GRi Arts & Culture 03 - 07 - 2002
"Who Killed The Judges?" launched
Accra (Greater Accra) 03 July 2002- Many Ghanaians bear scars or wounds inflicted on their psyche during the dark days of the revolutionary era of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC)/ Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) /National Democratic Congress (NDC).
So widespread were the atrocities that very few families escaped untouched, Mr Kwame Pianim, Chairman of the New World Investment Limited, said when he launched a book entitled "Who Killed The Judges?" on Friday in Accra.
Mr Pianim said during that period, most Ghanaians were forced into exile for fear of their life, while "the aged were not allowed to finish their years in peace and die, and be buried among their ancestors."
He stated that those, who became victims of circumstances and did not commit any heinous acts of terrorism, were made to suffer undue justice. The book, authored by Ex-Chief Superintendent of Police, Jacob Jabuni Yidana, had the first copy auctioned at one million cedis. They would be released on the market for 70,000 cedis per copy.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency later, Mr Yidana stressed that he wrote the book in the difficult circumstances of exile, and that, the plot and details were kept alive in the memory of "a man who suffered the agonies and dehumanising conditions of Ghanaian prisons." The author disclosed that he spent 3,382 days as the guest of the PNDC in prison.
Mr Yidana's book is a tribute to the courage and personal sacrifice of people like Apostle Barnabas, who had to flee into exile, because he tried to pursue the truth, after initially flirting with the revolution, in pursuit of the social ideals it promised.
Mr Frederick Awuku Asante of the Ministry of the Interior, who chaired the function, said it was his hope that the reading public would patronise the book "and relive the sad events of this national tragedy that are so competently recorded by the author".
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Accra (Greater Accra) 03 July 2002 - Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) on Tuesday announced measures to ban songs that contained vulgar lyrics that undermined the moral values of society.
In this direction, "A committee has been set up to review such songs and advise the composers to make the necessary changes. If they failed to comply, MUSIGA will liase with the various radio stations and other end users to ban such works," Alhaji Sidiku Buari, President of MUSIGA is reported by the GNA as saying in an interview.
The Union said it will also endorsed sanctions against the composers as well, if they fail to comply. "We have a lot of talents in the music industry and unfortunately some of them are able to sell their songs with such lyrics. We have a code of ethics as a union and we have to abide by it."
Alhaji Buari, who is also the Acting President of Copyright Society of Ghana (COSGA), alleged that some Disc Jockeys (DJ's) collected money before playing the latest songs of musicians, saying it did not promote fair play.
He said ever since COSGA came under an interim management it had been able to collect over 150 million cedis as royalties within the past six months, which was being paid to musicians.
"I anticipate that by the end of the year we would collect over 500 million cedis and for the first time hip-life musicians are also receiving royalties and I advise all those who have not collected their money to do so. "We are working very hard to ensure that the copyright owners get whatever is due them." Alhaji Buari said he welcomed the auditing of the books of COSGA to determine why Musicians did not enjoy royalties in the past."
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