Entertainment
South Africa is open for business- H.E Grace Jeanet Mason
South African High Commissioner to Ghana, Her Excellency Grace Jeanet Mason has appealed to various stakeholders to continuously do business with them.
According to her, South Africa is open for business, and have put adequate security measures in place to meet the needs of tourists.
Her Excellency Grace Jeanet Mason stressed that they have instituted Safety Tourism Monitors among others to ensure the safety of tourists.
Speaking at a Corporate Networking Event held at the residence of the High Commissioner on August 22,2024, she said, “Please do come and visit South Africa, South Africa is open for business, our beautiful landscape from all the 9 provinces, and our diverse cultures.”
She noted that tourists would have a tall list of places like Mandela Square, malls, pristine beaches, the table mountain, sites, among other beauties and heritage sites to visit.
The High Commissioner took the opportunity to celebrate the gains made as a result of the strong bilateral relationship between South Africa and Ghana which dates back to 30 years ago.
On his part, the West African Regional Director of South African Tourism, Thekiso Rakolojane, said in November 2023, they faced a challenge of decline in arrivals, adding that as a result, they were only able to achieve less than 30 per cent of their target, a situation which could have collapsed their market in Ghana if it had continued.
However, Mr.Rkolojane announced that at the end of March 2024 which is their financial year, they were hoping to get 15,000 Ghanaians visits from Ghana, surprisingly, they were able to exceed the target, by receiving about 21,000 Ghanaians visiting South African by the end of the period.
He expressed his appreciation to the South African Mission in Ghana, South African Airways and other trade partners in Ghana for helping them achieve such a feat.
Mr.Rkolojane was optimistic that they could do more, and assured stakeholders that they are ready for more business, as well as looking forward to working with all to address various concerns.
“If we can have 21,000 Ghanaians visit South Africa, directly injecting close to half a billion into our economy, we can double it, and we are saying as much as your business events contributes to our economy, we can contribute to your bottom line by providing you with high-class technology in terms of your training needs, excess to the variety of experiences in terms of the things to do in| South Africa and world class facilities,” he noted.
Some of the stakeholders at the event expressed appreciation to South African Tourism for close collaborations over the years.
The event marked a significant effort to further strengthening bilateral relationship between South Africa and Ghana with an an objective of fostering collaboration among various stakeholders in the corporate
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Entertainment
Ghanaian screenwriter Osarfo Anthony appointed as a judge for US Presidential Service Center Film Festival
Renowned Ghanaian screenwriter and entertainment journalist, Osarfo Anthony, has been appointed as a judge for the 2024 US Presidential Service Center (USPSC) Film Festival.
Osarfo expressed his excitement at the appointment, emphasizing the rigorous process he went through to secure the position.
He stated that he applied a year ago. “I underwent a thorough background check, which included a review of my criminal records and an assessment of my professional image on social media, interactions, and my writings on art, media, and filmmaking. They monitored me for almost a year before giving me this appointment.”
Osarfo will be working alongside other judges from around the world, all of whom have extensive experience in screenwriting, filmmaking, and diverse cultures. Their responsibility is to assess and select the winners, finalists, and runners-up for the film festival, which will take place in the United States (Glover, North Carolina).
The USPSC International Film Festival is an all-inclusive festival that celebrates films and series about the first families and White House stories, with a focus on supporting aspiring filmmakers in securing funding and production opportunities.
In addition to his judging role, Osarfo’s recent supernatural horror screenplay has garnered recognition, including selection for the prestigious Nostos Screenwriters Retreats hosted in Italy (Arezzo, Tuscany). He was among 8 screenwriters selected across the globe for a two-week intensive training in an environment structured to foster collaboration and high-quality script development.
He has also achieved success in various genre-friendly competitions, placing and winning awards for:
WINNER, Best Original Screenplay – Hollywood Blood Horror Festival.
WINNER – Best Supernatural Horror Script – Hollywood Horrorfest.
WINNER – Best Horror Screenplay – Hollywood Just4shorts Film and Screenplay Contest.
FINALIST (twice) – 13Horror.com Film & Screenplay Contest.
FINALIST Horror/Thriller category – Creative World Awards (CWA).
SEMI-FINALIST – Los Angeles Crime and Horror Film Festival.
SEMI-FINALIST – Filmmatic Short Script Contest.
SEMI-FINALIST – Screenwriters Network (SWN) Script Competition.
Entertainment
I received confirmation from God before I divorced my husband – Ohemaa Mercy
Ghanaian gospel music diva, Ohemaa Mercy has surprisingly revealed that she received a confirmation from God before she divorced her husband.
Ohemaa Mercy and her husband Mr. Isaac Twum-Ampofo are currently divorced.
Over the years, Ohemaa Mercy, had been tight-lipped about her marriage challenges and subsequent divorce.
During an interview on TV3’s Today’s Woman with Cookie Tee, she revealed that the Holy Spirit guided her to seek for divorce.
This, according to her, was to aid her focus on her ministry and avoid any destruction.
In the interview she shared that during COVID-19, she spent time praying and seeking God’s direction, which led her to take the “bold step” of divorce.
“I remember when I was going through divorce. During COVID-19, I depended solely on God for direction, I had a strong covenant with him. I will go to the mountains to pray for three months and I really wanted to hear what the Lord will tell me about what is going on around me. So, when I heard it clearly, I took that bold step. I had the confirmation from God, If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have done it,” she revealed.
Ohemaa Mercy stated that her ex-husband agreed to the decision and they remain on good terms, prioritizing their children and supporting each other.
The gospel musician emphasised that her divorce has allowed her to experience God’s presence and guidance more strongly in her life than before.
“I give God the glory because I am divorced but this is the time I have seen the hand of God so strong on my life, even more than when I was married,” she said.
“When I spoke to my partner too, he understood that we needed to take a break and pray and see what the Lord will do. I told him, ‘I really want us to take a break and move the Ministry, which I know is your passion for me. Let me run with it, let’s take care of the kids and support each other. If I’m going through something, we talk about it. I don’t want to fail God because I feel I’m failing God”, she stated.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
