MEET GHANAIAN MEDIA ENTREPRENEUR & MENTOR, NANA CHURCHER

She has one of the best produced talk shows currently on television and discusses with her guests a variety of exciting and intriguing subjects. Her guests are usually global superstars, seasoned business owners and revered personalities around the globe. The likes of BET’s Chief Executive Officer, Debra Lee, former Ghanaian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Professor Kweku Danso-Boafo, Hollywood singer and actress Brandy Norwood and teen sensation Kwesi Boakye, the voice behind Cartoon Network 'The Amazing World of Gumball' have all been on her show.

Her show is a thirty (30) minute inspirational chat show which is very popular across the African continent, the United Kingdom and beyond. Until recently, The Nana Churcher Show, aired weekly in over twenty African countries on the Vox Africa channel which is available to millions of DStv subscribers on the continent. Currently, the show airs on the lifestyle brand, ABN TV, available on the Sky TV bouquet across the United Kingdom.

Nana Churcher is a Beauty and Image Consultant and consults for some of the world's largest cosmetic companies. She is also a Director of BodyByVi, a weight-loss and fitness Challenge platform dedicated to fighting obesity round the world. The multitalented Ghanaian doubles as a broadcaster and serves as the host and executive producer of The Nana Churcher Show, which she is the owner and founder.

After months of promoting The Nana Churcher Show weekly on various Ghanaian media platforms as part of my duties then as the Public Relations and Publicity Executive of MultiChoice Ghana (DStv & GOtv), I met up with Nana in the summer of 2013 at one of the finest restaurants in London.

She was exactly the character I had perceived through our series of email correspondence, facebook messages and skype calls; she is calm and collected, accommodating, supportive, open to new ideas, a pragmatist and progressive thinker and above all, very passionate about what she does. 

Nana's unique style of interviewing her guests has won her numerous admirers and more followers of the show. Aware of her place in the society, the mother of four has committed herself to impact on lives and the careers of young Africans and other minorities across the United Kingdom with her platform.

“After moving to the United Kingdom, I realized some of the challenges our people were facing and I thought of an appropriate way to become a change agent and that saw the introduction of The Nana Churcher Show. It is an inspirational and motivational show which gives insight into the lives of extraordinary personalities around the world. On the show, these individuals share their stories and reveal how they beat the odds to excel in their various professions. You have no idea how this has motivated several young people not to give up in life and keep pushing the limits”, Nana stated.       

Apart from investing her time and energy into building her media empire, Nana has also devoted her show on Voice of Africa Radio (94 FM) to focus on promoting development and business within the African community across the United Kingdom. She presents business owners with the platform to network and share ideas on ways of overcoming their challenges. 

In addition, Nana Churcher has been very involved with the youth and has actively participated in several initiatives by youth organizations across the United Kingdom, usually serving as a mentor and counselor to younger people together with her husband, Mr. Alfred Ato Churcher, who happens to be a Life Coach by profession.  

According to Nana Churcher, “it is very important to develop the capacities of the younger ones so that they can take over from us when we are no more at the top, especially those aspiring to take up key roles in the Arts and Entertainment industry. This can be achieved through several ways which includes mentoring. That is something I have been very passionate about to ensure the younger ones become successful and excel in whatever they are doing. I have been blessed to have an understanding husband who supports in everything I do and has been part of the mentorship project. His expertise as a professional life coach comes in handy as he has a lot to offer”. 

Nana’s philosophy in life is to remain relevant within her community and use her God-given talents to make a change in the lives of several millions of people across the world. She shares in the theory of the Tibetan religious leader, Dalai Lama, who believes that our prime purpose in this life is to help others so we you can't help them, at least we shouldn’t hurt them. 

ONCE UPON A TIME, A STAR GOES TO WORK!

On Saturday 27th September 2014, I joined thousands of Ghanaians and other Africans across the United Kingdom who thronged the plush Troxy in London to witness the 2014 edition of the most prestigious African beauty pageant show in Europe, Miss Ghana UK.  

As promised by the organizers, premier Ghanaian international event company, Akwaaba UK, the night came with the usual pomp and pageantry the event has become known for with a host of celebrities and prominent personalities within the African community in attendance.

After about five rounds of exciting yet stiff competition between sixteen young and beautiful ladies of Ghanaian descent, then nineteen year old Miss Eloise Nana Yaa Anima Dickens who appeared to be the crowd’s favourite was eventually crowned as Miss Ghana UK 2014.

A week ago, I met up with Miss Eloise Dickens at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel in Accra to discuss a project she was in the country to undertake under the auspices of the Miss Ghana UK Foundation, the Corporate Social Investment arm of the Miss Ghana UK brand.

Our discourse ranged from her role as an ambassador for the Miss Ghana UK Foundation and reign as the Miss Ghana UK 2014 queen, Reading Clinics in Ghana and her tenure of office as President of the African Caribbean Society at her university.

A second year law student of the University of Essex, Eloise spoke confidently about her passion to study the law with great insight, having adopted a requisite strategy to become one of the successful lawyers of her era. She also couldn’t hide her desire to become a change agent in the African diaspora community knowing the challenges Africans in the diaspora are confronted with.  

According to her, “the key principles guiding my reign as Miss Ghana UK 2014 are philanthropy and volunteerism. Over the period, I have been hugely involved in the Sickle cell awareness campaign in various communities across the United Kingdom as well as inspiring and encouraging under privileged youth across the United Kingdom.

In addition, I’m also passionate about partnering with various organizations both in Ghana and the United Kingdom to provide opportunities for young people to unearth their God given talents and abilities, realizing their dreams and aspirations in life and also creating awareness about the essence of empowering the girl child”. 

As part of her project in Ghana, Eloise held meetings with key stakeholders within the Ghanaian educational sector to discuss ways of enhancing the standards of education in the country through partnerships. With the members of her team, she is also organizing reading clinics in a list of schools within Accra in addition to talk sessions with students from selected schools. The team also visited the Royal Seed Orphanage at Kosoa in the Central Region where they engaged the children in a serious of fun yet educative activities before presenting various learning materials, food items and clothes to the management of the orphanage.

As we brought our conversation to an end, one thing that was obvious was Eloise’s zeal and passion to change the world around her and use the Miss Ghana UK crown to affect the lives of several deprived people within her society.

 

MEET MICHELLE MCKINNEY HAMMOND

What is our journey in this life, one will ask? There are certainly several answers to expect, from prosperity, success, to salvation. What about “to know where you are from and where you are going as destined by God”? That is how Michelle Mckinney Hammond! Michelle, born in London to a Ghanaian father and a mother from Barbados, had a rather interesting and challenging experience growing up in Barbados, London and the United States of America where she lived and schooled at different points in her life. She loves the arts and worked with Burrell Communication, the largest minority advertising agency in the United States of America as an Arts Director. After twelve years (12) of formulating marketing communication campaigns for blue chip companies such as Coca-Cola USA, McDonald’s, Procter and Gamble, GMC and Ford Motor Company. However, this was to change when she decided to become a full time author following an unfortunately deadly accident which Michelle considers as a wakeup call from God to embark on a new journey. As a bestselling author,

Michelle has authored over 40 books, including best-selling titles such as The Diva Principle, Sassy, Single and Satisfied, 101 Ways to Get and Keep His Attention, and Secrets of an Irresistible Woman and sold over two million copies worldwide.

Apart from being an author, the multitalented Michelle is also a speaker, television co-host and a gifted vocalist with four recorded CD’s to her name. They are It’s Amazing, Let’s Go In, Come Let Us Worship, and With Love. Also, she co-hosted the Emmy Award-winning television talk show Aspiring Women for ten years and also co-hosted the TCT’s 3D Woman. She has appeared on countless television shows including Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect, E Channel’s “Soap Talk,” NBC’s The Other Half, The 700 Club, and BET’s Oh Drama! as well as a regular relationship segment on WGN Morning News. After years of writing successful books, Michelle has become a highly-respected author, speaker and singer, reaching a diverse audience internationally, crossing denominational lines, secular audiences, as well as addressing men and women from all walks of life.
Michelle, relocated to Ghana in 2010 after the death of her father and at a time when businesses and entrepreneurs in the United States were faced with rippling effects of a failing economy global economic crises, the credit crunch. Moving to Ghana wasn’t a difficult decision for Michelle who revealed that was a step sanctioned by God to inherit her father’s businesses. In her words “Ghana teaches you to be patient in life and also appreciate certain things in life. The people are wonderful with lots of potentials. When you come to Ghana, be ready to learn how the system works and never think you know it all, which is how to survive in this beautiful and peaceful country”. To Michelle, success can be achieved through the principles of character and integrity, respect for authority and oneself as well as a conscious effort to build a relationship with God. “A rich friendship plus a purposeful life with support from God defines success”.

Michelle makes a weekly appearance on Ghana’s TV3 Network to speak about relationships and will soon roll out a few radio and television productions to highlight the importance of searching for the proverbs and doing what God requires from us. As a lifestyle coach, she advocates for a three tie approach to life: relationship with God, with ourselves and others. Her advice to youth people is to concentrate on building their capacities to become great people in future through mentorships, reading life changing materials, taking initiatives and thinking out of the box to be creative and imaginative!

Stars As Agents of Change… The Case of Ghana’s Self Styled Celebrities.

As news of an onstage demeaning act by one of the nation’s most sought after female musician and a rather admired character appears to have engulfed all sectors of society, one is tempted to be critical of the very persons society holds in high esteem and tag with all sort of sham titles.
This is cosmopolitan Accra, an ever daring city filled with persons of diverse cultures, ideologies and stereotypes. Life isn’t relentlessly brisk leaving city dwellers with legroom to catch up on whatever is necessary for their survival.
To be described as a celebrity should certainly be fun and enjoyable aside the fame and favours that comes along with such a status. However, it could become tricky and frustrating at a point when you have thousands of eyes constantly on you hence losing your privacy.
In our part of the world, unfortunately, the word celebrity is defined rather loosely to reflect any person who earns a cameo role in any low budget movie or a “half baked” anchor lucky enough to land him or herself a platform on either radio or television to exhibit their amateur presenting abilities.
There is also the one hit wonder musicians who are hailed as celebrities only because their single is receiving rotations on a few radio and television stations. Let us not forget these artistes often than not have just their family and friends serving as their entire fan base.
Around the world, celebrities are not only known to be famous personalities rather extremely influential characters commanding enviable amount of public and media attention. Being a celebrity isn’t any different from a properly packaged brand an investor cannot resist.
Celebrities around the world are perfectly equipped to represent a paradigm shift with what has now become their natural position as role models. Celebrities have proved to be agents of change by virtue of their clouts and influence.
Get a celebrity to approve a concept and see how many figures will root for that event without accessing such endorsed initiative. This is how powerfully influential anyone best described as a celebrity can be.
These circumstances definitely highlight the diverse reasons why people will work tirelessly towards becoming famed personalities; to receive enviable attention, boundless recognition, populous endorsement amongst several others.
Though a few of these celebrities have occasionally been in the news for all bad reasons, it remains very difficult to doubt their cult status when it comes to immensely contributing to society in order to change the world around them.
What is noticeable about these celebrities is a dedicated attempt on their path to alleviating the plight of several persons within their communities through appropriately structured social, educational and artistic schemes.
Can the same be said about the dozens of self-styled celebrities paraded on the streets of Accra hopping from one public event to the other all in their quest to remain relevant to society and as is usually said, to connect with their following?
It is a fact that most of the supposed Ghanaian celebrities come nowhere closer to the income levels of celebrities around the world but that is no excuse for them to be empowered to initiate giant programmes to benefit society. Who says all stars in the United States dole out multi million for charity?
On the contrary, what is becoming more appreciated by our celebrities is the setting up of foundations. As if that is the latest trend, new foundations are formed almost daily and usually tagged with the names of these persons.
Have you ever wondered the real reasons for the recent “foundation craze” aside a calculated attempt by these supposed celebrities to enrich themselves under the cover of humanitarianism as revealed in latest incidents. For them it’s all about business!
A Ghanaian celebrity donates nothing more than three bags of rice and a hundred dollar note ($100) to an orphanage and that will be the news item on radio and television. Who knows if that isn’t a fraction of contribution from well-meaning individuals to support supposed projects instituted by such crooks called celebrities?

An Artiste called Sarkodie…….. And a businessman called Babs!

Hundreds of years after the period of Enlightenment when logical reasoning ought to have replaced myth and superstition, it is amazing and remains baffling how the modern day man decides to ignore the principal tenet of the new era civilization; thinking!
Undoubtedly, African music has been on the rise in recent times with African musicians making the headlines in their home countries and breaking into the music districts in Europe through to the mainstream markets in the Americas and elsewhere.
The signing of African born rapper Sway to Akon’s Konvict Music and the One8 compilation which saw selected gifted African musicians recording with American superstar of countless classics, Robert Kelly are just a few to mention.
This continued with the legendary Snoop Dog jumping onto a joint with Nigerian act DBanj and the recognition of Ghanaian musicians Rocky Dawuni and Kojo Antwi at the world stage. Last year ended with African music once again in the news; P Square, 2 Face and Wizkid got signed to Konvict Music.
Just before music enthusiasts across Ghana were handed the bragging rights to the global acceptance of Ghanaian music as Ghana’s fastest rapper appeared on BBC 1 Extra with Tim WestWood, little did they know Sarkodie was to become his own enemy with a sterling revelation.
Apparently Sarkodie is not signed to Akon’s Konvict Music as the entire Ghanaian population was deceived to believe. The Ghanaian rapper goes on to state without disrepute “I was only endorsed by Akon in the video that was circulated on YouTube and not signed onto his label”.
So why the lie? For a moment I had to pinch myself to believe the claim by the music general from Tema who at the time of speaking was on tour in the United Kingdom after a successful one in the United States was just not a facade.
Juxtaposing a controversial press conference held in 2010 which announced Sarkodie’s signing to Konvict Music and the musician’s latest revelation on the BBC left me with just one thing on my mind, Sarkodie and the chief architect of the supposed Konvict deal had lost their credibility, integrity and cannot be taken serious anymore.
It’s still shocking how gullible an artiste of Sarkodie’s pedigree and stature will allow himself to be used for such a cut-rate stunt, very regrettable. The least said about his management (which is supposed to act in the interest of the artist) is the best when elements within the team vigorously downplayed concerns raised by stakeholders over the deal.
Apparently neither Sarkodie nor his team bothered to crosscheck the background of the main architect presenting a deal to become a grand farce and a dubious fallacy? Anyway, who is Barbs if I may ask? Is he not the same promoter who got Accra talking about a supposed a rap competition with the winner taking home a USD10, 000 recording deal with from Def Jam Records?
If he is the same person (Babs) then it will be appropriate for him to tell the entire world what happened to the prize package since the winner (Jay Town) is yet to hear from him on the USD 10,000 recording deal.
To assume Sarkodie became a victim of circumstance per his desire to crossover, you will be wrong when the artistes and his management willingly decided to be involved in a rather injudicious publicity stunt ignoring its implications.
It is such a shame to hear Sarkodie insulting his own intelligence when he insists not being signed to Konvict Music. Mister rapper, please spare us that ignoramus statement! Nevertheless, isn’t it you call in your publicist to save your sinking image?

FUNNY FACE’S GRAND ENTRY INTO STAGE DRAMA AS HE DEBUTS IN RUN FOR YOUR WIFE

ONE thing is now certain, Ghana’s reining comedy king and the drollest man the country currently boasts of can best be described as dynamic and multi-talented!
Aside the hilarious arena of stand-up comedy where he has successfully stamped his authority as one of the best in Ghana, if not the best, the gentleman also known as Chemu has undoubtedly established himself as a pro in the league of brilliant Ghanaian Actors with his fantastic showing as the lead character in the most hilarious television series today, Chorkor Trotro.
At the recently held Night of 1012 Laughs and Music at the Dome of the International Conference Center where he co-hosted the show with his manager, George Quaye, he revealed to the world another part of his creativity yet to be known.
To the shock and awe of all, Funny Face busted onto the stage with sensational hip life maestro, Castro as they performed his first single ‘Banana Sweet’. It was another spectacle when Funny Face unleashed his unimaginable rap lines and words to get the entire auditorium screaming.
August 13th & 14th 2011 marks another great day in his life and career as he mounts the stage at the National Theater for his first ever stage play, Run For Your Wife. This will be his unprecedented entry into stage drama according to the comedian.
‘I am very passionate about whatever I do and I do it whole heartedly. This is another part of me that the world is yet to see. I have been waiting for this opportunity and it will just be another show. It is a challenge and I welcome it whole heartedly.’ according to the Swag-on Papa.
Run for Your Wife chronicles the life of Adjei Sowah, an Accra based taxi driver with a very tricky secret. He’s married to two women that live five minutes apart, yet do not know about each other’s existence. This he’s achieved by maintaining a rather tight schedule and a clever lifestyle. All is well until an accident interrupts his busy schedule inviting the police and media – two organizations that do not understand privacy as far as he is concerned. How smart can an ordinary taxi driver be to prevent matters from getting out of hand when the two wives find out about each other?
Run for Your Wife brings together the very best of actors known to the movie and theater fraternity onto one stage.
The show runs for two nights with two shows every night. All theater lovers cannot afford to miss out on the experience of watching this phenomenal farceat the National Theater on August 13th and 14th, 2011.
The star studded farce stages some of the most respected names in Ghanaian arts and theatre today including the likes of Ecow Smith Asante from Suncity fame, Adjetey Annang (Pusher) from Adam’s Apple and Things we do for love fame, Roland Adom from Suncity fame, actress of the Year winner, Naa Asorkor Mensah Doku, Dzifa Sogbe and Ken Fiati from Games People Play and of course Ghana’s youngest legend, Funny Face – the swaaag-on- Papa!
Run for your Wife is brought to you by TIGO with support from Joy Fm, GH One Entertainment TV, Flex Newspaper, Hi Newspaper and New Fylla Newspaper, Keba Ekong, Mido Productions, the national theatre, GTV, TV3, TRAP, Y-fm and GOODLIFE.

‘THE CHALLENGE’ IS A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE

UNTIL his triumph in the maiden edition of the hit television reality show, The Challenge, organized by the BRITISH COUNCIL in partnership with leading telecommunications company TIGO and event organizers, Charterhouse, Joojo Chartei Quansah had a story not different from many other Ghanaian University graduates.
Initially, he had to manage to overcome unending obstacles to emerge as one of the best students in his course of study at the University of Ghana. From a humble beginning, the young man was focused, knew his destination and exactly what he wanted in life, yet he wasn’t sure of the vehicle to carry him there.
It was an entire mix-up which appeared quite simple but a rather cumbersome phenomenon after a critical thought. Filled with exceeding zeal and a passion to grab the gold in life, Joojo did not know the path to his dreams.
He did not know the road that led to his aspirations which became very frustrating for a young man who had vowed to change the world around him. But there came the safest vehicle that plied the right route to his most treasured endpoint, The Challenge Ghana.
Currently, Joojo works with TIGO where he serves as the Voice Entertainment Manager of the Value Added Services arm of the Marketing Unit having joined the company as a Business Intelligence Manager.
Talking to Joojo in his state of the art office, the Marketer did not mince words about The Challenge being a life changing experience and admitted it had catapulted him to his current status in life.
According to him, the extensive exposure accompanied by the doors that opened as a result of The Challenge was incredible. In addition to the personal development, he also acquired the credibility and image he needed to build his brand as he prepared to take on the world.
‘To me The Challenge Ghana is that asset when acquired can be relied on at any point in life and will eventually lead you to greatness. As a competition, it is ideal for people who want that positive and drastic change to happen to their lives’ were his words.
Joojo won the first edition of the competition. He was sponsored for a master programme, MA Marketing Communications at the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom as a part of the winning package of over 40,000 pounds which included airfare, accommodation and monthly stipend.
On his return, he picked up a high paying job at giant telecommunications company, TIGO to start his career.
It is the same realization in the case of Joseph Opoku, who emerged the ultimate winner of the second season of The Challenge from an initial group of over 600 candidates. He opted for a postgraduate degree, MSC Broadband and High Speed Communications Network at the University of Westminster for his fully paid scholarship package.
Joseph is now much fulfilled with a flying career and currently works with a globally respected brand, Ericsson (Ghana) as a Senior Services Engineer or alternatively referred to as a 3G Engineer and hopes to rise to senior management in the very near future.
Josephs describes The Challenge as the best thing to have happened to his life as he reflected on his journey in life. ‘I have been transformed in all aspects of my life thanks to The Challenge. Mentally, I have become matured and stronger. I am deeper in thought now and also open minded.
The Challenge equips you with the confidence, smartness and the intellect the job market requires and also puts you ahead of the pack. It has added value to me by virtue of acquiring a post graduate degree in a very unique field’.
According to Joseph, anyone who wants to make a difference in their lives should put themselves together and prepare to bring it on in the next season of The Challenge as they might be that lucky winner.
Season Three of The Challenge is underway and application to participate is open for all second class upper or first class degree holders. Text your name to the short code 1750 for a pin which is to be used to complete the application forms at www.thechallengeghana.com.
After completion of the forms, the generic code provided on the website should be sent to the short code 1750 to confirm registration. You can’t afford to miss out on such a life changing opportunity to study in the very best of Britain's top universities.
The Challenge season three is brought to you by The British Council and TIGO in association with the University of Westminster and powered by GH One Entertainment TV. It is proudly supported by SIC, Robert Gordon University, Gsocialize.com, IPMC and GTV.