Fe yeye na mi ………. Merry Christmas!!!

//Jingle bells, jingle bells jingle all the way ,
Oh what a joy, it is to see fanta all the way
Oh jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way,
Oh what a fun it is to see fanta all thy wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.//

Till date, this is my lyrics for the famous Christmas jingle. I never cared to learn the right words because to me, these words capture the true feeling and expectations of the festive season. It’s all about joy, fun and sharing fanta!

Oh how I relish those Christmases I used to spend with my family …. Family was a much bigger term or concept in those days. I my siblings, mum and dad, aunties, grandparents, uncles, cousins, Auntie Adzo’s friend’s little niece and so many other people, I can’t even trace the lineage.

I used to stay awake all night, counting the stars on December 24th night, anxious for day-break, just so I could wear my cute pretty dress on Christmas day. And oh, the presents ….. we didn’t get to open gifts picked from a Christmas tree; but hey, we had more than enough to be joyous for. Uncle Mawunyo gave us some candies and bars of chocolate, big cousin Dela gave us some biscuits, auntie Adisa gave my little brother some toys and oh my God there was lots of food! ….. there was a long table full of different kinds of dishes you would think we had a grand buffet going on. These were food brought by family, friends, neighbours, and just anyone who was moved by the spirit of the season – giving and sharing.

It didn’t matter who wore the best clothes or who got the most expensive gifts; we all felt special at Christmas. My favourite part of the season was the merry-go-round trips I took with my grandma who couldn’t do a 5-metre distance without an aid of a walking stick. But my grandma wouldn’t be deterred by any such hindrances as waist pains. She loved to walk to people’s homes and exchange greetings and good wishes. She would say;

“Efe yeye na mi looooo. Fe yeyea nenyo, netsor nuse, lamese, dzidzor kple nutifafa vana mi sia (meaning, Happy New Year, may the New Year be good; may it bring you strength, good health, joy and peace).

We would go round till grandma felt satisfied that she had visited virtually every home in the village.

These were times that I truly felt happy at Christmas; it was simple, natural and shared. I long for those Christmas days. We can rekindle it by sharing little acts of kindness. Let’s show true love to one another in this season. Spend some time with people you care for, give presents if you can afford. They don’t have to be expensive ….. simple practical gifts are the best. A simple card to say thank you to someone may be enough. Offer free services …. wash a friend’s car, invite friends over to dinner, surprise an old friend with a phone call, put a smile on the face of that little girl you always see on your way to work everyday selling iced water on the street; buy her a dress, a pair of shoes or give her something to be truly happy for.

Christmas is also a time of peace. My grandma went round asking people to forgive her of any wrongs she might have done against them; knowingly or unknowingly.

Let’s celebrate Christmas in the same spirit of forgiveness, sharing and loving.

Merry Christmas! Afehyia Pa!! Fe yeye na mi kataaaaa!!!

Silverbird Celebrities Day

They were there in their numbers and classes; the sensational, the fastest, the notorious and even the saucy. Silverbird as part of their first anniversary celebrations treated their customers to a pull of stars and celebrities in the showbiz industry including music stars, film stars, DJs as well as other TV and radio personalities.

To give fans a unique opportunity to interact with their stars, Silverbird brought together Ghana’s stars of the moment including Kwabena Kwabena, Sarkodie, Tic Tac, Kwaku T, Chemphe, KOD, husky voice- Nana Kwame (Norkus) of Y FM, soul sister, Jessica Sarforo of Citi FM, Jeremie of Y FM, big boss, Bola Ray of Joy FM and many others.

To give the experience a truly personal touch, the stars came down and interacted with their fans in very ordinary ways such as serving them with pop corn ice cream, drinks plus tickets to see great movies. The fans also had the opportunity to take individual photographs and had their stars autograph various items including T- shirts, books, and even pizza boxes!

The fans also rendered acapella versions of their music to the delight of their fans who smartly and quickly recorded the live performances onto their mobile phones and other devices.

“I am very delighted to meet Sarkodie, Bola Ray, Kwabena Kwabena, Trigmtic, Jeremie and all these stars. Congratulations to Silverbird for making this possible. I have always prayed to meet Jessica, she is my role model, and she is really nice in person too. I wouldn’t have met her so up-close but for Silverbird” says elated Juliet Folly.

Joseph Darko who is on a holiday from Kumasi agrees with Juliet, “to have Sarkodie and Norkus serve me with drinks and pop corn is a really great experience. Their handshake was very warm and friendly. Silverbird knows what we want”.

Silverbird was one year old on November 14, 2009 and planned the Celebrities Day Out as one of the events on the calendar to celebrate the anniversary and reward their loyal customers. Other activities lined-up for the anniversary celebrations include Silverbird Kids Day, held two weeks ago for school going children, Silverbird Campus Day which brought together students for great movies at special prices and a grand raffle to be held on December 20, where a lucky cinema goer or shopper at the Silverbird Lifestyle stores will get to win a brand new VW Polo car.

General Manager, Albert Mensah says “We are very grateful for the warm reception we enjoyed in our first year. We owe it all to our loyal customers. We want to reward everyone in our anniversary packages, so we encourage more and more people to take advantage of the last days in this festive season to enjoy our attractive packages and win any of the mouth-watering prizes.

The exciting event was exclusively sponsored by Ecobank.

Silent Scandal Breaks Box Office @ Silverbird

Vivian Ejike’s latest box office “Silent Scandal” featuring Genevieve Nnaji and Majid Michael breaks the rules of silence during its grand premiere at the Silverbird Cinemas over the weekend in Accra. About three of Silverbird’s large cinema halls were filled to capacity with several movie lovers pushing management of Silverbird to arrange for additional showing times on the premiere night.

Pretty face Nigerian actress Genevieve Nnaji was at her best having been absent from the scene for a while and making her fans crave so crazily for her. It was as if the fans gathered to confirm whether their screen goddess was really back with another bang.

Versatile Ghanaian actor Majid Michael also shown at his best and there’s no doubt that the beau is one of Ghana’s best at the moment.

The audience who gathered to see the movie on the gigantic screens were truly happy and satisfied as summed by 43-year old banker, Samuel Keelson, “this movie is really mind-blowing. I thought I had seen good movies in recent times, but this Silent Scandal is something else”.
Happy and contented Albert Mensah, General Manager of Silverbird Ghana said “We are amazed at the number of people who thronged in to see the Silent Scandal. It was as though we embarked on a door-to-door campaign to bring in the people. Our customers are happy and this confirms the fact that Silverbird is in the business to bring Ghanaians the first and the best. We expect more and more people to come and see this movie and other great ones we have on the menu for this festive season.

The dramatic love story revolves around the hidden and triangular love lives of a strict mother, her spoilt daughter and an indigent ‘playboy’. It has top actress, Genevieve Nnaji, as the lead act, Uche Jombo, Ebele Okaro, Ghanaian import –Michael Majid and a host of other emerging acts. Silent Scandal is an emotional story, where a mother and her only daughter, unknowingly, are torn apart by the true love and lust of an indigent young man. The movie is full of intrigues and suspense from start-to-finish. The movie is produced by leading female filmmaker and honcho of Purple Pine Productions, Vivian Ejike. It was carefully shot with hi-tech production equipment and thoroughly manned by tested professionals.

About Silverbird:
Silverbird Entertainment Ghana Limited is a joint venture between the Silverbird Group, a full service media, entertainment and real estate company with holdings in Radio, Television, Retail Malls and Cinemas and Global Media Alliance, an integrated pan-African media and entertainment company. Silverbird Group also boasts of excellent locations in Kenya with 18 screens at five premier shopping centres.

The Silverbird Group, the third largest entertainment company is taking a bold step in the African retail entertainment market and can guarantee that all products found in any Lifestyle store and Cinemas are legal and legitimate in terms of copyright and intellectual property. Silverbird's objective to establish a world class Pan-African Entertainment Company is well on course, with fast growing establishments in East and West Africa.