Ghanaian radio station YFM and Apple Music are teaming up to broadcast Apple Music’s Rap Life Radio, Africa Now Radio and The Agenda Radio on YFM every Saturday and Sunday at 2pm starting on the 19th and 20th of November 2022.

With programming focused on entertainment and music, YFM will add Rap Life Radio presented by Ebro Darden, Apple Music’s Global Editorial Head of Hip-Hop and R&B; Africa Now Radio presented by Dadaboy Ehiz, Nigerian media personality, television presenter and entrepreneur; and The Agenda Radio presented by Dotty, Apple Music 1 host and Lead Cultural Curator, Black Music, UK, to their line-up of shows.

“The culture of music in Ghana is thriving and it’s so exciting to be able to work with the incredible people at YFM to make Apple Music a part of that flourishing landscape. I can’t wait for our flagship Black music shows to reach a new audience in such an exciting part of the continent,” Dotty tells Apple Music.

“Yeah! What Dotty said! We are so honoured to be featured and to help contribute to all the great vibes coming from Ghana,” said Ebro.

The impact of music on our daily existence can not be underestimated and our ability to get it to the people via this syndication proves how much Apple Music cares about the audience at a terrestrial level. I’m super pumped to connect with my Ghanaian family and looking forward to growing the culture to a wider landscape,” said Dadaboy Ehiz

“YFM, is a subsidiary of Global Media Alliance, which is located and operates in Accra on the radio frequency 107.9FM, in Kumasi on the frequency 102.5FM and in Takoradi on the frequency 97.9FM, forming what is commonly referred to as the Y Triangle,” said Osei Kuffour, Head of YFM Triangle.

“Our target audience is Ghana’s young and youthful audience who are characterised by their imaginative, curious and ambitious nature. Over the years the Y Triangle has been able to attract massive listeners as a result of a high level of consistency since coming into existence in the year 2008. YFM employs a blend of lifestyle and entertainment shows and is the dial of choice for Ghana’s urban youth. We seek to continuously bring entertainment to the doorstep of our listeners and serve as a number one stop for the youth. It is in line with this that we are particularly excited to team up with Apple Music, and enforce our reputation in the Ghanaian market and globally,” concluded Osei Kuffour.

Weekly broadcast times on YFM will be as follows:

YFM Accra

• Africa Now Radio on Sundays (2pm-3pm)
• Rap Life Radio on Sundays (3pm-4pm)

 YFM Kumasi

• Africa Now Radio on Saturdays (3pm-4pm)
• The Agenda on Sundays (3pm-4pm)

 YFM Takoradi

• Africa Now Radio on Saturdays (6pm-7pm)

All three shows will be syndicated across YFM in Ghana, leveraging the radio stations’ audience and network to accelerate the acceptance and appreciation of African artists across the country.

In 2019, BBC Africa Eye reported on the journey of three young women – Scovia, Mercy and Esther – who left Uganda to find jobs as domestic workers in Kenya. Commonly referred to as ‘housegirls’, the documentary followed their journeys which illustrated the mistreatment and abuse faced by many domestic workers.

Three years later, in What Happened to the ‘Housegirls’? , BBC reporter Nancy Kacungira, revisits Uganda to find out how the lives of these three young women have changed and whether their hopes and dreams became a reality.

The documentary first features the story of Scovia, who in 2019 left Uganda for employment opportunities in Kenya to raise money for her education and to financially support her grandmother. Since then, she has given birth and returned to school. She told BBC Africa Eye: “My grandma advised me when I gave birth that I should go back to school.” Now Scovia dreams of being a lawyer: “In our community, men mistreat their wives. So when I become a lawyer maybe I can protect them from that.”

BBC Africa Eye also spoke with Esther, who in 2019 informed Nancy Kacungira about the mistreatment she faced in Kenya as a domestic worker. Also pregnant with her first child, Esther shared her determination to start her own fashion boutique. She said: “When I left Nairobi, I came here and started selling clothes for the business, the business was going well… But my father got ill, and I began to use my money to pay for his medicines. When Covid-19 happened, we had to operate shorter hours. So things went bad.” Yet, despite the challenges, Esther said: “I have a dream that when I restore my business, all shall be well.”

The documentary also highlights the story of Mercy, another domestic worker who in the first film, took her employers to court accusing them of cruelty. Despite losing the case, she told BBC Africa Eye she is thriving and working towards her goals as a chef. She said: “Right now I am very happy…I was doing that [domestic work] to get the money to go back to school to do the course I wanted… I wanted to do catering.”

What Happened to the ‘Housegirls’?, highlights the challenges around teenage pregnancy, which has resulted in many young girls not being able to complete their education.

BBC Africa Eye spoke with Simon Ogwang, who runs a charity centre which trains teenage mothers to become seamstresses. He said: “These girls are unable to continue with their education, so we give them specialised design skills to compete.” Simon revealed that there was an increase in teenage pregnancies during the pandemic. He said: “During the pandemic period, we witnessed a lot of teenage pregnancy. When they closed down their schools and these girls stayed out…you know the girls are vulnerable and some of them are at risk.”

Nancy Kacungira spoke with some of the girls enrolled at the centre to understand the stigma they face. One 18-year old girl told BBC Africa Eye: “People abuse me. They tell me that I am a disappointment, and I am very stupid… There are some words that cause bitterness in the heart.” However, reflecting on her experience at the centre she said: “By bringing me here, it has helped.”

BBC Africa Eye also spoke with Edith Murogo, the woman who helped Scovia, Mercy and Esther escape from domestic work, through her organisation, Centre for Domestic Training and Development. She revealed the impact the original documentary had on the organisation and other domestic workers. She said: “We have seen more referrals and our programme has grown. We got global visibility from the documentary and received more calls from people.” Reflecting on the progress of Scovia, Esther and Mercy she added: “I am really happy that each one of them are more focused and have a plan for their lives. That is what drives my passion.”

BBC Africa Eye: What Happened to the ‘Housegirls’? is now available on the BBC Africa YouTube channel here

When it comes to burying the dead, Ghana has one of the most unique funeral practices in the world. Here, funerals are a celebration of life and a chance for families to give their loved ones a proper send-off, from creating fantasy coffins to holding long ceremonies to being as flamboyant as the families’ budgets allow. (more…)

MTV today announced three resilient female changemakers who are fighting for the care and shelter of those impacted by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine will be honoured with the 2022 “MTV EMA Generation Change Award,” as part of the “MTV EMAs” 2022 in Düsseldorf.  MTV Entertainment Group, a division of Paramount, has selected the “MTV EMA Generation Change” honourees in partnership with Choose Love, the leading humanitarian non-profit organization that provides aid to, and advocacy for, refugees around the world. This wide-reaching partnership will continue MTV and Paramount’s commitment to utilizing its Content for Change initiative to further diversity, equity and inclusion around the world.  

The 2022 “MTV EMA Generation Change Award” awardees’ work includes providing shelter for refugees, evacuating and caring for families raising children, adolescents and young people with disabilities, providing art and group therapy for women and families who have been separated from their loved ones, and more. The recipients will be honoured during the MTV EMA Red Carpet show broadcasting live on MTV globally and streaming on MTVEMA.com on Sunday, 13 November.  

“We, at Choose Love, are so grateful to be partnering with MTV and to have the opportunity to honour the phenomenal work of three brilliant women dedicating themselves to supporting people whose lives have been devastated by the invasion of Ukraine. We are constantly inspired by the commitment and courage of the grassroots partners we work with all over the world. They really do give hope for a brighter future for humanity,” said Josie Naughton, Co-Founder and CEO, Choose Love. 

“Over 7 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the country was invaded earlier this year, with millions more internally displaced, seeking shelter and safety from the unjust conflict that surrounds them every day,” said Kelly Bradshaw, SVP, MTV Entertainment Brands International, Paramount. “Through MTV’s partnership with Choose Love, we’ll use our platform to amplify the crucial, on-the-ground work they’re doing to relieve the global refugee crisis and bring humanitarian aid to those in Ukraine.”  

The 2022 “MTV EMA Generation Change Award” honourees include:

• Lina Deshvar – Ukraine – Lina was born in the Luhansk region and spent her school years in the Kherson region. At 19, she decided to volunteer in orphanages and help the children who lived there, because she herself had spent her entire life in similar institutions. She currently works with a non-profit organization, Seeing with the Heart, that believes “childhood has no disability.” The organization develops projects for socializing children, teens and young people with complex developmental disorders. Over eight years, the organization supported over 2,500 families raising children, teens and young people with disabilities. Since the beginning of the full -scale invasion of Ukraine, Lina has been visiting military hospitals and delivering humanitarian aid to families with children navigating developmental or physical disabilities and those in difficult life circumstances. She also aids in evacuating these families and children from Ukraine. 

• Anna Kutova – Ukraine – Anna was born in the Poltava region in Ukraine. Back in 2017, Anna volunteered in a shelter and saw first-hand how people from the Luhansk and Donetsk regions had to flee their homes and seek refuge in Poltava due to conflict. Looking into the eyes of people who lost their loved ones and their homes, Anna vowed that she will do everything possible to help them. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, Anna, like millions of Ukrainians, took action. With the team at the Light of Hope charity fund, she worked to open five shelters for over 400 internally displaced people, LGBTQI+ people, women suffering from addiction,  people living with HIV, and more. Through Anna and the team’s fundraising efforts, Light of Hope became a humanitarian center for everyone.

• Anfisa Yakovina – Ukraine – Anfisa was born in Crimea and studied psychology at Taurida National University. After the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, Anfisa moved to Warsaw, Poland and continued her work and studies towards the psychological and socio-cultural adaptation of migrants. Anfisa is a psychologist at the Polish Migration Forum Foundation, which works for the rights of migrants in Poland. She currently practices prenatal psychology, which includes support for parents-to-be during pregnancy, labour and after childbirth. In the Polish Migration Forum Foundation, she leads childbirth preparation classes for refugees and support groups for moms of newborns from Ukraine. She also counsels and delivers psychological aid to refugees, most of whom are single women. She also leads support groups for Ukrainian mothers who are struggling to adjust to life in Poland with young children or families who have been separated from loved ones through activities like group talk therapy, art therapy and more. 

Since the invasion of Ukraine, Choose Love has raised over $14 million for their crisis response work and supported over 100 local grassroots organizations in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries, including Seeing with the Heart, Light of Hope and the Polish Migration Forum Foundation, the organizations that the “2022 MTV EMA Generation Change” honourees are involved with. This support has reached over 2 million people. Since its launch seven years ago, Choose Love has raised over $80 million to support nearly 4 million refugees and has created a movement of people putting love into action around the world. The non-profit goes where the need is greatest, finds local organizations doing the most effective work and gives them what they need to help, whether that’s funding, material aid or volunteers. Through this model, they’re able to provide refugees and displaced people with everything from lifesaving search and rescue boats to food and legal advice. Choose Love elevates the voices and visibility of refugees and galvanizes public support for agile community organizations, providing vital support to refugees along migration routes globally. 

Launched in 2018, the “MTV EMA Generation Change Award” has honoured fearless, original young people who are tackling the world’s toughest problems through music, storytelling or digital media. To date, MTV has awarded youth activists across issues such as climate change, racial justice, systemic inequality, gender equity, LGBTQ+ rights and more. As part of the award, MTV makes monetary donations to each honourees’ organization or non-profit organization of choice and elevates their powerful stories across the brand’s social and digital platforms in more than 170 countries.

On Saturday 12^th November 2022 at the Grand Arena, a queen will be crowned; 10 young beautiful and intelligent ladies will be showcased in grand style. After 13 weeks of friendly competition, education, tears and pure joy, the time has come to crown the Emerald Queen.

Who becomes the Emerald Queen? Who walks away with the Car, the Cash Prize and the bragging rights of Miss Malaika Emerald Queen? Prior to these questions being answered however, lets introduce you to the 10 incredible young women who have beat all odds to get to the finale. In no particular order;

Rebecca Abraham known on stage as Becky. She is a 23-year-old student of African University College of Communications studying Development Communications. Her voting code is 17.

Emmanuella Appiah, stage name Emmanuella. She is studying BSc Physiotherapy at the University of Ghana – Legon. She is 24 years old and her voting code is 8.

Julia Burton known on stage as Julia. She is a 21-year-old University of Ghana student studying Material Science Engineering. Her voting code is 5.

Zakiya Ahmed who goes by Zakiya on the show is a 19-year-old Psychology student at the University of Ghana – Legon. Her voting code is 15.

Lyna Blankson, Lyna, is a 23-year-old Graduate of University of Ghana – Legon with a degree in Bachelor of Arts, Public Relations Management. Her voting code is 4.

Kukua Turkson is known on the show as Kukua. She is a 21-year-old Radford University College student studying Fashion Design. Her voting code is 20.

Vivian Gomado who goes by the name Vivian, is a 21-year-old Graduate of the University of Ghana – Legon with a degree in Linguistics and French. Her voting code is 28.

Partey Yoyo Nancy simply known on the show as Yoyo is a 20-year-old student of the University of Ghana studying Political Science and Chinese. Her voting code is 9.

Eunice Aboagyewaa Offei goes by the stage name Yayra. She is 25 Years with a degree in Political Science from the University of Ghana – Legon.  Her voting code is 1.

Alberta Dede Mensah. A 25-year-old Graduate of Korle Bu Nursing School and currently studying General Nursing at Central University. Her voting code is 22.

Who is your favorite delegate? Come witness a night of glitz and glamor. Most importantly, come witness the crowning moments of one of the beautiful delegates on 12^TH November at the Grand Arena (AICC). Amidst performances from Kidi, Adina, Kelvynboy and Lasmid.

Vote for your favorite to become the next Miss Malaika Queen. Simply dial *711*80# and enter the delegate’s code. Visit Miss Malaika Ghana official pages on all socials for more details.

Tickets are out for Ghc100 at Charterhouse or via 0501288520. For E-tickets dial *713*33*00# and follow the prompt. It’s time to secure a table and or reserve one of our limited tables.

Miss Malaika Ghana, proudly brought to you by GTP, Club Shandy, Vodafone, Ebony Condoms, Locus, Vaseline, Pepsodent, Lux, Treepz, Duks Automobile & Construction and Media partners.