A TRIP WHERE YOU DISCOVERED SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF OR A PLACE YOU VISITED THAT YOU WEREN’T AWARE OF

Growing up, I often felt lost and a little out of place. I had lived in Accra my whole life and to tell the truth, there wasn’t a single place in the city I hadn’t been to. I knew every nook and cranny of the capital and even though I got lost occasionally, I always found my way back home. I just love adventure and for some reason I loved the country side. I loved to see the mountains, the trees and the breathtaking scenery of the numerous sites in Ghana I had visited. Still, there was a part of me that was felt incomplete.   

The Wednesday evening before our Easter breaks from school however, I heard the news that would eventually not only change my life, but also fill the void I had felt in my life for so long. My mum announced that we would be going to my hometown for the Easter interestingly I had never been there. At first, I didn’t know whether to be excited or sad; one hand, I would miss spending Easter with my friends here in Accra which I had been looking forward to made me sad, but thrill of visiting a new place and meeting new people got me excited. The hours that followed were thus filled with anxiety and anticipation.

When the day finally arrived, I called a couple of friends and said good bye. I had packed my stuff the day before so I quite ready to go. The rest of the family also seemed really enthusiastic too. My little brothers had made so much noise about the trip, they kept mentioning the name of our hometown in so many different ways, it almost felt like they had been there before. 

We boarded the bus at the station and set off to VE-DEME. The name was virtually engraved in my mind not only because of how much noise my little brothers had made about it, but also because of how interesting it sounded. For some reason I knew I’d never forget it. The journey was long and pretty tiring. 

I occupied myself with browsing on my phone and enjoying the beautiful scenery that decorated the side of the road. We stopped by a few places just to get some food and water. I took to the opportunity to stretch since my body had gotten stiff. 

TO BE CONTINUED.....

Contemporary Ghanaian Gospel Music

The gospel music genre is a genre that is by itself, diverse and dynamic as it encompasses a lot of other music genres such as reggae, hip hop, jazz, soul, rnb among others. The genre has undergone a lot of changes and still continues to experience a lot of infusions in terms of approach, audience, style of presentation and even beats. Gradually the Christians are moving away from the more traditional songs and hymns and are embracing the more youthful side of the genre. 

In countries such as the US and UK, musicians such as Cece Winans, Kirk Franklin, MaryMary, Deitrick Haddon, and Tye Tribett have led the revolution. This has however not been without its criticisms as they have often been tagged as rebellious and unchristian.

Cece WINANS

Kirk FRANKLIN

The gospel music revolution here is Ghana i believe has just begun. Even though a lot of Ghanaians still cherish our traditional gospel music and hymns and rightly so, the new crop of vibrant and more artistic gospel musicians are poised to change the trend.

Danny NETTEY

Contemporary Gospel music in Ghana has within the past few years gained a lot of grounds with the likes of Danny Nettey and Nii Okai who setting the pace. Today gospel artistes such as Cwesi Oteng, Joe Mettle and Eugene Zuta, Minister David among others are re-defining and stretching the boundaries of gospel music in Ghana. 

 

Cwesi OTENG

 

  Joe METTLE

Gradually more and more people are realizing that Christian music can still be fun and yet very spiritual. The youth who used to crave foreign gospel music are getting more accustomed to Ghanaian contemporary gospel music as the day goes by. More people realize today that contemporary music can carry as much power and Godly content without necessarily being traditional.

Youth in WORSHIP

Even though contemporary gospel music is on the rise in Ghana, very little or no recognition is given to the genre or the people who do it. A lot of the award shows don’t even have categories recognizing and motivating such talent but the trend i believe is gradually changing and one man who is leading the way is Cwesi Oteng...... TO BE CONTINUED

 

Cwesi Oteng- God Dey Bless

HOME

Home is where I call it when there is no other place to be

Home is where I call it when you it’s the right place to be

Home no matter how far always near will be

Cos you’ll know when you’re there, that home is here

No place like Home is what they say

To that I won’t say nay

To dry the sweat and wipe the stress

To wash the feet and eat the feed

To dream the Hopes and share the Jokes

To feel the touch of Home again

Is more than enough for me to gain

To erase the thoughts of yesterday,

The threats and taunts as well to say

So when am far away, Ill pray the Lord our Homes to Lord.

THE PRICE

This is the price I have to pay

Since my debt is there to payTo know that all I have is today To pay the price for the mistakes of yesterday

Locked in a dungeon beyond the sea 

Far beyond the horizon anyone can see Haunted by the cries and yells of my unheard plea

Laughter like a dream that will never come true 

Cos it’s hard to see the dark night through A feeling of disgust down in my guts 

If ever I am loosed from these chains If I am ever loosed from this yoke of pain 

And allowed to walk on the road of gain 

Then the Price ill have to pay will have to start from today 

With these words I pray, give me a chance and I may 

But Oh! I see the light Slowly disappears the night

And away goes my fear and fright He paid the price

Can’t u see? He paid the price

Broke the chains and gave me a garment of praise 

Unleashed the shackles and filled my life with miracles 

Gave me a smile and walked with me a thousand miles

The price I had to pay, I see now on a hill far away 

Nailed to a cross, an old rugged cross 

And now the blood he shared for me? 

Speaks a lot for me Gives my bleeding heart a place of peace 

Surrounds my sinful mind with mercy and grace

Now all I can do is call on His name 

The name that keeps me safe 

The name Jesus. 

See now where he used to lay, 

And you'll agree without delay, 

That the price that was there to pay, 

He paid on crucifixion day.

NIGHTMARES

As frightening as maybe

Yet something we all see

In the deep wells of our thoughts

In the most hidden part of our souls

Lives a nightmares not from our sleep

But rather from our lives

We live as though in a nightmare

As the mistakes we made, come back to take revenge

And the wrongs we did, say in a frightening way

‘am catching up with you’

And all we can do is wish we could make them right.

Yet all we can do is stare and watch

As we are destroyed by the nightmares of yesterdays sins

Oh! How we wish life was something we could live all over again

So we wouldn’t have to be afraid of tomorrow

So we could live our lives as free as birds

So we can look forward to the future with hope and expectation

And not be afraid to make mistakes

After all we live in a world full of mistakes

Even the book of the past, Present and future tell it all

Let’s pray then to the one who sits upon the circles of the earth

And see all its imperfections of this world

So our nightmares may not be so scary.