I want to be a star! (Night with the Stars, and Yevu)

I have run way to smoothies once again, this time not because I am tired of my room but because we seem to have a localised power issue! The localised issue is even more than just the area, or even just the house. The landlady has finally gone crazy and seems to be refusing to pay for the electricity for a couple of the rooms. One of which I am trying to live in!

 It has actually been a tough week in which the news of which my contract with my current organisation has not been extended leaving next year up in the air a little! I will have to hope and work hard on opening a new opportunity. There will certainly be more posted about this little annoyance when I can post without worry!

Anyway, in want to give a little bullet point blog about an event that happened a few weeks ago. The Night with the Stars at the Conference centre. (Annoyingly I was not invited as a star!) It was Corecta's last night before running back to be a lawyer (or try to become one) in Philly! I decided to force her along and hope that finally she had a good night. Getting in was a little bit of a palaver (because as a tight ass i didn't want to pay the 50 cedis) but after finding a friend of a friend he told those at the gate I am with the BBC. That seemed to do the trick! Anyway, to the bullet points:

• Everyone goes to these events dressed to kill. The girls who are slightly larger seem to try and fit into the same dresses as those a little slimmer. (I am not complaining though, some great views!)
• The stage for the event was actually quite good. Light displays and the whole set up was very professionally done. 
• At the side of the stage were two big screens used by MTN. The audience could text to a short code and have their messages shown to everyone. If I had known then I would have charged and topped up my phone ready to market and make fun of everyone I could! I only managed one message comparing the dancers to my white grandmother before my batter died! But this message board gave me immense entertainment throughout the concert.
• The problem with this message board though, was that it was clear MTN were sending in their own, 'MTN is so amazing' messages!
• the rap doctor Okyeame Kwame rode into the conference centre on the horse! (What more analysis can I give on this!)
• Corecta would prefer a tall man! (It is likely my friendship with her is over for this comment!) As a side note I would like to tell everyone in Accra that Magnolias on switchback road, Cantonments, is an amazing restaurant with amazing food and a great setting!!
• Men and women that attend these events are all so interested in having their photographs taken in front of the boards. Usually the women seem to like to turn round so the camera, and all the men standing watching them have their photo taken can focus on their posterior! 
• Kokovelli performed with the trinity. Na na na na na na Kokovelli..... This was the big tune when I first came to Ghana!
• After talking about r2bees for the whole show it was then announced that he missed his flight from Kumasi. Really!? They couldn't have told us at the beginning so we did not hang around right to the end to see them!

Miss Malaika 2011 goes to...serious!?

It has been a while since I have blogged, and a really long while since I have written about a night out or a dramatic event. There have been a few, including being threatened with a bottling by a street boy criminal called Marvin, whilst trying to protect my volunteers, but those kind of events are old news and boring.

Last night I was fortunate enough to be given a complimentary ticket to Miss Malaika 2011 at the International Conference centre, by a former participant in this blog. I think I called her mysterious beach girl, but she is no longer mysterious, and I have not been to the beach with her for a very very long time!

After finishing eating (alone) in the increasingly boring situation I am finding myself in, there was no way I would turn down the ticket. I got to the Conference Centre and sat down in my seat ready to enjoy my first experience at a 'beauty' contest. Of course I have seen a few on the TV before but never been there in the Audience. The show went rather well, with the hosts, Chris Attoh (the actor) and one of the ladies from Adams Apple (forgotten the name) did very well and dealt with the minor glitches very well. I must admit it is one of the best hosting jobs I have seen in Ghana.

In the talents round one girl did some art work on stage which looked a complete mess until she unveiled it as an African Woman's head. Really different talent, as opposed to the normal dancing and drama pieces.,I certainly have to applaud her courage! After this we got closer and closer to the finale after watching a host of performers, some good, some terrible, grace the stage.  The last round saw the 5 remaining girls answer the question who is more important the house wife or the career woman. All the girls tried to give an answer and most gave decent reasons. Then the last girl, probably the favourite and the most attractive of the bunch stepped up to give her answer....

She choked and the crowed let her know. Lots of "OHHH Geri!!" chants came from around the auditorium and she must have known that this was the end of the road for her.

We then came to the unveiling of the Miss Malaika Queen for 2011. It was all going smoothly and the 2nd place runner up was announced.  Then it was time for the first place runner up, and the first hitch came. Apparently it was a tie! and the tie was between Alex and Geri (the bad speaker!) Of course the alarm bells started ringing! Had they planned for Geri to win? Were they giving her a second chance to prove herself? Maybe!

It was decided that the two of them would be asked another question to see who would finally take the crown. They were both asked what three qualities to be a woman of the millennium?  (Which millennium?)  Alex stepped up first and got a huge round of applause and cheers when she completely smashed the answer for a home run. (I recently watched a baseball movie! (Rounders is better!)) So now it was Geri's turn, could she do better? There was an awkward silence as she again forgot to take the mic from Chris Attoh as she gave her answer. He answer was phenomenal due to the fact that it was terrible. In fact two of the reasons she gave were the same and the other reason was not even a reason. She concluded by saying she had nothing to add, it was a for gone conclusion! Alex would surely lift the crown and settle it on her head!

WRONG!

Geri of course in this story took the crown. It was a tie between the two before the last question but some how her incredibly bad last answer had propelled her ahead in the judges votes. (I was actually how, when there is an odd number of judged how there could have been a tie in the first place?) When she was announced the winner the whole place was in shock and two thirds of the audience just got up and voted with their feet. Everyone left, and no one stayed to see the fake queen be crowned!

I certainly wish Fake Queen Geri the best in her reign as Miss Malaika! And to Alex, It seems your sharp mind and intelligence and ability to talk under pressure could push you further up the ladder than a beauty Queen!



As the show went on we reached the finale, with the girls all answering a question on who was