Shabazz carries beat to Ghana!
Dr. Shabazz in front of the Accra International Conference Center in 1998!
The Africa Union just celebrated its 50th anniversary last month as African dignitaries came from around the continent to chart a course for the next 50 years. Started as the Organization of African Unity in 1963, the idea was inspired by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s idea of a united Africa. In a 1958 speech to the African People’s Congress, he gave a vision of the “United States of Africa”. Dr. Nkrumah had just led Ghana to its independence in 1957 and while his vision has yet to be realized, Pan-African unity remains the platform of progress.
Part of the vision of The Chess Drum is similar and Pan-African in its essence… to connect chess players of the Africa Diaspora and to show the world the accomplishments of players of African descent. Conversely, the idea is also to expose the African Diaspora top-level events. The Chess Drum will return to the land of the Black Star and hopes to visit with the chess community, report on the activities, and perhaps get some first-hand interviews.
Stay tuned!!
Daaim Shabazz having just arrived in Ghana, June 25th, 2013.
Bon voyage! Wish I could be there to carry your briefcase! Have fun!
Thanks brethren! I’ll send greetings from you to Ghanaian chess community.
Daaim,
You appear to be a part of the painting!
Have fun and please convey best wishes to our brothers and sisters from Ghana on behalf of the Jamaican Chess fraternity.
Last night me and a Ghanaian friend were having a conversation about various Caribbean countries and the African ties. He spent some time in Jamaica and we were discussing similarities of cuisine and culture. It was interesting.
I will post pictures here for those who may not have access to Facebook.
I have been called by the Ghana Chess President and there will be a tournament which I will cover this upcoming weekend! Stay tuned!
Welcome!
Daaim Shabazz having just arrived in Ghana, June 25th.
Students from Florida A&M University in Ghana.
The ubiquitious ads around Ghana.
Happy!
Customs
Yussif is leading the contingent.
My workstation for two weeks… laptop, blender, travel iron, herbal supplements, dried fruits and bug repellent… among other things.
You need to state “Jamaican reggae music” specifically!
LOL….. that was funny Ian. Daaim , have a good trip and looking forward to the tournament report.
Dr. Yussif plotting out the schedule.
brunch
Junior Yussif brings greetings…
… then passes out a kola nut for us to chew as part of tradition.
Quite bitter with a smooth aftertaste.
Discussion about local customs.
Group shot with the Chief
Good to be back in Ghana!
My residence for two weeks.
A common site throughout Ghana.
One of the many beautiful billboards throughout the country.
A streethawker is yet to get his day started.
Very interesting office building
Samsung is omnipresent here in Ghana and such billboards help the cause.
You can buy virtually anything on the road.
The specialty here seem to be snack foods.
Delta flies from New York’s Kennedy. They cancelled the Atlanta-Accra flight years ago.
Captivating! Gets my attention… 🙂
Founding Fathers
Chinese companies have heavily vested here.
Kofi Annan Center for Peacekeeping
While I didn’t always agree with his Excellency’s decisions as Secretary General, his center is an interesting model for Africa. That is only if it is not dominated by external powers.
School kids… ever jubilant.
Boys marveling with cell phone, a market that has exploded in Africa. Africans are much more fanatical about cell phones than any people I’ve seen. Perhaps this is due to having skipped so many stages of communication. This is the first platform in which they have been able to catch up.
These boys were singing and chanting.
Street vending is widespread in Africa and it is actually a very good method of distribution. You can buy virtually anything on the street. The drawback is the risk involved. However, it is very convenient.
A special day.
HUGE termite mounds
African women have mastered the concept of good posture and dignified walk.
Ahomka… made by an American company.
Orange juice is very good for you! 🙂
Residential compound for the President and his cabinet.
President John Dramani Mahama
At the Nkrumah center, we saw a beautiful couple who were just married.
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah pointing to the Ministry of Justice building where he signed the proclamation for independence.
Resplendent!
This is an extension of the Soul Vegetarian franchise in the U.S.
Independence Square
Carnival! Now we know where the the Caribbean and Latin America received inspiration.
Yep… fast food consumption is increasing…
…including popular brands.
I prefer these foods!
W.E.B. DuBois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture. Dr. DuBois is known by some to by the “Father of Pan-Africanism” but there are many other who preceded him in the quest to unite Africans.
🙂
Polo in Ghana???
Happiness at wedding reception.
Ghanaian fashion
Here is the bride!
More Ghanaian fashion
A bit of a refreshment and then…
…time to party!!
Congratulations and best wishes!
Nice jazz bar… +233.
Good times!
We will look at some natural beauty today. This is the beauty of cleaning up a mess after a wedding. What the cleaners didn’t get…
…the scavengers got. These boxes were soon cleared away, but the birds remained trying to get morsels of food left in the soil.
A fallen tree. A closer look shows…
…it was completely ravaged by termites.
Could there be a Michael Jordan on the premises? Probably how Hakeem Olajuwon started in Nigeria.
These are prickly pear cacti.
Birds eating flowers.
Pretty birds eat flowers while ugly birds eat food scraps after weddings!
We have some of the same tree and plants in Florida, but not this one. Smells like jasmine.
Interesting tree with a twisted bark.
Nice ad for Milo!
University of Ghana Basic School
More enrichment
Gooooaaaallll!
Not sure, but looks like a millipede. Bigger than any I’ve seen.
Bought some fruit and made a drink with my NUTRiBULLET.
More African beauty…
This is the back… stunning! Hard to believe this insects start out as ugly larvae.
One of my favorites thus far on this trip.
Married Muslim woman
Taken at night while…
…getting some coconut water… delish!
The graceful walk of a Ghanaian woman!
Mothers will understand this photo.
This is raw sewage flowing in the gutter. Sanitation is one of Africa’s biggest obstacles to development in health and prosperity.
The marketplace… very vibrant!
I was actually walking forward with the camera at my waist and snapping pictures. I hate to make people uncomfortable by pointing the camera. This is a zoomed shot. I was a bit farther away and this woman has a somewhat intriguing look at me. 🙂 I never noticed her in reality.
My friend Yussif buying mangoes. They were huge!
Good?
One of the many traditions of the African Diaspora worldwide… hairbraiding.
One of the more surprising trends in Africa…
the popularity of wigs and long weaves.
University of Ghana-Legon’s School of Business
Library… beautiful building!
Ghana Air Force Training Centre
Me at University of Ghana-Legon’s School of Business
STORIES
It is interesting how our lives are separate but at some point in time they cross. Oftentimes we do not recognize each other, yet we are all trying to grow and flourish at the same time. Look at the following five photos:
Seemingly all separate occurrences but…
… our stories often cross paths!
Sometimes our creativity in expression gets the best of us! See it? 😯
A place where I would eat Ghanaian porridge.
This was porridge made with corn, millet, sugar and ginger. Very tasty!!
Beautiful!
These billboards are enough to put you in a good mood.
Will be covering tournament in Ghana today. Stay tuned!!
This is the Dutch pub where Ghanaian players play.
Edward Lamptey Thompson and Kojo Hasford play a friendly as Sekou Nkrumah looks on.
In case you are wondering, Sekou Nkrumah is the son of the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, visionary and first President of Ghana. He was named after Sekou Toure’, Guinea’s first President and the man who made Dr. Nkrumah co-President after he was deposed.
Players wait for the start of the round. Edward Sosu visits.
Finale’… Kwadwo vs. Kojo, 1/2-1/2.
Me with George Arko-Dadzie, President of Chess Association.
Winners… Kwadwo Bonsu and Kojo Hasford. Incidentally, both names are pronounced the same. Also pictured is Carlton Hushie, the young upstart.
Full report coming!
Great job! Excellent pics!
Story coming! Still recovering.
Inside Look at Ghana Chess
https://www.thechessdrum.net/blog/2013/07/11/inside-look-at-ghana-chess/
lovely pictures !
I have a few more I will add.