So, aside from setting up a music festival in Ghana, and the various other day-to-day emotional rollercoasters we tend to fall into, we’ve been working on some other little things here and there to build up the experience and contacts. Our current project, OrphanAid Weekend, had its press launch on Friday and is gearing up to be a nice little number. We doin it for the kiddies, ain’t we!!
A few months ago we met an exceptional individual named Lisa Lovatt-Smith, a multilingual former model and editor of Vogue Paris, turned best-selling author, turned child life-saving extraordinaire (amongst other things…). Lisa set up OrphanAid Africa (OA) in 2001, an NGO which takes orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children out of orphanages (where they are often abused, mistreated and psychologically traumatised) before then tracing, helping to support, and putting the children back into their extended families and communities. With the country becoming ever more aware of the terrible conditions that many orphanages possess, the Ghana government has been forced to take action, working alongside OA to shut orphanages down and give the children a family and a better life. At present, OA directly supports over 300 families around the country and indirectly supports 4,500 children.
This is no easy task. So, in order to raise funds for and awareness of the hard work OA is undertaking, we present to you…OrphanAid Weekend!
OrphanAid Weekend is a series of events and activities we've been putting together, to take place around Accra this December. The main event is a concert at Alliance Francaise in Accra, featuring Ghana’s biggest artist, Samini, alongside Fiifi Selah and King Ayisoba. The event will be hosted and include a performance by OrphanAid ambassador Blakk Rasta, Accra’s most notorious DJ and reggae artist. His daytime radio show is on
e of the most hyping things I’ve ever heard - four hours of screaming down the mic on visions of African unity and empowerment of African youth, on top of reggae and frequent shouts of 'MO FIYAAAH' and 'BURN DEM!!!!' We also have loads of publicity going on at Shoprite, Accra’s biggest supermarket at the Accra Mall, with competition giveaways all month, and a sports day at the new Lizzy’s Sports centre in Accra, hosted by French (Ghanaian born) World Cup winner MARCEL DESAILLY!!! To top things off, MTN, Ghana's biggest mobile phone network, have kindly offered to blast their customers with a text message asking them to donate 1 Cedi (about 50p) to OrphanAid Africa.
So yes, for the past 3 months Kofi and I have been running around Accra after Lisa (aka Mama Lisa, dressed in killer African dresses complimented by massive Vogue-esque sunglasses - it’s a serious look), and the one and only Jah loving BLAKK RASTA (in equally extravagant attire - see above!) to try and do something special for the kids. It’s been very, very interesting, to say the least.
The event is sponsored by Africa Cola (who, incidentally, are just entering Ghana having taken
over Coca Cola in Senegal with 57% of the soft drinks market – they plan to do the same across Africa...and they’re not joking), MTN, and Shoprite.
Anyway, here’s some pics from the press launch. Festival preparation is still going ahead, in fact we’re at the site location right now before going back to Accra today...look it up...a little place called BUSUA BEACH. Updates coming soon......
MO FYAAAA!!!
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