Culture

Ghanaian actress, Yvonne Nelson confesses to aborting pregnancy for music star, Sarkodie

Published

2 years ago

June 19, 2023

Ghanaian actress, Yvonne Nelson has confessed to aborting a pregnancy for music star, Sarkodie in 2010 after he bluntly refused to accept responsibility for it.

The award-winning actress who revealed this in her autobiography titled “I am not Yvonne Nelson,” which was launched on Sunday, said she had a short romantic relationship with Sarkodie which resulted in a pregnancy which she had to abort as he was not ready to own up to the responsibilities of being a father.

According to the controversial actress who has been linked with several entertainers in the past, she took the decision following Sarkodie’s decision not to take responsibility of the child.

In the chapter of the book which deals with the abortion issue, the actress narrated how Sarkodie and his manager accompanied her to a clinic at Mamprobi to get the foetus removed after failed attempts with pills recommended by a friend.

“I sensed the intensity of his emotions when I broke the news to him. I could hear his heart pounding, and when he finally found his voice, he faltered. His message was, however, unambiguous,” she said.

“He didn’t want the pregnancy. That would damage him and his career. The only option was to get rid of it. Sarkodie was a budding musician with the potential to become one of the biggest artists in Ghana and beyond.

“At the time, however, the future looked uncertain, and his way through the maze of life still appeared too foggy to predict. Success was not guaranteed.

“He was still living with his mother and was not ready to carry a burden while he was being carried by his mother.

“I wouldn’t call what had developed between us a serious relationship. I gravitated toward people in the music industry. For the longest time in my life, music was my getaway from all the unpleasant things life threw at me. So, I liked his talent. We started talking and got close.

“The first thing that hit me when he said no to keeping the pregnancy was my own life. I had grown up without a father in my life. I had often been reminded of how I had been borne by mistake.

“I was still wondering if the man whose name I bore was my father. How was I going to bring another being into this world to live like me, someone whose father would reject him or her as Mr Nelson had rejected me?

“If there was a way to spare someone else the trauma I was contending with, why would I reject the option, especially when I was psychologically and emotionally prepared to be a mother?”

Related Topics:abortion Autobiography Featured Pregnancy Sarkodie Yvonne Nelson

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Culture

Ghana’s Supreme Court dismisses suit challenging anti-LGBT bill

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Ghana’s Supreme Court has dismissed two separate suits challenging the legality of one of the proposed anti-LGBT legislations awaiting assent into law by the president.

The separate suits were filed by two legal practitioners, Amanda Odoi and Richard Sky, challenging the bill, seeking to declare it illegal and prevent the president from signing it.

The two cases had challenged the constitutionality of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.

But in a ruling on Wednesday, the Supreme Court unanimously decided to dismiss the legal challenges to the new anti-LGBT legislation that has been criticised by rights groups.

The controversial bill was passed earlier this year by Ghanaian lawmakers with three years imprisonment for people identifying as LGBT and five years for forming or funding LGBT groups.

While dismissing the cases, presiding judge, Justice Avril Lovelace-Johnson, who delivered the ruling on behalf of the seven-member panel, said the cases were premature.

“Until there’s presidential assent, there is no act, the two cases were “unanimously dismissed,” she said.

The ruling is the latest blow to the LGBTQ community in Ghana and paves the way for the president to sign into law what many say is one of Africa’s most restrictive piece of anti-LGBTQ legislation.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, whose term in office ends on 7 January, had delayed signing it pending the outcome of the Supreme Court challenge but the judges said the case could not be reviewed until it had been signed it into law.

It expected that incoming president, John Mahama, will sign the bill into law as he had always expressed his support for the bill during his electioneering campaigns.

Culture

UNESCO lists Ghana’s Kente cloth as cultural heritage

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The iconic Ghanaian Kente, a piece of clothing, has been recognized as a cultural heritage on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The global recognition, according to the UN body, is coming under the 2003 Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage highlights the cultural and historical significance of the vibrant, handwoven textile.

In a citation on its website, UNESCO describes the Kente cloth as “originating from Ghana’s Asante and Ewe communities and renowned worldwide for its bold colors, intricate patterns, and deep symbolic meanings, embodying the creativity and identity of the Ghanaian people.”

Ghana’s Tourism Minister, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, described the recognition as a testament to Ghana’s commitment to preserving its cultural heritage.

“This achievement places Ghana at the forefront of global efforts to safeguard and celebrate cultural traditions,” he noted.

In a statement acknowledging the recognition, Mercer said the “Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC) expressed gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, UNESCO, and the artisans, cultural institutions, and traditional authorities who contributed to this milestone.”

“Special acknowledgement is given to the Bonwire and Agotime communities for their enduring role as custodians of the craft.

“As Ghana celebrates this historic moment, MoTAC reaffirms its dedication to promoting and preserving the nation’s rich cultural legacy.”