Afro Nation, Gallywood, and Ghanaian Football: Exploring Accra’s Media and Entertainment Scene | S1 Ep.2 - S1 Ep.2

You're now tuned in to The Sound of Accra. This is the

show where we interview colorful creatives and

entrepreneurs from a Ghanaian background or with

a special interest to the city, bringing you one

step closer to Accra. I'm your

host, Adrian Daniels, and on today's show we're

going to discuss media, entertainment, and

sports in Accra and beyond.

Just to let you know, you You can get the show notes for today's show

by going to thesoundofaccra.com.

I hope you enjoy this one. Sit back, relax, take

care. Now what I have

in terms of the show for you today is an action-packed show. Uh,

we are going to talk about media, we're going to talk about entertainment,

sports surrounding the industry

in Accra. And I'm going

to introduce my guest on this note based on that,

none other than my cousin himself, James Brew

Amasa. My cousin, he is the

founder of Phoenix Creative, a social media agency.

He's a website and social media professional and

a media and entertainment analyst and a football

fanatic in Accra. James, welcome to the

show. Thank you for having me, Adrian, and Happy New Year to each and every

one of you. Happy New Year, or as they will say here, Afisapa.

In Ghana they say Afisapa. Afisapa. Did I get that

pronunciation right? Yeah, yeah, I did. Yeah, yeah, it's

5%. Okay, I'm sure some of you can hear that I'm trying to

speak some Twi. I mean, I did— I used to live in Accra. I'm just

gonna give you a little bit about myself for those who don't know me. I

go by the name of Adrian Daniels. I used to live in Accra

a very, very long time ago. So we're talking about 2001 to

2004. I went to

school in Accra. I went to a school called Morning Star School in

Cantonment, so it's by Osu and Oxford Street. I

went there between the age of 11 and 14. You could probably,

probably predict how old I am, but that's cool, that's okay.

Um, and I lived in Accra when I first moved to Accra.

The sound of Accra to me was very,

very like, I don't know, jungle-like. It was very

rural-like, very, you know,

um, yeah, very— I mean, wasn't a concrete jungle, let's just say that.

But over the years, I've seen Accra develop and become what

it is now, you know, a buzzing city in the West

African, uh, continent. Um, and

it's, you know, becoming one of the top destinations for business, for

investment, for tourism, and for music, which we'll get

into later on. Now I'm back in Accra. I haven't moved

here, but I'm in Accra now, and, you know, um, we're just about to do

this podcast with my cousin. So let's, let's kick it

off. Okay, James. All right, so I mean, let's— I think let's, let's, let's talk

about, um, okay, so we just got I think we're just on the other

side of Afro Nation now. I think, I think the hype has

died down now. You had Afro Nation, you

had, um, Afrochella, you had the Tina

Fest. Um, what do you think that did? First of all, um, how was

that for you? I mean, I wasn't in Accra during that time, but how was

that for you when, like, when, when all of these diasporas

and all these people— I mean, I'm hearing

750,000 visa applications. Yep. Yeah. That

many? That's crazy. Yeah, um, I mean, so the, the

city as Accra would have got a lot of traffic.

Um, first, before I go in further deeper into talking about

music, what was your take on that? Do you think that Accra should have been

a destination for Afro Nation or for Chella? Are we, are

we not built for that kind of infrastructure, even if you know what I mean?

I mean, um, I would say probably it was a bit too soon.

Yeah, but considering everything, I think now we are better equipped

to handle, um, bigger events. Yeah, just

probably not 3 at a go. Yeah, but, um, culturally,

I think it had the impact we wanted. It brought a lot of people back

in touch with their African roots. Yeah, it brought a lot

of, um, capital through tourism. Yeah, and, um,

our musicians had to rub shoulders with some of these guys

that other people look up to and would see that The only

difference between what they do now and where these guys are

is exposure, and that would have been solved to some

extent through their performance, Afrochella and Afro

Nation and Tina Fest. So I think in the end it

had a very positive impact on the sectors that would have benefited

the most from it. Okay, so what you're saying is

economically, um, Afro Nation, Afrochella, that benefited the

benefits the city? Yeah, okay, massively. And what do you think

that did for the, the music scene in Accra? So I mean, I

know there was a number of artists— I mean, I don't really follow Afrobeats too

much, but I know you had the likes of Sakodie, Shatta Wale, people like that.

Yeah, you know, I think they were involved in, in this whole

season. Yeah, um, I mean, what do you think it did for the, the Ghana

or maybe the Accra music scene? What do you think? I mean, for the, for

the established acts like, um, Sakodie, Shatta Wale, yeah,

and cool. It made them further promote their brand. But I think the people

who stood to benefit the most and who actually seized the moment were

the upcoming artists. Um, we all probably heard

about CJ Biggerman and how he approached Rick Ross and got introduced on

stage. Yeah, by Rick Ross. I mean, big ups to CJ Biggerman. I wasn't a

fan. Yeah, of his before that. The only exposure I had about him was when

he featured on Sarkodie's track. Okay, but now I'm going to be listening

out for his music a bit more. With more

anticipation and then more joy, so to speak. Yeah. But I

also think what I would have expected the

ARKs to do was try and get more

collaborations behind the scenes with these artists, not just be

content to sharing the stage with them. But I think the best thing that they

could have done and probably have done, yeah, just that we may find out

later, is there will be more associations

with these bigger acts globally, and that can only

be positive for Ghana and West Africa as a whole.

Because, um, yeah, a lot of people have been complaining that we have

less, um, channels to promote our Ghanaian music even in Ghana.

But that's probably why I think Afro Nation and Afrochella

came here in the first place, because we have something to offer apart

from the venue. True. And the only side is

up. Yeah, because, um, with Afro Nation,

Afrochella, um, we had, we had these

artists, you know, from outside Ghana, but we also had

our own Ghanaian artists as well. Um, and in terms

of collaboration and things like that, I know you had— there were

artists who I believe were in the country

you know, you know, that had collaborations going on

or already had recorded collaborations, but they didn't necessarily jump on

stage together, right? No. So I mean, I heard that Shatta Wale has a song

with Beyoncé. Is that correct? Yeah, um, I think it was part of the Lion

King— oh, the Lion King soundtrack. Oh, so that's where it comes from. Okay, again,

I don't follow the music too much, but I know someone told me that was

the case. Now, I mean, this leads me— this, this segues

nicely into the next question. So this— all these rumors

of Beyoncé supposed to coming down for Afro Nation or to

Ghana for Christmas period, or the year return, um, which you'll probably say for

another podcast, the year return is as a topic itself.

What's your thoughts on that? What actually happened? Did she come? Because I heard she

came down and then she went to the Volta Region or something

very discreetly. Apparently someone spotted a bodyguard and then she must have

took off somewhere. But we definitely spotted her mom. Her mom was definitely

here because until I saw Her mom was here? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay,

great, because we definitely spotted her mom on Twitter, and someone who worked in

the airport I think took a picture and put on Twitter, blah blah

blah. Um, so that was interesting. So I mean, tell us the truth, what actually

happened? Did she come? She not come? Was it the ghost of Beyoncé? Was it

a hologram? Who was it? What was it? Well, I would

say probably they were right when they said Beyoncé was in town, but I think

it was more of, um a personal

visit. I think, um, they probably just wanted to get in touch with

their roots like everybody else, like, um, like Kofi Kingston

did in April, but without the, like,

fanfare. Okay. Yeah, I think it was more to do with

the significance of their year of return rather than their, their,

um, promotional aspect of their year of return for him. Okay. So I mean, do

you think— I mean, this is, this is probably a question I'll ask you, um,

because I said I was going to go away from the year return, but I

think let's bring this year return topic a slightly

into, um, their podcast. So do you think the Year

of Return, Afro Nation, Afrochella— do you think there was too much of a

clash? Um, do you think that was— okay, let me rephrase this question, James. Sorry

about that. Do you think the Year of Return distracted— well,

um, do you think Afro Nation, Afrochella distracted people

from embarking on that Year of Return

experience? Um, I think we probably didn't make the most of

it, um, considering the whole year. Yeah, but, um, I mean,

the tourism industry seemed to have benefited a lot from it. I

hear Ghana raked in like $1.9 billion. Wow.

Just from like, um,

promoting. So over $2 billion generated from this

Year Return campaign? Yeah. That's insane. But I think we

could still have done a whole lot more. I mean,

um, there's a saying that, um, is trending a lot

Accra. Like, basically Accra is Ghana, but at the same

time, Accra isn't Ghana. That's very good. Ghana has a whole lot more. I

mean, I feel if we really wanted to take advantage of the Year of Return,

we should have promoted more of our heritage sites and

other cultural, um, sites. Like, um, a lot of

Ghanaians are not in touch with what their country has to offer because

all they have is Accra. True, very true. I agree with you. School in Cape

Coast and a few other places, but basically all we have is

Accra. It's very true. I think we could have done a lot more, but at

least we made a significant effort and we are moving in the right

direction. Okay, so that's quite interesting. Okay, I mean, we could

talk— maybe, maybe we could do another podcast regarding the year of return, if not

with yourself, maybe someone else, because I feel like I think that is a topic

that needs to get covered. But, um, I mean, let's, let's move

into Teen— I mean, Teenafest. What was Teenafest? You know, I mean, I heard

there was some, you know, some casualties that took place around there. Could you

fill us in more about regarding how that went down, James? Okay,

so, um, Teenafest is supposed to be this cultural festival that's

the brainchild of Fuse, Fuse ODG. Okay. And,

um, I think this was supposed to be the second edition of it, so There

was a trip to Akosombo, there was a

conference at the Accra International Conference Center, and then the biggest part

for, um, fan lovers was supposed to be the event at Labadi

Beach. Okay. And unfortunately it had to end quickly

because the stage, or part of the stage, collapsed. Wow.

On one unfortunate person. I hear he's doing well now, thankfully.

Yeah. And, um, at least Fuse and organizers,

um, came out to render an apology,

have helped that guy with his medical expenses, have been to visit

him in person, which is nice to know. I mean,

nobody wants to hear stuff like that at events, especially when we

are trying to promote our country, but it's nice to know that they at least

paid their due respect to the guy and are making sure that

he, um, gets back up Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, I

think that kind of testifies to how perhaps Ghana wasn't

really ready for all of these festivals and

activities. I mean, I heard, for example, Africella, there was— I think there

was only 2 people scanning the tickets.

Afro Nation, some of the acts came on very

late, the time wasn't managed very well. I

heard, you know, A lot of traffic. People go out, you

know, and just walk to their homes, the destinations. I mean, I think I saw

on Instagram by, uh, Kopi Music, and then it was a Twitter

from a tweet from Kopi Music, and then she got out the car— or actually,

she didn't get out the car. She tweeted saying, I've been stuck in the same

spot for an hour. Yeah, that bad. It's crazy. It's crazy.

I mean, do you think Accra was ready for all of this?

No. Um, Not just because of the amount of people. Okay. But I

think the biggest problem Accra had was not thinking about how

to solve the transportation issue before all these

events. Because I think if— not to— not that I

want to compare, but I mean, if it was the UK, they

have trains. Yeah. They have buses, and then you could drive

your cars. Yeah. And then you could also choose to walk if you wanted to.

So you had options. Yeah, and the

event centers would most likely be connected to at least 2 train stations

or bus platforms. Yeah, giving people the ease of

commuting. Yeah, whereas everybody would either have to drive or be

in an Uber or Bolt or any other alternative to

Uber, and it just, it just choked our

already choked, um,

driveways because people also had to go to work. Yeah, that's true, that's

true. With the timing and everything, it was unbearable. I mean, because of

that, I basically stayed home most of the time during Christmas because I

didn't want to be stuck in traffic and I didn't have to be out. As

a music fanatic yourself, you probably would have wanted to be at

those festivals and these events. Yeah.

You, born, raised in Accra, couldn't even go

yourself. Nope. Do you think a lot of Ghanaians were in your

position? Um, I mean, there are some people who knew their favorite acts were coming,

so through hellfire and brimstone, they were— they had to be

there. I mean, I know a particular girl in

UPSA who is a Burna Boy freak. I wouldn't even go as far as saying

fan, I'll go beyond that, I'll say freak. Okay, who had to be

there. Wow, wow. Okay, so at all costs. So you think some people at

all costs, they were there, they spent money on the tickets? I heard

even, uh, the VIP tickets weren't really VIP tickets. I

heard you had to be VVIP to get anywhere in Afro Nation. Is that

correct? Um, I heard, I heard rumors about that, but, um, I mean, it is

what it is. I mean, Ghanaian events, we usually know that VIP means

it's basically slightly better seats

than popular, so we're kind of used to it. Okay,

so for those of you who aren't familiar with how things work in Accra

or Ghana, Now you know what VIP is. So next time

you buy the VIP ticket to any event in Ghana, you know exactly what you're

getting yourself into. So be very careful, be very aware. You might want to go

for VVIP if possible. If you can— yeah, um, I

mean, talking of Ghana, talking of Accra, how do you think the, you know,

the Afro Nations, the Tina Festivals, Afrochellas, all these events— how do

you think, or how do you think, um, I mean, actually,

I mean, what do you— how do you think, uh that's reflected in terms

of the state of, uh, Afrobeats and Ghanaian

music? I mean, what do you think that did for Ghanaian music? Um, I

think it worked wonders for Ghanaian music

because, um, a lot of the crowd were introduced to new songs from

their favorite acts apart from the songs that they were already dying to

hear. Okay. Which is only great because it shows

that our artists are better equipped now. Yeah. And, uh,

forward thinking, because over the last 5 years, at

least the last 5 years since I started paying attention, Ghanaian acts have been taking

their branding very seriously on their, on their whole. And

it's, it's nice to see. I mean, um,

I know basically, um, Ed Sheeran is more or less

like in love with Ghana because of the experience he got from

Ghanaian acts. Not the fact that they were clamoring around him trying to get collaborations,

but they were happy to show him what Ghana is.

So they said that he now says his favorite meal is waakye or something like

that because, um, yeah, sure, yeah. Wow. Because I think that's, that's to

do with Fuse. Okay. And then I think,

um, um, Burna Boy and, um, Steph London, yeah, also kind of met around

the waakye joints or something, ended up falling in love. Would you

believe? That's mad. Yeah. So all of these

artists you know, no matter how big they are, they still love their

small local food that we all know and love as well. Yeah, yeah, that's

brilliant. That's amazing to know. That's amazing to know. So

yeah, I mean, there you have— there you have it, guys. Um, Afro Nation, Afrochella,

Tina Fest, you know, all of the above. I think you now have

a better idea what went down, uh, during the

Christmas and slightly New Year period.

Okay, we're just gonna talk about movies now.

So we're gonna move on and talk about movies and actors and

films. Um, I just got back from— not today, but I mean the other day

I went to see, um, Gold Coast Lounge. I think you've heard— have you heard

about the Gold Coast Lounge film? Yeah, I've heard about it. Okay, yeah, so

I mean there was a premiere I believe on Friday

or Friday and Saturday last week. Um, I didn't go to the premiere, but I

went to see it myself in Accra Mall. It was an

interesting movie. I got recommended by a

friend to go and see it. I don't know if I should say his name,

I don't know if he'll kill me, but I'm trying to get on the podcast

anyway. So shout out to Anya Tay who put me

on, um, trying to get him on the podcast. But anyway, um, very good

film. I was quite surprised that the whole film was black and

white, but I liked the the

poster design. I like the synopsis. I liked where they were going with

the film. I like how it kind of reflects what we have

in Africa in terms of rivalry, corruption,

and things like that. I won't spoil the film too much for people,

but essentially it's about, um, and it was about—

it's about a sibling who owns a lounge

bar, and things progress in the movie,

and, you know, something happens to him And then as a

result, people within the family and within that circle, they start

to, you know, fight each other for the, for the bout, for the bar

essentially. And I'll keep it there. Um, but

yeah, um, essentially, you know, I think some of the actors, I think, are

they up and coming? Some of the actors, some are established. Um, like

Ajite Anang has been in the industry since, um, Things We Do For Love.

Okay. Which was, um, at least at 2 decades ago. I think I remember that.

I think when I used to— when I used to live in Ghana, I used—

I think I used to see that TV. It was a TV show, right? Yeah,

it was a TV show. I remember that TV show. I was wondering where I

saw him from because I thought he was in Nollywood. But then when you—

when you mentioned that he's a Ghanaian, I

think I remembered seeing him from something else. I think that's— that's it, Things We

Do for Love. Yeah, so he's been around the game for a while, isn't it?

At least from early 2000s, because that's when I was living in Accra. That's when

I saw him on TV. Um, But yeah, it was a

great film. He was a great actor, by the way. I like— shout out to

him. And anybody else who's up and coming? Anthony

Wood. Anthony Wood has been in a few good movies, okay, for

the last 2 years at least, okay? And, um, he's somebody who now

I have a personal interest in, okay? And I'm always looking

out for his new movies so I see just

how dynamic his, um, his range is.

Yeah, so hi Anthony, keep doing what you're

doing and, um, never lose faith. You've heard it

from James, excellent stuff. And in terms of, I mean,

in terms of the industry,

Gallywood, what's actually happened right now in terms of the existing stars

and the, and the up-and-coming stars? Are they

getting outshined by the, by the up-and-coming ones, the existing ones? Do they feel like

they are left behind now? Um, well, I'll say

the smart ones are accepting their role as

veterans and are making the most out of it.

For example, um, you know how we earlier mentioned, um, Things We Do For Love?

Yeah. So like, for the last 5 years, there's been a

spin-off, so to speak, of it called YOLO. Okay. Which has also

further gone to introduce new acts, but then keep the

transition between Things We Do for Love in place. So, um,

Majid Michel is in it, Ajite Anang is still in it,

Jackie Appiah is also in it. Yeah. And they have really significant

roles that those who sort of lost touch with them after Things We

Do for Love went off air can relate to. Yeah. And at the same time,

those who are getting used to them for the first time

through YOLO can fully grasp onto because it's

relatable. Okay, that makes sense. Now that totally makes a lot of sense.

I mean, It's good how some of these films or

these TV shows, they want to bring the veterans back into

things because it does still attract an audience at the end of the day.

Yeah, but sometimes you have to pave way and make, make space for

the up-and-coming people to come through and take the throne

eventually. Okay. Yes, I mean, how do you think Gallywood— for those that don't know

who— get what Gallywood is, Gallywood is essentially the end— the movie

industry in Ghana. You know, like how America has Hollywood

and Nigeria has Nollywood? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Ghana

has Gallywood. That's what we have. And are we still selling—

are we still selling these movies and these CDs that you can get from the

shops and stuff, or have we moved on to MP3s and,

uh, YouTube and stuff? A bit

of both. Um, okay. I mean, um, Ghana actually has two

movie industries. Um, Gallywood for

the so-called foreign movies, the English dialect-based

movies. Okay. And, um, Kumawood for the local

dialect. Okay, so that's the truth behind it. I actually just saw a version

of Mortal Kombat. You would, you would laugh.

I think I can imagine what it looks like because I think there was

a, uh, a movie called 2016 from

Nigeria. I can't remember, from Ghana. And then I saw some Mortal Kombat type moves

on there, which is quite funny. Okay, that's great

stuff, man. So I mean, there you have it in terms of the Garden movie

scene. And I, I know that you're quite— I know you're a Ravens sports

fan. Yeah, you're a Ravens sports fan. And you know, and, um, I think that's

one thing we— I've been— I think other than just being related

by blood, I think there's other things we have in common, and that is in

supporting Manchester United. That's right, man, that's right. Um, I

know it's not been a great season for Manchester

United. Um, but for those of you who are not familiar with Ghana, with Accra,

Tutuof, uh, one thing that Accra has is

the sound of raving Manchester United fans, even

though some of them have never even stepped foot in Old Trafford.

Ladies and gentlemen, myself included, my

cousin testified I have, so I can put my hand up to

that. Um, I went with my friends Toby and Timmy

and Tishay. Shout out to Toby, Timmy, Tishay, the Lodi armies, um, some

of my best friends out there in England. Um, but yeah, we went to—

we went to watch a Europa League final. I think, uh, Serge— I

think it's, um, so I can't remember, I can't remember our

goalkeeper, our second goalkeeper. Romero? Yeah, yeah, Romero was in

goal. And then we had like, uh, people like, um, Rashford and Lingard warming up,

but we never saw them. But anyway, we don't want to get

too sidetracked, but essentially United is massive

in Ghana. I think probably— would you say Manchester United is the

biggest Premier League team in Ghana in terms of supporters-wise?

I'll say Chelsea's ahead of us. Chelsea's ahead? What? Since

when? Um, what Chelsea— what Chelsea capitalized on was the fact that Essien, okay,

um, was not just a player for them but a really good one. Yeah, so

it attracted a whole lot of people at the right time. Of course, I remember

that because I'm— even I remember Essien when he was big in Chelsea, and when

he went to Real Madrid, that's how big he was. I mean, yeah, I don't

think any other Ghanaian player has gone to Real Madrid. Nope. I think Essien is

probably— would you say Essien is the most successful Ghanaian football player so far? Oh

yeah, without a doubt, based on just footballing reasons. Yes, footballing reasons.

Okay, that's fine. And what other Ghanaian players would you say that come close to

him, or can, could, could have come close? Um, if it wasn't for

the injury, oh, that's Stephen Appiah. Stephen Appiah. Because I mean, to hold on

a starting position in Juventus then Yeah, with, um,

Del Piero and co. Was— yeah, so there's no mean feat. Yeah.

And what about Kwadwo Amponsah? I think he left Juventus, right? Yeah,

he's underrated because, um, to play for two of the top

three clubs in Italy is no joke. It's no joke. I mean, most

people can't even get into the stadiums as footballers, just

as— yeah, members of the bench or members of the squad. You've been

a starter for both Juventus and Inter Milan. Okay, based

on your quality, based on your experience, based on your versatility. Yeah.

And you're still, you're still doing the job. So I mean, Kojo

Asamoah is massively underrated for what he does, and Ghanaians are

not giving him enough credit. Great, that's, that's excellent. Yeah, I

mean, he's, he's, I think he's a decent guy, um, but I think, I

think it's quite, I think it's quite, um, good

because a lot of Ghanaian players have gone to Europe, they've gone gone to

Premier League, they've gone to Serie A, Serie A. I think there's some in, um,

La Liga. Yeah, I think there's some that have gone to La Liga or are

in La Liga. Um, it's really good. What do

you think the journey is for them, James, to go from—

what's that, what's the, um, the Ghana league called again? Ghana Premier League. Ghana Premier

League. To go from the Ghana Premier League to the Premier League and Serie A,

Serie A, all these top leagues across Europe, even

America. What's the journey like to get there? It's

really difficult. It's really difficult to get

noticed in this part of the world. Yeah. Especially

when you have to deal with everything else that everybody has to go through in

Ghana, which is job security or the lack of it.

Yeah. And it's a headache. It's a headache. I mean,

imagine having a kid or knowing someone and trying

to help him pursue his dream of being a professional footballer in

Ghana when there's no money to send him to an

academy or to help him get noticed by scouts or to

probably compile a video, um, to get

to send to a scout. I mean, it's hard, but to

those who've made it and for those who have not only made it but are

trying to help others get there, yeah, massive, massive

respects. Wow. So is that essentially— hmm, how do I

put that— is that essentially the process for you think some Ghanaians

would have taken to get to those leagues? You know, it's just being

scouted, whether online or offline, and then it just goes from there.

So yeah, I mean, some people have even gone, um, to

more extreme options like finding other jobs

and hoping to get noticed playing Sunday football or something.

Wow, is that hard? So it's tough. So just as tough as it

may be in England, it's just as tough in Ghana here?

Yeah, probably harder here because,

um, unfortunately the league went on an enforced break. I don't want to get

into too many details, but it went on an enforced break. I only just resumed

like at the end of December. Really? Why did it go on a break? Um,

something to do with the GFA getting dissolved um, due

to some perceived corruption issues.

Okay, so for those that don't know what the GFA is, could you explain to

them? Um, the GFA is the Ghana Football Association,

and, um, it's the governing body for everything football related

in Ghana other than beach soccer. Wow,

beach soccer. I don't even know beach soccer takes place, but now I'm learning

that there is. Okay, and in terms

of The Premier League. I know the Premier League gets a lot of

love, you know, in Ghana. A lot of love. It's probably the most

watched sports— sporting event in Ghana. Is that

correct? No argument there. No argument there. Argument there. Yeah, I mean, you've

got basket— but that's the interesting thing, James. Like, I know Ghana

loves America a lot, but at the same time, in terms of the most watched

sports or the most played sport, it's football and it's the Premier

League. Why that over American football, over NBA, over all of

these things which are also popular? Tennis, you know, if I should sum it up

in one word, I'll say relatability.

Relatability. Yeah, a lot of Ghanaian fans are fans of not just

the Premier League but specific clubs because they have players they could relate

to. For example, a lot of Arsenal fans were initially there because of

Nwankwo Kanu. Okay. And then with, um, Lauren and

any other African acts,

Adebayo. Yeah. And, um, the Toure's, um,

Kolo. And then, um, Yaya went to Man City and brought my

fans there for them. True. But Chelsea have been the ones who

really benefit from the exposure of African players to the

Premier League via TV sets because they had Kalou, they

had Essien, they had, um, Malouda,

of French origin but African descent. And

then, um, So many. I mean, I, I'm pretty sure I've missed like 6 African

players who've played for Chelsea. It's been that many. Yeah, it's not like they were

just adding up to the numbers. They all had really

important roles to play for the club, which just made us love them

more, or love to hate them more, depending on whether they were against your club

or for your club. Excellent. Yeah, and I

remember that, um, Marcel Desailly Even though he

lives, or he's, or he was playing in France, or lived in France, whatever,

he's, he's Ghanaian, isn't he? Yeah. And he's here, he's got a house here and

everything, he loves it. Yeah, I think he's back and forth, um, but yeah,

he's, he's a Ghanaian as well. Um, what do you think about some of these

players now who are now kind of starting to retire and come

back to Ghana, you know, do more things in Ghana? I think Essien's trying to

do more for Ghana, right? Yeah, um, Essien, and, um, I think

Asamoah Gyan I mean, I know for a fact that

John has built, um, an

ultra-modern AstroTurf pitch. Yeah,

for his, um, Alma Mesa Academy. Okay. And I know he's doing

more. He's doing more for not just sports in Ghana

but business. I think he has a, he has a

boxing, um, club. Okay, it's club the right word. He has a boxing

promotion. And, um, I think he even has his own airline. Would you

believe? Yeah, that's Sammo Chan. Yeah, well, I mean, so I mean, he's doing a

lot. Okay, I mean, I didn't know he had his own airline. I think he—

is his own academy called Baby Jet Academy or something like

that? Um, I think so. Yeah, I mean, it will make more sense because he's

promoting the Baby Jet brand. Yeah, yeah. So I think it will make more sense

that he keeps the academy under the same brand name. Yeah, but I mean, why

would he have his own airline? I mean, I don't think he's making that much

money. I mean, he's pretty much retired, right? Yeah, from, from, uh, the club

football. From— at least for sure he's retired from club football. Yeah, because you don't

see him play anymore. And I think he played in Saudi Arabia, whatever, just for

money. Just for money. And he left Sunderland. He was doing pretty well there a

long time ago. That was funny, man. How furious were Ghanaians

when he left the Premier League for Saudi Arabia and Dubai,

etc.? Personally, I was shocked. Um, I can't really say I'm over

it. Yeah, because I mean, you were playing for Sunderland I had a

few rumors that clubs that are often in the Champions

League were scouting because of the amount of goals and assists he

was getting at Sunderland. And the next move you make is

to, uh, somewhere in Dubai. It didn't make business sense to

me till I heard how much his contract was worth. Yeah. And

at first I was like, why move for money?

But I'm pretty sure he had a lot of reasons. Wow,

wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.

Yeah, um, yeah, that's something I never understood. But I mean, I think it was

clear that the more he went on in his career as Sammo Chan, I think

the more we understood that he was in it for the money. Yep. And obviously

we all know that Africans love money, Black people love money. Well, I mean, that's

the typical ones anyway. And I mean, I don't

think he's— I don't think he's— shout out to Sammo Chan anyway, but Um,

I feel like he's wasted money sometimes as well. I mean, did you see the

house he built in Accra? Yeah, um, it's actually pretty close to where

I live. Yeah, it is actually. We can probably see his

house from here. Yeah, I think it was a

wasted project. People cussed him on YouTube saying his

house wasn't that great, blah blah blah. Um, but yeah, I

mean, what did you think of the house? Did you see it? Um, I saw

it, I saw it, uh, I mean, sometimes I try to

relate with them. I mean, you usually look for what you don't

have, and when you grow up without having a lot,

yeah, you strive to get so much more than you

need. So it's true. I mean, sometimes I have some understanding, but at the same

time, when you're supposed to be a role model to

others, I'm scared about the picture you're painting for them.

Yeah. Because I've heard of a lot of Ghanaian legends

who didn't properly invest when they were getting

regular streams of income, especially from sports,

and they've lived to regret it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you wouldn't want

that to be the story for the new generation of Ghanaian footballers coming

up. So at least if they see how well you've

invested from your active playing days, it just might change the culture

of having to live large. Yeah,

absolutely. I mean, I've seen some of these players, you

know, they buy all these big cars, these chains,

and I think a lot of the players, they've been influenced by what they see

on TV. Yeah, you know, how some of these celebrities or

music artists use their money, and they've tried to emulate that, which is quite

sad. But I mean, let's not forget that there are other players

who do put their money to good use. I mean, not even just

Ghanaian players, um, I mean, you have, you know, like

people like, uh, N'Golo Kanté, Sadio

Mane, Mohamed Salah, who actually use the money for better

things. Yeah, I mean, progress the nations. I mean, the biggest example I've heard

of is Mane. I mean, I think he donates about half of

his weekly salary to his village in

Senegal. Wow. And basically is he's striving to redevelop

the place. I mean, he's built a stadium for them. I hear he donates

money to each and every family. Wow. Regularly,

not like just, um, as and when. He does this

often. And, um, when you bring that back to Ghanaians, um, Christian

Atsu for Newcastle. Okay. I hear he's taking this upon

himself to rehabilitate, um, prisoners back into

society in Ghana. That's good, which is huge. I mean, maybe

we won't see the impact now, but in a few years we would

be really happy for what he's doing because a lot of these people

are probably incarcerated for mistakes

or for being in unfortunate situations.

So they could be of use to society if you just guide them.

Yeah, otherwise as soon as they come out, they're just basically going

back. Absolutely, absolutely. Um, I mean, it's good to hear that some, you know,

not all Ghanaians are squandering resources, that not all Ghanaians, you

know, have, you know, made bad decisions, but there are some that are doing good

and they're making change of the resources they have and with the opportunities they've

been given. Yeah, that's amazing stuff. Okay, and I

hear that in the Ghana Premier League that, you know, there are teams named

after the— almost named after the English Premier League,

like Chelsea. Yeah, we have Chelsea. We

have Arsenal, and somewhere lower in the divisions, we actually have Manchester

United and Bayern Munich. Yeah, that's interesting. That's

really interesting. That's quite funny. I mean, and that just shows you how much

the Ghanaians here, um, admire the Premier

League as one of the— as I said before, the

most popular sporting events in Accra that's

followed in terms of, in terms of having a following, having your following. How

many Ghanaians roughly do you feel like they follow the Premier League? I mean,

population-wise, how many, how many follow? How much would

you estimate? At least 8 million. Um, I'll say at

most 15 million, but at least 8 million. So probably at least half the Ghana

population, yeah, perhaps follows the Premier League. That's staggering

results, that's staggering numbers. And that just shows you why the Premier League is

as big as it is and Why is generating the revenue it

is? Because, you know, there's people like us out here in Ghana who really admire

the Premier League. That's amazing. Okay,

and James, um, what comes to

you, um, when someone talks about Accra? You

know, what comes to mind? What places, food,

people, things come to mind when, when someone mentions Accra? I mean,

what is the sound of Accra to you? Okay, I'll say

the sound of Accra is one of hustle and

dreams, where everybody's trying to make sure that his today is better than

his tomorrow. Yeah, oh sorry, better than his yesterday. Yeah, and making sure that

his tomorrow is something that

has green grass in front of him. Let me, let me use that

expression. And everybody is trying to

promote Ghana to some extent without actually knowing it. Because, um, whilst

you're trying to do good for yourself and by your family, yeah, you want your

friends to do well as well. And if

everybody helps, we do get better.

And you, on a large scale, you do see people helping

others whether they have it or not. You do see people really trying to lift

others in Accra. So It's all about hustle, about dreams as

well. I like, I like how you put that, all about hustle, not just

hustle but also dreams. I mean, I think it's a nice kind

of oxymoron there. Yeah, you know, um, what's actually quite

funny is I heard, um, T.I., when T.I. came, the

American artist T.I. came, I heard, I think Cardi B as well, but I

heard when T.I. came, I think they were filming some parts of Hustle and

Flow, the film, the sequel. I think the first one's really good, but the

sequel to Hustle and Flow is— I don't know if you heard about that. Yeah,

okay. I mean, I, I, I watched the first one. I hadn't quite figured out

why he was in Ghana, but now that you've added this, it makes a whole

lot of sense. It makes a lot of sense just because I think Accra can

give that vibe. I think that's one of the many vibes Accra can give,

that hustle, that flow, that I've got to achieve my

dreams kind of thing. Yeah, I mean, um, Um,

but yeah, I mean, there you have it. I mean, that is Accra essentially. It's

one part, that's one flavor of Accra you would get.

And what's one tip or

recommendation you make to someone who has never been to Accra, who, or who really

wants to come to Accra, that you would give to

someone? If the person actually has Ghanaian

friends, I would advise that they take them to what makes

Accra tick. Go to the people. Yeah, get,

get the experience as an everyday Ghanaian would get,

not, um, what like the tourism agencies will show you. That's

how you would truly appreciate what Ghana and Accra you

have to offer. The person doesn't have Ghanaian friends, yeah,

by all means do experience the

tourism agency's packages. Yeah, and, um,

try and see if you can explore for yourself. You, you would enjoy it that

way if you do actually have the chance to explore.

Okay, thank you, James. I think you've been brilliant on

the podcast. Thank you for, thank you for, um, taking time out to be in,

be on the show. Anytime, bro. And,

uh, I know you have a social media agency and a web agency.

That's probably for another podcast that we'll probably have to save for the

future. Um, would you want to come back in the future? We can talk about

that. Oh yes, 100%. And how can people get in touch with

you? How can people find out more about your agency and what you do,

etc.? What's the best way? Okay, so, um, I'm very active on social

media, um, on Facebook and LinkedIn. I'm James Ruremisa and my

company is Phoenix Creatives, and I have a blog called The

Brew Show. Okay, but on Twitter and

Instagram It's Phoenix Creatives and the Brew

Show 3690. Um, I added my date of birth to the handle just so

that it has a personal touch. Brilliant. Okay, I like how you did

that. Um, for those of you wondering how to spell out Phoenix Creative, don't worry,

we'll have it on the show notes. Um, so in terms of getting

the show notes, um, you can either

visit

londontoaccra.com/the-sound-of-accra or you can visit

thesoundofaccra.com. Okay, well, I've been Asian Daniels

and I was joined with James Brew-Amisa.

And until then, we'll speak to you in the next

one. Take care. Bye everyone. Bye everybody, take care.

So that was episode 2 with James

Brew-Amisa. I hope you all enjoyed the episode. Just a

gentle reminder, you can get the show notes for today's show

by going to

thesoundofacra.com. Got a question or you know someone who'd be great for the

show? Drop us an email and we'll see what we

can

do at info@thesoundofacra.com. Many more episodes to come. Hope you're

enjoying the ride and we'll see you next time. Take care.