The Vim Views & Versions - Blogs of a MIghTy African

"How long will you endure abuse?" Last year, I Sing Of A Well , took the African movie scene by storm and this year, it received a massive 11 nominations at the Africa Movie Academy Awards . Its director, Leila Jewel Djansi flew to Ghana earlier this year to continue working on her next movie project, Sinking Sands. Recently, Leila sent me the trailer for the movie. “Sinking Sands” is about a couple, Jimah (Jimmy Jean-Louis from Haiti) and Pabi (Ama K. Abebrese from Ghana) in a loving marriage which turns into one of violence and abuse when Jimah becomes disfigured in a domestic accident. The movie also features Chris Attoh, Akosua Agyepong, Yemi Blaq, Doris Sackitey, Grace Nortey, Eddie Coffie, Julia Djansi, Amanda Jissie, Afi Dzakpasu, amongst others. It looks very promising. Watch the Trailer for the movie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lig5yc2yt-0 Jimmy Jean-Louis, the 'Heroes' star and also the main man in 'Phat Girlz', is the leading actor in this movie...

I returned from a weekend trip to Washington, DC today. DC is definitely my favorite city or metropolis in Yankee . I love how 'international' it is, with the embassies based there, you find a great diversity of people, cultures and backgrounds. With Maryland and Virginia adding to make the DMV, there are also a lot of Ghanaians and Africans in the area. DC also has a lot of universities, and in essence, students and young professionals. Though DC traffic is among the worst in the nation, the public transport system is on point. It's definitely a place I'll want to live at. I had been in DC mostly for DiasporaCamp DC 2010 and also to check on some job opportunities. It turned out to be a little more than that. Supremo! I arrived at Dulles Airport Thursday evening and my cousin, Adwoa, picked me up. I hadn't seen her in 6 years, the last time we saw each other, we were both in Ghana. I went with her to Falls Church where she lives, and after settling down, we went t...

South Africa's Nelson Mandela is one of the greatest statesmen to ever live. One of the highlights of the recent Mzansi Mundial, the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, was when Nelson Mandela was ridden in a golf cart around Soccer City in Johannesburg, before the final. Nelson Mandela is 92 today. In this tribute, Lira and Soweto Spiritual Singers sing "(Something Inside) So Strong". "(Something Inside) So Strong" is one of Nelson Mandela's favorite songs. The song was written by British poet, songwriter and singer, Labi Siffre. It was a 1985 anti-apartheid anthem. Lira and the singers were performing at Sony’s 3D experience pavilion “3D world Created by Sony” at Nelson Mandela Square in Johannesburg, on 4th July two weeks ahead of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela’s birthday on July 18th. Watch the performances here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKrG60WobYc Lira performed a special happy birthday song for Nelson Mandela two years ago at the occasion of his 90t...

Building on a successful 2009 event, DiasporaCamp returns to DC on July 24, 2010. DiasporaCamp DC '10 will be held at the Kenney Auditorium, School of Advanced International Studies - Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC, bringing together the African Diaspora to exchange ideas on doing business in Africa. On July 25, 2009, about 80 young Africans and people interested in Africa congregated in Washington, DC for BarCamp Diaspora '09 to exchange ideas on entrepreneurship, innovation and development under the theme "Investing our talent where it counts. Through a breakout session at the event about healthcare in Ghana, a healthcare-focused NGO called REACH-Ghana was formed. Many attendees also have partnered to work on ongoing projects as a result. Join us at DiasporaCamp DC '10 , under the theme "Financial innovations for African small & medium-scale enterprises". When: July 24, 2010 from 9am - 6pm Where: Kenney Auditorium, School of Advanced Inte...

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of this post, I pray God will forgive me if I step on His toes in any way. I am trying to hammer some points home and He knows my heart. A good number of times last month, I heard people say God is a Ghanaian. Obviously, they said this in a good way. Some non-Ghanaians got in the act. Why? Ghana had reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup with an interesting story. I am superstitious and I believe in God. Some people define GHANA as God has a nation ahead, God has anointed Nkrumah already, etc. Tina Sampong defined GHANA as 'God help Africa now, Amen!'. Ghana's national anthem starts with 'God bless our homeland Ghana'. A very popular video of the Black Stars surfaced before the Uruguay game with them singing and dancing. You know what they were singing about? God. Gospel. Religion. Ghana is a religious country. I am a religious person. Before the tournament, I had spoken to a friend who is not religious. He tested my faith, I ...

I know the 2010 World Cup in South Africa is not over but I am not waiting till July 11, 2010 to talk about the Black Stars' tournament. It's been a week since the Black Stars crashed out of the Mzansi Mundial, after solely carrying Africa's charge through to the knockout stages. I have finished mourning. The Black Stars made Ghana and Africa proud. They knew they had a job to do when they changed the inscription on their bus to 'Hope of Africa'. You could hear it in their interviews. The Ghana flag was redesigned with the African map replacing the Black Star. The Black Stars became known as the BaGhana BaGhana of GhAfrica. Well done, Black Stars, you made us all proud. Let's recount your journey. I blogged about before the tournament - "I believed that when the boys camped together and built chemistry, they'll do well. And we saw how they made Afria proud in 2006." "The boys have been together and I know they are shiing jama at this very mome...