Tuesday 25 December 2012

African delicacy

Since ancient times, food has been an integral part of man's life  from the period of hunters and gatherers where man procured game and collected wild fruit to satisfy his hunger.
Undoubtedly, food has over the years contributed substantially to the development of man to our present day.Food is truly one of the basic requirement in life as promulgated by Abraham Maslow. To be exact food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body.
The Ghanaian society is a society with diverse culture consequent to that has so many local delicacies. From the northern part through the forest belt to the coastal land, there are people inhabiting the place with distinct culture which posses tasty, mouth-watering foods as part of its material culture.
 In the northern sector of the country, their favorite delicacy is tuozafi popularly known as TZ.
The picture above is a bowl of TZ

 Prepared from maize and eaten with either sauce or soup.












 Similarly in the forest belt which includes the people of Brong-Ahafo, Ashanti, Eastern and some part of western region, the most favorite dishes include fufu with palmnut soup, banku with hot pepper served with either fried or dried fish, yam with palavar sauce.
 For instance, to prepare fufu, you have to get ingredients such as cassava and salt. You then boil the cassava till well cooked with the addition of a pitch of salt after which you pound the cooked cassava in a mortar with the use of a pistol.
fufu being pounded in mortar with pistol.
whilst pounding the soup may also be prepared elsewhere on the gas.












After everything is done the fufu is served in an earthenware bowl with water. The use of the hands without spoons, fork or knife distinguishes it from foreign dishes which always goes with cutlery.
fufu served in an earthenware bowl
Nothing is much more interesting than the relish with which the food is eaten. Although people claim to have reached a higher level in life, they still walk into 'chopbar' with their tuxedo just to have a bowl of fufu with either palmnut or groundnut soup.














 Travel to the Ga community in the coastal part of the country and you will be astonished to see a man walk into an obscure place just to find a plate of kenkey with hot pepper together with fried fish.

 Other foods include:
jollof rice with kebab
beans and gari with fried plantain




















 These foods undoubtedly contains all the nutritional needs you  ever find in any food. Talk of iron, vitamins and minerals carbohydrates, protein and much more.
These helps the Ghanaian man and woman to undertake his or her daily activites.
Some of these foods are also of religious and cultural importance. they are used when performing rituals during festivals. E.g of such foods include the kpeple of the Ga, Eto of the Akans. Religiously, they believe that the gods should be fed in order to receive blessings.
Economically, it provides employment, income and thereafter raise the standard of living of people such as farmers, food venders, caterers, food dietician, waiters and others
An angry man is a hungry man. This is evident in people;s attitude when they are famished.
Their behaviour towards acquaintances becomes unpleasant as they are tired, weak and somehow depressed. As Oscar Wilde said '' After a good dinner one can forgive anybody even one's own relations''.
However, the values and virtues of these delicacies have been annihilated.
Some people have abandoned their indigenous delicacies and gone for expensive foreign foods.




Hamper for yuletide


Anxious about what might happen, what has happened is really the issue with our youth of today.
I am not an exception from this. As it is, you always have to leave the past behind and focus on the future, but it is equally good to reflect on the pros and cons of the past so as to learn from it. I ask today, how you exhibit your grievances. The youth of today exhibit their worries and depression through frantic decisions and actions which invariably are incorrect. They indulge in all sorts of activities which are detrimental to their social, emotional, physiological and psychological life.
I believe that the youth resort to such means because of lack of guidance, support and understanding form the older generations.
I would like to implore the youth especially those delving into politics to be cautious and desist from acts likely to cause mayhem what so ever.

listen my dear


My son, be humble in everything you do and people will appreciate more than gifts.
The greater you become, the humble you should be; and then the Lord will be pleased with you. The Lord’s power is great and is honored by those who are humble.
Don’t try to understand things that are too hard for you or investigate matters that are beyond your power to know.

Friday 26 October 2012

Be sure about those around you

A good friend is always like a brother and a brother is always more than a friend.
I have lived among men, among women and children. I may not be as old as though, but my encounter with people has taught me so many things yet I have so many to learn.
It is always good to listen than to talk for the wise always talks less and listen more.
I have a good plan and is optimistic about those that happen around me and have this hope that everything happens in its own good way.
Yet, I have fears. The disdain that hover around me I can't tell, but I know the Lord God Yahweh protects me from the evils of the enermy.

My prayer

God exhibited his greatness towards me, but I know I have sinned.
For my sins can never be forgiven. By my sins oh Lord, I am supposed to be buried,
but now I live because of your kindness, and mercifulness towards me.
I know that the God of Abraham, Isaac and of Jacob has given me a path that seeks to
wash me thoroughly of my sins that I may live to fulfil the task He has given me through my
talent that I may live a pure life with a clean heart.
May the God of Abraham, Isaac and of Jacob forgive me, for I know not what
I do nor say.

Monday 17 September 2012

Never too late

Things always get out of hand but with time its gets repaired.
No one knows what the Lord has for us.
Its only within our reach to pray to him and nothing  else.
Believe me, nothing else can do the job, than the mercies and grace of the Lord.

Sunday 9 September 2012

I HAVE LEARNED, YOU WILL LEARN

      In this world that we live, we live to learn and to learn for the future. We learn to correct our deceitful ways. Nonetheless, we make mistakes in the process of learning.
One which would fit into a society where you the person having such distinct personality is treated with respect and recognition.
       Fear, anxiety or better still, the apprehensiveness of men are some of the main bottlenecks in his passage in life.
Imagine a scholar, who goes to a market to buy few stuffs and is cheated because of miscalculations or either throws money to traders extravagantly for few commodities that cost less. Immediately one would ask weather everything is  OK, but personally it maybe as a result of depression and distress. Of course, one would find it very hard to believe that a boy or man  would purchase something that doesn't even cost a pen for a price someone would die for.
        How then, do we help to identify the problem of our fellow colleagues and to help them out.
I always feel great and happy when I realize that I have relieved someone of an impending problem. I feel at ease when I realize that a friend  or a brother, has being helped.
For all you know, the person might have tried but needs just a hand to pull him out of the ditch.
       Today, I have learned a lesson and that is not to fear whatever comes our way but to have courage and the strength to stand for what is right and what is best.
There is a saying that a man whose testicles are bitten twice is a fool. We should always learn from the past to guide us towards the future. 
 

Saturday 7 July 2012

Litttle sugar for your tea.

Every man has problems
But to suffer the sins of another man is something one can't unravel the purpose for which it happens.
It's a pitty and much more painful when you wake up to meet a peaceful morning sky and realise you have so much to think about.
I always pray to God that he helps us all in our endeavour, for things are sometimes not what they seem to be.

Love

Love is always patient and kind.
It is never jealous.
Love is never boastful nor conceited.
It is never rude or selfish.
It does not take offense and is not resentful.
Love takes no pleasure in other people's sins but delights in the truth.
It is always ready to excuse to trust and to endure whatever comes

Friday 1 June 2012

Poem by myself

Poverty

The disease that cause havoc
Like a 6.5 earthquake
You struck my heart
In a way that is unforgettable
Oh h, how I wish you had never existed

You squeeze the day out of me
When I wake up
And realize I have to feed on peanuts
Like a church mouse
I look into people's pupil
Like a dog seeking food
From his master
I beg to be fed with proper nourishment

Because of your behavior
Toward the old and the young 
You are scorned like 
A predator who hate its prey
From the slightest mistake
You seek to bring man into his grave

Sickness, sadness, grievance
All cry onto your shoulders
Like a baby screaming for elders favorite
You make people's fantasies impossible
Rather you make them 
The destitute of the society
You destroy their dreams 
And create miseries
You eliminate enthusiasm
And you inject grieve



Saturday 28 April 2012

Wednesday 29 February 2012

The most important thing to do to overcome the obstacles that comes your way is to have patience in dealing with them.

Tuesday 31 January 2012

Life in Adolescence Stage

Life in adolescence is difficult both from the perspective of the older generation and the young generation.
Those who are able to pass through the adolescent stage without being destroyed morally have a greater achievment worth mentioning and celebrating.
Doctors, teachers and parent would attest to the fact that handling teenagers is not an easy task.

Friday 27 January 2012

oil and gas in Ghana


Ghana, the first country in sub-sahara Africa to gain independence from the British, is  well administered by regional standards and is seen as a model for economic and political reform in Africa according to BBC news Africa.
It discovered oil(offshore) and announced it in June 2007. And as such would be faced with some problems as well as derive benefits in its explorations and production.
Crude oil, being one of the most important raw materials, occurs naturally as oily bituminous liquid and are composed of various organic chemicals and is also found in large quantities beneath the earth surface.
information from the Britain Petroleum Statistical Review of World Energy in June 1995 stated that the world primary energy consumption in 1994 stood nearly 8000 million tonnes of oil equivalents, with oil and gas being 63% of world energy supply, coal-27% of world energy supply, nuclear energy-7% and hydro-electric power being 3% of the world energy supply. This obviously shows that oil and gas is the most widely used source of energy. Research from the central intelligence agency has also showed that the country's oil production is 8,880 bbl/day (2010 est.) and country comparison to the world is 87, its consumption is 60,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) with exports of 5,752 bbl/day (2009 est.) and imports of 68,830 bbl/day (2009 est.) yet has proved reserves of 660 million bbl (1 January 2011 est.)
             Ghana,one of four west African countries with an oil refinery has a state oil company "Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (G.N.P.C) which is responsible for the procurement, storage and bulk distribution of petroleum products to the oil marketing companies who thereby supply the final consumers with the derivatives.
              The oil industry is the key to a successive economy if properly handled. However, it has some adverse effect on our environment in its operations. The state company of the country is a sub-body of the ministry of mines and energy and has the responsibility of controlling the industry.
The industry includes the global process of explorations, extraction, refining,transporting(often by oil tankers and pipelines)and marketing the products and in turn would need labour in its endeavour and would definitely employ all the resources, deploy the available technology in making its objectives a successful one.
             More so, revenue is derived from the sale of these products to the market. The country being able to handle and control its operation effectively and efficiently will enhance exportation of some of the products which will obviously bring foreign exchange hence revenue to the government. this revenue would  in turn be used for developmental projects in the country for the destitute to also have access to some amenities.
              The discovery of the oil will aid in the development of remote areas where the industries are found. The industry will provide some of the social amenities  like schools, good hospitals, good roads to help and motivate workers to bring out their best to develop the country as a whole.
             Furthermore, the discovery of oil in Ghana will drastically reduce the over dependence on the hydro-electric power.Technological research will aid tap what we need for our source of energy. Since the by-products are widely used by so many equipments.
              Also, some of these derivatives can be used in producing pharmaceutical products, fertilisers, pesticides and plastics which will aid in other field of work. For instance fertiliser maybe applied to farms to produce good yield  which will then be used in feeding the nation thus indirectly reducing the rate of importation of goods to save our capital for future use.
              Yet, we may encounter the problem of spills, oil spill to be precise which may crop up as a consequently to transporting it from one port to another with tankers that have leakages which is detrimental to aquatic habitat. When an oil spill occurs on the sea, the aquatic animals stands the risk of being clogged with oil leaving them on shores and not able to fly or search for feed and they eventually die. These dangers does not include the aquatic animals but humans as well as other terrestrial habitat.
             However, the activities of the industry has an adverse impart on our environment as stated earlier on by emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere enhancing global warming.From statistics a total of 21.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide is produced every year through the processing of the crude oil.This happens when the pollutant  released by burning the crude oil to obtain the derivatives such as the petrol, gas and other chemicals destroys the ozone layer which protects living organism from excessive radiation from the sun and finally increase the temperature and consequently causing drought, ice melts and famine.
            Lastly, the activities involved in this industry is very expensive and time intensive job. In such situation time and money have to be put into it to run it efficiently. This time and money could as well as be used on other projects.