Little did patrons of the finale of MTN Heroes of Change that took place on Friday, 19th May, 2017 at the National Theatre expect that Nana Ampadu was going to ‘throw bomb,’ till he picked on authorities of the theatre.
The veteran artiste who performed on the night at the National Theatre with his son, chided the theatre for not having air conditioners in the auditorium, Citi Showbiz report indicates.
While doing freestyle of a song he composed on the night titled ‘Te W’anim,’ he sang in these words: “you are here enjoying the show but see how you are fanning yourself due to heat. Tell the authorities responsible to fix the air cons.”
Nana Kwame Ampadu’s call is one out of the many concerns shared by entertainment stakeholders as regards the poor state of the National Theatre and the need for powers that be to provide a bigger and well – resourced theatre for events.
Nana Ampadu was great on the night. He was awesome. He proved that he had gone through the mill to be a musician. For about 30 minutes the 72-year-old was on rocking the stage like a 20 year old.
On the night, other artistes like Minister OJ, Kofi Kinaata, ‘seprewa artiste’ Osei Korankye and the Abibigromma also took turns to entertain the audience.
Minister OJ opened the programme with an electrifying performance of some of his hit songs. He started with ‘Ma Ye Se Wo Pen,’ heated up the auditorium with Apo Jesu, then preached help for the poor with ‘Onipa Hia Mmoa.’
Kofi Kinaata also got the house dancing to his songs. He performed ‘Susuka,’ ‘Sweetie Pie’ and the controversial ‘Confessions.’
One of the spectacular moments of the programme was when Osei Korankye used the indigenous Akan harp, ‘seprewa,’ to introduce the announcer of the winner. It was crisp, creative and refreshingly spellbinding. This, together with the traditional performances from the Abibigromma tinged the ceremony with some real Ghanaian culture.
The MTN Heroes of Change programme was initiated by the MTN Ghana Foundation to tell the stories of Ghana’s Heroes in spectacular ways. It seeks to unearth and celebrate people who are giving back to their communities in various ways.
This year’s edition saw Madam Genevieve Basigha, a speech and hearing impaired lady who has established a special school at Obuasi to assist deaf and dumb children with education, as the overall winner. She received a cheque of Ghc100, 000, a citation and plaque.
The Executive Director of MTN Ghana Foundation, Mrs. Cynthia Lumor commended Madam Bashigha and praised her determination to assist children in her state to seek education so they can also contribute to society.
Basigha, who was all wreathed in joy, thanked God and her staff for helping her win the contest.
Madam Genevieve Basigha competed against nine others who made it to the grand finale out of the over 1700 entries that were received but shortlisted to 30 and then the final 10.
The other finalists include Joseph Asakibeem, Dr Michael Adusei-Nsowah, Ibrahim Bafara Alhassan, John Amankrah-Essel, Joana Mansah Deegbe, Nana Prof. Osei Kofi Darkwa III, Rev Fr. Dr. Moses Asaa Awinongya, Rev Monsignor Alex Bobby Benson and James Jack Dawson.
Three of the finalists in the persons of Rev. Moses Asaah, Rev. Monsignor Alex Bobby Benson and Jack James Dawson who all came top in the education, health, and economic empowerment categories respectively won GHS30,000 each in the various categories.
Each of 10 finalist also took away 10,000, a certificate of recognition and a plaque.
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