BLACK STAR RISING -FILM, MUSIC, FUTBOL-HISTORY!

Tomorrow is the big rivalry game between Ghana & Nigeria. Tensions are high but the energy & spirits of Ghanaian are even higher. I am having a love affair with Ghana, the type that always makes you feel like no other thru the good & the bad times. We have had days of being entrenched in Ghana’s musical culture, interviewing greats like Osibisa & Blay Ambolley , perhaps the true father of hip-hop along with the future of Ghana’s music , Simmini, Obrafour, & many more. Ghana is has a plethora of people from all over the world visiting & residing in Ghana. We sat at a local spot called "The Office" & had a chat with Hungarian muscians as the blessed us with live acoustic guitar, local instruments & the sweet voice of Sena who is born & raised in Ghana of part Hungarian decent. These types of cultural mixes are an everyday story in Ghana & part of what makes it dynamic & fantastic.

Ghana is really at the heights of showcasing & recognizing its historical roots with the influx, of reggae, hip-hop, spoken, word, jazz, R & B, dance & film. We were on the set of an upcoming film entitled “Playing Games”, created by the same production company who got their fame from the “Beyonce “ films starring Nadia Buari. The demand is definitely there for these films, plus it’s giving Nigeria’s Nollywood a run for their money with superior quality of films & actors. Nigeria is right next door & is the 3rd largest hub of film outside of Hollywood & Bollywood. It seems like Gollywood is on the rise cranking out hundreds of films a month, unfortunately they are straight to video because Ghana’s theaters have been neglected. As a child growing up in Ghana it was such a treat to go to the theater where we would mostly watch Bollywood movies, now that Ghana is having its new renaissance in film and all of its art forms let’s hope the theaters will soon be open for the business of films again plus much more.