Tain, tripwires, twitters, towel,and Taylor's twangs!!

Woke up to blog today's famous Tain run-off, described as the factor that will determine the winner of the presidential election in Ghana, Nana Akufo Addo or Prof John Attah Mills. Fifty three registered voters will determine the winner in the postponed run-off. Still there are legal hurdles the Electoral authorities must get over as the two parties, the NDC and the NPP are challenging the voting in the each others strongholds.
Meanwhile appeals are being made for the two parties to accept the results of today's election. CDD, a think tank went further to call on NPP to throw in the towel and not to resort to legal processes that would delay a handover within the constitutionally stipulated time frame.
A preacher man is reported to have referred to the story in the bible about the controversy over the ownership of a baby by two women. One woman wanted the baby cut into two halves and the other wanted to let go the baby. The preacher man felt one party should concede defeat in the interest of the nation. I understand him as implying that whoever compromises would be adding a plus to his political prospects.
News is coming in that the ruling party, the NPP plans to boycott the election in Tain because the atmosphere is not conducive to holding of a peaceful election. Security personnel have blanketed Tain. Not only security personnel, journalists and of course new media users including a resident American Peace Corps twitter, Amos informed me yesterday. The twitter,( or is it twitterer?) confirmed the heavy security presence.
Before starting my blogging this morning, I had to quickly join in a discussion on Africatalks.org about a Ghanaian musician,Uncle Ebo Taylor's new album launched in New York. Not a diversion from politics at all. Read on and see at least how music meets or mixes with politics. But don't be dissappointed with the rather too many questions posed and the typos. Read on, please.


hello,
Doc, it is a pity that i cannot watch most of the numerous videos you have been posting...because of poor internet connectivity.God knows when most Ghanaian internet users would get over these problems.
I must confess I have not watched your piece on Ghanaian Afrobeat Rocks New York. But permit me to make some quick general comments and pose some questions others have already asked.
Let's congratulate Uncle Ebow for his neo traditional Afrobeat album and thank him for his next AfricaNext show.
Why are Ghanaian Stars not making it on the international music scene?.. as Cameroun's Manu Dibango, Yousour Ndour of Senegal? Is it because they are based in Europe?
Is it the type of stuff they play?
Why did Ghanaian Osibisa make it? (I still love their tracks and of course, 'sound of the gong gong'.
Have Ghanaian governments been really promoting music?
Maybe not much, that is why some musicians became politicians with some of them crossing carpet or changing their political costume. They are like other Ghanaians. free to choose,and to associate with. (Musicians played big roles in sending across the message of politicians).Some of he musicians who supported politicians explained that they did so because they felt the policies of the politicians would enhance the music industry. Does the involvement of musicians in politics affect their future?
Sometimes too much lip service is paid to the development of the arts. Do we support musicians well enough?
Pirating milks them dry. What of payola?
The internal wranglings among musician unions is not helping the development of the music industry.
Maybe Uncle Ebow would tell us how he is making it and how the music industry in Ghana can be built upon.
To end this, join me in saying good bye to Ghanaian musical legend, Kofi Ghanaba, the Master Drummer, difficult to understand sometimes. Years ago he decided to hand over some of his collections to Nigerian institution because he felt Ghana had no use for them. He is gone but his works live on.. that is the legacy of good creativity.
Well, latest ... the voting has started in Tain, some voters pleased to be deciding who the next Prez would be and not intimidated at all by the heavy security presence.