Ab TV GH

Category: Celebrities

  • Honouring national heroes, heroines properly crucial

    Abtvgh / National Heroes Honour Need’s Review

    Since pre-colonial days, Ghana has been blessed with so many personalities whose ideas, vision and contribution to national development can never be wished away.

    Instead of the nation giving them the pride of place as statesmen and women who must be celebrated, Ghanaians have often looked at them through a pure political lens, and often tried to make them irrelevant until a political party believed to be aligned with their cause comes to power to give them recognition.

    A typical example which often comes to mind is the declaration of public holidays, with the recent August 4 Founders’ Day coming in handy in support of this position.

    Indeed, with such partisanship on display, it is difficult for well-meaning Ghanaians to dare to contribute their quota to addressing the country’s challenges because they do not want to be tagged.

    This situation certainly does not augur well for our country.

    At a recent lecture in Kumasi to mark the 45th anniversary of the passing of Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, the former Prime Minister in the Second Republic, the Majority Leader in Parliament and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, hit the nail on the head when he stated that extreme partisanship and political polarisation hampered the celebration of the country’s national heroes.

    In his observation, attempts had been made to obliterate the contribution of many notable Ghanaians, and to some extent, the distortion of the country’s history.

    As the adage goes, a nation that does not honour its heroes is not worth dying for.

    The great American leader, Abraham Lincoln, puts it succinctly that “a nation that does not honour its heroes will not long endure.”

    The Daily Graphic believes that it is time we put aside partisanship and recognise the men and women who have blazed the trail, regardless of their  tribe or political affiliation, to motivate the younger generation to give their best for the country’s development .

    We need to remind ourselves that acknowledging our heroes offers us the opportunity to celebrate our history, heritage and values as a people. 

    Aside from serving as role models, the country’s heroes and heroines are an embodiment of wisdom, moral behavior and inspiration to the younger generation.

    This is why the Daily Graphic believes recognising them should not be viewed through partisan lenses.

    If for nothing at all, the recognition accorded Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, on the global political scene and the football great, Abedi Pele, in sports circles, should motivate our current and future leaders to put aside the unhealthy partisanship and selectivity when it comes to recognising our heroes.

    We also urge members on both political divide that when celebrating some of these important days, they must involve all stakeholders and not only people who are aligned with their political parties and ideologies.

    Similarly, we entreat all others to fully participate in such national celebrations.

    The Daily Graphic thinks that when the nation starts from this small scale, we will be bridging the gap of partisanship and putting polarisation where it belongs.

    Every citizen should aspire to work hard to emulate the courage and contribution of heroes of the nation in serving the country.

    We also need to unite to stay focused on important things that lie ahead of us as a people.

    In unity lies strength, and with it, we can put aside our differences to sacrifice for the common good.

    Let us put aside partisanship and recognise all those who have contributed immensely to bring the country this far.

  • Auto Show, Thursday, 23rd November, 2023

    MOG announces “2023 new wine” concert

    Themed, “The coming glory”, MOG’s flagship annual programme will take place on 19 March at the Oil Dome of the Royalhouse Chapel International, Accra

    Abtvgh / MOG

    Award-winning gospel musician and songwriter, Pastor Nana Yaw Boakye also known as MOG Music has announced the 2023 New Wine Concert.

    Themed, “The coming glory”, MOG’s flagship annual programme will take place on 19 March at the Oil Dome of the Royalhouse Chapel International, Accra.

    The much-anticipated event which would be held in-person has lined up gospel artistes including Ohema Mercy, Uncle Ato, Piesie Esther, Kofi Owusu Preprah and Ella Duncan Williams.

    Also ministering will be Keepers Music and Liberty Voices Choir. The 2023 edition will see the ministration of new singles on the Koinonia album Phase 2 and great worship songs from the guest artistes.

    Speaking about the concert, the VGMA two-time male vocalist of the year, MOG said the 2023 event presents an array of local artistes who are prepared to usher God’s children into his presence.

    He said the Phase 2 of the ‘Koinonia’ album will take gospel music lovers to another level as the Christian community worldwide comes together to worship God.

    According to MOG Music, activities have been outlined to garner support for the event. “I can assure you that lives are going to be touched and there will be testimonies.

    Under the patronage of the Most Rev Sam Korankye Ankrah, founder and Apostle General of Royalhouse Chapel International, the concert will be live telecasted on TV platforms including Powerline TV as well as social media handles of MOG Music.

    Patrons of this year’s event would have to get their tickets ready for the life transforming event.

    Tickets are going for as low as GHC40 (single) for the gallery stand and GHC 70 for double. The standard regular ticket is going for GHC 80 and GHC 150 for double. The special VIP tickets are going for GHC 200.

    “Patrons should expect a night of the manifestation of the power of God through song ministrations including hymns,” a statement from the singer said.

  • We condole with Türkiye, Syria and pray for Atsu

    Abtvgh/ GFA/

    Life for millions in Türkiye and Syria changed forever last Monday, as two consecutive earthquakes sent shockwaves across hundreds of miles.

    Nine hours apart and with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.5 on the Richter scale, the quakes rocked Türkiye and Syria and were the region’s strongest in nearly a century.

    The death toll from the quakes is more than 22,000 as of yesterday, with many still missing and critically injured.

    The World Health Organisation put the number of people affected by the disaster at 23 million. At least 6,000 buildings collapsed, many with residents still inside them.

    Rescue efforts continue to be the top priority, with some 25,000 deployed in Türkiye and thousands more from overseas — but a bitter winter storm now threatens the lives of the survivors and of those still trapped under the rubble.

    Syria, ravaged by 12 years of war and terrorism, is the least prepared to deal with such a crisis. Its infrastructure is heavily depleted, and the country remains under Western sanctions. Thousands of those in the affected areas are already refugees or internally displaced people.

    With the dust of the catastrophe still settling, regional analysts are zoning in on the longer-term ripple effect that the catastrophe could have on Türkiye, a country whose 85 million-strong population was already mired in economic problems — and whose military, economy, and politics have a major impact far beyond its borders.

    The ABTVGH mourns with the governments and people of Turkey and Syria over the loss of lives and property.

    We are equally troubled by the inability of the rescuers to find the Ghana international soccer star, Christian Atsu. Mr Atsu joined Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor in September 2022 after spending nearly a decade at Chelsea and Newcastle United.

    The coach of Christian Atsu’s Turkish club, Hatayspor, said last Wednesday that the Ghana midfielder had not been found following the devastating earthquake in Türkiye. As the rescue effort is ongoing, we remain confident that the player will be found.

    For us, the response of the world holds valuable warnings and lessons that extend well beyond the two countries hit by the earthquakes. 

    The prompt help that Türkiye, in particular, has received from parts of the world shows that the international community can — if it decides to — put geopolitics aside to help a country in need. 

    Many Syrian victims of the earthquake were already refugees in their own country, living in makeshift homes. Parts of earthquake-hit Syria are controlled by rebel groups; yet the country’s government insists that all international aid must be routed through its agencies.

    While the Syrian government must work with aid groups to ensure that help reaches all parts of the country’s territory, regional players, such as Türkiye and Iran, and global powers — the US and Russia — must reflect too. 

    Meanwhile, the scenes of death and despair in Türkiye and Syria should also serve as an overdue reminder of the risks Ghana faces in ensuring that our buildings are regulated.

    While pleading for more aid for the victims of the earthquake, particularly in Syria, we urge our district assemblies to take a cue by ensuring that earthquake-prone zones within localities are properly mapped out so that construction does not take place there.