...HAPPENINGS...HAPPENINGS...HAPPENINGS...
Focus on Ghana at Africa Centre
The full programme is as follows:
Wednesday March 7th, 'Ghana Today' by Asiedu Yirenkyi PNDC Secretary for Culture and Tourism.
Friday March 23rd Ghanaians Abroad and their Role in Ghana's Development. The Positive Approach'. Panel discussion organised by the United Front of Patriotic Ghanaians.
Friday March 30th, 'Perspectives on Two Years of Revolution in Ghana', panel discussion by speakers including Adote Bing, African Journal, Dr Richard Jeffries, School of Oriental, African Studies and Kwesi Owusu, London School of Economics and Elizabeth Ohene, editor of Talking Drums.
From Monday, March 12th-17th African Brothers Concert Party led by Nana Ampadu will present a musical comedy about the evils of greed in social life entitled 'The Tragedy of Kwata'. African Brothers is one of Ghana's leading bands whose leader is well-recognised as one of the best exponents of traditional highlife music employing the use of local folklore themes and winner of several awards in the field during the nearly 15 years that he has been in the business. This is a rare opportunity to appreciate one of the most popular forms of Western African theatre!
The Ghana film season begins on Tuesday, March 20th with an introduction to the season by Haruna Attah, managing director of the Ghana Film Industry Corporation.
All screenings will be followed by discussion. The full programme is as follows:
Wednesday, March 21st at 6.30pm THE BOY KUMASENU (Black and White, 60 mins, 1954. Director: Shaw Graham)
A colonial film on the life of a young boy from Keta, Volta Region of Ghana. This will be followed by 'I TOLD YOU SO!' featuring Ghana's ace comedian Bob Cole.
Thursday, 22nd March at 6.30pm
NKRUMAH MEETS THE DIPLOMATS (Colour, 40 mins, Ghana Films)
Nkrumah meets the diplomatic corps in Accra after Independence and outlines his political attitudes and aspirations.
GENESIS CHAPTER X (Colour, 90 mins)
A missionary adopts a Ghanaian child who trains to be a doctor in London and returns home...
Tuesday, March 27th at 6.30pm
NKRUMAH AT THE O.A.U. (Black and white, 45 mins)
Nkrumah makes one of his most moving speeches for African Unity.
NO TEARS FOR ANANSE
Ananse, the hero of Ghanaian folklore is caught by the gunman.
Wednesday, March 28th at 6.30pm
THE MAKING OF A KING.
The historic enstoolment of Asantehene Nana Opoku Ware is captured on celluloid.
FESTAC
On the major African Festival of Arts in Nigeria in 1977.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE (Black and white, 25 mins. Producer: Chris Hesse)
An account of the Second Coming of Rawlings and the social impetus to the December 1981 revolution.
Thursday, March 29th at 6.30pm
THE VISITOR (Colour, 90 mins, 1981. Director: Tom Ribeiro, Ghana Film Corporation)
Fleetwood Mac's musical tour of Ghana. A stunning experience of a top American rock band exposed to the rich tapestry of African music. Features top Ghanaian musicians.
This will be followed by a seminar on 'Film-making in Ghana. Potentials and Constraints' led by Haruna Attah, The Ghana Film Industry Corporation.
A music programme featuring a variety of bands will punctuate the three week-long programme and featuring by courtesy of Stern African Records, groups like Ojah and Osisi Uku, Hi-life International Alpha Waves and Jagada.
PANA AND THE FUTURE
Mr Cheick Ousmane Diallo, the director general of the Pan-African News Agency has presented in Dakar a progress report on the activities of his organization for the past two years (1982-1984) and outlined the major orientations of his programme of action for 1984-1986. Presenting it to the third ordinary session of the intergovernmental council of PANA, Mr Diallo said financial problems constitute at present one of the factors slowing down the development of our activities. He said some member states do not pay at all, and others not on time, their contributions which constitute the only source of finance for the agency.The director general pointed to this situation as hampering his effort to recruit personnel of high calibre as well as implementing telecommunications programmes which are essential for a continental agency of the dimension of PANA and for competition in the international news market.
PANA, he affirmed, can only operate on simply provisional basis by constituting a task force as an immediate answer to the ardent and urgent desire of African countries to communicate directly between themselves without intermediaries.
According to the report, in spite of these problems, progress was made in a number of sectors: More countries have adhered to PANA's membership, bringing to 28 the number of countries which have subscribed to the provisions of the convention establishing the agency. Headquarters agreements, according to the director general's report, will soon be concluded between PANA and Senegal, the host country of PANA headquarters and between PANA, Zaire and Sudan which respectively host the Central and East African regional pool headquarters in Kinshasa and Khartoum.
Consultations are underway for the conclusion of similar agreements with Zambia, Libya and Nigeria which respectively host the regional pool headquarters of the agency in Lusaka, Tripoli and Lagos, according to the report.
Although there is still the need for PANA to maximize the performance of its telecommunications network, its eight hours daily transmissions (1000-1800 hours gmt) from the Dakar transmission centre since the 1st December last year have been received by a good number of national news agencies, the report said.
