The Golden Baobab Prize

So somewhere last week, Nana Ama (@JunkieOnMars) contacted me, her mission was upsetting, funny and confusing at the same time. I don’t know why she decided to suggest that to me but after our conversation, I thought through it and realized how it would benefit me if I tried.

Nana Ama was able to gather courage to tell me how I have been disturbing her twitter timeline for decades and how I should put my writing (tweets) to good use. She went ahead to suggest this writing competition that is up now and asked me to take part so I get something from my ‘noise’! I got confused because I thought most of you enjoyed and loved my tweets, I thought you people always waited to see my tweets and you were not fed up with the number of times I shared my works on twitter. Anyway, it’s all good, I am going to slow things down now, at least for some days because I want to take part in this competition and I also want you to try it out because I know most of you are writers, let’s just have fun writing.

It’s the Golden Baobab Prize and this time they are awarding 3 prizes.

• The Picture Book Prize awards $1,000 to the best story written for readers ages 6-8;

• The Early Chapter Book Prize awards $1,000 to the best story written for readers ages 9-11

• The Rising Writer Prize awards $1,000 to the most promising young writer below the age of 18.

I think I am going to try my hands on the second and I need to do it fast because the deadline is fast approaching. The deadline is July 14, 2013, so I have, let’s say a little over 2 weeks more to work. I know some of you can write or definitely know people who are writers, just spread the news so they take part and ensure that you tell them how they need to split the prize money with you. You also don’t just get money but also publishing deals and opportunities to attend exclusive Golden Baobab writer’s workshops.

I have done my part, the rest is up to you. You can find additional info at:

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/goldenbaobab

Twitter page: www.twitter.com/goldenbaobab

Website: www.goldenbaobab.org

WE QUESTION OUR WRITING ABILITY UNTIL WE FIND A PEN-MUTOMBO

"I FOR TALK"

I don’t even know why I haven’t blogged about this. I should have even blogged about it before it came out. Anyway, most of you know I am a spoken word artist and I have an album out already called PHOTOSENTENCES.

Well, in 2013 I will be dropping a new album and the 1^st single of that album is already out and its good to know that everyone likes it. What I have realized is my growth and people have been telling me too. I have listened to this new single over a 100 times, something I have never done so you can imagine.

M3NSA produced this new single of mine and he also featured on the track. I plan to do a couple of spoken word tracks with a couple of artists and I simply cant wait. Anyway, you can download the single “I FOR TALK” and do well to pass it on to friends and whoever.

This is Spoken Word!!!

December 7

I don't even know how to start, i have forsaken thee. I hope non of you forgot about me. Jesus has been gone for how many centuries now, but you still remember Him, right? I have not posted anything on my blog for just a couple of weeks, just a couple of weeks, why would you ditch me? Come on, son!!

I have so much to tell you guys and you know that when one has a lot of important things to say, they end up saying nothing at all. I would love it if you stopped reading now because i am not going to say anything relevant. My life has been awesome since i left you guys, we'll not so awesome but since i still have life, i should be thankful, innit? December 7 is just around the corner and we will be going to the polls to 'pick' a president who is going to govern us for another 4 years. Town has been so busy lately, and i won't hesitate to mention the noise pollution from campaign  vehicles that carry huge megaphones on their roofs and chirp out distorted party chants and music. After they come to power, they will warn us about noise pollution and how one can be jailed for that. These people, i don't trust them at all.

Anyway, this is the time that the politicians become friends with the average man, all because of votes and the average man does not slack at all during these times, they will 'salvage' all that they can get from the politician because he knows the next time he will come around again is when it is time to vote. But this year's campaigning has been fun, for even me because i am that type who will never watch a Presidential Debate. For what?? Tell me, why should i? What they say never comes to pass, they come to power and forget about all the promises and even hurl down their manifestos from skyscrapers and i am tired of hoping, charley!! I am simply tired so i am just living. But i watched this year's presidential campaign, all the 2 and to be very honest, i did  enjoy every bit of it. Not because of the promises NPP or NDC made but because of the presidential candidate for PNC, Hassan Ayariga. This man is awesome, i must confess and i doff my hat to the people who are behind his selection. He is the best thing ever when it comes to Ghana's Politics and i am sure his name will be on the lips of many Ghanaians for years to come.

I really want Ayariga to win this election but you know how the Ghanaian voter votes, NPP and NDC has taken control of our whole mindset and its annoying. You have a good man like Ayariga, why don't you vote for him. Think about his policies and plans, all the good things he has for the country. Why don't you want to vote for him? I won't even go through some of his terms and speeches because……nah…..Malcolm X and Martin Luther King should still be quoted, charley. It has been fun. We should also do well to blame the media for any mishap, i was forced to listen to local radio for a couple of days and what goes on there is really disgusting, very. We have a long way to go and i hope we get there real soon because i won't allow my kids to listen to those junk on radio and tv. Anytime you hear something about the ELECTIONS you are bound to hear 'PEACE' or 'WAR' and i don't know why we have to juxtapose these, i have no clue why.

Anyway, 13 years ago, my mum died and it was on the 7th of December so as i join the queue to vote, deep inside, i will be thinking about such a beautiful soul. My Friend and Mother. VIM

1st Single off my PHOTOSENTENCES ALBUM

SWEET MEMORIES

DOWNLOAD TRACK HERE

Man never knows what tomorrow brings because its opaque,

but the brain can always cut through the transparent past and tap those nostalgic memories to wake.

Imagery of childhood renovates brain so it looks like a gallery,

portraits and abstract but one mosaic depicts the crucifixion on calvary.

This is when he really died because everything was bliss,

an eye for an eye was then an eye for a kiss.

This is in remembrance of childhood like its dead and gone but this past still lives on,

like greats whose works and name have been caligraphed on life’s papyrus.

We children who were vagrants like my pappy was,

the only difference was that we had better dreams because we came home to sleep the night away.

Fly away kites made of paper and broomsticks with strong threads to give them skyscraper heights with floors of about ninety six,

experts in building these flying creatures so when it broke we could always fix.

The dreams we had then for today were that tall,

midget physique, so when we looked up, we went dizzy and we did fall.

Parents with whips were like robots, they swung it with an even interval,

so we all had cain stripes like zebras in the wild.

The rod was never spared if things were not done properly,

but stones and caution were thrown to the wind because we were God’s property.

police and thief was a brand new hide and seek,

and because each group wanted to win we adopted a war-like technique.

Dummy weapons were aimed opponent with an accuracy

because our elbows had grease but none of my peers were Greeks.

Life if those days was a portrait we all had smiles like Mona Lisa,

I was a local kid so I knew what was kontomire and pona didn’t know what was pizza.

Fanta and Coke were not common to us, they only came through on special occasions,

easter and Christmas conjured more eggs so there was a celebration.

HOOK

Life in those days was bliss

All those memories that I still do miss…….4X

Rains that the clouds puked dropped on the soft earth with dignity,

we enjoyed games in the mud because there was key soap and elders

greeted each other, you could feel the serenity.

The football we played needed no stadiums like the Bundesliga,

we were both players and referees back then we didn’t know what was FIFA.

Presence of a socks ball or case 5 made the moment just right to play small poles or 4 corners,

It was with our barefeet because we had no trainers.

Shins were hardened like craniums,

and we worked ourselves up during the day so at night we slept like we had several pills of Valium.

Nana Osei was daddy and Abena Serwaa was mummy in playhouse,

and the game for miniature parents then was, you remove my shirt and I take off your blouse.

My street is dead now, way back it was filled with hawkers,

every junction was occupied by noisy petty sellers

and if I knew this type of horn then, I would have called them vuvuzelas.

I used to catch tadpoles in big gutters

and trapped grasshoppers in poki rubbers because at home it was just a dog

so I wasn’t content.

You should see how my mom hopped back when she checked the content.

The alikoto that we played had more spin than the potters wheel,

we went on top of hills so our tyres could glide and those sticks were our steering wheel.

If I can meet the past once again in my future once again I’ll beg her to take me back into time,

so I can knock my friends on their heads when they forget to say no zanzama,

play chaskele or dicos with Mick and Mahama and mock 6 year olds when they lose a tooth.

Memories that I never want to forget and I will do it over and over and over again with no regrets.

HOOK

Life in those days was bliss

All those memories that I still do miss…….4X

Madiba

Sometimes you have so many things to post about and when you finally sit behind the pc, you don’t know what to post about. I don’t know if I am the only person who experiences this but I hope it’s a normal thing. Anyway, thanks for reading and I pray that you come back because I have so many things to post about. Both bad and good stuff so keep on coming.

I want to send a big echo to Nelson Mandela for celebrating his 94^th birthday on the 18^th of July, 2012. I always wonder when his name pops up in convos and when I come across his name on the internet or where ever. This is a true icon, you know. He helped fight apartheid in South Africa (if you don’t know what apartheid is, then stop reading this post), went to jail for over 2 decades, came out of jail and became the president of South Africa. How is this possible from a single man? I remember, when I turned 27, i was like ‘so Mandela was in prison for this long? 27 whole years, my friends!! I mean how?!!

Anyway, Madiba is a man you should look up to if you are that kind who looks up to people. You will be on the right path if he is your mentor etc. Now, with this life that we live now, how many of us can live for that long? Have you thought of that? Do you think of death sometimes? Well, I do think about that sometimes, especially when I am sick and all that. No matter what I do, I will die! But won’t it be better when we know when we are going to leave? It’s good and fun to grow old and I know this because I lived with my grandma all my life… well, until she died in 2005. I saw her smile at her grandchildren, I hear her express her love for her kids and she always talked about how she suffered to raise all of those kids…she said, it was her turn to enjoy and I know she did enjoy before she passed.

With this life that we live, are we going to get old one day? And when I say old, like past age 50. Our minds are filled with all sorts of wrongs so I keep on wondering. Well, if you ask me, I do want to grow old one day and see my grandchildren and all but is that even possible? We don’t even eat right and we don’t watch what we eat. For the past 4 years or so, I have lost so many peers and they keep on passing. I have a funeral this weekend and it keeps on coming. Is it supposed to be so? Instead of working for our own betterment we concentrate on the person we are going to have sex with next. Is this life? I really want to talk extensively about all these and I promise you that they will come in subsequent posts.

This post is dedicated to Nelson Mandela and I am not even going to waste paper space talking about what he did and didn’t do, it’s all on the internet like this post so search. He will be in my heart forever and I pray that we all look up to him and not rap stars. Ah, but wait, what is the story behind Mandela and Naomi Campbell?