The Arts and Tourism Writers Association of Ghana (ATWAG) held its handing over ceremony and new year party on Saturday, January 15, 2022.

The programme took place at the Accra Tourist Information Centre, with members of the association and other arts stakeholders in attendance.

The induction and handing-over ceremony was conducted by Mr Prince Osisiadan, a Lawyer, who urged the members to be wary of defamatory stories that may land them in trouble.

This comes after ATWAG elected new executive committee members on December 17, 2021.

The Chief Executive Officer of ImageBureau and host of Showbiz A to Z on Joy FM, George Nii Armah Quaye, was voted as President of the association. He took over from William Asiedu, a venerated journalist.

The Vice-President position was won by freelance radio and television host Livingstone Lotsu, who took over from Francis Doku, General Manager of MGTV (TV3 and Onua TV) and arts writer with Graphic Showbiz.

Hagar Gyebuwaa Owusu of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation emerged as
the Treasurer of the Association, with Rebekah Awuah taking over from arts and entertainment journalist, Reagan Odei Ofosu Osarfo (Nana Reagan) as secretary.

Fashion designer, Vera Adu-Amaning also took over from Mustapha Nii Okai Inusah, a writer with modernghana.com as the organiser.

The Research Officer position for the next four years will be occupied by Stanley Awuku Wilson, a blogger with Ashaiman TV.

Citi FM’s Kwame Dadzie handed over the baton to entertainment journalist, Gloria Akpene-Acquah aka MzGee as the Public Relations Officer.

The out-going President, William Asiedu, in his address, recounted the hard work and dedication that went into building the association and admonished members to uphold the tenets of the profession and work towards making their work as arts and tourism writers more impactful.

Speaking at the ceremony, the new President of ATWAG, George Nii Armah Quaye promised he would do all things within his power to elevate the association from where the previous administration left off.

He, therefore, urged the members to put all hands on deck to make sure they achieve their desired goals.

About ATWAG

The Arts and Tourism Writers Association of Ghana (ATWAG) is an association of Ghanaian arts writers/journalists and media workers.

ATWAG seeks to promote arts, tourism and culture reporting in Ghana while developing the professional capacity and the welfare of its members.

ATWAG is also aimed at promoting co-operation and collaboration among its members and players in the arts, tourism and culture value chain.

Twitter continues to be the platform for real time conversation and engagement on trending topics. This week recaps some of the trends and stories making highlights.

AFCON: Black Star losses to Morocco

Fans were excited ahead of the opening tournament between Ghana Black Stars and Morocco,  with loads of  well wishes to #TeamGhana. One of the show stopping goodwill messages was a Tweet by the US Embassy Ghana, showing the US Ambassador’s support as she rocked a Black Stars jersey. As it turned out, the Black Stars disappointingly lost 1-0  to Morocco; an 83rd-minute Sofiane Boufal goal gave The Atlas Lions the crucial win. Ghanaians expressed their views and analysis  on Twitter with #Afcon2021, and top media channels like Citi Sports and Joy Sports Tweeted their reactions.

It's game time! All the best to the Black Stars of Ghana in the #AFCON2021. Go #BlackStars Go! pic.twitter.com/eYLygJ256l

— U.S. Embassy Ghana (@USEmbassyGhana) January 10, 2022

Juliet  Bawuah and Gary Al-Smith bring AFCON Updates to Fans on Twitter

Two of Ghana’s finest sports journalists will be bringing sports fans around the clock coverage and behind the scenes content on the on-going AFCON tournament via Twitter. Juliet Bawuah and Gary Al-Smith shared the exciting news in Tweets  via their handles. Tweeting about it, Gary also revealed the official hashtag to share real time stories.

Some (more) personal news.

This #AFCON2021, I've my own official hashtag: it's #AfconwithGary👨🏿‍🦱

I've got just one job: to share stories and updates with you. Real-time and behind-the-scenes stuff.

You'll find the hashtag atop your TL when you open the app. Only on @Twitter. pic.twitter.com/bTf3ExJzEv

— Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith) January 8, 2022

Be sure to be following Juliet and Gary for all the reactions on AFCON on Twitter and Twitter Spaces with the hashtag #AfconwithGary #AfconwithJuliet & #Afcon2021.

Personal News

Excited to let you all know that this #Afcon2021,you can follow my official hashtag #AfconwithJuliet for a round-the-clock coverage all month, bringing you the behind-the-scenes content you love. It should be an exciting month of African football. Only on @Twitter. pic.twitter.com/9Wv8y334K1

— Juliet Bawuah (@julietbawuah) January 8, 2022

Sarkodie and Chance The Rapper finally link up

I’ve done everything in Ghana except meet @sarkodie

— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) January 10, 2022

Grammy award-winning US rapper, Clarence Johnathan Bennett, a.k.a Chance The Rapper and Ghanaian rapper, Sarkodie have finally met. Sarkodie honoured Chance The Rapper’s request to meet after he Tweeted about being keen to meet the Ghanaian rapper. The original Tweet read: “I’ve done everything in Ghana except meet @sarkodie.”. Following the link up, Sarkodie took to his Twitter page to share the photos. Media channel, Hot FM Tweeted about the link up also.

Shout Out To The Tweeps At #afrochella pic.twitter.com/pePXkg8sMW

— Afrochella (@Afrochella) January 11, 2022

Afrochella sends shout out to Tweeps

Africa’s largest cultural event Afrochella shared a throwback pictures of  some festival-goers captured during the spectacular event in December, in a Tweet that read “Shout out to the Tweeps #Afrochella”. The exciting music and cultural event brought together African and Diaspora communities to celebrate African talent and to experience the colourful diversity of African culture.

Saskay Makes Her First Debut in Movies

#Saskay was trending organically on the entertainment list on Thursday. The 2021 Big Brother Nigeria Housemate, popularly known as Official Saskay is set to make her first debut in a movie titled “Cake_The Movie”. She made the announcement in a Tweet, captioned “Super Excited”. The movie also features the legendary actress, Patience Ozorkwo.

@Twitter remains your official source for what’s happening!

Collectively, the creative arts ecosystem generates rich social, cultural and economic benefits that supports the livelihood of the creators, enablers and investors.

Maximizing benefits is very key in sustaining the creative arts industry. The Robert Smith Law Group, in partnership with Ministry of Tourism and Creative Arts and the Attorney General’s Office last year December organized the Second Law for Society Public Seminar Series, with focus on intellectual property rights in Ghana’s creative arts ecosystem.

It was quiet a packed day and the deliberations which were anchor of the broader theme: How to Monetize Benefits for Creative Artistes – focused on finding solutions to the teething challenges confronting creative arts.

Chaired by the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Arts, Hon. Mark Okraku Mantey, the programme witnessed high-level industry players including talents, enablers and investors attending. The Hon. Deputy Attorney General, Ms. Diana Assonaba Dapaah was the Guest Speaker.

The Series had two panel discussions, The first panel discussed the experiences of notable industry personnel on IP right benefits while the second focused on the legal regime of the Copyright Protection in Ghana and solutions to issues associated with the current IP monetization initiates.

Among the key panelists were Boomplay General Manager Elizabeth Ntiamoah, Lynx Entertainment CEO Richie Mensah and venerable artiste Okyeame Kwame. The discussions focused on experiences with Intellectual Property (IP) earnings, the Copyright Protection regime in Ghana and solutions to the issues associated with current IP monetization initiatives.

In his welcoming address, Bobby Banson, Lead Counsel at the Robert Smith Law Group reiterated the focus of the discussion as one aimed at proffering solutions to issues associated with royalty collection in the creative art industry.

Maximizing IP Rights in a Digital Era

In her keynote address, the Deputy Attorney General, Ms. Diana Assonaba Dapaah, begun by commending the Robert Smith Law Group for organizing the programme. She emphasized the pressing need for creative talents to maximize their IP rights in the advent of new technologies.

She further noted that notwithstanding budgetary constraints, the government is still committed to fulfilling all his promises to Ghanaians.

The Deputy Attorney General stated that issues with royalty collection emanate from two main causes – Lack of transparency in the collection and distribution system and a failure to adapt to modern technology.

She assured that Government, in accordance with the Copyright Act 2005 (Act 650) and the Copyright Regulations, 2021 (LI 1962) was in the process of studying the current regime of royalty collection and payment and would soon commence stakeholder engagement to ensure a licensing regime that accords with the rights conferred under the laws.

Finally, she urged for effective stakeholder engagement, promising that government would welcome the policy suggestions that would made at the forum.

Copyright Literacy and Protection

Okyeame Kwame spoke on some of the benefits he has derived from the use of his IP. He revealed that music gave him the ability to build a brand and a hope, adding that it became his profession as well as a means of expression. However, his works are yet to commensurate with his financial gain.

He noted that in the past 24 years, he had not made any economic gains from royalties on his creative work, his income streams have been from performances and streaming.

Richie Mensah who has wealth of experience in his diverse roles in different levels of the music industry, stated that throughout his progression from performer, to producer, and finally record label manager his efforts have not translated into money despite the massive impact on the industry.

He was yet to make a single penny from his first advert which he made in the early 2000s. Talent, he lamented, is usually bullied. He noted that there is a huge untapped money stream in entertainment that artistes are not capitalizing on even though digital sales are soaring in some countries that is not the case in Ghana.

Boomplay Manager Elizabeth Ntiamoah whose company operates in Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya noted that Ghanaian artistes are not as insistent on their rights as other jurisdictions. This is because, compared to Kenya and Nigeria, Ghanaian artistes have little copyright literacy.

Elizabeth Ntiamoah, however, noted that there is an increasing awareness and Ghanaian artistes are starting to understand their IP rights and building the voice to demand it.

She noted that the problem also stems from a lack of technological literacy. “Even classical artistes do not know how to upload songs unto Boomplay.” This, she lamented, was a sad issue.

Monetizing and Understanding IP Rights

The second panel discussed Maximizing benefits for Creative artistes. The panelists were Nana Yaw Sompa, a Private Legal Practitioner; Abraham Adjetey, GHAMRO President and Nii Ofoli Yartey, popularly known as Seven, a well-known music right advocate and thought leader.

The discussion begun with an overview of the legal regime on copyright protection in Ghana. Mr. Sompa Esq, gave an insightful brief of Copyright laws.

1. There are two types of IP rights: Economic Right and Moral Right. Economic Right is the right to make monetary gain from one’s IP. According to the learned author Andrew Amegatcher in his book ‘Ghanaian Law of Copyright’, economic rights are the rights of exploitation of the work and the resulting right of receiving remuneration there from.

2. The Moral Right constitutes the right to receive authorship and referencing for one’s creative works. Per section 6 the author of protected copyright work has the sole moral right
   1. to claim authorship of the work and in particular to demand that the name or pseudonym of the author be mentioned when any of the acts referred to in section 5 are done in relation to the work, and
   2. to object to and seek relief in connection with any distortion, mutilation or other modification of the work where that act would be or is prejudicial to the reputation of the author or where the work is discredited by the act.

3. Under the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (Berne Convention) of 1886 of which Ghana is a signatory, Article 11bis, music right holders have the exclusive right to authorize,
   1. the broadcasting of their works or the communication thereof to the public by any other means of wireless diffusion of signs, sounds or images;
   2. any communication to the public by wire or by rebroadcasting of the broadcast of the work, when this communication is made by an organization other than the original one;
   3. the public communication by loudspeaker or any other analogous instrument transmitting, by signs, sounds or images, the broadcast of the work.

4. These set of rights form part of our laws in Ghana, and is reproduced in Sections 5 and 6 of the Copyrights Act 2005, Act 690.

5. Section 5 of Act 690 grants the author of protected copyright work, the exclusive economic right to do or authorize the doing of the following;
   1. the reproduction of the work in any manner or form,
   2. the translation, adaptation, arrangement or any other transformation of the work,
   3. the public performance, broadcasting and communication of the work to the public,
   4. the distribution to the public of originals or copies of the work by way of first sales or other first transfer of ownership, and
   5. the commercial rental to the public of originals or copies of the work.

6. To aid artistes fully enjoy the economic rights associated with their work, Act 690 allowed for the creation of various associations to collect the monies due to artistes from their work.

7. Section 49 of Act 690 provides which is the basis on which artistes were allowed to form associations Collective administration societies of their choice to protect their IP:
   1. Authors, producers, performers and publishers may form collective administration societies for the promotion and protection of their interest.
   2. A collective administration society may, acting on the authority of the owner of a right, collect and distribute royalties and any other remuneration accruing to the owner.
   3. The Minister may, by legislative instrument, make Regulations for the formation, operation and administration of societies.”

Mr. Abraham Adjetey of GHAMRO spoke on the impact of Section 49 of Act 690. He stated that even though the overarching regime of copyright protection had already been set up under Section 49, it is still not fully operational. He attributed this lapse to lack of governmental enforcement measures and also Artistes’ lack of interest in IP education initiatives. In very strong language he made a case of the forum, pointing out that very few stars were minded to attend the programme.

Nii Ofoli Yartey (Seven) reiterated the concerns about the poor enforcement framework for royalty collection. He however placed his blame on GHAMRO instead of the Attorney General’s Department. He insisted that the Attorney General having licensed GHAMRO to fix royalty collection rates and collect same, GHAMRO had the proper authority to enforce royalty collection. He called for proper accountability and admonished the union for not doing its best.

Finally, he reiterated the need for stakeholder engagement to map out sustainable solutions to the issues raised at the forum.

Finding the Pathway

A summary of the insights and recommendations made at the forum are as follows:

1. Enhance copyright literacy among creatives
2. Talents must understand the role of technology in enhancing IP rights
3. The need for rigorous governmental framework to enforce copyright laws.
4. Create awareness of among Creatives on their IP rights.
5. The Attorney Generals Department must control collection agencies by revoking licenses if creatives are not paid.
6. There is a need for a stakeholder meeting to draw a roadmap to change the current trend.

Written by Ekow Quandzie

SOAQ Empire Real Estates, a Ghanaian property developer with a portfolio of luxury homes and apartments has reintroduced itself to the market through a launch event held at the AH hotel on December 12.

At the launch event, that was attended by the media, public figures and some chiefs, executives of SOAQ Empire Real Estatesstated that the company has for years liaised with many architects, surveyors, and other professionals to successfully launch many building projects in Ghana.

SOAQ Empire Real Estates is into housing projects, sale of litigation-free lands and asset management services.  They have properties located at East Legon Hills, East Legon, Katamanso, Tsopoli, Dodowa, Oyibi , etc.

Co-founder of SOAQ Empire Real Estates, Ms. Anyertei Sowah said during the launch event that the vision of her company is to build affordable, quality and innovative houses for the ordinary Ghanaian family.

“Our Houses are designed with high standard luxury, set in a serene environment well demarcated with beautiful landscaping. We also sell uncompleted buildings and problem–free lands that you can develop to your specification and taste. We place the client’s interest above all.”

SOAQ Empire Real Estates is located at East Legon Hills, behind the Canadian International School. They can be reached on 054 850 4222.

Huawei Consumer Business Group has announced the new HUAWEI nova 9, the Trendy Flagship Camera King to consumers in Middle East and Africa during a regional launch event that took place in Dubai. Defined by innovative features and fashion forward design elements, Huawei’s latest nova device will spark new inspirations thanks to its powerful camera system and all new videography features, which create new possibilities for users as they record moments in their lives.

The HUAWEI nova 9 will be available in the all-new Colour No. 9 in Ghana with pre-orders starting on 21^st January 2022 at a price of GHS 3099 from the Huawei Experience Store Accra Mall as well as certified retailers.

HUAWEI nova 9 debuts with a new colourway – Colour No. 9. It boasts a range of flagship-grade camera technology including a 50MP Ultra Vision Camera system, along with the RYYB colour filter array (CFA) and XD Fusion Engine. The camera enables users to capture impressive images and videos, even in low-light situations. The responsive 120Hz Original-Colour Curved Display, powerful processor, excellent battery life and support for blazing fast charging speeds with 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge ensure a fluid experience for avid mobile gamers, while the Super Device capabilities seamlessly facilitate synergy between the handset and other Huawei products.

HUAWEI nova 9

Pablo Ning, President of Huawei Consumer Business Group – Middle East and Africa said: “Connecting Huawei with a younger generation of consumers, the nova Series is designed to be the most outstanding of products. Through powerful hardware updates and operating system integration, the HUAWEI nova 9 introduces an exciting array of features including a remarkable design with an all-new colour way – Colour No. 9, a staggering 50MP Ultra Vision Camera system, 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge and futuristic Super Device capabilities. Moreover the 4K selfie video and Continuous Front/Rear Recording offer more ways for users to create engaging videos and respond to the rising demand of vlogging.”

Pablo Ning with the HUAWEI nova 9

A Breath-taking New Design

The HUAWEI nova 9 is an elegant smartphone. It introduces a new Colour No. 9 colourway, which is created with an all-new Starry Flash AG Glass process that adds a unique texture to the chassis and highlights the iconic camera module, giving it greater visual emphasis. Under a spotlight, the whole device shines and sparkles.  It also has a stunning 6.57-inch 120Hz Original-Colour Curved Display with a tapered surface that flows like a waterfall, minimising the left and right bezels for more immersive viewing. It can display 1.07 billion colours, features a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and 300Hz touch sampling rate for improved responsiveness.

The design of the HUAWEI nova 9 itself also stands to impress, measuring only 7.77mm thick with a weight of 175g. It also features a Nebula-inspired Star Orbit Ring that was first debuted with the HUAWEI nova 8. It comes with a “nova” ring emblem that highlights the Star Orbit Ring, which makes it even more recognisable and eye-catching. Combined, these design features represent not only a continuation of a legacy, but also the rebirth of it.

Capture Your Story with 50MP Ultra Vision Camera

The rear camera system features a 50MP ultra vision camera, an 8MP ultra wide angle camera, a macro camera and a depth camera. It includes a large 1/1.56-inch sensor and a RYYB CFA with high light sensitivity, collecting 40 percent more light compared to a standard RGGB sensor. This allows users to capture exquisite photos and videos even in low light conditions, ensuring that the bright parts of the image are not overexposed while the dark areas are clear and packed with detail.

Once the camera hardware captures an image, the XD Fusion Engine gets to work, using sophisticated computational photography techniques to greatly enhance image detail and quality.

Vlog Innovation:

HUAWEI nova 9 features a 32MP High-Res front camera that supports 4K video capture and AIS (AI Image Stabilisation) Video Stabilisation, allowing users to capture high definition footage of themselves as they talk to the camera or when they vlog.

Thanks to Continuous Front/Rear Recording, users can also switch between the front and rear cameras, allowing them to fluidly capture their story within a single video file. Dual-View Video recording allows users to showcase their live reaction to events, simultaneously using the front and rear cameras with no editing required or, for when you want to show the big picture and the detail, you can simultaneously capture a close up shot and wide angle shot at the same time.

With the Petal Clip app, users can easily choose from a variety of video templates and themes before posting their vlogs or other videos to social media in no time. Moreover, complicated editing processes have been streamlined thanks to Video Search and One-Click Video Creation.

Power at Your Fingertips

The device supports new Touch Turbo technology, taking mobile gaming to a new level as it allows for more accurate and responsive controls.

Whether for gaming or simply browsing the Internet, the HUAWEI nova 9 delivers excellent battery life with the high capacity 4300mAh battery. In addition, down time is kept to a minimum, with the new nova smartphone supporting 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge for high speed charging.

New Inspirations in User Experience

With the HUAWEI nova 9, controlling multiple devices at once is as easy as controlling just one single device, thanks to the Super Device features. The Device+ tab in Control Panel enables users to easily control or set up multi-device collaboration with other devices, such as the HUAWEI Vision, FreeBuds, MatePad and MateBook. For example, users can tap on the HUAWEI MatePad icon to activate Smartphone-Tablet Multi-screen Collaboration; tap the HUAWEI MateBook icon for Smartphone-PC Multi-screen Collaboration or tap the HUAWEI FreeBuds icon to seamlessly switch their audio output to their Huawei earbuds.

With the Distributed File System, HUAWEI nova 9 can also function as a wirelessly connected external storage unit for the PC, meaning you can access the files you want more easily than ever before.

AppGallery: Trusted, innovative and secure

Running on EMUI 12, the HUAWEI nova 9 offers a smart and seamless experience to users. The trusted, innovative and secure AppGallery is available on the HUAWEI nova 9, where users can download a wide range of high-quality apps.