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Wegeiwor A Gospel Singer Par Excellence

As the world’s celebration of women continue to help younger women aspire to be more than what their cultural settings have confined them to, it is always exhilarating to encounter a woman who has broken barriers to reach heights a lot of us can only dream about.

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Wegeiwor
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“Living with different people almost all the time, always having to fight and do something out of the ordinary to be noticed, constant abuse and neglect from family relations have shaped my personality and created within me a strong and burning desire to right those wrongs in any capacity that I possibly can.” Weigewor.

As the world’s celebration of women continue to help younger women aspire to be more than what their cultural settings have confined them to, it is always exhilarating to encounter a woman who has broken barriers to reach heights a lot of us can only dream about.

Weigewor, known in academia as Dr. Patience Aseweh Abor is an enigmatic female conquering academic whilst beautifully lighting up stages with her unique voice and intriguing brand of music.

Even though I’ve admired this young woman from my days at Fountain Gate Chapel Int. in Ofankor, it was not until a few weeks ago that I decided to draw a bit closer and share her story with the world. The aura of positivity and tenacity that emanates from her life on social media intrigued me enough to want to know more and hence this article.

Born on 6th September in Accra, to Mr. Joseph Aseweh Awudanpugie & Madam Margaret Wetia, both natives of Kayoro in the Kasena Nankana District, her first challenge was leaving her parents to stay with her grand mum at Achimota before re-joining her mum and step father in Yapei and later Tamale. This was after her parents divorced.

A key effect of her parents divorce manifested in an inability to get proper parental guidance in pursuing and aiming for any particular heights. Her only resolve was to keep passing every exam she wrote, and for that matter she never thought about a particular career or position in future. With no proper role models to aspire to, she just depended on her God given instincts, wild imaginations and books that served as inspiration to seek a life better than anyone in her immediate environment.

With the above as hindsight you can imagine the turbulence she had to deal with whilst pursuing an adulthood of positivity.

A former pupil of Our Lady of Fatima primary school, in Tamale and Yapei Presby Primary & JSS, both in the Northern Region, Weigewor proceeded to Nungua Senior High School after which she gained admission into Bagabaga Training College, (comma) but her inability to buy the prospectus required to start school on time led to losing the spot. When she arrived late at the school, her place had been given to someone else; despite the tears she shed in a bid to still get admission, her consolation was a spot in the admissions of the following year. This never materialized, as her name was not in the list of admissions for the following year even though she was given the impression that she would make a smooth sail into school because of the previous year’s mix-up.

The above experience frustrated young Weigewor for two years. Somewhere in that state, she found inner strength and boldly applied to Nurses Training College and the University of Ghana. This was an act of faith as she describes it; she simply trusted God for the necessary funds when accepted into either of the schools. Her grades were great enough to get her in any of these institutions. This was however not because her parents were so poor but because they had both gotten married with other children, and each of them seemed to be concentrating on their ‘new families’ and none really paid that much attention to her next level in terms of education. Her mum’s salary as a teacher then could not help much beyond a periodic supply of foodstuffs.

As expected, she gained admission into the University of Ghana to pursue Biological Science and later BSc. Nursing.

Life at the university was the defining moment for her; a well-carved curriculum led her to self-discovery, a situation she attributes to the study of

Behavioral Psychology, Sociology, Biological Foundations of Psychology amongst others.

At this stage of her life she had never been in a relationship so she finally allowed herself to experience love when she met Professor Joshua Y. Abor who conspired with God to open her eyes to love on earth resulting in a marriage and three children.

“It was also at the university that I finally allowed myself to appreciate what was meant by Love and accepted that fact that someone else could love me aside God. So I got married in my 3rd year to the first and only guy I ever dated. So, hey, University was great. Hahhahaha.”

Upon graduation she also successfully pursued the following courses:

  • MTech Environmental Health (Cape Peninsular University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa)
  • MPhil Health Administration (University of Ghana, Legon, Accra)
  • D. Management (University of Southampton, UK).

She is now a senior lecturer at the Department of Public Administration & Health Services Management, in the University of Ghana Business School.

Apart from having a passion for singing, her first fan was her gandma who loved to listen to Weigewor sing Catholic hymns whenever she returned from work. So when she joined the then Word Miracle Chapel Int. now known as Perez Chapel in Yapei and Tamale, she volunteered to sing before the Pastor would preach. The response by church members was so encouraging she kept on singing and later composing her own music. She later joined the Miracle Voices Choir when she relocated to Accra for Senior High School & her university education. She has never stopped singing since then.

Wegeiwor is actually a name her maternal grandma gave her due to the frustration surrounding her upbringing. Her grandma asked a proverbial question ‘who has God despised’?  i.e. to say that God does not despise human beings, it is human beings who despise one another. So to honor God for all the blessings, she decided to choose that as her stage name.Along the way, her musical composition began taking shape as she made it about the truth in her journey and experience in the Lord. Irrespective of the rhythm or genre, her lyrics project what she knows and believes as true.

In 2012 She released her first Album, “Oh Jesus” which was well received because of the uniqueness of her brand, and the spiritually uplifting nature of her lyrics and vocals.

Often times we find that the very educated indulge in the arts as a hobby, however she sees music as a part of her being hence time management is of essential importance to her. This ensures she doesn’t compromise her responsibilities as a university lecturer and in her own words;

“By God’s Grace it’s been working so far.”

I can never speak with an achiever from the savanna without asking the all-important question;

“What is the biggest challenge the savanna needs to overcome in the quest to further develop?”

“I think aside quality education to change the mindset of the inhabitants of this area, an Agricultural revolution (equipment and evidence based method) is what would transform the lives and eventually bring up development in the savanna, considering that the major occupation of these people is agriculture and land is not a problem.”Her latest single “Alijanda” is a precursor to the wonderful music she is putting together for her next album, which will be released soon.

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TRENDS RUNWAY HELD IN TAMALE

Trends Runway show was held in Tamale at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in November 2021.

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Trends Runway held in Tamale

The maiden edition of the Trends Runway show was held in Tamale at the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in November 2021. The night brought some delight to the city of Tamale. Generally, the organizers were impressed with the number of audiences who turned out for the program and the patience they exercise and stayed till the show was over.

READ ALSO: Bafowaa: The radical afro/R&B artiste with a new sound and vibe 

One of the Accra-based designers, expressed his joy and delightfulness at seeing the audience still glued to their seats as late as 12 midnight when people would begin to leave at about 9 pm in Accra when the show has not ended. The atmosphere and reception of the people of Tamale were a new experience for him and this overwhelming. According to him, this was an indication that they were really welcomed in Tamale with their fashion.

The missing vibe in the organization’s structure was the conspicuous absence of women. In an interview with Abdul Raafi Mohammed on Sanatu Zambang Hotspot Live, the organizers bemoaned the difficulty of getting women involved in working with them but they hope to improve upon representation in the subsequent editions.    

READ ALSO: THE OTHER TRUTH

They also expressed some difficulties in training the models. They had to run shifts for the trainees because most of them were not regular and kept missing days in training. This made their work very difficult.

Talking of the sponsorship, the organizers admitted that, they had a tough time getting people and organizations to sponsor the program.  They reiterated that most cooperate bodies would ask for sponsorship letters but when the letters are given out to them, they would decline to grant any sponsorship.  

In organizing this fashion show, they noted that most of their sponsorships came from friends and family members, which was totally unacceptable and discouraging for the growth and success of the program.

One of the points that were also highlighted in the interview was the fact that designers are being limited by clients says Abdul Raafi. Fashion designers are not being challenged by clients to be creative and come out with their own designs. Clients come to seek services demanding replicas of dresses they see on the internet. But the panelist was of a different view. They said it was the duty of these fashion designers to educate their clients about the fashion business and the work they actually do.  

 Source: Cynthia Kuyoli | Sanatu Zambang

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Prempeh Writes – WISDOM: GHANA, A NATION IN SEARCH OF “WHY” ANSWERS

If l were a leader, l will cut down all needless and pretentious democratic and political shows by 90 percent.

The too-knowing and half-baked, partisan journalists are sinking the nation.

Similarly, comprador civil society groups keep trading Ghana cheaply, keeping the nation in the orbit of perpetual recolonization.

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Prempeh writes - WISDOM GHANA A NATION IN SEARCH OF WHY ANSWERS

l usually don’t chat on group WhatsApp platforms. But yesterday, l had the pleasure of exerting epistemic madness on two professors.

After all said and done, wisdom prevailed that we should suspend the needless, uninformed comparison between Ghana and the late industrialized nations – the Asian Tigers.

I graciously succeeded in convincing my interlocutors that the problem of Ghana and the world isn’t technical (how answers), but adaptive (why answers).

After politics suffocates the nation, splitting us into needless tribalistic pieces, l relax with the sagacity of the sages on GBC every Friday.

I pray that, as a nation, we will take a break, see the ontological nobility of the other and polish the pearls of ancient wisdom to advance human flourishing.

My readings allow me to surmise that the world has progressed technologically in a manner that is unprecedented.

Similarly, we have retrogressed morally in breaking all ethical and ontological boundaries.

The above antinomy is precise because, whereas the “why” endless questions were anterior to the “how” pragmatic answers, the inverse of the two has been the aporia of human civilization.

Whenever l read the Bible, especially the Egyptian enslavement of the Israelites, l see the wisdom in enslavement for building in us, resilience and empathy.

No wonder, God’s major concern wasn’t about the “how” progress of the Israelites, but the “why” issues of their civilization (cf. Deuteronomy 8).

If l were a leader, l will cut down all needless and pretentious democratic and political shows by 90 percent.

The too-knowing and half-baked, partisan journalists are sinking the nation.

Similarly, comprador civil society groups keep trading Ghana cheaply, keeping the nation in the orbit of perpetual recolonization.

In replacement, l will assemble young men and women to dialogue with the older generation to take Ghana from our between and betwixt state to the next level.

At least, in my home, no politics. No anxieties about material things.

We hold the philosophy that when one shares power, one loses influence. When one shares the wealth, one loses worth. But when one share love, one receives life.

Enough of the needless partisan politics. Let’s reinstate wisdom and sanity in the public sphere.

The noise is too much, no wonder logic runs in the reverse in the public sphere.

Kasa no adoo so. Maganganu yaa ya wa mu na.

Satyagraha

Prempeh Charles

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Business

CHARTERHOUSE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FRYTOL HOSTS THE 4TH NATIONAL WOMEN’S SUMMIT

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To commensurate the world’s annual celebration and honoring women dubbed International Women’s Day, leading event’s company, Charterhouse in partnership with Frytol has successfully hosted the 4th edition of its annual National Women’s Summit. The summit was held on 8th March at the Grand Arena inside the Accra International Conference Center.

Theresa Ayoade, convener of the summit and CEO of Charterhouse, Theresa Ayoade as part of her opening speech “I believe each year we make more progress towards gender parity. This year’s theme is so apt right now because it challenges each of us here to be intentional about breaking biases towards women. Right from the homes and how we socialize our male and female children. What are the things we say to them and how do our culturally and socially accepted gender roles continue to perpertuate these biases against our gender? I have been guilty of gender bias and I was called out by my daughter. Then I realised that I was unconsciously exhibiting biases out of probably my upbringing. How do we sow seeds now so there’s a pipeline for the next Women Leaders? This is what the NATIONAL WOMEN’S SUMMIT is about”

The keynote speaker was in the person of Mrs. Abiola Bawuah. She is the Regional CEO, West Africa, overseeing the group’s business in nine countries. She joined UBA Ghana in 2013 as Deputy Managing Director and was elevated to serve as the MD/CEO of UBA Ghana in 2014. She was appointed in 2018 as Regional CEO West Africa One, responsible for 6 countries. She touched on the constant need to give the girl child a chance to do and be more.

As part of the summit, panel discussions were held on two themes namely; BREAK THE BIAS and YOU DESERVE A LIFE OF GOODNESS and these featured some of the most experienced business leaders in Ghana who were invited to also share their stories and expertise. The panelists for the Break the bias session included, Dr. Mabel Banson, first female Neurosurgeon in Ghana. Theresa Yamson, CEO- Riker (GIHOC) Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Anna Nabere – Manager SHE LEADS project by Plan International and finally students from Accra Girls Senior High school namely, Marie Lyse Quansah and Nafisa Mohammed.

4TH NATIONAL WOMEN’S SUMMIT
4TH NATIONAL WOMEN’S SUMMIT

In her speech, Patience Ofori Mpereh, Marketing Director – Wilmar Africa, said “Every woman has a desire to manage and balance everything; family, profession, Raising children and others; and to live her life to the fullest- this I believe most of us here can relate. As we juggle all activities as wives, single women, mothers, or professionals, we ought to remember that our mental, physical and financial framework among many others need to be sound”. She ended her speech by unveiling the brand ambassador for Frytol. “She is a woman who resonates with our target audience: a professional woman with years of experience in the media, a radio anchor, one of Ghana’s finest actors, a wife & a mother of two and a fitness advocate, who strives to balance it all as a woman.  Therefore, on this journey of Goodness, we are happy to announce for the very first time, the Frytol Brand ambassador Nisirine Ashorkor Doku- popularly known as Naa Ashorkor”

Speaking on the ‘You deserve a life of goodness’ panel featured distinguished Ghanaian business leaders; Ewuraba Ekua Adusei – Currently the Marketing manager of Wilmar Africa Limited with over 10 years’ experience in the FMCG. Akosua Amponsah Baffour Asiedu-Jones – CEO and general manager of Distribution & Co Limited (“DnC”), a full service distributor of FMCGs. Quiana Canfor-Dumas, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Master of Science degree in Operational Management. Mrs. Helena Adu-Gyamfi – Managing partner of Perfect Personal Care and last but not least, Renee Opare-Otoo, a registered and licensed dietitian with over five years’ experience and consults as a nutritionist for the Ghana Football Association (the first ever appointed) and also offers in-person and virtual nutrition consultations for some clinics. 

Panel discussions were moderated by Edem Knight-Tay, programs manager, Joy Fm and newly unveiled brand ambassador, Naa Ashokor. The event was also coupled with an exceptional performance from songstress Cina Soul.

The 4th National Women’s Summit is sponsored by FRYTOL, supported by SHE LEADS by PLAN INTERNATIONAL, and produced by CHARTERHOUSE in collaboration with JOY FM.

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