Farewell to the Humble Professor; Damirfa Due

I am still reeling with the shock of the sad passing of President John Evans Atta Mills this afternoon. It is hard to put words together.

May the soul of President Mills Rest in Peace. My heart goes out to his family.

Prof: Damirfa Due, Due ne Amanehunu!

Ghana Politics 101: The Radio Lawyer

Anyone keeping up with Ghana politics will know that it is reaching a whole new level of farcical. It is a never-ending theatrical drama with comedy, irony, absurdity and of course tragedy. But that is another post for another day. One of the key actors actively involved in this drama is the "Radio Lawyer" a term that is worthy of an entry in the Ghanaian Political Lexicon for the Aspiring Politician. 

1. Radio Lawyer: any politician, journalist or social commentator who is a regular panelist on one of the many political discussion programmes aired on Ghanaian radio who provides legal interpretations. The radio lawyer will preface their submission with "I am not a lawyer but..." and then proceed to discuss cases pending in court, give legal opinions and also buttress their arguments with references to the Ghanaian constitution. The radio lawyer will vehemently argue the law with real lawyers and perhaps muddy issues which may mislead the public. The radio lawyer is actually not just restricted to radio but you may find "lawyers" giving opinions in public transport, work place canteens or even markets. In reality, Ghana is not only a country of 25 million football coaches, 25 million political commentators but also 25 million lawyers. 

BBC's Sherlock: A Stroke of Genius

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson outside 221B Bakers Street
Source: www.bbc.com

I must admit that I completely ignored the buzz and hype around the BBC TV series Sherlock when it first debuted in 2010. Although I'm a great fan of most interpretations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character Sherlock Holmes, a rendition set in modern London just did not seem appealing. Well, that was before I watched the first few minutes of the first episode of the first series and was instantly sucked in. I am not sure if it was the riveting plot, offbeat humour or the slightly gloomy modern London setting. More  likely it was brilliant acting from all the cast and the perfect onscreen chemistry between the two main actors. Although I had seen Martin Freeman years ago in the original 'The Office' series, I had sadly never heard of Benedict Cumberbatch whose turn as Sherlock Holmes is unforgettable. Rather than the modern interpretation taking away from the Sherlock Holmes story, it just made it even better. This is Sherlock Holmes digitalized, social media-ed, interneted and smart-phoned.  The worst part is having to wait until 2013 for the next installment of Sherlock.