AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS- ALL EYES ON AFRICA -THE DOC.

Africa Cup Of Nations-All Eyes On Africa


Hello world!! I am in Ghana, West Africa!! Finally back to my roots after an 8 year absence. My experience thus far has been healing, trying, a sense of relief, a sense of frustration, a feeling of exaltation and most of all a sense of release & relief!Ghana has come a long way in terms of industry, creativity & foreign investment culminating into an unabashed sense of pride, with a growing movement toward being a true star, not only in Africa but globally. However, Ghana also has a long way to go in terms of recognizing that being a boss, having a title, an unabashed sense of entitlement & the ability to truly attain all of the goals & promise which the country is so ripe for, takes true leaders.I came here on a great mission to give back & to reconnect to a place that meant so much to who I define myself to be, only to get hit with a quick reality check that perhaps I gave my people way more props than they really deserve. I made a personal investment in a documentary to show the world that Africa & in particularly Ghana, was more than the misery, begging, incapable, uneducated, killing, disease infested, starving images that constantly get international attention . I quickly came to recognize the reality that we hold our own selves back & receive such negative press because of the individual need to feel important in spite of the common good & bigger picture thru individual irresponsible actions & greed.

This is such an important year for Ghana in its 50th year of Independence, while heading up the AU, to recognize & complete Kwame Nkrumah's idyllic call for a united Africa, for the good, self sufficiency and progression of the continent as a whole ! The Black Stars did their part in the world cup toward the type of leadership that makes all Africans worldwide proud. The Black Stars forced the world to give Africa its due respect! To be the host nation after such recognition should have made Ghana meticulously prepared to welcome the international community to her doors with organization befitting a great nation of true leaders. Unfortunately the LOC (LOCAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE), who I have now dubbed the Local dis-Organized Committee along with their partners in chaos CAF, tarnished what should & could have been a stellar display of greatness, with their horrific disorganization & disrespect. The people of Ghana and especially the Black Stars deserved much better than that. The great international press that should have been singing Ghana's praises was tainted with reports of chaos with accreditations for international & local press, and just general lack of preparation & organization.

I was appalled to be standing amongst hundreds of frustrated press people trying to figure out what was going on with their press passes , just for a White man, who was handling international press for CAF to look a bunch of Black faces in the eyes & cynically tell us "Welcome to Africa". This was just the beginning of the embarrassment to this country & its people. I was completely angered to see that the CAF representative did not even see anything wrong with his words & actions on the soil of Nkrumah, who would have be turning in his grave at such a display. I quickly found out that this behavior is seen as acceptable because his own "Boss", Mr. Abubar, showed the most horrific display of disrespect for his fellow human being by snatching personal documents from a gentleman I was with and causing a complete scene, screaming & yelling while showcasing his bossman bravado with very little knowledge of what it means to be a leader. This to me is really the Bain of Africa's existence & its progression. Mr Paa Kwesi Plange, who was in charge of press on behalf of the LOC, assured me in a wonderful e-mail while I was in New York, telling me how I was welcomed with my documentary & that this is my home, looked me in the eyes on Ghana's soil & once again assured me of our approval for coverage , just to have us running around chasing him for days while he neglected his duties, then causing us problems with members of CAF, who felt we should have gone thru them because they are in charge . One week later we are still waiting to get sorted out & accomplish what we came a very long way to do.

I am still very determined & uncompromised on my mission here & have found great examples of what & who I know my people to be! The people are fantastic, the food is great, I am amongst family, the Black Stars continue to win, Africans & their supporters are gathered together in friendship & sport, the music & entertainment scene is alive & thriving along with the economy. Ghana’s progress is in a full throttle global fusion with the world!

All eyes on Africa-the story will be fully told!