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DONDO 22 MAGAZINE

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2 010 M I S S GHANA UKA STUDENTA MODEL

This British Ghanaian beauty likes to socialize, organizeevents, cook, read and travel however she dislikes petsparticularly cats and dogs. We discovered in our chatthat she is “very insecure about her weight”. Evenbeauty queens have something they are insecure about!

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DONDO 66 MAGAZINE

FACE OF AN AFRICAN BEAUTYLETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

YOUR LETTERS/TEAMRELIGION

The Greatest Faith of all is in the Blood of Jesus ChristAT THE UN

Ghana Participate in High Level HIV/AIDS DeclarationAfrica’s First Ladies Grace UN HIV/Aids GatheringNational Council of Women of the United States

Distinguished Leadership and Achievement Awards LuncheonRELATIONSHIPS

Will You Marry Me?10 Ways to Go From Girlfriend to WifeBUSINESS

Egypt, South Africa, and Nigeria African Wealthiest DID U KNOW/ Q&A

THE DEBATEGhana Donated US $3 million to Haiti

INFO ONLINEThe Distinguished Urban Society

Trends on Social Media…FACEBOOKHEALTH

Stress and Ways to Cope with ItBody Fitness TipsIMMIGRATION

All You Need To Know About Advance ParoleCOVER

The Vlisco WayAFRICAN SPOT-LIGHT

UP-CLOSE with Designer Kwab Asamoah as he opens a shop in Accra

TRAVELPEMBA -An Island Get Away

REAL ESTATEWhen to Buy and When to Rent

AUTOMOBILEThe LFA Series A New Breed of Lexus

SPORTSIs Michael Essien Giving It All to His Motherland?

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SPECIAL FEATURESBET Awards: The Gateway for African Music Acts

DONDO African Achievement Gala

Councilmember Helen D. Foster Talks about Representing You

Former Ghana Leader Shares Food Prize Win

War on Terrorism: A New Frontier in West Africa?

FEATUREZetas Helping Others to Excel

(Z-HOPE) HEALTH CLINIC DEDICATION

The crowning of Miss Universe Ghana 2011

Ghana Meets Naija Concert

Faces and Fashion at Mirror Boy Ghana Premiere

Ghanafest in Cincinnati, Ohio

Award winning film maker, Leila Djansi

CONSUMNER REPORT

Ensure Your Cellular Phone Safety

WEDDINGThe Star Studded Wedding Ceremony of Mr. & Mrs. Agyekum

Portia and Oghene Wedding Ceremony

ENGAGEMENTEmmanuel J.P. Banson & Jacqueline Mclean’s Engagement

BIRTHDAYBishop Allotey’s 50th Birthday Celebrations

Irene Asante’s 50th Birthday Bash

Amy McNish Birthday Celebrations

OUTDOORINGCheryl Adowa Gyamfua Buckman’s Outdooring

Raven Owusu Ansah Outdooring Extravaganza

Baby Essence Yaa Boatemaa Bruce’s Outdooring

THE BIG PICTURESam Tuga & Associates Boat Party- 2011

EVENTSRob Definition Annual All White Party July 4 Weekend

Rob Definition Annual All Black Party July 4 Weekend

FASHIONSASSi Ladies Fashion Show and Dance

African Fashion Week New York 2011

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F E A T U R E S

DONDO 1100 MAGAZINE

By now I am certain you all agree that the summer of 2011 has been fun-packed and turbulent at the same time: and we still havea month till the official end of the season.

So let’s reflect on the issues that have made this summer what it is. Politically, the ongoing situation in North Africa is a top of the listissue for all concerned Africans (turbulent). Then there was the independence of Southern Sudan which was a historic moment for theSudanese people and the rest of the continent (something to cheer about after all the bad news, fun). Finally, there was the NDC presi-dential nomination election result in Ghana which produced a shocking end to Nana Konadu’s presidential aspirations (could be fun orturbulent depending on who is analyzing). Socially, there was the ever-growing in popularity BET Awards featuring some of Africa’smusic giants competing for the BET Best International Act; Africa category (fun). Then there was the immensely popular Big Brotherreality series in Ghana and it’s climatic season ending(fun), and finally the first ever visits to the U.S. by some big name African celebri-ties including the Black Star’s Asamoah Gyan (3G Sports Awards Night) and HipLife/Rap Superstar Sarkodie (Sarkodie Live in NYCConcert) (fun, fun).

In this issue, I am particularly excited about our cover story, The Vlisco Way. Vlisco is a Dutch company and the leading Wax Hollandaismanufacturer in the world. Their product, authentic Wax Hollandais fabric, is as much a part of the Africa community as any African.Since its inception in 1846, Vlisco has been an integral part of the African community, manufacturing Wax Hollandais fabrics worn byfemale members of African families for generations. Simply put, if you are an African, you probably have seen your mother, aunt, sis-ter, or female cousin wear an authentic Vlisco fabric. The Vlisco brands have been evolving to stay at par with generational change while maintaining its legacy and authenticity throughoutthe years and it is in the process of transforming its operations in Africa to the next level. This is why this cover story is dynamic: A com-pany whose fabrics have become an essential part of the African elegance and lifestyle and yet unrelenting in its efforts to raise the barto meet the rich demands of its African clientele. Congratulations to the Vlisco Group for leading the way in co-creation, authentic WaxHollandaise manufacturing, and fashion in Africa.In addition to our cover story, we have featured a diverse coverage of lifestyle events from numerous states across the U.S. as well asbusiness, social, and entertainment articles to keep you glued onto the pages until the next issue.

Finally my goal for this issue is to inform and enlighten you on a broad range of substantive topic matters that you can find useful in yourdaily lives and I believe we have achieved that. I certainly hope you agree. Now while it is great to have achieved this goal, it is impor-tant to know that DONDO Magazine remains committed to not deviate from our tradition of featuring your special events in our publi-cation. We are a publication who takes pride in showcasing your story and lifestyle and we will remain as such. Let me end by encouraging you to keep your comments and thoughts coming. I love to read your feedback and look forward to hearingfrom as many of you as possible. Till the next issue, stay blessed.

Michael AdjeiMichael Adjei

PUBLISHER’SLETTER

DONDO 1122 MAGAZINE

Dear Editor,I cannot understand why there are so many pictures in your mag-azine. I know pictures can tell a story just like writings can but Iam sure your readers can be impacted more positively by read-ing rather than looking at pictures. I have been an adventDONDO customer since 2000 and I love this magazine but Ithink it’s time to have more editorials than photos.A concerned reader

Dear Editor,It was wonderful to read about some of the accomplished Africanactors doing well in Hollywood. I’m an African-American womanengaged to a Nigerian man. My relationship with my husbandhas thought me how affectionate and passionate African men areand so I was not surprised to read about these African Hollywoodleading men. To be successful in everything you do you must careand be passionate about it. Since my husband shows lots of pas-sion in every aspect of our relationship, I trust the African starshave a lot of passion for their career. And let me add that thatChiwetel (Ehiofor) is one good-looking man, as good looking asmy husband.Sheryl

Dear Editor,Thank you so much for your article on how to pass a job inter-view. I recently lost my job, actually the company folded underthe economic downturn in late 2008. I picked up your magazinewhen I visited a friend in Springfield, Mass and found your arti-cle. As usual, I thought this is just another article in a magazinewhose tips will never amount to anything even if I practiced whatit preached. Well much to my surprise some of the tips I readworked and helped me land my current job. For example, I re-membered the tip about not having a “smiley face” when at-tending a job interview. I applied it at an interview and low andbehold, I got the job. My Director, who hired me on the third andfinal interview, told me days after she hired me that one of thereasons she hired me was because I was not smiling at every an-swer. She explained that all the other candidates were smiling toomuch and that was a sign of nervousness and lack of sincerity. Idid not smile excessively because your article advised againstbeing a smiley face. I had it wrong in all the previous interviewsbut I nailed this because I read this article. Thanks a million.DONDO rocks!!

DONDODONDO

YOUR LETTERS

The Essential African Lifestyle Magazine

T E A MPublisher / Editor-In-Chief

Michael K. Adjei

Executive DirectorYvonne Okyere-Adjei

Creative DirectorHenry Ayensu

Contributing EditorsKwabena Adade, Ameyaw Debrah

Abena Asante, Jonathan Weiss

Features EditorTony Hagan

Graphic Design(Cre8ive House)

PhotographyJohn Oko NyakuAmeyaw Debrah

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DONDO 1133 MAGAZINE

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The Greatest Faith of all isin the Blood of Jesus Christ

By Kwabena Adade

The only thing that has the power tocleanse away sin is the blood of JesusChrist.

Christians understand the significance ofthe blood of Jesus Christ. According toGenesis 12:1-3, God made a covenant (con-nector) with Abraham, telling him ‘Get theeout of thy country, and from thy kindred,and from thy father’s house, unto a land thatI will shew thee: And I will make of thee agreat nation and I will bless thee, and makethy name great and thou shalt be a blessingand I will bless them that bless thee andcurse him that curseth thee: And in theeshall all families of the earth be blessed.’ For the many non Jewish Christians, God’sunconditional covenant with Abrahammeans many things to their faith. For one,it means that they are not promised therights to the blessings God extended toAbraham and his linage. It also means thatthey are cursed from entering God’s king-dom on judgment day.The blood of Jesus Christ changes all ofthat. The blood of Jesus is the connector: theonly avenue in which a non Jewish Chris-tian can enter into a covenant with God.When Jesus Christ, the son of God, was cru-cified on the cross, the very purpose ofGod’s plan was to use his blood to extend

the Abrahamic covenant to non JewishChristians. This plan took effect the mo-ment Jesus Christ said on the cross, “It isfinished.” By uttering these words, JesusChrist was referring to the Abrahamiccovenant becoming available to everyonewho by faith, believes in His blood.

To fully understand the purpose of the bloodof Jesus Christ, it is important to understandthe principals of man. Every man is born ofnatural birth i.e. birth as a result of an inter-course between man and woman. Whenborn by natural birth, this also means youare born as a direct descendant of Adam andEve, the first humans on earth whose sincommitted in the Garden of Eden, affects allhumans born after them. (Jesus Christ wasborn by supernatural birth and as such is nota direct descendant of Adam and Eve). The sin also means in order for man to enterthe Kingdom of God, they must repent toreceive God’s salvation. In order to repent,Christians must be born again and once youbecome a born again Christian, you mustaccept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Sav-ior. At the completion of these steps, theblood of Jesus Christ shall come onto youand wash away your sins clearing the wayfor you to receive God’s salvation.The blood of Jesus will open the door foryou to have fellowship with God. Since

God is so pure, He cannot connect with(man) covered in sin. In his eyes, sin is dirtand dirt cannot be around Him. Through theblood of Jesus Christ, this dirt (sin) will bewashed away, turning you into a pure statethat will allow you to fellowship with God. As Christians you must believe in the bloodof Jesus Christ and know how to appropri-ate it in your life. There should be a clearunderstanding of how merciful God is tosend His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die andshed his blood so that you can receive sal-vation. There should be complete confi-dence in knowing that through the blood ofJesus Christ you have direct communica-tions with God and that God will answeryour prayers at all times. There should beassurances in your faith that through theblood of Jesus Christ your salvation will notbe based on earthly acts such as how muchmoney you have or give, how much hu-manitarianism you do, etc. No one can buyGod’s salvation for you. Your salvation hasbeen bought with the blood of Jesus. Assuch, the only thing you must do is to sim-ply accept Jesus, repent, and have faith inthe blood of Jesus Christ and you shall besaved from the eternal fire of hell.Christians live by faith and there is nogreater faith than that in the blood of JesusChrist: the greatest faith of all.

DONDO 1144 MAGAZINE

RELIGION

The Vice-President of Ghana, Mr JohnDramani Mahama, led a delegationfrom Ghana to the recent High Level

meeting on a comprehensive review of theprogress achieved in realizing the declara-tion of commitment on HIV/AIDS and thepolitical declaration on HIV/AIDS at theUnited Nations in New York on June 8,2011.In his address to the gathering heads of gov-ernments, health experts, diplomats, andUnited Nations panel, Vice-President Ma-hama reaffirmed that Ghana aligns itselfwith the statements by the African statesand joined other countries in 2001 and2006 to commit to the declarations on HIVand Aids.He noted that HIV/AIDS is a key compo-nent of the Ghana Shared Growth and De-velopment Agenda (2010-2016) and isaccorded a high level political commitmentand leadership with the Ghana AIDS Com-

mission placed directly under the Office ofthe President. Ghana is among the 29 African countriesthe World Health Organization (WHO) re-ported to have reduced prevalence ofHIV/AIDS over the past decade. Accordingto WHO, the national prevalence ofHIV/AIDS in Ghana has declined from anational high of 3.6% in 2003 to 1.5% in2010. Prevalence among persons 15-24years has equally reduced from 3.5% in2003 to 1,5% in 2010.The Vice-President attributed these achieve-ments to a program called “Towards Uni-versal Access-Ghana’s ComprehensiveAntiretroviral Therapy Plan” which has re-sulted in the number of persons on anti-retroviral therapy in Ghana to increase from6,000 in 2006 to over 58,000 by March2011.The Vice-President admitted that for Ghanato fully achieve its goals of zero transmis-

sion of new HIV infections in children by2015, there is the need to invest in improv-ing the country’s weak health system. Headded that the rural poor and the poor inperi-urban slams are the most vulnerable toHIV and they are the ones without access totreatment and care.Mr. Mahama reported that Ghana is ex-panding the Community-based Health Plan-ning and Services (CHPS) initiative as astrategy to reach out to all communitieswith needed basic services.

The Vice-President concluded by asking fortechnological support to assist in imple-menting Ghana’s goals as well as reductionsin cost of anti-retroviral medicines to sup-port the country’s efforts towards universalcoverage. He equally reiterated Ghana’scalls for prevention as the mainstay of thefight against HIV and especially zero trans-mission to children.

DONDO 1166 MAGAZINE

Ghana Participate in High Level HIV/AIDS DeclarationBy Kwabena AdadePhotos by John Oko Nyaku

AT THEUN

Section of Ghanaians at town hall meetingGhanaians at town hall meeting

Ghana Conusl General tothe US, H.E. Ernest Lomoteyaddress gathering

Ghana Ambassador to the UN,H.E. Mr Ken Kanda with VicePresident Mahama

Ghana Vice President, H.E. JohnDramani Mahama addressGhanaians in New York

With the wedding season fast uponus, most women who have yet tosucceeded in having their men put

a ring on their finger are hoping that comenext year, they too will be walking down theaisle. Every woman wants to go from girl-friend to wife at some stage in her life, how-ever there is no one formula to sealing thedeal to become a wife. The strategy on howto handle a man who does not want to put aring on your finger varies. We discovered inthe book ‘Men Don’t Heal, We Ho’ by au-thor Steven James, 10 useful tips that canhelp women handle going from girlfriend towife.

Be Godly WomanJames describes the Bible as a “relationshiphandbook.” A Godly woman reads theBible, follows it and lives by it. A Godlywoman refers to the word from the Biblewhen her man is weak and falls prey totemptation. When the devil tries to attackyour relationship, he will back down whenhe finds you as a Godly woman.

Be His Biggest FanIf women need love, men need their ego’sstroked. Men like to feel “The Man” in a re-lationship. According to James, tell yourman he is a good man, that you are lucky tohave him, that he is special and better thanyou thought. If a man does not feel like a

man, he is not going to be a good man.

Challenge HimA Man will not respect you if he doesn’thave to. James says that “a man is not goingto do the right thing unless he knows that ifhe does the wrong thing it will be met withrepercussions and consequences.”

Watch His Momma Do What She DoesAccording to James, you do not have to beyour man’s mother but you should try to bein her likeness.

Stay on your Tippy ToesWomen who get comfortable and lazy ontheir men and think he is going to marry youbecause you have been together for a fewyears often wait the longest to get the ringon the finger. James says women should getsmarter, finer, and be better because menwant to see growth in their women and alsoas want to be excited about who they willbe with in the future.

Be a Woman All Day,EverywhereDo not let your man take advantage of you.Have respect, pride, and dignity for your-self and your man will have the same foryou. Be sexy, sweet, sassy, feminine andmost of all, womanly, according to James.

Be IndependentYou should be independent, not just finan-cially, but also an independent thinker over-all. Know what is best for you rather thandepending on someone’s advice and neverchange your core person because you are ina relationship.

Be the Freakiest PersonHe KnowsOne of a man’s conversations with hisfriends is about sex. Be adventurous and ex-citing. If a man finds that at home he willnot go out to look for it elsewhere. Neverlet your man wish for something sexual. Beeverything he wishes for.

Nurture HimNurture your man often. James says you cantalk sweet to your man and whisper sweetnothings in his ear. Little things like hug-ging and holding him, squeezing him canmake all the difference.

Turn His House into aHomeMost men do not understand that a house isnot a home without certain touches. Awoman who brings all the touches thatmakes a house a home is likely to have aring on the finger.

Will You Marry Me?10 Ways to Go From Girlfriend to Wife

By Abena Asante

DONDO 1177 MAGAZINE

RELATIONSHIP

Some of Africa’s first Ladies accompanied their husbands to NewYork City to attend the UN High Level Meeting on a comprehen-sive review of the progress achieved in realizing the declaration of

commitment on HIV/AIDS and the political declaration on HIV/AIDS.

More than 30 Heads of State, Government and Vice Presidents attendedthe UN High Level Meeting on AIDS which was held from June 8th to10th in New York City. The meeting closed with the adoption of a land-mark political declaration, setting bold targets for the global AIDS re-sponse.

DONDO lens captured these behind the scenes images of the continentsfirst ladies who stand by the side of their husbands to lead Africa.

AFRICA’S FIRST LADIES GRACEUN HIV/AIDS GATHERING

DONDO 1188 MAGAZINE

AT THEUN

By Jonathan WeissPhotos by John Oko Nyaku

First Lady of Senegal and Niger, Viviane Wadeand Hadjia Laraba Tandja

First Lady of Guinea, Ms Djene Kaba CondáFirst Ladies of Nigeria and Niger

First ladies of Niger and Gabon Hadjia LarabaTandja and Sylvia Bongo Ondimba

Nigeria First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan withthe wife of UN Sec. General, Ban Soon-taek

NCW.USA President Mary E. Singletarywith 2011 NCW.USA EminentLeaders Honorees

DONDO 1199 MAGAZINE

The National Council of Women ofthe United States (NCW USA) held aluncheon to honor eminent leaders

and their organizations for outstanding vi-sion, advocacy and implementation of theUnited Nations Millennium DevelopmentGoals at the United Nations Church Centeron May 25th, 2011.

The Awards Luncheon also was in obser-vance of the 100 Annual InternationalWomen’s Day and the end of violenceagainst women and girls.The keynote speaker was the HonorableSheila Oliver, Speaker of the New JerseyAssembly whose address centered on therole of “Empowerment of Women” in soci-ety.

The 2011 Honorees are:Honorable Sheila Y. Oliver, MS Speaker of the New Jersey AssemblyYao N;Goran, MA, BA Chief of the Civil Society and Outreach Unit, Division for Social Policy and Development,

Dept of Economic and Social Affairs (DSPD)Leslie Wright NGO Activist for Women’s EmpowermentDr. Kathryn Malven, PhD Chairman of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority National Educational Foundation Inc. and President

/CEO of Malsedge View Homes/Owner of Strethen Publishing CompanyDiane E. Toppin Director of Finance and Administration, Office of Behavioral Health for New York City

Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC)Joanna Loveless International President of the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.Dr. Marcella Maxwell , Ed, D Designated NGO for the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.Brenda L. Galloway Smith, PhD, MA, BS NGO Rep. to the UN, World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women Benjamin DoDoo Chairman of the Board of Directors, National Council of Ghanaian AssociationSylvan M. Barnet Jr. Rotary International Rep. to the U.N.Abaynesh Asrat Founder, Nation to Nation Networking Ltd. Rose Ivy Quarshie Executive Secretary General, National Council of Ghanaian AssociationsPadmini Murthy, MD, MPH, MS Global Health Program Director, New York Medical College School of Public HealthDenise Scotto, Esq. Attorney, Office of the Corporation Counsel of the City of New YorkDr. Ann Beaudis, PhD, MM Maryknoll NGO rep. with ECOSOC accreditation at the U.N.Nana Fosu Randall, MBA Chief Financial Officer, Peace Keeping Forces, U.N.

National Council of Women of the United States Distinguished Leadership and Achievement Awards Luncheon

AT THEUN

Keynote Speaker, The HonorableSheila Y. Oliver, Speaker of the

New Jersey Assembly

Ghanaian Honorees Ivy QuarshieMPA, Dr. Benjamin Doodo, and

Nana Fosu Randall, MBA

Dr. Kathryn Malvern PhD (c) with other eminent leaders

Photos by John Oko Nyaku

DONDO 2200 MAGAZINE

Egypt, South Africa, and NigeriaAfrican Wealthiest

The 2011 Forbes List of the wealthiestpeople in the world was released earlierthis year and surprisingly, this year’s list

produced many firsts including two records; arecord number of billionaires on the list, 1,210,and a record for the total combined wealth,USD$4.5 trillion.An impressive number of African billionairescontributed to this staggering global wealth. Atotal of 14 African billionaires, an increase of 3billionaires from the 2010 list, made it on thisyear’s list. Billionaires from Egypt, SouthAfrica, and Nigeria, summed up the total

Africans on this year’s list.According to the coveted list, Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote is the wealthiest person in Africa with an estimated net worth of$13.8billion. His fortune also places him as the 51st wealthiest person in the world, one spot wealthier than Facebookfounder Mark Zuckerberg, and many spots ahead of other well known billionaires including Oprah Winfrey and DonaldTrump.

No.1The 53 years old Dangote made his money from interest in sugar, flour milling, salt processing, textiles, real estate, oil,gas, and cement. As the first Nigerian billionaire, Dangote’s fortune grew 557% over last year as a result of listing Dan-gote Cement which allowed his investments across Africa to be added with Benue Cement, a company that constitutea quarter of Nigeria’s Stock Exchange total market cap. As a birthday gift for himself, Dangote recently purchased aBombardier aircraft for $45 million.

No.2Nick Oppenheimer & FamilySouth Africa’s richest person is the second wealthiest African on the Forbes list with an estimated net worth of USD$7billion. He places 136 overall in the world. Oppenheimer amassed his wealth as chairman of De Beers diamonds, andsignificant interests in the gold mining company, Anglo American pic. He also owns Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, thelargest private game reserve in South Africa.

No. 3Nassef SawirisForbes places Sawiris, the youngest son of Onsi, Egypt’s richest person and the third wealthiest African. He is also the182nd wealthiest person in the world. He built his personal fortune after taking over Orascom’s construction and fertil-izer sector in the late 90’s and sold its cement business in 2007 to French company Lafarge where he owns stake andsits on the board. He is also the largest shareholder in Texas Industries.

No. 4Johann Rupert & FamilyWith a networth of USD$4.8 billion, Rupert is South Africa’s second richest person and the third wealthiest African inthe world. He is 219 overall on Forbes world’s wealthiest list. He made his money from a diverse portfolio of busi-nesses including Richmont, the Swiss luxury group that owns Cartier, Dunhill, Chloe bags, and MontBlanc pens. Ru-pert also owns Rupert & Rothschild and L’Ormarins wine estates, one of South Africa’s exclusive golf clubs.

By Kwabena Adade

Aliko Dangote Mohamed Al Fayed

BUSINESS

DONDO 2211 MAGAZINE

No. 5 Nahuib SawirisIf you noticed this name on the list, you are correct. Nahuib Sawiris the eldest son of Onsi and the older brother of NassefSawiris, the third person on this list. Nahuib Sawiris is Egypt’s second wealthiest person after his younger brother, Nassefwith an estimated net worth of USD$3.5 billion. This makes him the 310th richest person on Forbes List of wealthiest peo-ple in the world. He is the head of Wind Telecom, a mobile service provider in Africa, South Asia, Canada, Europe, and theMiddle East.

No. 6Patrice MotsepeNet Worth: USD$3.4 billion Nation: South Africa World Ranking: #336 Source: Mining, Self made

No. 7Onsi SawirisNet Worth: USD$2.9 billion Nation: Egypt World Ranking: 393 Source: Construction, Self made

No. 8Mike AdenugaNet Worth: USD$2.0 billion Nation: Nigeria World Ranking: 595 Source: Telecom, Banking, Oil, Self

No. 9Mohamed MansourNet Worth: USD$2.0 billion Nation: Egypt World Ranking: 595 Source: Diversified, Self made

No. 10Yasseen MansourNet Worth: USD$1.9 billion Nation: Egypt World Ranking: 692 Source: Diversified, Self made

No. 11Youssef MansourNet Worth: USD$1.8 billion Nation: Egypt World Ranking: 693 Source: Diversified, Self made

No. 12Christoffel WieseNet Worth: USD$1.6 billion Nation: South Africa World Ranking: 782 Source: Retail, Self made

No. 13Samih SawirisNet Worth: USD$1.4 billion Nation: Egypt World Ranking: 879 Source: Hotel, Inheritance

No. 14Mohamed Al Fayed & FamilyNet Worth: USD$1.2 billion Nation: Egypt World Ranking: 993 Source: Retail, Self made

Nassef SawirisMike Adenuga Patrice Motsepe

Q. I bought my house in 2006. I am current on my payments,however because of some personal reasons, I cannot continue tomake my mortgage payment anymore. Furthermore, I have justdiscovered that I do not have equity in the property. How do Irid myself from the mortgage?

A.You are like millions of homeowners in America today. Youbought your home at the height of the bubble and now you havediscovered that your home is worth substantially less than youborrowed from the bank. The first thing you should know is thatthere are not many worthwhile options for you right now. Youshould contact your lender and ask them to modify your loan.The process may be extensive and tedious however if you likeyour home and want to live there then this is the best option. Bor-rowers who expect to live in their home for the next 5 or moreyears should definitely contact their lender for a loan modifica-tion because you will see a rebound in the housing market aroundthis time. You may also ask your bank to put your home up forshort-sale. If you do this, your credit score will be negatively im-pacted. In addition, your bank may come after the balance ofyour sale that falls ‘short’ albeit this is rare. Finally, you mayallow your house to slip into foreclosure but this should be theabsolute last result.

Q. How do I know if my credit score is good?

A. In the United States, your credit score is the single most rel-evant indicator of your credit worthiness. With a good to excel-lent credit score, you can borrow money at a much lower interestrate. Credit scores that are regarded fair or poor costs you muchmore to borrow money from banks. Even more relevant, com-panies in the U.S. are looking at credit scores to make hiring de-cisions. According to the consumer advocacy websiteCredit.com, employers look at credit reports to determine an ap-plicant’s level of responsibility. According to the three majorcredit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, Trans union), an excellentcredit score is any score above 750. A good credit rating is anyscore between 680 and 749. A credit score in the mid 600’s isconsidered fair and a score below 620 is considered poor.

Did Know...u

Q An

Did u Know…

that the best form of investing is to invest in industries that youare familiar with. One of our generation’s savviest investors andthe second richest man in the world, Warren Buffet, made thisvery case by referring to a “circle of competence” in investing.Buffet pointed out that the size of your investment circle (port-folio) is irrelevant and that the only thing that matters in invest-ing is to have well defined lines and a good understanding ofthe companies within your sphere. This kind of focused expert-ise will lead you to better decision making particularly at timeswhen the stocks are irrationally high or low. For instance, wheninvestors panic and sell in a bear market, you will know betterand will hang in there and will end up buying stocks at fire-saleprices. Knowledge is power even in investing, so tighten yourbelt and do your homework on the companies and industries youwant to invest in before you take the plunge.

Did u Know…

That Ghana is the fastest growing economy in the world. A newresearch conducted by EconomyWatch.com and released on July20, 2011 ranks Ghana as the fastest growing economy in theworld.

The fact comes from an annual International Monetary Fund(IMF) data tracker of Gross Domestic Product in constant pricesin the national currency (Not converted into US Dollars).

Many have described China as the fastest growing economy inthe world poised to unseat the US as the largest economy in theworld. Well, the latter of that statement is true if the issue is onvolume, however, on a percentage scale, Ghana is outpacingevery country on the planet with an economic indicator of20.146% expected growth. By comparison, China ranks fourthwith a 9.908% GDP growth expectancy.

DONDO 2222 MAGAZINE

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Health Center, Afua Kobi Girls School Ashantene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II thanks for service to: Mary E. Singletary, President,National Council of

Women/USA International Coordinator, Zeta Phi BetaSorority

Ribbon-Cutting CeremonyLeft: Akyempehene Aduse Opoku, Chairman, Bd.

of Directors Hon. Justice Dennis Adjei, Supreme Court Right:Mary E. Singletary, President, National Council of

Women/USA International Coordinator, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority

Delivering message from Ashantene Otumfuo Osei TutuII, Left (under umbrella): Akyempehene Aduse Opuku,Chairman, Bd of Directors Right- Div. Chairman - PTA

Chairman, Nana Ceyawu Nantwi

The National Council of Women ofthe United States (NCW.USA) onJuly 8th, 2011, unveiled a newly con-

structed Health Clinic at the Afua KobiAmpem Girls Senior High School in Tra-boum, the Ashanti Region of Ghana.

Under the distinguished patronage of Otum-fuo Osei Tutu II, the official opening ribboncutting ceremonies were performed byMary E. Singletary, President, NationalCouncil of Women of the United States andInternational Coordinator, Zeta Phi BetaSorority.

Ayke Mpemhene (Aike Mphimhene) AduseOpoku represented the Asantehene, Otum-fuo Osei-Tutu II.

Delivering the Asantehene’s message, NanaAduse Opoku stated that Otumfuo ‘givesthanks to Nana Traboum for giving theschool this land,” and that NCW.USA were“using it wisely.” Otumfuo also thanked theZeta Phi Beta Sorority - Z-HOPE - for allthat they have been doing for the school,and that he is “very grateful for the gen-erosity toward the ‘Afua Kobi Girls SeniorHigh School’,” which was named in honor

of his mother.The school’s Parents Teachers Associationchairperson, Nana Gyawu Nantwi con-tributed, saying “We as parents are veryhappy for today’s occasion. We as parentssay, ‘We are so thankful to Zeta Phi BetaSorority, that we may go forward withstrength. We will always remember MarySingletary for the support given to contractthis Health Center, and my thanks also to allthe PTA parents.’

The benefactor of the health clinic is ZetaPhi Beta Sorority, Inc.

Zetas Helping Others to Excel (Z-HOPE) HEALTH CLINIC DEDICATION

When Haiti was hit by a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mwearth quake on January 12, 2010, the better side of hu-manity was shown to the Haitian people including mes-

sages of condolences, financial and technical support and sheerempathy. The Haitian government reported then that between217,000 and 230,000 people were identified dead, 300,000 peopleestimated injured, and 3 million people displaced.

Since then, Mother Nature has not been kind to its inhabitantsacross the globe. Our memories are still fresh with the more recentJapan earthquake in June 2011. Again, citizens across the globe ral-lied behind Japan to demonstrate their shared destiny.

Responding to these crises, millions of dollars have been raised bynation states, celebrities, Hollywood, millionaires, refugees amongothers to support the Haitian government to deal with the disasterwhile physical, technological, and moral support was extended tothe Japanese government to deal with their disaster.

Ghana made headlines in 2010 when the Mills government an-nounced a donation of US $ 3 million to support the Haitian gov-ernment. Following that gesture by the government, there has beena polarized debate by Ghanaians over this donation. Overall, we allagree that Ghana should support Haiti by way of financial dona-tion. The problem remains that a section of the Ghanaian peoplestill thinks that the amount Ghana donated was too much consider-ing the country’s domestic financial and economic plight. On theother hand, other section thinks that with the pledge, Ghana didshow some concrete support and leadership and projected the na-tion’s national image.

Although it has been over a year, the debate still lingers on as towhy Ghana pledged such a large amount. In the light of this, TheDebate asks: Was it extravagant for Ghana to donate US$ 3 millionto Haiti following the 2010 earthquake and can the country affordit?

following the Earthquake in that country in 2010. Was Ghana Financially Sound Enough to Pledge such a Large Amount?

Ghana Donated US

$3 million to Haiti

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By Ernest Marbell

THE DEBATE

Haiti presidential palace before and after earthquark

ProGhana as a nation and its people has been known for its lead-ership and hospitality on both the Africa continent and acrossthe globe since the days of the struggle against colonialism. Asthe first black African nation to gain political independence in1957, Ghana actively supported most African countries riddingthemselves of imperialist regimes in Africa including offeringa huge sum of money to countries like Guinea and serving as asafe haven for freedom fighters.

Ghana has invested heavily in peacekeeping, security and con-flict resolution across the continent and as far as the MiddleEast. Ghana has also contributed troops and logistics to majorpeacekeeping operations and conflict resolutions in places likeLiberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Somalia and the Lebanon.

These and many other operations indeed have cost the nationmuch more than the US $3 million given to Haiti and no onehas openly argued that we have been extravagant. In fact, theissue that ought to be raised should be what edge or compara-tive advantage our benevolence and magnanimity over theyears have brought to the country. To this end, one could vouchthat “Brand Ghana” invokes respect and greatness on the in-ternational scene. For those of us who live abroad, we alwaysfeel proud to call ourselves Ghanaians because of some of thethings our country is doing. This goes a long way to give usleverage in pursuit of our national interest.

It is also critical that Ghana continues the investment it hasmade since the late 1950s in terms of being at the forefront ofpromoting liberty, freedom and economic prosperity both onthe continent and reaching out to all black people across theglobe. It is particularly strategic for Ghana to transition thisleadership role into the 21st century by positioning itself as arole model of what Africa can achieve with democracy, unityof purpose and peace and stability.

This gesture was again in line with our belief that one does notwash his/her dirty linen in public. In effect, it is no secret thatGhana is not a rich country but that does not stop us from pro-jecting a positive image abroad. Truly, the $3 million may ap-pear as a lot of money considering our domestic economicpower, however, as a nation, the indirect benefit we stand togain from it would be way more. In other words, we shouldconsider this as an investment since it may attract potential for-eign investors and tourists to visit the country. Remember thatbusiness thrives in positive and forward looking environment.

ConAgain, the folks who feel differently about the donation Ghana

made to Haiti are not saying we should not have given anything.

However, what they are saying is that, considering our domestic

economic situation, we should have made a modest donation.

Available data indicates that using donor countries’ Gross Do-

mestic Product (GDP) as the index, Ghana happens to be the sec-

ond highest donor nation to Haiti surpassing the U.S. and all the

developed countries. This begs the question of the motive be-

hind the donation in the first place.

There are basically two ways of going about issues like this. One

is to consider it from the point of view of intent and the other is

to consider it from the point of view of effect. One would assume

that our leadership would want to consider its donation in the

spirit of intent rather than effect since truly we are not financially

sound enough to make such a big donation. It appears our lead-

ership unfortunately considered the effect motive.

We are saying unfortunately because arguably, the opportunity

cost of the donation far outweighs the benefit since it takes a lot

of sacrifice for Ghana to part with such amount yet considering

the magnitude of the crisis and the stream of financial resources

being channeled to Haiti by the international community, our ges-

ture may be lost in the stream of multi-million dollars being

pledged by worthy sources.

DONDO 2255 MAGAZINE

ConclusionThe jury is still out there. You may submit your position to the editor at

[email protected].

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INFOOOnnlliinnee

The Distinguished Urban Society is definedon its "About Us" page on the websitewww.thedusociety.com as “an online

magazine dedicated to cataloging the fashionsense, outlook and lifestyle of today’s urban gen-tleman through articles, vivid imagery and opin-ion.”In simple terms, this website is the neededbreath of fresh air for men who live and practicethe etiquettes of the gentleman’s lifestyle.There are many fascinating areas to visit on thiswebsite. One of my favorite areas on the is theEditorial page. The writer, Eric Adjepong, writeseffortlessly about the current topic, “The DressDown”, where the writer walks readers throughthe three key points to remember when dressingdown.Another favorite of mine is the “Must Reads.”Currently there are seven must read topics on thewebsite that readers can simply click in to getmore tips and knowledge about being the perfectgentleman. One topic I personally love verymuch and have visited quite a few times is “The

Economy of Style”. Here, the writer, SamKwakyeh, guides readers about becoming eco-nomic about their choices in clothing and colorsin a way that can increase rather than limit youroptions in terms of how often and how manyways they can wear that outfit.All together, there are four tabs readers can clickonto for information. This is in addition to thetraditional "About" and "Contact" tabs. The dis-tinct feature about the The Distinguished UrbanSociety website is that it is not one of your usualovercrowded sites packed with numerous tabs

that are rarely used by visitors but it is rather alean, meaningful and simple navigation websitethat makes for easy and enjoyable surfing.Even the writings collaborate with the simplis-tic theme on the website as the writers use sim-ple, everyday examples to explain relevantpoints that drive home their arguments with lit-tle effort. Although www.thedusociety.com is designedfor the male visitor, however after careful eval-uation I noticed how female visitors can find thiswebsite useful to gather information about howto help their man look the perfect gentleman,how to buy gifts for their man on special oreveryday occasion, or what to expect if a maledate wants to portray himself as a gentleman.The website is credited to Eric Adjepong-Editor-In-Chief, Daniel Kwakyeh, Fashion Editor, andSamuel Kwakyeh, Business Manager.So the next time you surf the web, make it apoint to visit www.thedusociety.com for someamazing tips and information about today’surban gentleman.

The Distinguished Urban Society

…30,000 of you can come together in 3 days tocelebrate what it means to be Ghanaian. Such has been the social media phenomenonknown as “You know you are Ghanaianwhen…”. Started one Friday afternoon in July,the Facebook group grew to more than 30,000members in a course of three days. At the timeof going to press, the membership is well over35,000 and growing. Our initial research suggests that it is probablythe biggest gathering of Ghanaians on Facebook.Perhaps even more significant, is that it has be-come a default depository of what it means to beGhanaian. A random sampling of the posts re-vealed the following thoughts about beingGhanaian: “You know you are Ghanaianwhen…”“…you get your ear twisted and pulled for dis-turbing your parents when they are asleep.”“…you fight over the burnt part of rice.”“..the hero of a film is the blowman and the vil-lain is the killer.” “…you use Mercy Cream to cure all skin prob-lems.”“…Sunday is fufu day.”

“…you take Paracetamol for every illness”“…Talking Point goes on for too long beforeObra.”“…every toothpaste is Pepsodent and every hotbeverage is tea.”Others have started topics within the group suchas “The Best Sportsmen in Ghana,” “The WorstRaps that Ghanaian Boys Use on Girls,” and“Favorite Marching Songs.” Nenyi Sackey, who started the group, has beenpleasantly overwhelmed. It was supposed to be alazy Friday afternoon. He was wasting awaytime on Facebook when he saw a thread titled“You know you’re from the Bronx when…,” towhich people added random aspects of the cul-ture of Bronx, New York. Being a Bronx resi-dent, he added a couple of comments to thethread. That is when he figured “Well, I live inthe Bronx but I’m also Ghanaian.” That momentof self-awareness got him thinking of the uniquecultural signals that make Ghanaians who theyare. So he wrote a few lines about uniqueGhanaian experiences and shared them amonghis family and close friends. Little did he knowthat his Facebook family was soon to become hisGhanaian family. It turned out to be one of the busiest weekends ofhis life. Within hours of the first post, the grouphad received 1500 members; that was quite

shocking. Within 24 hours the membership grewto 10,000, SCARY! As it turned out, he stayedup the entire weekend, approving the thousandswho wanted to express shared experiences ofbeing Ghanaian. “I hardly slept all weekend, but I hardly feltsleepy. I was overcome with the demonstrationthat in spite of all our differences and familyfeuds Ghanaians have such a rich shared mean-ing of being Ghanaian and I feel privileged tohave been in a position to spark that expression.” Even more impressive is that these are Ghana-ians from various walks of life and living all overthe world. Nenyi Sackey himself was born inNew York and sent to Ghana for secondaryschool at St. Augustine’s college. “To be honest with you, I don’t think anyonecould have planned such an outpouring of loveand pride for being Ghanaian, so we see this asan opportunity to foster conversation and raiseconsciousness about our bonds and shared pur-pose as Ghanaians. Our time has truly come.”Our favorite post: “You know you’re Ghanaianwhen you can poke fun at one another and ourdifferences but still love them as fellow Ghana-ians.”

You know you are Ghanaian when...Trends on Social Media

The year 2009 was considered by many as one of the moststressful years since the Great Depression. The eco-nomic downturn and all the financial uncertainties cou-

pled with rising unemployment in the country caused many toworry about their lives and their family’s future. Stress is normal and unavoidable and may occur under variousconditions in your life. The body responds to stress as tough itis in danger and causes hormones to speed up to your heart togive you a burst of energy to help decrease any negative reac-tions to the stress. This kind of stress response is known as thefight-or-flight stress response and is rather useful to the body.However, it remains important to know your body and becomeaware of ways to reduce or prevent dangerous stress in yourlife. Although no one strategy is absolute, some of these stressmanagement tips have been useful to cope with stress in ahealthy way.

Physical ActivityPhysical activity is the most common and possibly the singlebest approach to manage stress. Regular or moderate exercisethat increases heart rate like running, walking, swimming, etc.are effective ways to combat stress. Other effective physicalactivities can be vigorous everyday activities such as housecleaning or yard work.

Relax the MindAnother useful way to counteract stress is to keep a stress jour-nal to write about stressful events and circumstances in yourlife. Doing this can help you identify the sources of the stressso you do not repeat things that causes such stress.

Express Your FeelingsTalk with friends, family members, colleges, or a professionalcounselor about your stress. Conversations with others meansyou are not harboring your feelings and these discussions cantrigger laughing or crying which are all normal ways to releasetension and frustrations. These are part of the normal emotionalhealing process for the body.

Visualize YourselfGuided imagery is a method of using your imagination to helpyou relax and release tension caused by stress. The human bodyresponds easily to images in your mind so if you can see your-self being happy in an otherwise stressful situation, that wouldbe a healthy way to combat the stress.

Professional HelpAlthough this could be expensive, it is generally recommended to seekprofessional help if you become overwhelmed by your stress. Profes-sional counselors can provide you with Cognitive-behavioral therapythat teaches you of how to perceive stress as well as helping you to un-derstand how the stress affects you and how to develop skills to dealwith it. They can also teach you Biofeedback which is a method to con-sciously control a body function to control stress, or Hypnosis whichhelps you accept ways to help change behavior towards stress. Since stress is a part of living, developing methods to deal with stressis the only way to counteract it. If you can understand how your bodyreacts under certain stressful situations, you will have the ability to livea manageable stress-free lifestyle.

Stressand Ways to Cope with It

Stress is normal and unavoidable andmay occur under various conditionsin your life.

DONDO 2277 MAGAZINE

By Jonathan Weiss

HEALTH

DONDO 2288 MAGAZINE

One of the world’s leading newspa-per, News of the World, based inLondon, England, folded in July

2011 on allegations that thenewspaper paid millions ofdollars over theyears to gagphone-hackingvictims for block-buster stories inthe newspaper. This scandal is notonly illegal but provesthat phone hacking isnot an action only seenin spy thriller movies,espionage cases, ormethods used by inter-national spies, but also anact that can affect celebrities aswell as regular folks walking thestreets of a town you are in.Phone hacking can simply be de-fined as a process where someonegains unauthorized access to yourphone.The two most common types of phonehacking are voicemail hacking (someone re-motely listens to your phone voicemail mes-sages) and data hacking (someone views orsteals information stored on your phonesuch as bank account information, emails,etc.).

Hackers have noted repeatedly online howeasy it is to hack into someone’s cell phoneand even more easier, someone’s voicemail.For obvious reasons we will not discuss themethods they use to achieve this however,we will discuss a few simple things you cando to make it difficult for a hacker to accessyour cell phone data or voicemail.

Set Up Your Own Pin CodeWhen you listen to your voice mail from an-other source other than your cell phone, ie alandline, your network provider offers a

generic remote access number you cancall from to access your voicemail.For security purposes you are re-quired to enter a pin code but thedefault code is the same across allphones, often 1234 or 0000. YouMUST change this code and set

up your own pin code. It isquick and easy and it isthe basic way to preventhackers from hackingyour voicemail. Re-member, hackers knowthe generic code andby setting your ownpin code, you havemoved one stepahead of them.

Set a StrongLock Code

Most people do not set lockcodes let alone a strong lock code yet thisis another simple way to prevent hackersfrom hacking into your phone. Imagine ifyour phone is missing and it falls into thehands of a hacker. They will need to getpass your lock code to access the phonedata. A strong lock code will make it muchharder for hackers to hack your phone. Inaddition, you should set up a strong emailpassword code. Most people follow the sug-gestions that your device advices, (eg. Atleast 5 characters and one number.). Expertsindicates that email passwords that are 10to 12 characters and numbers long are verystrong and difficult for hackers to breakinto.

Minimize Data on Cell PhoneOne of the known benefits of Smartphonesis the ability they offer to store lots of datafor convenience. Phone hackers are alsoaware of such storage capacity and look tohack smartphones to get their hands on thisdata. Avoid storing the bulk of your impor-tant data, ie bank information, emails, etcon your cell phones.

Delete Browser HistoryPeriodically, you should delete yourbrowser history. The browser history inyour phone stores all the websites you visiton your phone. When you clear your cellphone internet browser history, cookies, andcache, you would make it harder for ahacker to gain access to your data ie thesites you visit, the type of data you input,etc.

Know What You Are DownloadingMany of the Apps you download have mal-ware software that can be dangerous and ex-pose your data to hackers. Learn in- depth,the source of your Apps before you down-load an App.

Review Your Phone Bill CarefullyWhen you receive your monthly bill, makesure to review it in detail. If you see anyadded service you did not authorize, bring itto the network provider’s attention immedi-ately. It could mean that your phone hasbeen compromised by a hacker. Never takereviewing your bill lightly.

Ensure Your

Cellular PhoneSAFETYBy Jonathan Weiss

CONSUMERREPORT

There are so many myths surroundingAdvance Parole to the extent that of-tentimes it becomes hard to separate

the myths from the facts. By the time youare done reading this, you will be in a bet-ter position to understand clearly what Ad-vance Parole is all about.

What is Advance Parole?Advance Parole is permission for certainforeign nationals, who do not have a validimmigrant visa, to re-enter the U.S. aftertraveling abroad. Such foreign nationalsmust be approved for Advance Parole be-fore leaving the U.S. If you have not ob-tained Advance Parole prior to travelingabroad, you will not be permitted to re-enterthe U.S. upon your return

Who Needs Advance Parole?As a foreign national in the U.S., youshould, prior to departure, obtain AdvanceParole if you have:1. Filed an Adjustment of Status applicationbut have not received a decision from theUSCIS but need to leave the country tem-porarily due to emergency2. Hold Refugee or Asylee status and intendto depart temporarily to apply for a U.S. im-migrant visa in Canada 3. Been granted benefits under the FamilyUnity Program4. been granted Temporary Protected Status

Who is Not Eligible for AdvanceParole?You are not eligible for an Advance Paroletravel document if you are a foreign na-tional who is:1. In the U.S. illegally2. An exchange foreign national subject tothe foreign residence requirement3. Under removal (deportation) proceed-ings 4. Alien holding a valid H-1 (temporaryworker in a specialty occupation) or L-1(intra-company transferee) visas and theirdependents who have filed for Adjustmentof Status

Does Advance Parole GuaranteeMe Re-admission into the U.S.?This is the most important thing to under-stand about Advance Parole but unfortu-nately, this is where folks usually get it allwrong. No, Advance Parole does not guar-antee you admission into the U.S. Foreignnationals with Advance Parole are still sub-ject to the immigration inspection processat the port of entry.

The caveat is that due to changes to U.S.immigration law, travel outside of theUnited States may have severe conse-quences for certain aliens who are in theprocess of adjusting their status or chang-

ing their nonimmigrant status. Such aliensmay be found inadmissible to the UnitedStates upon return and/or their applicationsfor adjustment or change of status may bedenied.

Also, under the Illegal Immigration Reformand Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996,aliens who depart the United States after ac-cruing certain periods of unlawful presencein the United States can be barred from ad-mission, even if they have obtained Ad-vance Parole. Those aliens who areunlawfully present in the United States for180 days but less than one year become in-admissible for three years; those who areunlawfully present for more than one yearbecome inadmissible for 10 years.

DisclaimerBe advised that this is not a legal opinionand may not be specific to individual cir-cumstances. You are encouraged to consultwith an immigration attorney for further as-sistance.

Credited to Zhang and Associate, P.C., U.S.Attorneys and Counselors

DONDO 2299 MAGAZINE

IMMIGRATION

By Ernest Marbell

The BET Awards 2011 was by all accounts a resounding suc-cess. For the second year in a row, a large number of themembers of the African communities across the U.S.

showed additional keen interest in the Awards show by way of sup-porting the African acts nominated in the category of Best Interna-tional Act; Africa. This year’s nominees included D-Black (Ghana), Angelique Kidjo(Benin), Fally Ipupa (Congo), Teargas (South Africa) and tied win-ners 2Face and D’Banj (Both of Nigeria).

Africans in the U.S. debated, exchanged thoughts and opinions, andeven argued all across social media websites on the Internet before,during, and after the Awards show was aired on BET Cable chan-nel on June, 28, 2011.

In fact, this level of intense community participation for an event ontelevision had not been witnessed since the World Cup finals inSouth Africa. On this night, the BET Awards did what only megaevents such as the World Cup Finals, Olympics, a Royal Wedding,or the picking of a Pope can do to bring Africans together for a tel-evision event.

The success of the community penetration of the event was largelydue to a well calibrated work by BET to incorporate the role andpresence of the International channel which broadcasts out ofAfrica, the UK, Ireland, and the Middle East. BET Internationalshowcases and services some of the exceptional talents out of theterritories that it broadcast in. Big names such as D'Banj, 2FaceIdibia, HHP. Kwaw Kesse, P-Square, M.I., Kojo Antwi, Blitz the

The Gateway for African Music ActsA W A R D S

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2FaceIdibia

African Nominees

Teargas

By Jonathan Weiss • Photos by Face2Face Africa

DONDO 3311 MAGAZINE

Ambassador, K'NAAN, D-Black, Fally Ipupa, Angelique Kidjo,

Iman, Teargas, Lira, Jahaziel, VV Brown, Estelle, Sade, CorinneBailey Rae, Tinie Tempah, Skepta, Tinchy Stryder-etc, have allbeen given international exposures by BET International. The ideais to demonstrate the potential of the international artists and mar-ket to the domestic audience—The BET Awards 2011 has clearlyvindicated this strategy.

Like all new ventures, BET International made adjustments thatimproved this year’s Best International Act category. Specifically,the category was broken into two sub-categories; Best InternationalAct: Africa and Best International Act: UK. The decision to do this was the right one because the categoriesculturally and geographically better defined the acts. For example,at the inaugural list of African acts in the Best International Act cat-egory at the BET Awards 2010, all the international acts were clus-tered into one category. This meant that Ghana’s Kojo Antwi wasplaced in the same category with the more internationally recog-nized acts such as UK’s Sade and Estelle. Under the new two category format, African acts are better classi-fied geographically, musically, and culturally. Another benefit underthis format is that there will be more African acts nominated eachyear than under the original format. (In 2011, six African acts werenominated over 2010’s five nominees).As the community debated on winners, losers, music, clothing style,

and everything else that youmight think of, some were focused on

what they described as a shortfall at the Awards. A central focuswas on why Ghanaian acts have not won this category. Some blog-gers added that the category is a “token” category. The skepticismwas further engrossed when two Nigerian artists were declared tiedwinners at this year’s show.

Such commentary is far from the truth. While it is understandablethat a cross-section of the members of the African community canbe passionate about their music stars, they must know that BET In-ternational has worked extremely hard to provide this category forAfrican artists and in doing so, has provided African artists with apowerful international platform to showcase their talents and helpgain success on the international market. Without the encourage-ment and support from the BET Awards, many of the artists may nothave the outlet to expose their talents internationally.

A majority of the African community applaud the opportunity theBET Awards offer African acts and conversely recognizes the tal-ents the African acts bring to the show. This fact is much more sig-nificant to the majority in community than the few who thinksotherwise. The big picture is about the growth of African musicglobally and the few doubters in the community must understandthat a big part of the reason BET International made this possibleis because BET International recognizes the talents in the Africanmusic industry and through the BET Awards, the rest of the musicworld will see what BET International have come to know andwhat Africans have always known.

FallyIpupa

D'BanjiD-Black

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Bishop Dominic Newlove Allotey, Celebrant and wife Mrs. Allotey cutting the birthday cake

The Alottey Family; Bishop Allotey, Mrs. Naomi,Sandra, Veronica, Joshua and Joelle

Mighty men with their wives Gift from the Church to Bishop Allotey Mercedes Benz S500 4MATIC

The Birthday Cake

The golden jubilee celebration was held on June 6, 2011 in honor ofBishop Dominic Newlove Allotey. It was held at Glen Island Habourin New Rochelle. The occasion was graced by the clergy around theworld including Apostle Korankye Ankrah, Reverend Mrs. KorankyeAnkrah from Ghana, Apostle J. Ngwale, Reverend Mrs. Ngwale fromSouth Africa, Reverend Steve Mensah, Reverend Mrs. Steve Mensah,Prophet and Mrs. Agyeman Prempeh from United Kingdom, Dr. Frank Ofosu Appiah from Georgia, Bishop and Reverend Mrs.Christopher Haynes from Bermuda and Dr. Judy Jones Brown fromBrooklyn New York among others. Friends and family around theworld came to make the occasion a success.

The Living Faith Church Family gave Bishop Dominic Allotey a Mercedes Benz S550 4matic car as his 50th birthday gift.It was an awesome moment.

Bishop Allotey’s 50th Birthday Celebrations

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Women Ministry Heads

Rev. & Rev. Mrs. Christopher Haynes Prophet & Mrs. A Prempeh Rev. & Rev. Mrs. Steve Mensah

Bishop Allotey receiving his birthday giftApostle & Rev. Mrs. NgwaleApostle & Rev. Mrs. Sam K. Ankrah

Apostle Ankrah offering a prayer The Clergy Bishop Allotey offering a prayer

Some members and invited guests of Living Faith Church

Apostle & Rev. Mrs. Ngwale Pastor Jerry Osei Tutu

Mrs. Beverley Henry & Dr. Akwasi Achampong Pastor Frank Ofosu Appiah

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Mr. Henry & Mrs. Elsie AyensuMr. & Mrs. Awuku Mrs. Akahoho and mother in-law

Bishop Allotey with friends Bishop Allotey with Church members Bishop Allotey with Church members

Some of the Church members Clement & Prophet Prempeh

Joshua & Nuruyaatu Elder & Mrs. Cecil King Mr. & Mrs. Micheal Buadu

Living Faith Dance Ministry

Pastor Jonathan & Mrs. Gloria Addico

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Prophet & Mrs. Prempeh on the dancefloor

Apostle & Mrs. Rev. Ngwale on the dancefloor

Rev. & Rev. Mrs. Steve on the dance floor

Bishop and First Lady Allotey on the dancing floor

Prophet Prempeh and Mrs. Allotey glorifying God in a dance

Rev. & Rev. Mrs Haynes on the dance floor

Eugene & Apostle Ngwale Bishop Allotey, Mrs. Allotey and Joelle enjoying his brand new Benz

Bishop Allotey, with Church Members Bishop Allotey, with Church MembersChurch Members

Lilian Yanney and Son Micheal

Pastor Jerry with friendsBishop Allotey with some of the membersof Living Faith Church

Apostle & Mrs. Ankrah and Apostle & Mrs Ngwale

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Irene and Family

Irene Asante and AFA Group M.C. of the occasion, Kingsley Nimo

Nana Adu and Irene Mrs. Irene Asante Mrs. Irene Asante

Irene Asante’s 50th Birthday BashBeloved and admired, Irene Asante, celebrated her 50th Birthday in style on July 30, 2011 in the Bronx NY.

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Chairman K, kids of the celebrantand Irene

Mrs. Irene Asante giving thanks to God Nana Amakye, Asantefohene and Guests

Irene dancing Adowa Akosua, KK, Irene, Pomaa, Kojo,Naana, Nana Adu, Serwaa, Kwaku

Kuwait and wife

Albert, Nana Frimpong, Mrs. Asamoah, Irene

Irene Church Members Nana Owusu Manu and AFAMembers

Mrs. Gyamfi, Guest and Nana Yaa Nana Amponsah and Nana Prempeh Mr.Boateng, Mr.& Mrs. Sarkodie

Mark, Akwasi, Kojo, Benard, Kingsley, Brefo & Guests

Mrs. Twumasi, Nana Adu, Irene,Joyce, Nana Frimpong, Sammy,

Christy, & Pat

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Image Consulting & Design by Amy President & CEO,Amy McNish celebrated her birthday in style in Washing-ton DC with friends, business associates, and family. TheJuly 1st born celebrations was also in conjunction with theGreen & Gorgeous Fashion Gala Networking experience

hosted by DMD Experience, LLC.Photos by

Robert Glenn-Creative Eyez PhotographyAltema & Delfin-Graphic Design, Photography, Video & Audio

Production, Surpass Media Production, LLCMark Daniel Pillor

AAmmyy MMccNNiisshh BBiirrtthhddaayy CCeelleebbrraattiioonnss

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Columbus Ohio residents and successful entrepreneurs, Mr. & Mrs. Agyekum were joined in HolyMatrimony in a star studded, glitzy wedding in Columbus, Ohio on July 2 2011 at the Jesus Power As-semblies of God church in Columbus, Ohio. The glitz and glamour reception was held at the ultra exclu-sive Great Grand Ballroom at the luxurious 5 Star Hilton Columbus.

Over 1,400 invited guests and well wishes travelled across the U.S. and overseas to witness the weddingmany in the Ghanaian community dubbed, the “Star Studded Wedding of the Century.”African superstar celebrities who made the long travel journey’s from Ghana and other locations to be apart of this once in a lifetime celebration included African Movies Superstar Jackie Appiah and well asYvonne Nelson, Mercy Asiedu, Agya Koo, Prince David Osei, among others. Ghana music legend KojoAntwi also flew in from Ghana to serenade the couple and attendees to many of his classics and hit songsduring the reception.DONDO lens captured these scenes for you.

The Star Studded Wedding Ceremony

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Bride with bridesmaids

Groom and bride with bridal party

Groom with groomsmen

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Agya Koo and Mercy Asiedu Kalsum Sinari, KKD, Jackie Appiah Prince David Osei

Wofa Kojo, Asantehemaa, ComfortObour and Richard

Pat, Silvia, Nana Abodowaa Guests

Priscilla MC Papa Lincoln

Mr. & Mrs. SniderMr. & Mrs. KyeheneGuests

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Nana Abena Gyamfua, Asantemanhemaa, Nana Kwansah, Nana Odenho, Nana Adamine, Wofa Atta and couple

Kojo Antwi KKD & Jackie Appiah

Kojo & Ama

Helena

Prince David Osei and guestBride & GroomBilly Agyemang & Penhi

Mr. & Mrs. Addo

Mr.& Mrs Koranteng

Mr & Mrs Acheampong Irene, Dela And Mrs Wober Mr & Mrs Moffart

Rita & Eddie

Rita & Eddie

Jeff And Cecila

Mr & Mrs Hammond

Mr Osei Tutu Mr & Mrs Odo Kojo Deacon James

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Groom & Bride

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Bridesmaids with Mrs. Amoateng and Joyce (Seamstress who designed the dresses)

Deacon Amoah Gladys, Gloria & Tiffany Bride with Dr. & Mrs Entsuah

Dr. & Mrs. HaganDora, Tawia (Hairstylist)Mr. & Mrs. Osei

Dr. & Mrs. Ayensu Dr. & Mrs. OppongNana, Piper

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Nana, KKD, Pelma, & Brenda

Mr & Mrs Adjei Mr & Mrs Boakye

Couple on the dance floorKalsum, Yvonne Nelson, Prince David Osei

Couple with daughters Couple Couple with Andy

Kofi & VickObour and Jackie Okanes, Theresa, Delali, Porchia, Akeila,Brenda

Mr. & Mrs Berko Akoto Couple with Mr.& Mrs Mensah

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Emmanuel J.P. Banson & Jacqueline Mclean’s EngagementEmmanuel J.P. Banson and Jacqueline Mclean celebrated their engagementwith an exclusive, invitation only intimate engagement party celebration atthe elegant Maestro Caterers in the Bronx, New York on Saturday, July23rd, 2011. The lovebirds were united in a traditional ceremony earlier inthe morning and enjoyed the evening celebrations with invited family andfriends.DONDO lens captured these scenes for you.Photos by Oghene Adu-Darko

Nana Atta Boamah with Jackie Nana Abroakwa

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Nana Akwasi Prempeh, couple & Nana Amponsah

Charles Ankrah and Freda McleanGina, couple & Amy

Couple, Gifty, Charles, Freda, Hans Jackie, Charles, Freda and Hans

Jacqueline Emmanuel Banson

Mr. & Mrs. Banson


The couple Jacqueline The couple

KB, Kizzy, Jackie, Emmanuel, and Eunice Couple with bride’s mother, father, and brother

Charles and Freda The couple Freda and Jackie

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Couple doing the dance Harriet, Freda, and Faustina Barbara, Abigail, Gifty

Queni, Monica, Couple, Pat, Gifty Joyce, Josephine, Mr. & Mrs. Kokofuo

Afua Serwa, CoupleRita, Aretha, Nana Adwoa, Bernard

Richard, Couple, Nana AkomeahEmelia, Shantel, Sandra, Kizzy

Awoa, Kofi, Couple, Abien, De-love,Nana Betty, Nana Sei, Jemima

Barbara, Abigail, CoupleChris, Tina, Moses

Ben, Couple,Harriet, Charles, Winifried

Gifty, Couple, Maame OwusuahEstella, Hans, Eric, Richard

Sly, Couple, Selina, MarthaSandra, Ayesha, Clara, Gertrude

Mama, Couple, Evelyn, Michael & Yvonne, Irene

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Portia and Oghene Portia and Oghene engagement

Parents of the Bride with the couple Pastors Prince, Seth, Bishop Owusu-Ansah, Rev. Cookie with the couple

Family of the bride

Family of the groom

A celebration of love between New York famed photojournalist Oghene Adu-Darko and his beautiful bride Portia Osei-Tutu reached its pinnacle with anexquisite wedding ceremony on June 18, 2001 at the Calvary Deliverance Christian Assembly in the Bronx NY. Over 500 invited guests and family joined

the beloved couple, Mr. & Mrs. Adu-Darko, at their lavish reception that followed the blissful wedding ceremony. DONDO lens captured these scenes for you.

Portia and Oghene Wedding Ceremony


Couple with members of United Bethel Pentecostal Ministry, Bronx, New York

Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Osei-Tutu Mr. & Mrs. Oghene Adu-Darko

The great entry, Oghene and Mother,Auntie Grace

Presentation of bride dairyRing and Bible

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Mr. & Mrs. Adu-Darko cutting their wedding assisted by Groom’s mom Auntie Grace

Couple with guests and Uncle Tuah

Couple with Mr. & Mrs. Okyere Couple with Mr. & Mrs. Ameyaw

Couple toasting Couple with guests

Couple with guests from Methodist Church

Uncles of the Bride Winifred, Bracker, Edward, and Grace

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Portia poses for the camera

Couple with Mensah family from NJ Cynthia, Konadu, Ama Adoma, Mary, Nana Yaa

The Amoh Family with Couple Couple pouring unity sand

Bridal Party Couple with Friends

Couple with Family of the Groom Couple with Officiating Ministers

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Ernest & Akua withKuma family Ladies Ernest & Akua with Wiredu Family

Akua, Daakyehemaa and Ernest Nana Dwumuah Alex Nketia

Ernest Gwumah Buckman (Jomo) andwife Akua (Kakra) Kuma celebrated the birth of their daughter,

Cheryl Adowa Gyamfua Buckman with a stylish Outdooring ceremony on Saturday, July 2, 2011 in the Bronx New York.

DONDO lens captured these scenes for you.

Cheryl Adowa Gyamfua Buckman

’s Outdooring

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Kenneth AnaneAkua and Mary God Mothers, Nazat & Abena

Eugene, Glorita, Patrick, Mary, Joane Apele, Benash, Ohenewa, Eugene

Cheryl Ernest & Akua on the dance floor Onua (CT)

Joe and Akua Friend, Akua and Vicki George and Eric (MC)

Jones, Metal, Wange,Shazy and Nazi Sam Tuga & Friends Dosty, Nana Adwoa, Friends, Edna, Maa Efua

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Panin, Kwame, Maame, Ngozi Akwasi, Yvonne, Kedrick Lumba, Atta

Cosino, Akua, Ernest and Khuma Yao, Nazi, Kudjo Shazy, Jones, Pablo Denis, Ras Popo, Ernest, Akua and Eric

Atta & Wife, Bernard, Tuga, Eric Mildred & SASSI Ladies

Macorna, Melvin, Elsie & Esther Atta, Bernard, Chariman, Poncho

Nana Gyansare, V, Elizabeth friend (Chairman)Eric, Kojo Pasker

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Raven Owusu Ansah Outdooring ExtravaganzaProud parents Moses Owusu Ansah and ClarissaArmah celebrated with friends and family the Naming and Outdooring ceremonies oftheir new baby girl, Raven Owusu Ansah on Saturday,July 16, 2011 in Union, New Jersey. DONDO lens captured these scenes for you.

Photos by ACCUSOL Media

The Owusu Ansah Family

Moses and Clarissa Danicing

K Duah and Nana Akua

Raven Yaa Pomaa Owusu Ansah

Clarissa and Raven

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Mc Papa Linc and Moses

Moses and Friends

Adjoa Achiaa

Clarissa and Naana Clarissa and Naana MC Papa Linc on the dance floor

Moses On The Dance Floor America Man Clarissa

Tuga and Sister Akua Students Of Okess

Students Of Okess Osofo, Abby and Friends

Ama, Wadada And Original Ama, Wadada And Original

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Jerry and Ob

Adjoa, Tilda and Clarissa Adjoa Awura Ama and Nana Prempeh

Clarrissa and Sandra Atta , Adjoa and Richard Dwomoh and Rihanna

God-parents

Nana Marfo and Clarissa Nana Binney, Pauline and Nana Yaw Tuga N Wife

Osofo, Moses and Apinchi OB and Naa Achaa

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Clarissa and Nana Yaw Moses Clarissa and Nana Kwame Kwaku and Hadjiah

Fred and FriendMoses, Clarissa and Nana PokuMr John Kessie and Wife Gina

Moses, Clarissa, Alex and Anita Moses, Clarissa, Olivia and Eric Mr & Mrs & God-parents

Nana Achaa and Nana Afia Georgiette and Tilda

Moses and FriendsNana TakyiMille And B

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Akua and Stutgart Alpha, Matata and Twins Albert and Moses

Clarissa and NaanaClarissa and NaanaClarissa and Dad

TUGA, NANA TAKYI N MOSES Tuga, Nana Takyi and Moses Richard

Mr Wab and Wife, and FiifiMr and Mrs Okine

Naa Ode Raven Yaa Pomaa Owusu Ansah Sandra


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SAM TUGA &ASSOCIATESBOAT PARTY-

2011

5DONDO 6633 MAGAZINE

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BBaabbyy EEsssseennccee YYaaaa BBooaatteemmaaaa BBrruuccee’’ss

Outdooring

Proud parents with Essence

Kingsley, Kwado, CharmingStacey Bentil

Priscilla Katipo

Kofi, Kwame Charles, Kwasi

Proud father with daughter

Kofi Korsay, Text, Kwaku Safo Sasu, Kofi Bruce, Kwasito

Mr.&Mrs. Robert Bentil

Pastor Perkins, Essence & Bruce

Nana Baafour Awuah, Aqua Sireboe,Nana Yaw Owusu

Essence Yaa Boatima Bruce

Proud parents Benedicta Bentil and KofiBruce threw a massive outdoing celebra-

tion for the new addition Essence YaaBoatemaa Bruce on July 16, 2011. The

weekend celebrations included the cere-mony, reception, and the now famous

“Polo Party” on Sunday.DONDO lens captured these scenes for you.

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The love birds Proud mother, Benedicta Bentil Seeing eye to eye

Benedicta & Bruce Dufia with Benedicta

Jackie & RichardDance time

Jackie & Richard

Mr & Mrs Osei

Akosua, Lesley, Freda Eric, Kuma, Boss

Nana Osei & SarahGifty, Stella, Georgina

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Rachel & dad Joe B

Mr. & Mrs. Koranteng

Mr. & Mrs. Bona Anita Maame Boatemaa & Dorcas

Richardson & TraceyDenzelBruce & Mama Jo

Afua Abamkuah SylviaSheila

Ohenewaa, Mrs. Frimpong, Josephine Stacey & Lesley

Roby & Catherine Junior & Sam

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The inaugural DONDO African Achieve-ments Gala (AAG) was held on August 28,2010 in New York City. The black-tie din-ner gala was a resounding success, drawingone of the largest gatherings of communityleaders from various sectors including pro-fessional, political, religious, social-eco-nomic, educational, entertainment, traveland hospitality sectors, etc. under one roof.

AAG was formed in 2010 with a paramountgoal for DONDO magazine to thank thereader as well as to establish a physical con-nection with African communities aroundthe world. From this concept, AAG was de-signed as a platform to celebrate the Africanlifestyle through music, fashion and film.The highlight of the evening celebrations isthe honoring of the best and brightest peo-ple/groups in our communities whose workand dedication to and in African communi-ties continues to shine a positive light onAfricans in the Diaspora.

A give back program, DONDO Charities,

was also established as a part of the gala tosupport and assist public and private organ-izations with a proven track record of help-ing minority immigrants and Africancommunities deal with humanitarian,health, and socio-economic disparity issuesin their communities.

The 2010 DONDO African AchievementsGala was certainly a special night for cele-brating African excellence and culture andmore importantly it was also a special nightfor celebrating you, the people of our com-munities, who made this evening a onenight only for a lifetime of memories.

A special thank-you to all who attended andan extended thank-you to our sponsors formaking the 2010 DONDO African Achieve-ments Gala possible.

Corporate Sponsors Western Union, MoneyGram, Prestige Tour,Travel and Promotion Inc., Trinity Traveland Marketing, Executive Image Movies,

All Nations Security Service and TrainingSchool, Dr. Anukware Ketosugbo, MDF.A.C.S., Wholsealeafricanlace.com, GoldCoast Trading, and JOMO’S Autos.

Contributing SponsorsStudio D-Maxi, Hemma Collection, Jul’sStudios, Design by U Jewelry, and MarqKearns Makeup stylist.

President’s Award Honorable KennedyAgyapong Member of Parliament forthe Assin North Constituencyin the Central Region ofGhana

Media AwardAfrican Abroad U.S.A

Community AwardOrganization for the Ad-vancement of Nigerians Inc.(OAN)

Humanitarian AwardOrganization for Interna-tional Development (OID)

Sports EducationAfrican Development Foundation (ADF)

ReligionThe Apostolic Church International, 1000 MorrisAve Assembly

CultureAsanteman Association ofNew York

The 2010 DONDO Honorees

SPECIALFEATURE

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The President's Award-Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, MP Assin NorthConstituency - Central Region of Ghana

Sports Education Award -African Development Foundation

(ABF)

Community Award - Organization for the Advancement of

Nigerians Inc.

Cultural Award - Asanteman Association of New York

Religion Award - The Apostolic Church International

Humanitarian Award - Organization for International

Development (OID)

Dondo Afr ican Ach ievement Gala Awards

DONDO Charities Int’l. Honoree - The Sickle Cell Disease Int’l. Org.

(SCDIO)DONDO Charities Domestic Honoree -

NCOGA Scholaship Program

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Prayers by Newlove Asamoah

Nana Amponsah Cultural Troops dazzles guests Klenam Anatsui, MC

Choir performace by The Apostolic Church International 1000 Morris Ave Chapter Choir

National Anthem by Olivia Obuabang

Tanya James Performes Spoken Words

DONDO Publisher Michael Adjei address audience

Trumpet extraordinaire Francis Akrofi serenades guests

Dondo Afr ican Ach ievement Gala Per formaces

Dondo Afr ica Ach ievements Ga la Guests

Guests featured include H.E. Ernest Lomotey, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, Dr. Ketosugbo, Dr. Achampong, & Dr. Mensah.

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Guests featured include Mr. Lionel Blair, Nana Agyeman, Mr. & Mrs Ayensu, Mr. John Tuah & Mr. Thomas Mensah

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Guests featured include Mr. & Mrs. Okyere, Mr. & Mrs. Somuah, Lawyer & Pastor Asamoah, Mr. Brobey & Ms. Atuahene.


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Guests featured include Rev. Akufo, Yvonne Ofosu-Mensah, Nana Adowa, Freda McLean, Sam Tuga & Maureen Aryee


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Guests featured include Alahaji Abass,Ms. Mary Edusei, Ms. Amy McNish, Ms. Aisha Samad, Mr. Amoateng, Mr. Buckman


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Nana Oti Mpie Aben II- Special Guest Of Honor

Guests featured include Nana Oti Mpie Aben II, Lawyer Amankwah, Mr. William Sylvester, Mzbel, Maame Boatemaa


Dondo Afr ica Ach ievements Ga la Red Carpet

BBEESSTTDDRREESSSSEEDD FFEEMMAALLEE

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Guests featured include Ms. Benita Bortey, Ms. Aisah Samad & Rita Kusi.

Afua Sam

BBEESSTTDDRREESSSSEEDD

MMAALLEEDONDO 7777 MAGAZINE


Ernest GwumahBuckman

Guests featured include Mrs. Tricia Adjei, Mr. & Mrs. Sackey, Sharlene, Sheila Mensah

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BBEESSTTDDRREESSSSEEDD CCOOUUPPLLEE


NNaannaa AAggyyeemmaann && MMss.. CCrryyssttaall BBaawwuuaahh

Guests featured include Ellen, Tony, Phil, Juls, Sylvia, Faustina

HemmaThe Hemma Collection is co-founded by two schol-ars/entrepreneurs/designers, Cindy Bissoon andEdna Gaston. The fashion house creates a lifestyle brand combin-ing African luxury with a fresh spin on classic designsand incorporating the same unique techniques usedto dress Ghanaian nobility for centuries in Ghana.

Hemma’s mission is to make each client feel likeroyal by providing ‘‘a fresh, elegant collection usingauthentic Kente, a fabric rich in African royal tradi-tion.’’ The mission goes beyond fashion and incor-porates a social cause: 5% of profits donated to LaYahousua Middle School in Ghana where Cindy andEdna volunteered to teach when they first visitedGhana and fell in love with the Kente fabric. Visit them at: www.thehemmacollection.com

Edna Gaston&Cindy BissonCo-Owners

Hemma CollectionFashion Designer

Established in 2007, Studio D-Maxsi has becomeone of the fastest growing fashion houses to comeout of the Washington DC metropolitan area.The fashion house’s Ghanaian born owner and headdesigner, Afua Sam, counts on her rich Ghana cultureas inspiration in creating unique, innovative, and edgywomen’s wear masterpieces for the chic, funky yetsophisticated modern trendsetting woman.Today, the Studio D-Maxsi brand is emerging on thenational platform as demonstrated by the enormousdemand for their designs on runways across thecountry. Indeed the company stands heads andshoulders above many of its peers in the fashion in-dustry; an accomplishment Afua Sam attributes tohumility, dedication, and hard work.

Studio D-MaxsiContact: 301.442.3977Website: www.studiodmaxsidesigns.comschool children are also impacted. A percentage ofall proceeds will be donated to a West African middleschool where the designers instructed classes.

AfuaSam Owner

Studio D-MaxsiFashion Designer

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Dondo Afr ica Ach ievements Ga la Fash ion Show Des igner s

Dondo Afr ica Ach ievements Ga la Fash ion Show-Stud io D'Maxi "

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Dondo Afr ica Ach ievements Ga la Fash ion Show-Hemma

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The ethnic and eclectic inspiration behind Design By UJewelry honors and embraces the African culture and art. The boldness and effervescence of each piece capturesthe women who were here before, the women of todayand the future. Each piece of art is gently fashioned in bold and fearlessshapes, and then combined with captivating earth tonecolors and rich hues. Fatima Samad, jewelry designer of Design By U, wel-comes versatility and values diversity and variation. Thisis what makes her vision distinctive and rare. She humblydescribes her jewelry collections as having an “edgy,eclectic look with an ethnic twist.”Design By U

Fatima SamadOwner

Design By UJewelist

The ethnic and eclectic inspiration behind Design ByU Jewelry honors and embraces the African cultureand art. The boldness and effervescence of each piece cap-tures the women who were here before, the womenof today and the future. Each piece of art is gently fashioned in bold and fear-less shapes, and then combined with captivatingearth tone colors and rich hues. Fatima Samad, jewelry designer of Design By U, wel-comes versatility and values diversity and variation.This is what makes her vision distinctive and rare.She humbly describes her jewelry collections as hav-ing an “edgy, eclectic look with an ethnic twist.”Design By U

MarqKearnsOwner

Marq KearnsMakeup Stylist

Dondo Afr ica Ach ievements Ga la Fash ion Show Jewelr y & Make-up

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Dondo Afr ica Ach ievements Ga la Ha i r Sty l i s t

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The National Council of Ghanaian Association (NCOGA)celebrated their annual “Mother of all Picnics” celebrationon August 6, 2011 in Jamaica NY. This year, the council

introduced a colorful cultural durbar at the annual celebra-tions. Musical headline was Hiplife star Nana Boro.DONDO Lens captured these scenes.

NCOGA GhanaFest Photos by John Oko Nyaku

United Volta Association

Kwahuman Association Queenmother arriving withentourage

Ga Adangbe Association

Deputy Amb. William Kanyirige, Ambassador Ken Kanda,NGOGA Sec. Gen. Ivy Quarshie, Consul Gen. Lomotey,

P.R. Tiigah

Akyem Assoc., Okuapeman., New Juaben Assoc

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SASSi Ladies Fashion Show and Dance

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By Eunice Poku

On Saturday, June 25, 2011 at Ghanatta House,Bronx, NY, SASSI Ladies held their first AnnualFashion Show and Dance. This successful eventbrought out a large fashionable gathering. Thesestrong sophisticated females provided a night ofinnovative fashion, gorgeous models and live en-tertainment. The designers showcased African in-spired clothing and designs. They included: GwenTaylor Couture, Zila Afrik, Sade Glamour, ClevaFashions, Nefer SisSTARS, Aya Morrison, Designby U and Maurizio, and makeup line GlamourousChicks Cosmetics.

Live entertainment was provided by: Nana NYC,Qweci (formerly Ded Buddy), and tribal drummingby Brothers with an Attitude. In the mist of the ac-tivities for the evening, SASSi Ladies presentedKwakwaduam Association Incorporated with aCertificate of Excellence and an award of

$1,000.00 in recognition of their commitment tothe community and their humanitarian work.

SASSi Ladies which stands for Strong African So-phisticated Sisters Incorporated Ladies comprisesof African and African descent women from theNew York City area. The club was established inOctober 2009 to encourage its members in theirpersonal and career goals as well as provide a sis-terly support system. In addition, the club seeks toempower their communities and dedicated theirtime and efforts towards children and women ini-tiatives. Their mantra: “Seeing Is Believing” ac-knowledges the fact that you will have to bearwitness to their many achievements. Their chari-table work includes: Breast Cancer Walk in 2010;Christmas toys for a foster home in the Bronx; andRescue Prom – an organization that donates promdresses to young girls. The SASSi Ladies will con-tinue their charitable work and participate in theSusan G. Komen Walk on September 18, 2011.

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A F R I C A N F A S H I O N W E E K N E W Y O R K 2 0 1 1


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26-year old final year student of the University of Minnesota, MissYayra Erica Nego, will be representing Ghana at the 2011 Miss Uni-verse pageant slated Sao Paulo, Brazil in September. The beautifuland eloquent professional model and pageant consultant impressedthe judges with her elegance and smartness to beat five other con-testants to wear the coveted crown at a close pageant ceremony inAccra.

Yayra beat off the competition in four categories of assessment: in-dividual presentation; physical fitness or swimsuit appearance; in-terview and question on national and world affairs; and composureand grace. The other finalist were Jennifer Amegbor, the first run-ner-up and Angelica Alomele, second runner up, Deborah EsiAbban Tuffoh, Asana Idrissu and Yvonne Cruisy Dakku.

The judges for the finals were Ameyaw Debrah, Rodney Quarcoo,Valentina Sweetie Forte, Claudia Kwarteng-Lumor, Dehner Henryand Brazilian Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Luis Fernando de An-drade Serra. Yayra will proudly represent Ghana at the upcomingMiss Universe pageant in Sao Paulo, Brazil in September. Yayra,who has a Ghanaian father from Mafi - Adidome in the Volta Regionand an American mother of German and Persian ancestry, expressedconfidence that her exceptional qualities would win the covetedglobal Miss Universe crown for Ghana.

Since winning the Miss Universe Ghana title, Yayra has come underthe spotlight in Ghana and across the world for a variety of reasonsincluding pageant analysts putting her in the top 10 bracket, ques-tions about her nationality, and doubts about the selection processfor the contest.

The Miss Universe Pageant, dedicated to advancing the profes-sional, personal and humanitarian goals of young women, is a part-nership of Donald J. Trump, a US real estate developer andbillionaire, and major television network, NBC Universal Incorpo-rated

The crowning ofMiss UniverseGhana 2011

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FEATURE

One of Ghana’s leading Hip-Life artists of alltime, Obrafour, is back in a big way, headlin-ing the 1st Annual DONDO Magazine

African Achievements Gala in New York City.At 32 years old, Kwabena

Okyere Darko, akaObrafour (Twi for exe-cutioner) is already amainstay artist inGhanaian music withmany of Ghana’s upand coming stars pay-ing homage to the manthey call rap royalty.

Obrafour is the sin-gle pioneer

artist in the Hip-Lifeindustry with the most

relevance today. His musicis infused with dynamic and

poi-ant lyrics sure to leave youpondering on the subject matter

he addresses. In fact, such is thepower of his lyrics that fans in Ghana

have labeled him ‘The Rap Sofo’ (RapPriest).He released his first album ‘Pae mu ka’ in 1999 whichwent on to become an acclaimed success. The albumboasted many hits including ‘Kwame Nkrumah’,‘Yaanom’, and ‘Agoro no aso’ among others andObrafour won many prestigious awards for ‘Pae muka’ including ‘Rapper of the Year’, ‘New Artist ofthe Year’, and ‘Best Hip-Life Song of the Year’ atthe 2000 Ghana Music Awards.

The ‘Pae mu ka’ album success was ground-breaking for its originality and quality, leavingpundits to label the album the ‘best Hip-Lifealbum ever produced in Ghana.’ The albumalso cemented its producer, Hammer, as thepremier hits maker in Ghana.

Obrafour released his sophomore album,‘Asem sebe’ in 2001. The album also

had many hits including the first ever rap gospel song(EnyE Nyame a) in Ghana. ‘Asem sebe’ was not as ac-claimed as ‘Pae mu ka’ however it sold many morecopies showing Obrafour’s expanding fan base.When Obrafour released the hit single ‘Maame’ in 2002to remember his mother and as a dedication to all moth-ers, it became an instant Ghanaian musical classic that isto this day, played on every mother’s day in Ghana. Obrafour released 2 albums in 2003. ‘Time Out for Ad-hesion (TOFA)’ was released early 2003 and continued toshow his creative side by singing on this album. ‘Dee deeko’, ‘Nyamekye’ and ‘Sete’ were highlife hits on thealbum and it went on to become very successful with itssales. ‘NteteE Pa’ was released late 2003 and carried anumber of remixes from the ‘TOFA’. The lead single‘Nya NteteE Pa’ was released in time for Obrafour’s ef-forts with Ghana’s then vice president to fight indisci-pline in Ghana. The song has been described as the mostlyrically intense Hip-Life song ever. It won ‘Best Origi-nal Song’ at the Ghana Music Awards UK IN 2004. Otherhits from this album includes ‘Oye Ohene’ remix, ‘WhoHah Bless’ and ‘Sete’ remix.

Obrafour is shaping the Ghana music culture. Heis also impacting the social conscience of thenation with his outreach, Platinum Projectwhich is an initiative to promote disciplinehabits in schools, combat drugs, and raiseone hundred million cedis for the charityH.E.L.P (Hip-Life Education and Liter-acy Project), which he also owns.

In late 2009, after a brief ahetus toaddress some personal matters,Obrafour returned on the Hip-Lifescene and silenced his critics with themega smash hit, “Kaseibo”. The singlewas a feverish hit in Ghana and hasleft many eagerly waiting for his latestalbum to hit the stores late 2010. Aswith tradition with Obrafour, ‘Kaseibo’won an award at the 2010 Ghana MusicAwards for ‘Best Collaboration Song ofthe Year’

Obrafour

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Dondo Afr ica Ach ievements Ga la Mus ic Act

MEET

F R O M

The age old rivalry between Ghana and Nigeria took a mu-sical turn during Ghana’s 51st Republic Day celebrations inAccra when some of the top musicians from Ghana facedoff with their Nigerian counterparts in a musical showdowndubbed, ‘Ghana Meets Naija’.

Music fans from both nationalities and indeed from all overAfrica trooped the Dome of the Accra International Confer-ence Centre to enjoy musical performance by the top sellingWest African acts. Performing on the Ghana side were: Efya,Stay J, Keche, Ruff N Smooth, VIP, 4x4, Castro and AsamoahGyan, Kwaw Kesse, Dr Cryme, Sarkodie, R2bees and Guruwith guest appearances from El, Stonebwoy, and DadieOpanka. Although outnumbered by the Ghanaian musicians,Nigeria’s representatives, 2face Idibia, Naeto C, 9ice and JMartins weren’t about to go down without a fight.

For a concert that was billed like a football match, the besthighlights included surprise appearances from Ghana BlackStars footballers, Sulley Muntari, Dede Ayew, Prince Tagoe,Laryea Kingson, Stephen Appiah, John Paintsil and To-golese international football star, Emmanuel Adebayor. Thefootballers got the crowd wild when they were called onstage to dance. Adebayor and Kingson were however themost willing to dance from the group.

According to Kwabena ‘Bola Ray’ Anokye Adisi, CEO of Em-pire Entertainment, organizers of the event, another ‘GhanaMeets Naija’ concert will be staged at the O2 Arena in UK inAugust for the Nigerian and Ghanaian community there. Thiswill be followed by the crowning ‘Ghana Meets Naija’ concerton October 1 in Nigeria to mark the country’s 51st Inde-pendence Day anniversary.

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Faces and Fashionat Mirror BoyGhana Premiere

The increasing cinema culture in Ghana received a huge boost in Junewhen the stars of the award winning movie, ‘The Mirror Boy’stormed the Silverbird Cinema in Accra for the Ghana premiere. The

glitzy red carpet event saw in attendance three of the main cast for the movieincluding the original Nollywood screen goddess, Genevieve Nnaji; Gam-bian showbiz royalty, Fatima Jabbe; the diminutive comedy star Osita Iheme,who is only small in size but a household face in homes across Africa andthe Diaspora.

Also present were African movie buffs that came to see the movie and alsoto grab photo opportunities with the best of African cinema stars present.The list of Ghanaian movie stars present included actress Beverly Afaglo,veteran actor Kojo Domenyor, the 2011 African Movie Academy Awardsbest Actress, Ama K Abebrese, who was also the host for the premiere anda host of others.

The Ghana premiere was the second African premiere for ‘The Mirror Boy’,following the well attended Gambian premiere, and is part of a journey ofworld premieres that started at London’s world famous Empire LeicesterSquare in February.

Tijan, a London born teenage African boy (Edward Kagutuzi) is taken by hismother Teema (Genevieve Nnaji) to visit Gambia for the first time. At acrowded street market called Serekunda, he suddenly becomes separatedfrom his mother and soon finds himself lost in the African wilderness. Be-wildered and confused, he must find his way back. But to that, he must con-front his deepest fears and embark on a journey of self-discovery, led by theenigmatic Mirror Boy (Osita Iheme); where the lines between reality andfantasy, physical and spiritual become forever blurred. His arrival at a smallvillage called Makasutu upsets an evil Queen (Fatima Jabbe) who wieldsher magical powers against his innocent presence. A mystical and catharticclimax helps Tijan to unravel the mystery of The Mirror Boy and why his lifewas inter-twined with a man he has never met.

‘The Mirror Boy’ has won Best Young Actor (Edward Kagutuzi) at the 2011African Movie Academy Awards, and Best Breakthrough Performance(Genevieve Nnaji) at the Monaco Film Festival 2011.

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By Ameyaw DebrahPhotos by Ameyaw Debrah

FEATURE

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The first GhanaFest in Ohio was hosted by the GhanaianMen’s Club of Cincinnati on September 11, 2010. Theevent was festive and cultural. In attendance were Royalty

from the Midwest, Political dignitaries, and Africans from theMidwest of United States. The event was chaired by Nana Sintim Nyame I, King of Ghana-ians in Cincinnati (The first of such a Royal position). SpecialGuest was Mr. Cecil Thomas from the Mayor’s office. In his address, the Chairman of The Ghanaian Men’s Club ofCincinnati, Mr. Ernest Adjei, pointed out the significance of theGhanaFest in Ohio. The Men’s club whose primary mission isto educate the young generation of Ghanaians in the Ohio Stateabout the Ghanaian culture, have organized events in the Cincin-nati area to benefit Ghanaian community in the past. Chairman

Adjei also pointed out the charity works that the Men’s club hadaccomplished in the past. Such charity works include, donationto the Katrina fund, donation of education supplies to schools inGhana, free annual mother’s day celebration for all mothers inCincinnati etc.Mr. Cecil Thomas, a political power, from Cincinnati thankedthe Men’s club for such an occasion. Mr. Thomas presented a de-cree from the Cincinnati Mayor’s office to the Ghanaian Men’sClub of Cincinnati making September 11, GhanaFest day inCincinnati.The event showcased the rich cultural heritage of Ghana. Theroyalty displayed their fine traditional attire and vendors sold dif-ferent Ghanaian cuisine, African artifacts and African clothingto the public.

iinn CCiinncciinnnnaattii,, OOhhiiooSSttoorryy bbyy EErrnneesstt AAddjjeeiiPPhhoottooss bbyy AA –– KKllaassss MMuullttiimmeeddiiaa..

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Former Ghana President JohnAgyekum Kufuor will share theUSD$250,000 World Food Prize with

another former world leader, Brazilian Pres-ident Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at an offi-cial ceremony during the World FoodSymposium in Des Moise, Iowa in October2011.During an announcement ceremony werethe two leaders were announced as jointwinners of the 2011 World Food Prize inWashington in June, 2011, AmbassadorKenneth Quinn, president of the WorldFood Prize, said in a statement that bothPresident Kufuor and Silva “have set a pow-erful example for other political leaders inthe world” with their accomplishments.Mr. Kufuor, a two term former President ofGhana, won for cutting hunger levels inGhana by half during his eight-year rule ofthe former world leading cocoa producingcountry. Mr. Silva, himself a two-term pres-ident, won for initiating the Silva ZeroHunger Program which provided greater ac-cess to food, strengthened family farms andincreased school enrollment in Brazil thathas resulted in a reduction of malnutritionin Brazil by nearly 62 percent.

Under Kufuor’s leadership, Ghana becamethe first sub-Saharan African nation to reachthe United Nation’s Millennium projectgoal of reducing by more than half, thenumber of people in their country goinghungry by 2015. According to the World Food Prize Foun-dation, Ghana’s hunger levels dropped from34 percent to 9 percent during 2001-2009

when Mr. Kufuor was president. The foun-dation adds that the number of people liv-ing in poverty was also reduced from 51.7percent in 1991 to 26.5 percent in 2006. The ex-President told BBC NetworkAfrican Program before the announcementthat he credits dramatic improvement inGhana’s cocoa industry as the catalyst forhim winning the prize.

According to the program, cocoa produc-tion doubled to more than 700,000 tonesduring the former Presidents first threeyears in office and Mr. Kufuor added thathis government achieved this by moderniz-ing and commercializing cocoa farming. Other food produce benefitted from the eco-nomic reforms the Kufuor administrationinitiated to improve public investment inagriculture and food production. Crops suchas maize, cassava, yams, and plantain aswell as livestock production increased sig-nificantly during the Kufuor administration. Finally, the food feeding program initiatedby the Kufuor administration to guaranteeone meal a day for students ages 4 to 14 was

a major contributor to reducingchronic hunger and malnutrition aswell as to improve school enroll-ment. In fact, according to the WorldFood Prize Foundation, by the endof 2010, more than 1 million stu-dents in Ghana were participatingin the program. The former president acknowl-edged these accomplishments andpointed out that governments canreduce hunger if they make it a pri-

ority.

He noted that his government focused onboosting agriculture because around 60 per-cent of Ghanaians lived in rural areas andrelied heavily on farming for their survival. Mr Kufuor added that his government knew“if we improved agriculture, we will befighting unemployment and poverty.”The president appealed to African countriesto pay more attention to improving farmingmethods, citing that “Africa has 60% of theworld’s unfarmed arable land,” and thatAfrica “needs to use science and technologyto produce food competitively.”

The World Food Prize was created 25 yearsago by Nobel Peace Prize winner NormanBourlag to recognize the role of nationalleaders in fighting hunger. Borlaug was aNobel Peace Prize laureate in 1970 for hisefforts to increase food production in de-veloping countries with the use of hybridcrops. He died in 2009.

Former GhanaLeader Shares FoodPrize WinBy Kwabena Adade

FEATURE

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Renowned ‘Wax Hollandais’ manufacturer, Vlisco, has been designing and manufacturingauthentic ‘Wax Hollandais’ fabrics worn as fashion garments and accessories by elegant,flamboyant and royale elite African women since 1846. Today, Vlisco is the sole producersof Wax Hollandais in the world, offering customers an authentic Hollandis product that isunique to the touch, rich, durable, and in bold colors to be worn on both sides and resistcoloring.

The Vlisco Way

COVER

By Ernest Marbell

cont. pg. 103

Vlisco was founded by Pieter Fentener VanVlissingen and his family in the Netherlands.The company was known as Van Vlissingen& Co and was originally a company that pro-duced batik inspired, hand printed fabricsfor the European market. Six years later thefamily decided to start selling these fabrics toIndonesia. By the end of the 19th century,following his success in Asia but blocked bygovernment rules, Pieter Fentener vanVlissingen turns his attention to the Africanmarket, after the return of African soldiersfrom Indonesia.

A huge potential was discovered, in particu-lar in West Africa. The combination of theAfrican sun, the bright colors, the stories andthe amazing continent’s people and land-scapes made the design image turn into a dif-ferent way. From that moment, Vlisco’s

designers made the outspoken, bold andbrightly colored typical designs that are sorecognizably Vlisco. This experience resonated with the Africansand Vlisco quickly won the hearts and mindsof the African public.

Dondo Magazine discussed the ‘Vlisco Way’with Ester Huigen, Vlisco Brand Communi-cations Manager. We asked Huigen whyVlisco decided to invest resources in Africaduring an era of complexity between Africaand Europe. The extremely professionalHuigen responded by saying that Vlisingen& Co. “were intrigued by the bold and pow-erful African identity and since this influ-ence, the company’s business took a changeof its own.”

Indeed, from a practical as well as an opera-

tional point of view, it is fair to say thatVlisco has made a permanent home inAfrica. The company bought factories inGhana (GTP) and Ivory Coast (Uniwax andWoodin) in the 1990’s while maintainingtheir corporate office and a factory in theNetherlands (the only factory outside Africa)where the Vlisco brand is uniquely devel-oped and produced.

Although by far the largest part of the goodsare sold through third parties, there are a fewVlisco ‘owned’ boutiques which are based inkey West and Central African nations in-cluding Democratic Republic of Congo,Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin. There are over 20 owned Woodin retailstores spread over the same region.

There are a few Vlisco ‘owned’ boutiques which are based inkey West and Central African nations including DemocraticRepublic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Togo and Benin.


cont. pg. 105

Huigen makes it clear that the Vlisco cus-tomer is a luxury customer with impeccabletaste who can continue to count on Vliscoboutiques for the total Vlisco brand experi-ence. “What is unique about these Vliscoboutiques,” she proudly points out, “is thatthe main objective is to inspire the con-sumer. It is not a ready to wear fashion housebut consumers can enter a Vlisco boutiqueand buy fabrics or enter with their own tai-lor, buy fabric and decide to recreate an out-fit like the ones that are presented.” She continues, “Vlisco has always beenabout co-creation; the design and productionof the fabric starts at Vlisco, and there is noend product until the consumer has boughtthe fabric and made a beautiful outfit out ofit”.

Altogether, Vlisco Group has 4 brands;Wooden which caters the younger PanAfrican customer, GTP which is specific forthe Ghana market, Uniwax which is specificfor the Ivory Coast market, and Vlisco whichis the brand in the luxury segment aiming atsophisticated African women of style inAfrica and abroad. We can certainly say that the four brandshave become a religion to their followers.In furthering Vlisco’s brand, the company’sphilosophy is to design colorful and fash-ionable fabrics that are essential part of Westand Central Africa. Huigen added thatVlisco’s designs are developed by a design de-partment in the Netherlands. The companyis immensely committed to protect designs.

Huigen interjected that “design is a centralstrategy at Vlisco; we want to be known as adesign house. Fabric design is the main focus

but design at Vlisco is not only to fabric. De-sign is the driver in everything we do; fromcreating fabric designs to Vlisco Fashion,from creating an image campaign to market-ing activities.”

Designing means being innovative andHuigen brought this up when asked howVlisco maintains its traditions while stayingabreast with generational change. Huigenquipped that “Vlisco designs maintain itsheritage and innovate at the same time and

more importantly it keeps in mind the longand deep cultural links between the Nether-lands and Africa in everything it does.” Sheadded that “Vlisco is not a company that fol-lows trends but a company that creates theirown trends. Trends usually come and go buta company that stays true to its brand iden-tity and values can be very renewing while atthe same time becoming timeless.”

On the topic of relevance, Huigen’s empha-sizes remained on designs and brand experi-ences noting that Vlisco “stays relevant to thecurrent generation by leading the fashiontrend in Africa by way of introducing newcollections in every quarter so that con-sumers can be inspired and motivated to fol-low Vlisco’s lead.” Huigen also noted thatVlisco’s design team is inspired by Vlisco’sprinciples and values and that the companyis “timeless” and committed to “use lots oftriggers around” to remain inspired. Sheelaborated that the design team uses, “Every-thing around them, small or large, in Africaor global and translate that into new designconcepts to ensure that the final design prod-uct is “refreshing”.

There are four sets of brand values that haspropelled Vlisco success machinery; Imagi-nation, Quality, Elegance, and Class. Huigenexplains, “Imagination is the most distin-guishable of the four. Quality is not only inthe product but also in the total experienceof the brand. Elegance and Class are a basicessential at Vlisco.”

She continues, “Every collection, every de-sign and everything that Vlisco and its em-ployees do must be in keeping with thesebrand values, the embodiment of the Vliscobrand.”


cont. pg. 107

Vlisco Group is a healthy company and is re-cently on an even firmer ground after the2010 acquisition by Actis, an ambitious pri-vate equity firm based in London that spe-cializes in emerging markets. In 2010, Vliscoreported an impressive earnings report of180 million euros from all four brands.Huigen credited Actis for giving VliscoGroup a framework of corporate profession-alism and securities in the business aspect.The company is very optimistic about its fu-ture prospects in Africa. Vlisco Group hasoutlined an aggressive plan to strengthen theposition of the brands in existing marketslike Nigeria and DR Congo and to expandthe brands into untapped countries for ex-ample in the east part of Africa, Cameroon,Gabon and Mali among others. There willbe an expansion in its already successfulVlisco tailor academies in Africa to educatetailors on how to study and look at designsand technology education. The Vlisco brandwill also increase the number of launches,supported by more extensive marketing ac-tivity. Vlisco will also be more prominent on-line, particularly on social media websites,e-business, etc.

According to Huigen “Vlisco is tailor-madefor Africa and is very content with servingthe African consumer.” She assured thatVlisco will continue to “innovate, set stan-dards, and meet the public’s very demandsand credited Africans as very smart and de-manding of quality; traits that Vlisco hasbuilt on since its inception. Finally, Huigenrevealed that Vlisco will offer more innova-tion in designs and that the company’s newproducts, for example the Luxury editions(embroidered fabrics, laces etc.) which arenow available only in the Vlisco Boutiques,will be made available to the African con-sumer on a slightly broader scale soon.“With all these plans, we try not only to stayconnected with our current consumers butalso to strongly appeal to younger genera-tions of African women”.


Award winning film maker,


Leila Djansi talks about successes, challenges and the way forward for Ghanaian cinema


International Ghanaian film maker, LeilaDjansi’ return to Ghanaian cinema hasbeen nothing short of amazing as back

to back, she has received notable nomina-tions and wins at several internationalawards including the prestigious AfricanMovie Academy Awards (AMAA) with hercritically acclaimed films. Her 2009 pro-duction, ‘I Sing of a Well’ topped theAMAA nominations list in 2010 with 11nominations, winning 3 awards. She alsorecently received the BAFTA Los Angeles2011 Pan African Film Festival ChoicePrize with the same movie.In 2010 Leila returned with another criti-cally acclaimed movie, ‘Sinking Sands’ thistime rolling in Haitian Hollywood star,Jimmy Jean-Loius and introducing Ama K,Abebrese in the leads. The psychologicaldrama about a loving marriage that turnsinto abuse due to a domestic accident won 5awards including Best Picture at the inau-gural Ghana Movie Awards. ‘Sinking Sand’has also received 9 nominations in the 2011Africa Movie Academy Awards and won 3awards including Best Make-Up, Best Ac-tress and Best Screenplay.

This year, Leila returned to lights, cameraand action with her upcoming drama, ‘TidesThat Bind’, about three women from differ-ent walks of life bound together by a simi-lar pain; the loss of a child. In a destinedmeeting in a small village in Kroboland, thewomen journey together to redemption,love, life and forgiveness as they renovate adilapidated clinic for the villagers. It stars‘Black Hollywood’ sweetheart KimberlyElise, Nollywood diva Omotola JoladeEkeinde, Ama K Abebrese, John Dumelo,

David Dontoh, Kofi Adjorlolo and others.

Her success however hasn’t come easy orsmooth; she has been tagged as the ‘ironlady’ on Ghanaian cinema for her feistiness,ambition and outspokenness. In this re-vealing interview, Leila Djansi addressessome misconceptions about her career andambitions and even talks about continuingthe ‘Legion of Slaves’ trilogy that startedbeautifully with ‘I Sing of a Well’ andgrinded to a halt following a media battleover rights with co-producer Akorfa E.Aseidu.“The words pride, joy, appreciation, ex-cited, the grace and favor of God runthrough my mind. I think the AMAA’s are agreat thing and I also strongly believe mybump to the limelight came through theAMAA. I had heard comments like ‘whatcredentials do you have’ and ‘Leila is a no-body’ from people who tried to undermineme. Then the AMAAs happened and sud-denly, the rhythms of the drums changed. Iwas like wow. God does do wonders,” Leilareflects on her success so far.One of Leila’s trademarks since she got intothe limelight has been her seeming affinityto combine Hollywood stars with Africanstars. Is it strategic or a mere passion to seethe two worlds unite? According to the filmmaker, it is to widen the market.“It’s not fair that we watch all their moviesand they don't watch ours. It takes stars toshine. If you want attention and profit foryour business, use the stars. That’s whatthey are there for. I do that also for artisticreasons. I do not like being limited. If I havea story and I strongly believe its Halle Berrywho can carry the role, I will go after herand cast here at all cost.”

Such big dreams come with huge invest-

ments which the film maker does not al-ways find readily available in her home-country, Ghana. The lack of infrastructuralsupport, emotional support and financialsupport has threatened to make Leila goon hibernation after ‘Ties That Bind’. Shesays that she may come back after a whilebut needs a break because she does notlike to be limited.

“I refuse to fall from grace or live within aconfined space. I don't think that’s my des-tiny. My journey has been a miracle, a mir-acle especially after the huge loss I sufferedafter ‘I Sing of a Well’. God does not con-fine His children. I am moving up towardsdirecting bigger stars, higher budgets, andbigger projects. I need to expand my terri-tory by the grace of God. I need to train my-self for such heights. I intend to make thesecond installment of ‘I sing of a Well’ verysoon.”

Leila also lists equipment and unskilledcrew as some of the challenges faced inmaking films in Ghana. She adds that ac-tors are usually running between 2 or 3 pro-ductions at the same time and there are nostructures. She continues: “The theatershave monopoly, the public does not under-stand art and they purchase anything thatcomes on the market and then have no moremoney to buy the good stuff. They borrowmovies from friends, they demand free tick-ets. Really, there is no marketing structurebecause the sad truth is there is no industry.We call it an industry, but the mechanicsthat drive an industry are nowhere to befound”.

It is not all gloom and doom as Leila thinksGhanaian and African cinema is graduallyimproving. She hopes to see practitionersforming a coalition which will represent outgood films to Hollywood and other indus-tries. “Let’s even forget Hollywood. Righthere on the African continent, we have ahuge market but it’s bordered and those bor-ders must be removed. Our film industry onthe continent must create its own marketand worth. ”

By Ameyaw DebrahPhots by Ameyaw Debrah

After his almost overnight success inthe Washington DC area andbeond, award-winning Ghanaian

international designer, Kwab Asamoah hasfinally taken his Kustom Looks Clothiertrademark to Ghana. Kustom Looks Ghana,located inside the A&C Mall in East Legon,has been opened to the general public toallow them enjoy top class handmade suitsand garment made not for just anybody buttheir body, as the clothier’s tagline implies.Kwab Asamoah is the tailor to some of themost prominent African American politicaland business leaders in the Washingtonarea. He has managed to create a stellar rep-utation in the fashion industry that has hiscompetitors taking notice. In less than sixyears, he was able to expand a meager cus-tom apparel business operating from hishome to a thriving and dynamic fashion cor-poration. Today, his all-natural hand tailoredcustom suits, manufactured in his exclusiveBangkok factory, start at $695 and canrange upward of $3,500.His loyal clientele numbers in the thousandsaround the world and include nationalpoliticians, broadcasters, ministers, athletes,head of states, and business professionals.In 2010 he was awarded the Entrepreneurof the Year Award for his outstanding con-tribution to the business and fashion indus-

try. According to Kwab, Kustom LooksGhana will operate in the same manner asin the US. Clients will be able to select from3000 fabrics that will be available to themfrom Italy, Switzerland, Hong Kong, andthe UK. The items will still be manufac-tured in the Bangkok factory and shippeddirectly to Ghana. All items will be individ-ually hand sewn and customized to eachperson.Dondo magazine caught up with the de-signer, who is easily recognized by his sig-nature “measuring tape” that reflects hispassion and commitment to his craft.

How did it start?My background is in engineering andphysics, so it wasn’t anything that I dreamtabout but the entrepreneur in me was inter-ested in having his own business. I havebeen trying to have my own company sinceI was 21, and it was in fashion where itworked out. I started the company in mybedroom and then we were able to moveinto a studio by a year later. In 2008, weopened our showroom in downtown SilverSprings, MD. In 2010 we opened our sec-ond store in Capitol Hill, right next to theUS Congress and we are coming home toGhana.

as he opensa shop inAccra

UP-CLOSE

Kwab Asamoahwith Designer


By Ameya DebrahPhotos by Ameyaw Debrah

What is your clientele base like?Our loyal clientele numbers in the thou-sands around the world and include nationalpoliticians, broadcasters, ministers, athletes,head of states, and business professionals.This includes 10% of executives that com-prise the Top 100 Black Businesses in theUnited States. We represent some promi-nent professionals in the Washington met-ropolitan area including the head of therepublicans, Michael Steele and some pro-fessional athletes. Most of our clients arebroadcasters, as a matter of fact in the DCarea; we represent more people on TV thananybody else. Each night, there is someoneon TV wearing one of our suits, from mento women. The number one news anchor inthe DC area, Leon Harris who has workedfor CNN wears our suits daily.

What differentiates your clothingfrom other brand that gets yousuch loyal clientele?Starting the company, our biggest trend wasto serve each client directly and individu-ally. So we don’t make anything that is ageneral size; everything is made 100% byhand and customized to each individual per-son. It usually takes 2-3 weeks to make agarment but we feel that it is the best gar-ment that the client has. And what we haveseen is that our clients tend to wear ourclothes to the most important occasions andmeetings.

As a tailor, what new trends haveyou observed in fashion?The main thing that I am seeing now is thatpeople are getting back to dress. Up to about2007, it was pretty urban so we saw peoplein a lot of jeans and a lot t-shirts but thosethings are starting to change now. Even inthe hip-hop arena we now see people wear-ing jeans and they wear it with a sportjacket. The days are starting to come inwhich the African-American community isstarting to realize that with people like Pres-ident Barack Obama in different positions,they have to be in a position to address theirlooks. So people are dressing and lookingbetter. I think Obama has set a differentprecedence for the African-American raceand I think we are taking a different con-science about our appearance, which isgreat for us because people are getting backto the button-up shirts, getting into jacketsand starting to realize the value of the suit.

Do you only design for Africansand African-Americans?

I would say about 90% of our clients areAfrican-Americans mainly because whenwe started the company, I lived at PrinceGeorgia County, which is the most affluentcounty for African-Americans. So when Istarted the company, majority of my clien-tele were those in my surroundings. Sincewe moved to Silver Spring, we have beenable to diversify our products and we nowhave different races that wear our garments.So we expect that trend to continue now thatwe have moved into DC and Capitol Hill,we are picking more Congressional folks.

Is there a way you can incorporateAfrican fabrics or motifs in yourdesigns?

Not really, what I am attempting to work onis to take the styles that we see in Africa andput it into more European-centred garments.What I mean is that a lot of ladies backhome in Africa wear beautiful pieces fromskirts to tops and those particular styles Ithink would translate well in America.However the American is more conserva-tive with business so he wouldn’t wear thelocal prints from Africa; it’s a little bit morecolourful and cheerful than he would wantin the workplace. So if we can take the samestyle and give it to them in a grey, black orblue, they would wear it. That’s going to beone of the trends I am going to look into.We will try to take the styles from Africaand put it with the more universal Europeanfabrics and see if we can get that out for afashion show.

Kwab believes that Ghana fashion is on theup and Ghana has become the New York ofAfrica. According to him, there is tons oftailoring and manufacturing labour inGhana and Kustom Looks Ghana hopes toset up its own factory someday. He adds thathe is trying to capture the same market inGhana as in the US; that is, the working pro-fessional who values quality and fashion.“There are numerous individuals who traveloutside of Ghana in order to purchase highquality garments. Our goal is to circumventthis process by opening a store directly inthe country. So hopefully these individualswill not have to travel outside of our coun-try in order to find quality clothes.”


PEMBA-An Island Get Away

For the adventurous travelers seeking intimacy with nature, ma-rine life and eco-friendly environmental surroundings, youshould consider visiting the tiny island in East Africa known

as Pemba.Barely 50 kilometers off the coast of Tanzania in East Africa and onthe Indian Ocean Pemba is an island that is part of the Zazibar ar-chipelago. The island is one of the three islands that form the famous Spice Is-lands in the Indian Ocean. The size of this tiny island is measured at only 980km and is inhab-ited by a population of a little over 300,000 people. Over the years,a large population of Arabs migrated from nearby Oman to mix inwith the original Waswahill natives who identifies themselves asShirazi people.Once on the island, tourists are sure to be enchanted by the hillyareas of the island. They offer breathtaking views of the IndianOcean once you are able to climb up. The island’s soil is very fer-tile and a good source for the population to cultivate on small scalefarming. Some areas on the island are used for large scale farmingof cash crops such as cloves-the predominant trees on the island. As an island, tourists expect ocean water and Pemba does not dis-appoint in this area. There are crystal clear blue Indian Ocean waterboarded by some of the cleanest, white sand beach surrounding theisland.

According to tourist, the island over the years has become well-known for its dive sites which have steep drop-offs with untouchedcoral and an abundance of marine life ideal for deep water divers. Infact, active tourists often seek the shores off Pemba because theshores are un-crowded and the reefs are unspoiled. Experiencedivers are attached to such conditions.Some preferred activities on the island includes snorkeling, (the gen-tle pleasure of floating above the sea’s coral gardens), diving, andexcursions such as mangrove canoe trips, local fishing, and ngeziforest trips. Pemba’s other famous attraction is the fishing grounds. The island’srich fishing grounds can be found on 20 miles wide Pemba channelsthat travels between the island and the mainland. This activity hasalso become one of the most profitable fishing grounds for gamefishing on the entire east African coast.Despite all the aforementioned famous things to do and see onPemba, the most famous thing on are the cloves on Pemba. The is-land inhabits the greatest concentration of cloves seen anywhere onearth. There are over 3.5 million trees that cover a vast mainlandarea of the island giving visitors additional forestry attraction tovisit. Pema’s tourism is booming and it is fast becoming the preferred des-tination choice for vacationers. You never know, it could be yournext African vacation destination.

By Abena Asante


TRAVEL


If you have ever lived in an apartmentwhere you have to share the commongood with your neighbor or you happen

to rent from an over-zealous landlord, youwill probably take steps to own your ownhome. But if the above is your primary mo-tivation for buying a home, I am afraid youare in over your head. This instant gratifi-cation and entitled attitude to home owner-ship in America has landed many workingclass families into a financial pitfall that hastaken a toll on everything they have workedso hard to build.

Truly, home ownership if done right is oneof the smartest investments out there. Thecaveat is to know when you are ready toown a home because it is a lifetime invest-ment decision that one ought to approachwith caution.

The rule of thumb is that until you are fi-nancially ready to buy your dream home, itpays to rent! Consider these:

1. The saying that ‘‘if you rent you arethrowing your money away’’ may not nec-essarily be true since studies have shownthat over time, there is no real financial gainbetween renting and owning because homevalues have stopped appreciating since2006. This is an essential fact granted thatmost people buy homes with the hope ofbuilding equity in their lives and creating anasset of value.

2. The opportunity cost of investing in ahome is so great that for one to gain finan-cially from it, it has to be done right. Imag-ine the list of investment portfolios youcould be doing with your money if you hadnot spent it on mortgage and living in acheap rental apartment until you are readyto buy your dream home. Do not be fooledby current sweetheart home sale deals sinceyou are going to be in for the long haul. Youcan easily end up spending three times the

purchase price of ahouse. Today’s buyer of a typical $300,000single-family home who takes out a 30-yearloan will end up paying the price of thehouse again just in interest. Add 30 years ofproperty taxes, homeowner’s insurance,regular maintenance and a couple of big-ticket repairs or improvements, and the totalcost of buying the home could easily top outat well over $1 million.

3. Rental comes with no financial commit-ment as well as the luxury of not mortgag-ing your future on unknown circumstances.We are all aware of the home foreclosurecrisis and the effects it is having on qualityof life and personal credit records of thoseaffected. The media has done its best to por-tray the irresponsible actions taken by mostof these people. However, it is equally trueto say that a sizable number of these peoplehave just become victims of a broad finan-cial downturn. So why not rent to avoid allthese mess!

As it has been argued consistently in thispiece, there are many good reasons to buya home as long as you are financiallysound to do so. Consider the following:

1. The first step is to limit the total mortgageamount. According to experts, ‘‘regardlessof how much a financial company is will-

ing to lend, the maximum amount con-sumers should borrow for a home is threetimes their gross annual income. For ex-ample, someone who grosses $50,000 ayear should borrow a maximum of$150,000 to purchase a home.’’

2. Limit the amount spent on total house-related expenses per month. To success-fully keep your home, you should notspend more than 30 percent of your grossincome on house payment including util-ities, repairs and maintenance. ‘‘For in-stance, a family that grosses $3,000 a

month should spend no more than $840 amonth on the mortgage payment and $1,050on total expenses, including repairs, utilitiesand maintenance.’’

3. Thoroughly understand the terms of yourmortgage before you agree to it. This maysound trivial but if you are familiar with theterm sub-prime loan, you will probably con-sider this seriously. Again, experts havemaintained that even ‘‘if you don't want tolook at all those pages, it's a good idea tohave a real estate lawyer look at it. It willcost you some money, but it may save youa lot in the future."

4. Finally, stay away from zero (0) downpayment deals! Going for zero down pay-ment makes you vulnerable to predatoryloans because you have no leverage in theprocess. Making a down payment actuallygives you a sense of investment.

Having considered the above factors, thereare a number of financial incentives that thefirst time home buyer can take advantage ofto save money. This includes the federalgovernment generous tax credit for quali-fied first time home buyer of up to $8000.There may also be other state level assis-tance to first time home buyers. You are en-couraged to research this information tohelp you save on closing your home deal.

REAL ESTATE

When to Buy and When to RentBy Jonathan Weiss

Body Fitness TipsGetting in shape is easier than you think and the correct mindset is the starting point. Are you tired of struggling toachieve your weight loss and fitness goals? Or maybe you do go to the gym but don’t seem to be making anyprogress. What you need is a plan and a bit of a change in lifestyle. Here is a simple list of things that you can dostarting today to make sure that you are in your best shape ever.


By Evans Amoako

HEALTH

Food: Many people who try to get in shape find it difficult toknow which foods to choose for the best weight loss results.Unfortunately, today's diets are made up of more fats, moresugars, more carbohydrates and fewer nutritionally richfoods. Moreover, in our busy lives, we tend to eat processed,junk, and fake foods filled with artificial ingredients that haveadverse effects on our bodies. My quote I go by when it cometo healthy food is: “Those who think they have no time forhealthy eating will sooner or later have to find time for illness”.Don't drink your calories: This is the most important rule tofollow. Try not to drink anything that has calories; like sodaand sports drinks, only drink water. Always eat natural foods:fresh fruit, vegetables, including potatoes, fresh fish, whole-grain muesli, nuts, seeds, whole meal, wholegrain bread, andbrown rice.

Walk: Walking is one of the best exercises that women andmen of all ages can do. Walking is easy to do. Walking is asimple and effective way to lose weight, keep in shape andmaintain good health. You don’t need any special equipmentapart from appropriate clothing and a pair of comfortableshoes. Walking 30 to 40 minutes, everyday will help you tomaintain healthy weight also reduce high blood pressure andstrengthens your heart.

Water: Our bodies are made of about 70% water. Drinkingwater helps you lose weight by burning more calories duringregular routine activities and exercises. Statistically, morethan 90% of us are dehydrated; we are not getting theamount of water our bodies need to operate at optimal ca-pacity. Water will also keep your body systems, including me-tabolism and digestion, working properly and give you theenergy (and hydration) necessary for exercise. Drinkingwater can help you lose weight by crowding out the con-sumption of other fluids like juice and soda that are packedwith sugar and calories, it flushes the system of toxins andwaste including fat, prevents you from over eating, aids in di-gestion and keeps your metabolism going. Get at least 7 to8 glasses of water a day.

Commitment: Everyone has a difficult time keeping upwith their exercise schedule from time to time. Some of us,give it up completely after just a week or two. When we makethat commitment to get in shape, or become more active, wehave to understand the proper way to build a routine, or elsewe could wind up on the couch again. First, have a specificgoals that you will be able to commit to. Everyone alreadyknows that, in order to be healthy, they need to exercise. Thefirst step you need to know is that keeping your commitmentto exercise is making the decision that you want to becomehealthy. You actually have to decide that you want to maintaina healthy lifestyle, and that your not just exercising to impresssomeone or for a short term goal. The most important is tomake exercise a lifestyle.

If you do all of these recommendations, you can be in yourbest shape and feel confident all the time. But don't stopwhen you've reached your goal make it lifestyle so you beshape all the time.

Healthy�food:��Brown Rice

Oatmeal Herbal or Green Tea

Baked Chicken Fish

Light SoupSeeds & Unsalted Nuts or Walnuts

Healthy�Drinks:��WaterFat free Skim milk or soy MilkHerbal or Green Tea

Basic�exercises�you�can�do�to�stay�in�shape.Push ups, Abdominal exercises, Running

Jogging or Walking Sports, (soccer, swimming, dance, and Bicycling.)


Images of fitness guru Evans Amoako doing some of his workouts

Honorable Helen D. Foster is one of 51 elected officialswho represent New Yorkers at the City Hall. She is theCouncilmember for District 16 of the Bronx compro-

mising Concourse, Highbridge, Morrisania, Longwood andMelrose. She was first elected in 2001 to succeed her fatherupon retiring from the seat after over 20 years of public serv-ice. She became the first African- American woman electedto a city office from Bronx County. Her hard work, relentlessdedication to serving the needs of her district coupled with herconstant and open dialogue with her constituent was recog-nized and duly rewarded by the electorate with landslide re-election victories in 2005 and 2009.

At City Hall, Councilmember Foster is actively involved incommittee activities. She in fact chairs the Committee on Stateand Federal Legislation and she was also the immediate pastchair of Committee on Parks and Recreation as well as serv-ing as a member of numerous Committees including Aging,Community Development and Finance.

You may call her a de facto African immigrants (or better stillGhanaian immigrants) Councilmember since a considerablenumber of the approximately 40 percent black residents of herdistrict are African immigrants. Dondo Magazine was grantedan exclusive interview with the Councilmember to keep upwith the happening of her district and more importantly to getsome insight into her growing cooperation with the Africancommunity in her district.

Representing a district characterized as the poorest in the cityis likely to bring to bear enormous pressure on the elected of-ficial to find ways to match individual needs to the necessarygovernment agencies and nonprofits. Councilmember Fosterminced no words by echoing that ‘the people in this commu-nity were already in economic depression before the recessioncaught up with the rest of the country.’’ The median householdincome of the district is $ 21, 468 compared to that of the en-tire city which is $55, 980 not to mention the fact that about94 percent of the district’s 167,588 residents rent their homes.

Responding to this mounting economic pressure on families inher district, the Councilmember has instituted a five timesmonthly district meeting to deal with specific areas such ashealthcare, housing, childcare, and employment. Her strategyis to ‘‘serve as one stop shopping- meaning when people comehere they are hooked up with the necessary agencies to make

Councilmember Helen D. Foster

Talks about Representing You


By Ernest MarbellPhotos by John Oko Nyaku


sure those needs are met.’’

Having acknowledged the need to break thecultural barriers among immigrants, Coun-cilmember Foster nonetheless maintainedthat generally speaking, ‘‘the needs of theAfrican constituent is no different than theneeds of Latino or Black American, ifsomeone comes to this office, it is becausethey are in need, be it housing, healthcare,back rent etc., so at that point, it doesn’tmatter where you are from, what matters isthat you need assistance.’’ She howeverpointed out that any community meetingshe attends, she make sure to break down

those barriers by trying to be approachableand makes sure to leave a business card andtell people where the office is and how theycan be of any assistance.

Throughout the conversation, she made itclear that her office doors are wide open forresidents to walk in and ask for assistance.When asked about how connected is her of-fice to the African grassroots organizationsin her district, the Councilmember wittilyput it that ‘‘I almost always reverse thisquestion and ask how connected are theAfrican grassroots organizations to the of-fice.’’ She went on to say that ‘‘it is easierfor them to know about me than it is for meto know about them.’’

Clearly, it appears the Ghanaian commu-nity has taken advantage of the Coun-cilmember’s open door policy and hasdeveloped a strong relationship with her of-fice. This cooperation is demonstrated byher initiative leading to the proclamation ofGhana’s Independence Day at the City Hallin March, 2010. Reflecting on the event shesaid that ‘‘I knew it would be a large crowd.What was so comforting for me was thegenuine happiness to be in the City Hall

and this is the City Hall for all of us and thefact that we were having Ghana’s inde-pendence and knowing that most of whatyou see at the City Hall was built by en-slaved Africans … so that gave me greatpride to go there and see the colors and thepride. My only regret was that we just did-n’t have enough seats for everyone.’’

Councilmember Foster’s affection forGhana could not have been a coincidencesince her dad has visited the country multi-ple times. She also plans to visit sometimessoon. She saw President Obama’s visit toGhana as a very significant event especially

to people of color.With her being im-mersed for the firsttime during the inter-view, she intimated that ‘to see the firstblack President who has a real connectionto the continent and choosing Ghana for hisfirst visit to Africa was very significant tome. The pride by which all of us (people ofcolor) and to see the First Lady, the FirstChildren who were clearly black and know-ing what it must have meant for them to ar-rive in Ghana and to be a part of thatcelebration was huge to me…just imaginebeing Shasha and Maria, you go from ar-riving to Ghana on Air Force One anddaughters of the President to seeing the cas-tle and knowing that is where so many peo-ple were ripped from their homeland andbeing kids as young as them was quite sig-nificant.’’

The Councilmember’s assessment of thepolitical and civic participation of theAfrican constituent is that ‘‘it is better thanmost but it could be more. They need toview all their elected officials as a resourceand understand that we as elected officialswork for them.’’ She also concurred that

local politicians are not as aware, alert andengaged with the growing African popula-tion in a sense that not knowing their num-bers, resources, professional ability, theytend to view this group as not a viablegroup. She hence encouraged the commu-nity to organize itself into a formidable andviable political unit because ‘‘with yourgrowing numbers, it is important that peo-ple in government reflect you.’’ The Coun-cilmember’s dad in fact announced at theCity Hall event that he is looking forwardto a Ghanaian representative at the CityHall. In supporting her dad’s vision, theCouncilmember indicated that ‘‘with your

history of education, so many of you beingprofessionals, the next step from becominga citizen is becoming engaged civilly andpart of that means being in the electoralprocess and being able to vote and elect aGhanaian representative.’’With only two in five eligible African im-migrants actually taking steps to naturalize,the Councilmember advised that ‘anyonewho can become a citizen should and itdoes not mean that you forsake your nativehomeland, it is a potential to become a dualcitizen. While you are here in the U.S youmight as well be entitled its benefits andone of those is the right to vote.’’

In closing, Councilmember Foster’s mes-sage to the African community was to ‘‘stayinvolved; stay engaged; get the next levelof education you need and make sure thatyour elected officials know who you are;go knock on doors of elected officials; go tocommunity meetings; go to prescient andcouncil meetings; and finally become in-volved.’’


Councilmember Foster with her staff workers at District 16 of the Bronx


The Christmas day botched attempt touse a Northwest Airliner Flight 253en route from Amsterdam to Detroit

as a lethal weapon came as a big shock toall Americans for someone to do such athing on such a sacred day. It was even moreshocking when details emerged that the po-tential suicide bomber was in fact a nativeof Nigeria. Worse still, it was beyond shock-ing when the world learnt of the youngerage of the alleged culprit and his rich fam-ily connection.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23 yearold Nigerian alleged bomb carrier appar-ently spent most of his time outside theshores of the West African country. It is notclear whether he was influenced by radicalIslamic ideology whist domiciling in a $ 4million Central London apartment andstudying engineering at the University Col-lege in London. What is clear though is thathe broke ties with his family and fled to

Yemen where he was alleged to have beenrecruited by Al qaeda in the Arab Peninsulawhich claimed responsibility for the foiledattempt.

America and the other Western nations havespent the past weeks brooding over how onearth was Abdulmutallab allowed to board aplane to the U.S. considering the fact thathis own father, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, aformer minister and chairman of First Bankin Nigeria reportedly approached the U.S.intelligence and hinted them about his son’srecent radical Islamic attitude. It is equallyimportant for countries in West Africa par-ticularly Nigeria and Ghana (the two coun-tries involved in Abdulmutallab’s journeyof death itinerary) to reflect over the poten-tial of the sub-region being adopted as thenew safe haven for global terrorism beforeit becomes too late.

There are no hard facts that suggest that

global terrorism as we know it now hasdeep-seated roots in West Africa but the po-tential is very ripe. Jackie Cilliers of the In-stitute for Security Studies has cautionedthat the thin line between what he calls sub-state terrorism and trans-national terrorismis bound to complicate things when it comes

War on Terrorism:

A New Frontierin West Africa?

Jackie Cilliers of the Institute for Security Studies has cautioned that the thinline between what he calls sub-state terrorism and trans-national terrorism isbound to complicate things when it comes to fighting terrorism in Africa.


By Ernest Marbell

Accused terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

to fighting terrorism in Africa. The author’sargument was that there exists a strong ten-dency for Al Qaeda recruiters to merge theiragenda into existing tribal war, guerrillawarfare, and insurgency movements inAfrica. Remember the famous saying that‘‘one man’s terrorist is another man’s free-dom fighter.’’ This has already taken shapein North Africa where Qaeda has morphedinto what is called Al Qaeda in the IslamicMaghreb (AQIM), a radical group born ofthe Algerian civil war. It is up to our gov-ernments and noble citizens to guard againstsuch sentiments no matter how tempting therewards are. It is clearly not our nature toshed innocent blood to prove a point.

Another potential for Qaeda recruitment inWest Africa is purely economic. Consider-ing our domestic economic conditions, peo-ple will do anything for money and since AlQaeda is a deep pocket, some folks may beattracted to work for them without neces-sarily being radicalized or believing in their

cause. It may definitely be painstaking andtime consuming task to find West Africanswilling to don the infamous suicide strapand vest but evidently, it may be much eas-ier to recruit people to run errands such asarranging for air tickets, wiring money andproviding a decoy for would-be suicidebombers.

Our rather low-tech intelligent communityand unstable political institutions mayequally provide a potential for Qaeda andits proxies to turn to our shores. Clearly, in-telligence and counter-intelligence gather-ing in our part of the world is very porousand rudimentary in part because we do nothave access to state-of-art technology tocollect and process information. Our inabil-ity to keep paper trails and more impor-tantly connect the dots may proveself-fulfilling to the terrorists.

The danger of radical Islamic terrorists sub-verting our toothing democracies for their

own agenda is real. This has already hap-pened in Kenya and Tanzania where U.S.embassies were targeted in 1998. It is alsonot clear whether the on-going war on pi-rates in Somalia bears some terrorist sem-blance.

In the nutshell, the international communityparticularly the U.S has to work with WestAfrica to bolster its intelligence gatheringand also increase aid to enable these gov-ernments to be able to confront the breadand butter front of the war. We know thatsome initiatives such as the U.S AfricaCommand (Africom) have already takenroots to revamp the clandestine intelligencegathering as well as winning the hearts andminds of the populace before Qaeda lurethem to its side, yet events leading to Ab-dulmuttalab’s case serve as a teaching mo-ment to us all that there are still more to bedone.


SINCE 2005, Lexus has designed and designedand redesigned the LFA series from bottom up. Fi-nally, the much anticipated supercar debuted atthe Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo in December 2009and is slated to be available to the general publicby December 2010.Toyota announced at the Tokyo show that the Toy-ota factory in Japan will be producing only 500units at a production rate of 20 cars per month.With the summer soon upon us, the privilegedearly owners can race this car down highways andsteal some attention from dreaming onlookers. From a design standpoint, the LFA’s exterior mayhave a muscular design the commands on theroads but the car is carefully designed to be intuned with aerodynamics and airflow managementin a way that enables it to glide effortlessly on theroads. On the other hand, once inside, the interior tells adifferent story with its design that combines state-of-the-art instrument-panel design and technologywith a variety of custom-tailored interior trim pack-ages to satisfy the most demanding driver.The car is built to last and is designed with race-car engineering from the onset. The Chassis is aone-piece, carbon-fiber tub that is removable inthe front and rear aluminum Sub-frames. TheseSub-frames support the driveline, bumpers, andfenders and are important to maintain since theycan be replaced to repair accident damages.

The car’s engine power thrusts via a rigid torquetube to a 6-speed sequential Lexus calls ASG.This system uses an electro hydraulic system thatshifts in 200ms. As with all Lexus models, safety remains a top pri-ority for the automaker and the LFA follows thistradition. The car has a truck-sized high perform-ance Carbon Ceramic brake discs and an elec-tronically controlled braking system that generatesan ultra-powerful yet stable braking system fordrivers. To prevent excessive over-steering, theLFA has a computer called VDIM that coordinatesseveral systems. One primary system is VSCwhich detects speed, slip, and yaw to direct thecar towards the driver’s steering angle. The driver is definitely the center of focus in theLFA and the car is designed as a Driver Centeredcar to support this theory. To achieve this theory,the LFA is designed by way of positioning the dri-ver’s seat near the car’s center of gravity to givethe driver a more balanced control of the car at alltimes when driving. The 2 seat Supercar LFA is the pinnacle of Lexus’s“F” premium sports car series. It’s no wonder thatthe Automobile industry compares this car to otherpremium sports cars such as the LamborghiniGallardo, the Ferrari F458, and the Aston MartinD89. And at an MSRP price tag of $375,000, theLFA is definitely living up to it’s reputation as a newbreed of Lexus.

The


By Jonathan Weiss

LFA Series A New Breed of Lexus


Is Michael EssienGiving It All to His

Motherland?

Michael Essien is undoubtedly one ofthe best footballers Ghana has everproduced. From his humble be-

ginning in Ghana playing for local club, Lib-erty Professionals FC to his subsequent callto the Ghana U-17 squad for the 1999 FIFAWorld Championship held in New Zealand,Essien has advanced to become the highestpaid Ghanaian soccer star and the 8th rich-est African soccer player grossing an annualpay of US $5,500,000. His accolades in-clude playing a vital role in helping his cur-rent club side, Chelsea, to win the EnglishPremier League in 2006 and 2010 alongsidewinning the covetous French Player of theYear, 2005 and BBC African Footballer ofthe Year, 2006.

No one second guesses Michael Essien’sprofessional achievements, however, when itcomes to his contribution to the nationalteam, the Black Stars, this is where his crit-ics seem to pick on him. Since his call to theBlack Stars in 2002, Essien’s high points in-cludes catapulting the national team to thesemi-finals of the African Cup of Nations aswell as helping Ghana to qualify for the 2006FIFA World Cup for the first time and sub-sequently becoming the only African team inthat tournament to go beyond the secondround.

Unfortunately for Essien, his career has beenhampered by major injuries he has picked upwhile playing for both national and clubteams. The first setback occurred during aninternational match played against Libya on5 September 2008 where he ruptured his an-terior cruciate ligament playing for Ghana inthe World Cup qualification stage and wasout of action for six months, thus missing themajority of the 2008–09 season. He also

missed both the 2010 African Cup of Nationsand the Black Stars second appearance in theFIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Essien made a shocking decision to take abreak from the Black Stars to concentrate onhis club commitment soon after he recoveredfrom his injury. His absence from the na-tional team for over a year attracted severalcondemnations in Ghana. Some branded himas selfish and unpatriotic whilst others werequick to proclaim that the Black Stars doesnot need his service anymore. He also had todeny rumors going around that he has retiredfrom the Black Stars by saying that “I amfully ready to return to the Black Stars forour next Africa Cup of Nations qualifieragainst Congo in June…After the two seri-ous injuries I suffered while playing for mycountry, I asked permission from the GhanaFA to excuse me from Black Stars duties toallow me to fully recover”.

Essien’s decision to return to the Black Starsearly this year was without drama. Opinion-ated Ghanaian spectators offered their ver-sions of the meaning of Essien’s return.Some argued that he was away for far toolong focusing on consolidating his club turf.A former Black Stars player even went onrecord to ask him to apologize to Ghanaiansfor his long absence! Essien himself wasamply aware of how fans felt about his ab-sence. He explained that “I know my breakdid not [go] down well with certain fans, butthey have to understand my point of view.The injuries I suffered could have ended mycareer. It’s funny when I heard people werearguing I was not coming to play again, I juststay(ed) at home and laugh(ed) at it.”

Most Ghanaian fans strongly believe

Micheal Essien has not given it all to hismotherland. They feel he has failed to deliveron his returned sacrifice to the national teamby making his club commitment his priority.They also feel that Ghana made him who heis and that he lost track of that fact down theroad.

It is all déjà vu again. When it all seemedright for Essien to use this second chance tocorrect the perception and misconceptionsabout his commitment to the national team,he finds himself with another injury. On June11, 2011, Chelsea revealed that Essien hadruptured his ACL and meniscus and that hewould miss approximately six months of ac-tion. This has been devastating to Ghanaiansoccer fans and the global soccer communityat large. Goodwill wishes and message ofsupport have been pouring in for the Ghanainternational star including wishes from hisclub teammates Didier Drogba, Mikel Obiand other sources such as Essien former girl-friend and African Movie Super Star NadiaBuari. Dondo Magazine also wishes Essien aspeedy recovery and a successful return tothe field to do what he does best, holding themidfield.

In the final analysis, we maintain thatMichael Essien is under no obligation to payback Ghana. He answered the call from hismotherland just as any Ghanian would haveand delivered to the best of his ability. Atleast, he has hoisted high the flag of Ghana,now how many of us can say we have donethat? Let us all support him and hope he re-covers fully and continue to make Ghanafootball proud.

By Ernest Marbell


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