, and the other song, the third one with its predatory, pedophilic content, was cleared. And thus, it was able to go on, freely, to win its maker not only the Most Popular song of the year award, but five other awards, which included the equally coveted artist and album of the year awards.

In a post-ceremony interview with the Ghana News Agency, Obour is reported to have said that he indeed expected to win massively at the awards, "because of the high level popularity 'Konkontibaa' generated last year, among the young and old; it became a household song."

"Everywhere, you hear people singing it," he added.

Any society that demonstrates this level of enthusiasm about such a song is a society where rape culture is normalized, and therefore, thrives. Examples abound to corroborate this fact, as brilliantly detailed in an essay by journalist and feminist activist, Nana Ama Agyeman.

Two years ago, rapper Sarkodie ran into trouble for spewing arguably misogynist lyrics that perpetuated a stereotype born from a myth about the Krobo people of Ghana-that Krobo women have been cursed, by Okomfo Anokye, a priest of the Asante kingdom, with promiscuity. There was a furor. And Sarkodie had to apologize, albeit halfheartedly.

A year earlier, in May 2016, a Ghanaian intersectional feminist website, Ghana Feminism, published an essay in which six out of seven women's allegations of rape against a rapper, XO Senavoe, were detailed. According to founder of the blog, Obaa Boni, who published the article-even after the rapper's attorney had called and threatened legal action if the piece went up-she wanted to publish the allegations to "disrupt the cultural wall of silence that allows perpetrators to continue to inflict their violence without accountability..." And disrupt silence she did, considering the level of attention created by the article. XO Senavoe's public voice has been extremely muffled, his career suffering an arguably irreparable blow. His deflated power and reduced influence are little victories in their own right.

Ghana Feminism makes up but one part of the movement that has emerged a little short of a decade after the release of "Konkontibaa." There are the likes of Drama Queens, Pepper Dem Ministries and The Young Feminist Collective who, to borrow from Ghana Feminism 's mission statement, "aim at liberating Ghanaians from constricting gender oppression," essentially patriarchal violence, of which normalized rape culture is a central part. Together with several other Ghanaian women fighting patriarchy on the net and beyond, they wait for the artist who shall dare release the next "Konkontibaa" and expect no pushback or repercussions at all.

Notwithstanding these efforts, it is too soon to think the (male) Ghanaian rapper has ceased spewing offensive, inappropriate raps about girls or women. Yet it is worth acknowledging the shift in the cultural climate since fifteen years ago when Obour, the current president of Ghana's National Musician's Union, released his rather despicable song.

In a fantastic scenario, the preteen girl who was so wrongly being sung about some fifteen years ago is now the twenty-something year old young woman who joined forces with her sisters and realized that long-chanted battle cry to "end rape culture." Really, though, the news is not all that fantastic: there's bad news, which is that the train moving towards a rape-culture-free destination is moving so slow; and the good news is that: the train is moving, regardless. A luta continua.

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In early February 2019, someone on Twitter argued that that "Kakyerɛ me," a song released in 2007 by Ghanaian musical trio, Praye, "would have hit more if it'd been released this year than years ago, because feminists would have blasted them for daring to ask who will wash the husband's clothes and clean his room divider after his wife left him."

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This song, by Ghanian artist Becca, is about the culture and women of Ghana and all of Africa

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This image shows where Ghana is located in Africa

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This image shows the brightly clothing worn in Ghana

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This article is about the vision for Ghanaian Feminism

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"The oppressed must be their own example in the struggle for their redemption." - Paulo Freire

- God Bless Ashawos (@obaa_boni) February 11, 2015

When it comes to liberating ourselves, it is important that we produce the knowledge behind the movements aimed at transforming our societies for the better. It is why I started this blog, and why I seek to make Ghaminism a thing. Ghanaian feminism ("Ghaminism") is a socio-political, digital movement aimed at liberating Ghanaians from constricting gender oppression as part of a greater global movement for equity.

Who is Ghamninism For?

Ghaminism is diverse and seeks to benefit all living creatures in the space of Ghana and in the world as a whole. At first there was a temptation to make Ghaminism a woman centered venture for social, economic, and political rights. While this is a noble quest, it leaves out androgynous, gender non-binary, and other marginalized gender identities that exist in Ghana. So the focus of this digital movement will make Ghaminism for everyone, with an emphasis on women, gender-non binary, androgynous, and transgender persons. Ghaminism, like the greater global feminism, will also make room for men. Ensuring that it attacks the burden that patriarchy imposes on all persons.

Ghaminism is Inherently Ghanaian

Ghaminism is NOT an indeginized feminism. Such a conception is misleading for it presumes that feminism and its concepts originate in the "West", and that this Western paradigm has been adopted to serve Ghanaians. The notion that all people deserve social, political, economic, sexual and cultural equity is not foreign or new to the continent. Femnism in theory and practice has always existed in what we now understand Africa to be. From the all women Dahomey military of Benin that held off the Portuguese to female powerful entities that were worshipped, notions of gender equity existed in many forms. Often in a post-colonized space, distorted, ahistorical understandings of "progress" occur, where those that theorized us as uncivilized savages are looked to as the basis for advancement. I reject wholeheartedly the above mentioned notion.

I provide the following two examples to illustrate my point: that liberating gendered acts can be found in traditional Ghanaian cultural customs and progression, and the adoption of a white produced feminism in colonial and imperial countries is not necessary.

First, a liberal understanding of mothering that allows women to bring their children into work spaces is often cast as a progressive evolution in the West. Yet as the tweet below demonstrates it is an idea that has existed in practice in many African spaces far before exclusionary work and "domestic" spaces were created by the industrial revolution. (Where ideal capitalistic, models of work required women to stay home, and men to go out and work for a wage in manufacturing, industrial, service etc. industries). We can see here that Ghanaian women worked and mothered without the dual separation.

Second, the "progressive" notion of European and American women's refusal to adopt their husband's last name is a practice that pre-colonial African women did not engage in. For us, it was an unnecessary sign of resistance because European legal institutions that classified women as men's property (first as your father's, and then your husband's) did not exist until European colonizers imposed their legal system. So choosing to keep the name I was born with as political resistance is not just the emulation of contemporary white women, but a resistance to both cultural imperialism ( that mandated that African women start emulating white-supremacist, misogynistic European practices) and misogyny.

The politics of Ghaminism

Ghaminism does not seek to throw away Ghanaian tradition simply because it is "tradition". The binary created between tradition and reason is a false and problematic one. In fact all theories: whether feminism, humanism, or post-colonialism have a set of practices that historically and contemporarily structure its manifestation and praxis. I mean to say institution has a tradition, and to simply replace Ghanaian cultural institutions with supposed "objective" theories of liberation manufactured in white dominated spaces neo-colonization. Because essentially, one is replacing the Ghanaian cultural traditions with Western philosophical reasoning traditions, yet FAILING to point this out. It is the devaluing of indigenous Ghanaian and African institutions and the overvaluing of supposed universal ideas, produced outside of the context of Ghana by former colonizing powers. This isn't to say that certain theories are bad because they were conceptualized in "Western" spaces. It is to say that for past few centuries, the legacy of the "white man's burden" still haunts us.

The belief that is the duty of benevolent white saviors to rescue the savage African from his own backwards culture continues today. How then does one explain this: the white supremacist cesspool also known as United Kingdom, with its political participation in Guantanamo (where persons are forcefully rectally fed), its history of supporting apartheid South Africa, felt superior enough to instruct Ghana to comply with its human rights agenda or suffer economic loss. It is the belief that white imperial powers get to decide the human rights agenda because imperial powers have more progressive cultures. Additionally, it is the belief that white imperial powers are doing us a favor by mandating their understanding of human rights progress, despite different political climate, social environments, and cultural contexts. Ghaminism rejects the effects of the benevolent white savior complex. First, because it clearly undermines Ghana's political sovereignty for a colonial power to determine our agenda. Second, it is an oppressive move that does not take into account the needs, desires and goals of advocates on the ground who seek the same goal yet are context knowledgeable. Thus, Ghaminism embraces the self-determinism of Ghanaians by seeking to produce liberating, gendered, ideas for a better Ghana on our own terms.

Rather Ghamnism will seek to revamp, edit, and keep Ghanaian cultural institutions that seek to bring about liberation. For those who have had their history distorted, their cultural institutions destroyed, their norms theorized as "backwards", we should not be in the habit of casually tossing aside our heritage and lineage UNLESS it is oppressive and cannot be altered in a liberating manner.
It is an act of self-love and self-affirmation to realize that we too are good enough, our social constructs are worthy, our historical creations have value in a world that teaches us daily that our language is a dialect, our food is off-putting, our clothing cannot be professional, and our intellectual creations are just not up to par.
I also reject the simplistic back and forth over deciding whether something is "western" or "African". First, those two categories are not mutually exclusive, we have contributed greatly to the West and the "West" has influenced our culture. Our imaginations of ourselves as authentic when we are "exclusively African" is humorous, because the category "African" itself is a colonial categorization. While there is much need for wariness about epistemological and cultural imperialism, Ghaminism will willingly incorporate good and ethical practices from the "West" if it contributes to the liberations of Ghanaians.

Who Does Ghaminism Seek To Do?

Ghaminism does not seek to be just ideological, but also deeply practical. It seeks to be shape the ideologies of Ghanaian citizens who would then center gender liberation in their politics. It is for persons from all ten regions, different class backgrounds, from lawyer to kayayoo, abled to disabled, literate to illiterate, adult to child, "half-co" to koo-blackie, non-believer to ardent theist. We must meet people where they are.

Ghaminism ofcourse, like many movements have limitations THe obvious limitation being that it currently presents as a deeply, academic set of theoretical foundations accessible only to those who have internet access. This means, in a country where only 6% of the population have access to tertiary education, and dismal internet access these ideas will only reach a few.

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Ghaminism: A Vision For Ghanaian Feminism

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https://twitter.com/obaa_boni/status/565502568802287616 When it comes to liberating ourselves, it is important that we produce the knowledge behind the movements aimed at transforming our societies for the better. It is why I started this blog, and why I seek to make Ghaminism a thing. Ghanaian feminism ("Ghaminism") is a socio-political, digital movement aimed at liberating Ghanaians from...

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This Instagram post is from Becca at the Ghana Women of the Year Honors

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BECCA (@beccafrica)

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This article highlights the 13 women that were honored at the women of the year honors 

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On Sunday, August 1, 2021, thirteen remarkable women from diverse fields were celebrated at the 6th edition of the Ghana Women of the Year Honours which took place at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra.
The Ghana Women of the Year Honours kickstarted with the She Summit Mentorship and Leadership series (CEOs Breakfast Meeting) on Wednesday, July 28 and Friday, July 30 respectively.
The She Summit (Mentorship seminar) themed, ' Women Evolution: The Era of the Empowered Woman ' had three panel discussions. The first panel deliberating on the theme and the others talking on Leveraging your Ingenuity and Seizing Opportunities in a New Space.

Speakers included; Emma Morrison (Regional Manager, Corporate Affairs and Stakeholder Engagements, Gold Fields), Femi Asante (CEO, Groupe Sebastien & Founder, Fair Justice Initiative), Anita Erskine (MD, Anita Erskine Media), Dentaa Amoateng MBE (CEO, GUBA Enterprise), Aisha Ayensu (Founder/Creative Director, Christie Brown), Becca (Artist/CEO, Kora Spa), Makosi Musambasi (certified Life Coach), Nana Oforiatta Ayim (art historian, filmmaker), Mariam K. Agyenim Boahen (Group Head, Digital Marketing) and Claudia Lumor (CEO, Glitz Africa). The panels were moderated by media personalities; Ayisha Yakubu-Halid, Nana Akua Mensah-Aborampah (Media General) and Araba Koomson (Multimedia). The event took place at the Ecobank Headquarters at Ridge, Accra.

The CEOs Breakfast Meeting hosted by media personality Dzifa Bampoh was themed, ' Women in Leadership: Inspiring Women to take Action. ' The key note speaker was Madam Florence Oboshie Sai-Coffie. The panelists who discussed the theme included; H.E. Anne Sophie Ave (French Ambassador to Ghana), H.E. Grace Jeanet Mason (South Africa High Commissioner to Ghana), Dr. Afua Asabea Asare (CEO, Ghana Exports Promotion Authority), and Ing. Carlien Bou-Chedid (independent structural/earthquake engineer).

The Honours gala was hosted by ace media personality Anita Erskine.

The categories honoured on the night included Business, Health, Humanitarianism, Film, Music, Public Service, Governance Media among others. The full list of honourees are as follows:

* Corporate Personality - Abena Osei-Poku (MD, Absa Ghana)
* Business - Ing. Carlien Bou Chedid (President, Federation of African Engineering Organisations)
* Humanitarian - Angela Dwamena Aboagye (Founder, ARK Foundation)
* Public Service - Jean Mensah (Chairperson of the Electoral Commission)
* Health - Dr. Juliette Tuakli (Founder and Medical Director of CHILDAccra)
* Media - Doreen Andoh (Multimedia Group)
* Lifetime Achievement - Her Ladyship Georgina T. Wood (former Chief Justice)
* Governance - Hon. Shirley A. Botchwey (Foreign Affairs Minister)
* Musical Arts - Becca (Artiste)
* Film - Akofa Edjeani (actress)
* Technology - Patricia Obo-Nai (MD, Vodafone Ghana)
* Cultural Arts - Nana Oforiatta Ayim (writer, art historian and filmmaker)
* Sports - Mercy Tagoe Quarcoo (Coach of national women's team, Black Queens)

Award presenters included Maataa Opare, Gabby Otchere-Darko, Kwame Sefa Kayi, Adjetey Anang, Stacy Amoateng, Ellen Hagan, Charles Mensah, Ruddy Kwakye, Michelle Hammond and Prof. Kofi Abotsi.
Guests present at the gala included; some queen mothers, Judge Akua Kuenyehia, Nana Aba Amfo Appiah, Oforikrom MCE, Hon. Gloria Temmah Gambrah, Ophelia Crossland, Velma Owusu Bempahamong others.

Partners of the Ghana Women of the Year were: the UNFPA and TV3. Supporting partners included: Veuve Cliquot, Sunlight, Standard Chartered Bank, Verna and South Africa Wines.
Media partners were: TV3, Joy FM, Asaase Radio, MX24, B&FT, GhanaWeb, Ameyaw Debrah and Yemmey Baba.

It was indeed an inspirational night.

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6th Ghana Women of the Year Honours: 13 women honoured - Bra Perucci Africa

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On Sunday, August 1, 2021, thirteen remarkable women from diverse fields were celebrated at the 6th edition of the Ghana Women of the Year Honours which took place at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra. The Ghana Women of the Year Honours kickstarted with the She Summit Mentorship and Leadership series (CEOs Breakfast Meeting) on Wednesday, July 28 and Friday, July 30 respectively.

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ghana Party In The Park (@ghanapartyinthepark)

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This is a song by Ghanian hip-hop artist Sefa

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This is an Instagram post by Sefa that shows her having fun with many friends

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 𝐒𝐄𝐅𝐀🦋 (@s3fa_gh)

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ShaSimone posted this video to promote her new song

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SHASIMONE (@shasimone)

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ShaSimone - Back To Sender [Music Video] | GRM Daily

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This article is about Ghanaian Feminists standing in solidarity because Ghana violates queer people's constitutional rights

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250+ Ghanaian Feminists Stand In Solidarity

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250+ Ghanaian Feminists Stand In Solidarity

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Forgive me for any typos, I'm writing this after staying up all night.

In the past few years, Ghana has attempted to capitalize on the Black Diaspora's interest in Homecoming through the use of tourism. Tourism ventures targeted at Black Americans and Black Europeans are advertised as a "Year of Return". The "Year of Return" is a tourist program marketed to Black people globally; where Black Diasporans are encouraged to come explore Ghana's cultural relics, club scenes, and lively beaches as part of an immersive "Black experience". Ghana has a well-refined PR machine and has earned a reputation for being a tolerant, kind, and hospitable place. Despite this reputation, Ghana is a deeply intolerant and violent place without the necessary mechanisms of a meaningful democracy. Every meaningful democracy secures at least one fundamental goal: it protects the rights and wellbeing of minorities from the violence and tyranny of the majority.

If all persons are guaranteed the above rights, then it follows that sexual and gender minorities should be given the liberty to freely associate, organize, and express any thought or belief about the personal relationships of consenting adults, without the tyranny of the majority threatening them.

In the past few days the Ghanaian State has ramped up state violence against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, Intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA+ ) persons in Ghana; both in the alarming declarations of criminalization, and in the use of police forces to invade and shut down the LGBTQ center located in Accra. Make no mistake the use of state/police/national security forces to shut down the LGBTQ center, and the use of threats by national security forces to intimidate LGBTQ activists, is a direct violation of Chapter 5 of the Ghanaian constitution.

According to the Constitution, all persons are supposed to enjoy, free from interference from the State : (1) freedom of assembly, (2) freedom of speech, (3) freedom of thought, conscience and belief (4) freedom of association, (5) freedom of movement, (6)freedom to form or join political parties and to participate in political activities subject to such qualifications and laws as are necessary in a free and democratic society...

So why the hell did national security forces invade and shut down the LGBTQ center and threaten activists? If all persons are guaranteed the above rights, then it follows that sexual and gender minorities should be given the liberty to freely associate, organize, and express any thought or belief about the personal relationships of consenting adults, without the tyranny of the majority threatening them. Unfortunately, as anyone can see in the 20th and 21st century, "rights" granted by the State are not automatically granted and applied. This means that marginalized persons of any weak democratic State must continue to call onto the Courts, the Legislature and struggle in the streets for these rights to be protected. This is particularly concerning because any time the government signals that a group of people will not be protected at the same level, the government not only exposes them to police harassment and judicial violence, but also to the mob violence of private citizens. Here are a few tweets that highlight this concern:

Just look at this. All this hate and promised violence; beatings & killings just because adults have decided to have consensual sex with each other???? #LGBTQI
You people are the ones who are sick in the head fr pic.twitter.com/jDHEqG3MuQ
- 🇬🇭LGBTQI+LivesMatter (@Ama_governor) February 23, 2021

TW:Violence
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I don't know why homophobes are so intent on killing queer people and destroying their happiness and safety. What is going on in Ghana right now reminds me of Nigeria 2013. This sort of all out attack for no reason. Just for existing.#QueerGhanaianLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/6ChgWiqOQ5
- Ignore them. They're cishets ☭ (@Kayode_ani) February 23, 2021

Nonetheless, Ghanaian feminists are fighting back. Please check out the statement below that expounds more upon the issue:

Statement in Solidarity with LGBT+ Ghanaians by a Collective of Ghanaian Feminists
We are Ghanaian feminists writing in solidarity with LGBT+ Rights Ghana and queer and transgender Ghanaians everywhere. We write to show the community that you are not alone. Further, we hope this statement can help other Ghanaians who feel supportive know that they do not have to be cowed by the violent rhetoric of the government, the press, and the religious sector. The violence directed at the community in the wake of their office launch demonstrates the vitriolic conditions under which queer Ghanaians live and why such a community space is needed. We reject the current onslaught of religious, media, and state violence meted out against queer and transgender people, who are simply asserting their God-given right to exist with dignity and safety.

The backlash against LGBT+ Rights Ghana follows a trend of moral panic led by the media, religious groups, and political figures. Whenever queer Ghanaians demand rights, respect, and safety in our own country, these leaders use the guise of morality and concern to push a violent agenda. Their agenda is harmful to queer and trans Ghanaians, and it ultimately seeks to control how all Ghanaians live, regardless of their sexuality. We are already witnessing the toll these attacks take on people's lives. As a result of the recent media frenzy, many LGBT+ persons are facing increasing threats of violence online, at work and in their homes. Community members have been threatened with evictions, forced marriage and employment termination.

As feminists, we believe that the patriarchal and colonial constructions of gender and sexuality that shape social expectations and norms not only hurt the LGBT+ community, but continue to keep other marginalized groups-including poor women, sex workers, people with dreadlocs, amongst others-oppressed and constantly policed. We align our political perspective with a radical vision of freedom and justice for all people in Ghana, which is also enshrined in our Constitution.

Of the undersigned, some of us identify as LGBT+, and others identify differently. Our genders are wide-ranging, our geographic locations are in Ghana and its vast Diaspora, and our life experiences are diverse. What binds us is a shared vision for the freedom and liberation of all people, particularly those who are most marginalised in our communities. We unapologetically and unreservedly stand in support of LGBT+ people to live with dignity and under safe conditions in Ghana. And we call on allies to do the work of speaking up for queer and trans people as they are subjected to violence by the state, religious institutions and the public.

For inquiries about this statement, please contact Dr. Anima Adjepong at adjepoaa@ucmail.uc.edu. You may add your name to the letter here.

Signed,

1. Anima Adjepong, PhD, USA

2. Nana Yaa Agyepong, Ghana

3. Shakia Asamoah, USA

4. Akua Gyamerah, DrPh, USA

5. M. A. Marfo, Young Feminists Collective, Ghana

6. Wunpini Mohammed, PhD, USA

7. Rita Nketiah, PhD, Canada

8. Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah, Ghana

9. Abena Benewaa Fosu, Ghana

10. Malaika Aryee-Boi, Ghana

11. Shelia Adufutse, Ghana

12. Abena Awuku, Netherlands

13. Raphaela M.A. Rockson, Ghana

14. Fatima B. Derby, Ghana

15. Godfried Asante, PhD, San Diego State University, USA

16. Akosua Hanson, Ghana

17. Abena Darko, Ghana

18. Joseph Ewoodzie, PhD, Davidson College, USA

19. Amma Dodi, USA

20. Johlyn Fallah, UK

21. Sylvia Bawa, PhD, York University, Canada

22. Nobiana Dodi, USA

23. Adwoa Asante, Ghanafeminism.com USA

24. Makafui Ahorney, Ghana

25. Sayidatu Mariam Ibrahim, University of Ghana, Ghana

26. Ama Amponsah, Canada

27. Elvina Quaison, Ghana

28. Christine Hanson, SOH, Ghana

29. Kafui Offori, Ghana

30. Portia Asantewaa Duah, Feminist, Ghana

31. Ria Boss, Ghana

32. Adoley Pappoe, Israel

33. Adaeze Williams, Nigeria

34. Salma Shanni, Ghana

35. Tracy N. K. Owoo, Ghana

36. Debbie Frempong, USA

37. Emma Dodi, USA

38. Maame Akua Marfo, Ghana

39. Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah, Canadian Center for Gender and Sexual Diversity, Canada

40. Ismael Montana, PhD, Northern Illinois University, USA

41. Shone Edem, Key Watch Ghana, Ghana

42. Wisdom, Solace Initiative , Ghana

43. Alliance for Equality and Diversity (AfED), Ghana

44. Kwame Edwin Otu, PhD, University of Virginia, USA

45. Emmanuel Owusu-Bonsu, FOKN Bois / Wanlov the Kubolor, Ghana

46. Rose Afriyie, USA

47. Yasmin Fuseini-Codjoe, USA

48. Ewurabena S. Hutchful, USA

49. Jeanne Barbara Debre, Ghana

50. Selasie Dotse, USA

51. Nana Yankah, Esq., Shia Travel Group, LLC, USA

52. Akua Agyen, USA

53. Amma Gyamfowa, Canada

54. Keya Prempeh, Canada

55. Phillip Adu, Canada

56. Chris Akyah, USA

57. Olivet Aggrey-Fynn Makiava , USA

58. Madonna Kendona, Accra, Ghana

59. Kofi Ofosu, PHD, University of Texas at Austin, USA

60. Elfreda Tetteh, Germany

61. Betty Esi Awuku, The Netherlands

62. Malaka Grant, South Africa

63. Serena Dankwa, University of Bern, Switzerland

64. Yvette Tetteh, Pure and Just Company, Ghana

65. Jessica Longdon, United Kingdom

66. Ayesha Harruna Attah, Senegal

67. Dshamilja Adeifio, University of Teacher Training, Switzerland

68. Maame Akua Marfo, Ghana

69. Sefakor Agbesi, Germany

70. Nnenna Onuoha, Germany

71. Kuukuwa Manful, U.K.

72. Teki Martei, Ghana

73. Panji Anoff, Pidgen Music, Ghana

74. Selinam Setranah, Ghana

75. Naa Oyo S. Quartey Papafio, Switzerland

76. Anita Enyonam Kwaku (Naa Busuafi), Afed, Ghana

77. Gabriella Rockson, Ghana

78. Hauwa Uthman, Ghana

79. Sel Kofiga, The Slum Studio, Ghana

80. Daniela Gyeabour, Canada

81. Germaine Bombande, Ghana

82. Esinam Agbeyaka, Canada

83. Nana Akua Amoafoa Mensah , Ghana

84. Owiredua Akrofi, UK

85. Nana Aba Armoo-Daniels, USA

86. Dorcas Amoah, Brooklyn, NY

87. Owiredua Akrofi, UK

88. Dorothy L. Hammond, University of Ghana, Ghana

89. Kinna Likimani, Ghana

90. Tawakalitu Braimah, Women in AI, France

91. Nii Kotei Nikoi, PhD, USA

92. Aseye Afi-Djangmah, Ghana

93. Naa Korkoi, Ghana

94. Afia Kwakyewaa Owusu-Nyantakyi, Ghana

95. Fouzia Alhassan, Ghana

96. Justice Okai-Allotey, Humanist Association of Ghana, Ghana

97. Caren Akoto-Adade, Ghana

98. Angela Otoo, Drama Queens, Ghana

99. Jacob Alhassan, Canada

100. Prof. Senam Okudzeto, Director Art in Social Structures, Switzerland

101. Franka Hagan, Ghana

102. Nana Akua Amoafoa Mensah, Ghana

103. Anella Bieteru, Canada

104. Ayisha Alhassan , United Kingdom

105. Rasheeda Yehuza, Germany

106. Sekyi-Brown Reginald, Ghana

107. Ayisha Lineo Gariba, University of Toronto, Canada

108. Amy Cybil, Ghana

109. Hetty Bonney-Mercer, FemInStyle Africa, UK

110. Ady Namaran Coulibaly, Ghana

111. Lilian Obeng, Canada

112. Michaela E. Rockson, Ghana

113. Samuel Kwadwo Owusu-Ansah, Ghana

114. FemInStyle Africa, Ghana

115. Cassandra Osei, University of Illinois, USA

116. Nana Afua Yeboaa Brantuo, USA

117. Jessica Armooh, UK

118. Victoria Naa Adukwei Bulley, United Kingdom

119. Abena Offeibea Asare-Boye, Ghana

120. Anabella Afra Boateng , USA

121. Nana Akua Agyeibea Asare-Boye, Ghana

122. Kwasi Adarkwa, University of Ghana, Ghana

123. Abena Okoampah, Ghana

124. Maame Akosua Addai A., Ghana

125. Jennifer Gbarinaa, Ghana

126. Adjoa Okornore Manu, Ghana

127. Awo Okaikor Aryee-Price, Ed.D., USA

128. Efe Plange, The University of Texas at El Paso, USA

129. Kojo Nyako, Ghana

130. Amazing Grace Lois Danso, Ghana

131. Efua Sintim, United Kingdom

132. Tiffany Howard, Ghana

133. Ama Gyamerah, USA

134. Dr. Abena Ampofoa Asare, Stony Brook University, USA

135. Amanor Apenkro, Ghana

136. Prince Asante Marfo, Ghana

137. Michael Gyan Nyarko, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa

138. Vida Awinime Bugri, France

139. Baaba Quansah, Ghana

140. Latifa Amadu, Ghana

141. Chisomo Kalinga, United Kingdom

142. Emiley Charley , USA

143. Christopher Olaoluwa Ogunmodede, Nigeria

144. Adwoa Hanson-Hall, Paula's Choice, USA

145. Naa Amerly Charley, USA

146. Pamm Takyiwaa, Ghana

147. Wairimu Muriithi, USA

148. Sheilla Addison, Ghana

149. Charlotte Addison, Ghana

150. Nana Boahen, Canada

151. Zeeyyah Ahmed Mudasir, Ghana

152. Ngozi Plange, UK

153. Nnennaya Amuchie, Washington D.C.

154. Francesca Sobande, UK

155. Helena Mate-Kole Rampe, England

156. Isaac Dery (PhD), Ghana

157. Gyasiwa Arhin, UK

158. Ryan Ansah, England

159. Akosua Adomako Ampofo, Ghana

160. Sepo Achampong, Bou, Toronto, Canada

161. Kennetha Brown, Ghana

162. Nana Kwame Owusu-Ofori, Ghana

163. Belinda "Ryeda" Attached, Ghana

164. Nana Kwame Owusu-Ofori, Ghana

165. Colette Adu - Badu, Ghana

166. Adel Adam, Accra

167. Adekunle, Boston, USA

168. Maame Ama Boatemaa Agyenim, USA

169. Michelle Bonsu, Canada

170. Kofi Yeboah, University of Alberta, Canada

171. Akosua A. I. Ampofo, Ghana

172. Jennifer K. Akuamoah, Ghana

173. Yasmin Wilkinson, USA

174. Antoinette Sakyibea Ohene, Ghana

175. Derek Ofori, Ghana

176. Michelle Ansong, Toronto, Canada

177. Takyiwaa Manuh, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

178. Audrey Boateng, USA

179. Nana Grace Barbara Teiko Kwapong, MBA, Oslo, Norway

180. Dubie Toa-Kwappong, Norway/USA

181. Ruth Tamakloe, Ghana

182. Barbara Ofosu-Somuah, New York, NY, USA

183. Dr. Darkowaa Adu-Kofi, Ghana

184. Mistress Velvet, Chicago, USA

185. Sena Afi Bleboo Akaba, United Kingdom

186. Eric Gyamfi, Accra, Ghana

187. Kofoworola Abiola, USA

188. Christina Boateng, London, UK

189. Naa Yarley, Ghana

190. Couchhours, Ghana

191. Maame Baffour, Ghana

192. Tracy Brobbey, Ghana

193. Kobena Ampofo, Ghana

194. Vincentia Osabutey-Anikon, United Kingdom

195. Abena Oworae, USA

196. Ata Amponsah, USA

197. Brittany Hudson, Toronto, Canada

198. Khadijah Diskin, Rainbow Noir, Manchester

199. Afi Elorm, Accra, Ghana

200. Apefa Adjivon, Toronto, Canada

201. Fui Can-Tamakloe, Accra, Ghana

202. Flintwood Danso, New York

203. Poetyk Prynx, Accra, Ghana

204. Abena Asare, Ghana

205. Audrey Boateng, USA

206. Mo Saunders, Victoria, Canada

207. Lee Dekel100% SILK, Toronto, Canada

208. Nana Kwame Afosah, PhD, VCU, USA

209. Jere Agbaje, London, United Kingdom

210. Afua Anku, Comforting Queens, Canada

211. Marian Addai, San Francisco, Canada

212. Jessica Stead, Minneapolis, USA

213. Françoise Moudouthe, AWDF, Ghana

214. Akosua Achiah Adwini-Poku, Ghana

215. Emma Urofsky, USA

216. Alexis Osei, USA

217. Elle Badu, USA

218. Scovia Aweko, Uganda

219. Kai Lutterodt, Diversity Matters, London

220. Edwin Dzobo, Ghana

221. Nana Yaa Asare Boadu, New York, USA

222. Eliza Aba Kwofie, LUSPA, Ghana

223. Nana Kwabena, Atlanta, GA, USA

224. Ami Akoto, Ghana

225. Khadia Alexandra Okai-koi, Ghana

226. Abena Boamah, Chicago, USA

227. Joanna Aryee-Atta, Germany

228. Suzanne Mol, Utrecht, Netherlands

229. Alidu Abdallah, ANYTASK, Accra

230. Nanama Boatemaa Acheampong, Ghana

231. Miss Anita E Asamoah MPH, Public Health Perspectives, Ghana

232. Idris Ajia, UK

233. Theophilus Sosu, University of Professional Studies, Ghana

234. Lux Designs Gh, Ghana

235. Elliot Akosa, Accra, Ghana

236. Pontso Mafethe, African Women's Development Fund, Ghana

237. Daniel Ansah-Quaye, Accra, Ghana

238. Pearl Ehlan, Ghana

239. Latifatu Sulemana, Accra, Ghana

240. James Quarshie, Drama Queens Ghana, Accra

241. Tanoa Sasraku, London, England

242. Adwoa Darko, SOAS, London, UK

243. Davida Afriyie, London

244. Elorm Koto, USA

245. Aba Akyianu, Lawyer, Canada

246. Kwabena Agyare, Ghana

247. Nana Ambon Akasi, USA

248. Marcia Frimpong, USA

249. Ewurama Akroma Dontoh, Monash University, Malaysia

250. Ese Esiso, Nigeria

251. Kwasi Oti-Awere, MBA, Canada

252. Zoë Gadegbeku, USA

253. Abeer Alam, UAE

254. Latifah Cecilia Ama Cengel, Beauty & Politics, Frankfurt, Germany

255. Ariel Arman Woode, Ghana

256. Naana Ewol, USA

257. Chantelle Myers, Canada

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Ghana Violates Queer People's Constitutional Rights, 250+ Ghanaian Feminists Stand In Solidarity

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Forgive me for any typos, I'm writing this after staying up all night. In the past few years, Ghana has attempted to capitalize on the Black Diaspora's interest in Homecoming through the use of tourism. Tourism ventures targeted at Black Americans and Black Europeans are advertised as a "Year of Return".

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This article is about Ghana’s Crackdown on LGBTQ+ and how feminist are helping stand with the LGBTQ+ community

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Ghana’s Crackdown on LGBTQ+ has a (Neo)Colonial and Christian Face — Africa ProActive

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On May 20, 2021, 21 activists and paralegals were arrested while holding a training seminar for human rights advocacy in Ho, southeastern Ghana. This series of events involving journalists, police, judges and government officials, speaks of the ongoing oppression of the LGBTQ+ community in Ghana. Wh

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This article is about how young Ghanaian feminists are making feminist futures a reality

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Fatima B. Derby, Accra, Ghana

In 2017, the AWID #PracticeSolidarity campaign highlighted how young feminists could build feminist futures by showing up for one another, being in cross-regional conversations with one another, marching in solidarity with other activists and collaborating between movements. Feminist solidarity and collective action in practice requires, first of all, for us to understand and acknowledge that our experiences, although similar in some ways, are also unique and distinct in other ways. Our different identities such as our gender, race, class status, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability or disability influence the ways we are treated by oppressive systems. Acknowledging these different experiences helps us find common points for action within our movements. This understanding of solidarity is key in feminist activism and organizing.

Maame Akua Kyerewaa Marfo is one of the organizers of the Young Feminist Collective, an Accra-based feminist group that defines itself as committed to continuing in the badassery of their feminist ancestors. For Maame, practicing solidarity becomes a feminist reality when she makes a conscious choice to include and centre women from different backgrounds in her activism and organizing.

"Feminist solidarity is standing with everyone who exists at the different margins of society, even if their experiences are different from mine", she says.

bell hooks tells us that, "Solidarity is not the same as support. To experience solidarity, we must have a community of interests, shared beliefs and goals around which to unite, to build Sisterhood. Support can be occasional. It can be given and just as easily withdrawn. Solidarity requires sustained ongoing commitment."

In April 2019, Nigerian Twitter was thrown into a state of fury when news broke of the unlawful arrests of over 100 women on suspicion of sex work. The arrests, which have now come to be known as the Abuja Police Raid, were made by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Joint Task Force and the Nigeria Police Force. The women were picked up from streets, restaurants, clubs and lounges, accused of being sex workers and extorted by the police. Many of the women were asked to either pay a fine of $8 (N3,000) or be sentenced to imprisonment for a month. $8 might seem like a small amount to some people but in a country where the minimum wage is about $3 a day, it is a significant amount for many people. Those who could not afford the fines were sexually assaulted by the police.

The Abuja Police Raid and the unlawful arrests of the women on suspicion of sex work show how deep the stigma of sex work runs within our societies and institutions. Women who choose to live freely, dress the way they want, go wherever they like and at any time they please are often regarded as "sexual deviants." The stigma associated with sexual deviance exposes women to higher risks of violence. Unfortunately, the police who are supposed to protect women are themselves ambassadors of state violence. Following the raid, women's rights organizations and African feminists living in Africa and the diaspora took to social media to express their anger and frustration about the institutionalized oppression of women. Out of these conversations, #SayHerNameNigeria - an adaptation from the Say Her Name movement - was coined by Nigerian feminist Angel Nduka-Nwosu. The Say Her Name movement, according to their Mission Statement, is a "movement that calls attention to police violence against Black women, girls and femmes, and demands that their stories be integrated into calls for justice, policy responses to police violence, and media representations of police brutality."

When I first heard the news about the Abuja Police Raid, I was horrified and seething with rage. I knew I had to do something so I reached out to some Nigerian feminists and asked how I could help. I was added to a Whatsapp organizing group where Nigerian feminists were planning to protest in Lagos and in Abuja. I volunteered to organize a solidarity march in Accra and they readily agreed. I got in contact with other young feminists in Accra including members of the Young Feminist Collective and we began organizing a solidarity march.

Like Maame, Jessica Armooh is a member of the Young Feminist Collective, Accra. Her countless experiences of sexual harassment from police officers at road checkpoints gave her reason to march in solidarity with The Say Her Name Nigeria Movement. She says, "the Abuja Police Raid brought to bear the fact that things are really bad for women, especially for single women whom these police officers interact with. But it was also great to know that as women, we are in solidarity with one another, standing up for ourselves and advocating for each other".

Organising and marching was a very intense and frightening experience for me. Mobilizing people to protest police violence meant that I had to deal with Ghana Police. I wrote to Ghana Police notifying them of our proposed march and they invited me to the Accra Regional Police Headquarters to answer some questions about the march, the organizers and participants. After reassuring them that it was a peaceful march and we were not a "terrorist organization", they informed me about the procedure to obtain a police escort for the march.

And although I felt a little afraid and worried for my safety, my commitment to standing with other women to demand justice gave me the courage I needed.

While I was feeling a little trepidation about the march, it was an empowering experience for Nana Akosua Hanson, who is a young Ghanaian feminist and the director of Drama Queens, a political theatre organization that uses arts for human rights activism. Prior to that day, Nana Akosua had never been to a protest before. She says it was liberating. In that moment, she felt the power of the movement most strongly - being part of the bigger march of women in the UK and across different cities in Nigeria.

"The solidarity march showed me how feminist solidarity manifests. Bringing together feminists on different continents, in the virtual space and on the streets of Accra, united in a liberation cause for sex workers who have been brutalized by the police and ignored by the leaders".

For Nana Yaa Konadu Agyepong, a young Ghanaian feminist writer, it was cathartic to march the streets of Accra and loudly oppose state violence against women. She acknowledges that oppressive systems are similar regardless of what country they exist in. "There have been instances where the Ghana police force has been violent toward women. Our protest was about those women in Abuja, but also about the ways women aren't allowed to be; whether it's going to the club or working in Abuja or driving in Accra".

This cross-continental adaptation of resistance language and practice says a lot about the similarities in Black women's experiences the world over with regards to patriarchy, race and other forms of structural violence.

Our struggles are connected - the central principle of the #PracticeSolidarity campaign had become a feminist reality. And this feminist reality gives Nana Yaa hope.

"We have a very long way to go. There has been some progress. And I know it's the collective force from individual efforts that will get us to freedom."

Marching to the Nigerian High Commission in Accra, loudly chanting "Ashawo work na work" ("sex work is work" in Pidgin) was freeing. It helped us assert our agency and gave us the power and confidence to stand up to the oppressive state. For me, that was a feminist future coming to life in our present moment.

"Let it Grow"

Gucora Andu (@gucora.andu), Nairobi, Kenya

A black woman with her arms raised, unbothered with her exposed bushy armpits. In many societies, armpit hair on women is taboo, while men don't face such scrutiny. The idea that not shaving can be a choice is an important step towards reframing this issue.

Gucora Andu (@gucora.andu)

< Our neighbourhood, our network, our strength Mainstreaming The Invisible Feminist Realities >

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"Ashawo Work na Work": How Young Ghanaian Feminists Are Making Feminist Futures A Reality

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Fatima B. Derby, Accra, Ghana In 2017, the AWID #PracticeSolidarity campaign highlighted how young feminists could build feminist futures by showing up for one another, being in cross-regional conversations with one another, marching in solidarity with other activists and collaborating between movements.

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This video interviews many different people from Nigeria and Ghana to ask them about feminism

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Views on Feminism from Nigeria and Ghana

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Views on Feminism from Nigeria and Ghana

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Views on Feminism from Nigeria and Ghana

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This is a brief video that covers what Ghana's culture is like

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This video is of traditional music in Ghana

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This podcast episode features Abena Rockstar a Ghanian hip hop artist

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HHAP Episode 17: Abena Rockstar on Hip Hop and the Music Industry in Ghana

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HHAP Episode 17: Abena Rockstar on Hip Hop and the Music Industry in Ghana

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Abena Rockstar is a Ghanaian hip hop artist who is known for writing hard hitting, raw hip hop lyrics. She performs mostly in Twi, and is among a small group of female artists in Ghana who's style focuses on strong hip hop lyricism. Many female artists in Ghana choose to enter into other genres, whether it be Hiplife or gospel music. The idea that women are not supposed to be hardcore hip hop lyricists is a perspective we see throughout hip hop globally.

In this interview, we sat down at a local restaurant near Abena's home in Tema, outside of Accra and talked about a lot of different topics. Abena Rockstar discusses the visibility of women in Ghanaian hip hop, the pressure to sing instead of rap, ideas of how women should behave, and her views on the category of "female rapper". She also talks about her views on Hiplife, her participation in the "Gh Female Rappers Cypher" project, and the music industry in Ghana.

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HHAP Episode 17: Abena Rockstar on Hip Hop and the Music Industry in Ghana

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Listen to this episode from Hip Hop African Podcast on Spotify. Abena Rockstar is a Ghanaian hip hop artist who is known for writing hard hitting, raw hip hop lyrics. She performs mostly in Twi, and is among a small group of female artists in Ghana who's style focuses on strong hip hop lyricism.

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This podcast episode features Laura Lora a Ghanian hip hop artist

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HHAP Episode 27: Laura Lora on the Politics of Gender & a Ghanaian American Identity

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HHAP Episode 27: Laura Lora on the Politics of Gender & a Ghanaian American Identity

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Department of African Studies, Howard University

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HHAP Episode 27: Laura Lora on the Politics of Gender & a Ghanaian American Identity

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In this episode we speak with Ghanian-born, U.S. based artist Laura Lora. In the interview, Laura Lora talks about her experiences an artist, navigating between Ghana and the United States. Growing up in Los Angeles has definitely influenced her music and style, as she talks about being Ghanian and…

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This is the music video for Abena Rockstar's most popular song

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ABENA ROCKSTAR - COMMAS AND KARMA (Official video)

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Harvest Season is Abena Rockstar's most recent album

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LAURA LORA - GHOST [Official Music Video]

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This picture was posted by Ghanian hip hop artist Laura Lora

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adwoa Serwaa 🇬🇭🇺🇸 (@mslauralora)

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This was tweeted by Ghanian hip hop artist Laura Lora

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Find gratitude in whatever comes as a result of you doing your best.
— mslauralora (@theExoticlady) December 8, 2021

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This podcast episode features Reggie Rockstone the godfather of hiplife

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HHAP Episode 34: Reggie Rockstone on the Pan African connections with Ghanaian Hiplife & Hip Hop Culture

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HHAP Episode 34: Reggie Rockstone on the Pan African connections with Ghanaian Hiplife & Hip Hop Culture

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Reggie Rockstone is one of the pioneers of hiplife in Ghana. In this conversation, he discusses how as a Pan Africanist, his perspective influenced his participation in hip hop culture in Ghana. He talks about the importance of popularizing the use of African languages through music, and how he helped to popularize the use of Twi in Ghanaian hiplife and hip hop. He discusses the importance of African languages in reaffirming pride, breaking colonial mentalities, and bridging class divides. Reggie Rockstone also talks about his own Pan Africanist upbringing, and the impact of his Diaspora experiences, as well as those of his father and African American mother.

The episode begins with Reggie Rockstone's song "Proactive" and ends with his song "Woso", both on his 2010 album Reggiestration, which is available on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/reggiestration/412457159.

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HHAP Episode 34: Reggie Rockstone on the Pan African connections with Ghanaian Hiplife & Hip Hop Culture

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Listen to this episode from Hip Hop African Podcast on Spotify. Reggie Rockstone is one of the pioneers of hiplife in Ghana. In this conversation, he discusses how as a Pan Africanist, his perspective influenced his participation in hip hop culture in Ghana.

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This is a poster from a hip hop festival in Ghana

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This article shows 10 traditional Ghanian dishes that you should try if you visit Ghana

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10 Traditional Ghanaian Dishes You Need To Try

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Explore Ghanaian foods with these ten amazing local dishes, found across the country

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The Chale Wote Street Art Festival brings all different cultures together in Ghana

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This blog includes one person's collection of pictures from the festival

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Yesterday, I run into more creative people at the Chale Wote Festival in James Town than I've ever seen in any single place in Accra.

Creativity is gradually finding its voice again in Ghana. Yesterday was proof. Poets, Musicians, Artists, performers, cyclists and all sorts of creatives stormed this ancient part of Accra and breathed fresh life into it.

The cyclists were impressive. I wonder where they train and who trains them. The atmosphere wasn't designed for conversations. The music was loud and the chatters ear-shattering. The easiest thing to do was to just shoot.

Ama proudly showed off her colourful scarf :)

Those who were too lazy to come on the streets seemed rather content peeping through their windows. I also got to briefly meet one of James Town's artists, Attukwei:

Creativity is contagious. I was really touched, just watching the kids have a go at art. Seeing some of Ghana's best artists at work, definitely sparked something in them.

The good thing with James Town is there is always something of photographic interest, whether there's a festival or not. I went through the alleys, capturing some of daily life.
It was quite interesting watching these three men read an obituary. "Who's next?" They seemed to ask:

This fridge had just pulled in for servicing. I wondered if sticking pictures of Jesus on a fridge or writing scriptures on it made it work better. Obviously, it doesn't :)

One of the signs of a good Ghanaian woman, is how white her baby's clothes, napkins and husband's "supporters" are:

Frequent readers of my blog know I grew up not too faraway from James Town. Watching these girls playing mum and cooking reminded me of my own childhood. Normally, I would play either the husband to one of them or the son of one. The husband role was always more interesting:

One of the highlights of yesterday's event was the fashion show. Somehow, I managed to miss that one. I was quite lucky not to miss these guys though:

They say, everything that has a beginning has an end. These were some of the last images I made before I coiled back in my shell:

Behind all the noise, the sea lay calmly, full of history but not divulging much. It was calming to stand in the forts and the castles and just watching the sea. We keep piling history on history... and may be someday, we'll take the time and look at all we've been blessed with as a people, all we've been through as a people and come to the conclusion that: God has given us everything we need.

Have a great week.

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What I saw at the Chale Wote Street Festival in James Town

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Yesterday, I run into more creative people at the Chale Wote Festival in James Town than I've ever seen in any single place in Accra. Creativity is gradually finding its voice again in Ghana. Yesterday was proof. Poets, Musicians, Artists, performers, cyclists and all sorts of creatives stormed this ancient part of Accra and breathed fresh life into it.