Isaac Ato Mensah (Page 20)

  By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 21 January, 2019   Ghanaian Journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale  was on January 16 shot and killed in cold blood – in Accra. May the Almighty Allah – Master of the Day of Judgment, have mercy on his soul and grant him eternal rest. Those who committed this barbaric act will surely face divine justice even if they escape thorough investigation and legal punishment. Now what is left but to continue the fight – speaking truth to power. Sometimes it is good to wear the mask, especially in societies were corruption is deep and prevalent. The mask has its placeRead More →

  By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 18 January, 2019 A journalist can never be idle; there will always be some work to do, some story to cover. ‘Everybody wants a job, but no one says there is no work to do,’ is another unforgettable one from my mentor. So whilst hanging out – perched at quite a height at the posh Airport City Accra, I was drawn to billowing and beckoning smoke from behind some walls. ‘These must be chop bars I surmised,’ of course I know my city so well. Local restaurants aka chop bars often burn firewood on three-legged clay stoves fromRead More →

  By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 16 January, 2019 Nana Appiah Mensah, aka NAM 1 has operated a Ponzi scheme and is in trouble together with his employees. What is there to defend about this shameful unethical conduct? ‘He who defends everything defends nothing,’ said Frederick the Great (FREDERIKUS). Long before Frederikus, philosophical enquiries into all matters which the human mind can ponder have been debated and sound ethical judgements given. But here we are in Ghana, playing political football or spinning the subject of legal and ethical breaches into obfuscation. When are we going to join the league of nations that are serious;Read More →

  By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 14 January, 2019 Political communication is a serious exercise in nation building; it must be done professionally with various shades of opinion considered in the articles and presentations. It must have the purpose of generating a healthy national debate on all issues. But of course practitioners will always have a client, a hirer, and so they must choose their principles ahead of business and negotiate that clearly. When cavorting with the devil, you better get a long spoon, and if possible with abonsan tawa in your pipe. And if the politicians should ask why you have an illegalRead More →

  By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 11 January, 2019 Otis Sanford, a professor, writer and political analyst for forty years was this week named 2018 Communicator of the Year by the Memphis Chapter of Public Relations Society of America. Sanford began his professional journalism career at The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi. In August 1977, he covered the death of pop musician Elvis Presley. Sanford’s long career as a practising journalist and editor was enhanced by his work as a university professor. He is a recognised speaker on ethics. In short writing is the name of Sandford’s game; he is not our typical Ghanaian socialRead More →

  By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 9 January, 2019 The Registrar-General (RG) of the Republic of Ghana will de-register some one million organisations this April, that is, if the laws are to be complied with. But the RG’s department itself does not follow the laws of the land. For the ordinary folk who want to register an organisation, you get to the RG’s in Accra opposite Ghana News Agency and you are directed to a secretarial posse behind the wall of the RG’s for assistance. ‘Do you have an auditor?,’ is a usual question when you get to those private secretaries with the inscriptionRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 7 January, 2019   The United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL 2019) is here with us. The international media has given tremendous publicity to the formal launch ceremony scheduled for January 28 in Paris, France. The Vatican media, for example, has highlighted the event and accorded it editorial focus. Religious institutions place much premium on language and culture to enhance their evangelisation missions. But what is the stance of Ghanaian state institutions on the year-long affair? Do our state institutions need to hype this occasion and tell us whether they are attending or not and if notRead More →

By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 4 January, 2019 Louis Braille was born today, January 4, 1809 in Coupvray, France. He died 6 January, 1852, aged 43. Today, Louis Braille remains one of the unique and most important contributors to the advancement of the written word; he invented the Braille system of writing named after him. Charles Barbier, a former soldier who had invented a system of writing for the military using 12 raised dots on a page had his idea rejected. Barbier’s system was useful to even illiterate soldiers but was thought too complex. Barbier’s “Night writing” as he termed it was to helpRead More →

  By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 2 January, 2018 The debate about a National Cathedral for Ghana is still with us. When I told my big boy I was going to write this article he stated, ‘Daddy, Ghanaians will call you an Antichrist’. He has come to know the terrain well. Fortunately, POTROG himself set the tone and parameters for this debate when he presided over the fundraising dinner for the National Cathedral last Friday. ‘President Nana Akufo-Addo has said he promised God a National Cathedral before he became president, and will redeem that pledge’, was the lead in the modernghana.com story of 29Read More →

  By Isaac Ato MENSAH Accra – 31 December, 2018 It is the end of the year by the Gregorian calendar; time for stock taking. Most Christians around the world are celebrating the birth of the Infant King. In a few days’ time, Jews and some Christian sects will celebrate the Epiphany – the day the Wise Men discovered and presented their gifts to Emmanuel, God with us. This Christian festival is based on the Jewish celebration of Lights. The birth of Jesus the Nazarene about 2000 years ago was a sign of endings and new beginnings. Simeone the High Priest got that message clear.Read More →