Chicago, March 5 2011: A whirlwind of revelry and elation dominated the atmosphere as young adult Ghanaian descendants massively converged at the popular 83rd and Ellis Community Center to celebrate Ghana’s 54th Independence Anniversary. The event was organized by the Ghana National Council of Metropolitan Chicago, GNC, in partnership with Nelli Productions, headed by Nelson Hodogbey (Youth Secretary, GNC), Paa Kwesi Sam, (former Business Manager , GNC) and Steve Dei (Organizing Secretary, GNC).
The glamour and splendor that used to characterize Ghana’s Independence Day Anniversary celebrations at luxury hotel ball rooms here in Chicago was obviously missing but not the fun as D.J Bonsu released the best collections of music from his deep ocean of CD’s. Except the few interruptions in way of announcements and a speech from the President of the GNC, John Henry Assabill, D.J Bonsu was impressive with his wave of selections for the occasion. His choices of Funk, Hip Life, Old School, Reggae and the likes met the taste of all attendees and kept the crowd dancing all night long.
The venue and gate fees might have played a role as Ghanaian-American young adults came out massively to celebrate the occasion. The National colors of Ghana, red, gold and green, which used to dominate the choice of clothing worn by past attendees was missing as the “youth” wore non-traditional Ghanaian outfits. Seizing on occasions such as this, , the GNC should educate the community, especially the youth, about the history of Ghana’s independence; but perhaps there was a lack of anticipation of such a turn-out of the youth. A young lady who wished to remain anonymous commented that she was there to celebrate Ghana’s Independence Day but did not know when Ghana attained independence and from which colonial power she gained her independence from. A male reveler, when asked, could also not tell who the current President of Ghana is or who led the country to independence and became the first president of Ghana!
The President of the GNC, Mr. John Henry Assabill used the occasion of his address to inform the public that the Ghana Embassy in the USA is in the process of registering Ghanaians in the diaspora to determine their numbers so that the embassy could better serve their needs. He also used the occasion to make two important announcements in the community and to quote him: “Before I take my seat, I would like to make two announcements. This year’s Ghanafest is the last Saturday in July, July 30th, 2011 at the same location, Washington Park at South Russell Drive and Garfield Boulevard, near the DuSable Museum and East of Martin Luther King Drive. Raffle ticket sales would begin this month. Watch out for the event flyer as well. The Council has been notified that the National Institute of Health and Technology is offering a free 5 weeks CNA education for people who are planning to start a career in the healthcare industry. Please contact Joseph Frias, telephone number (773) 506-2136. This promotion is running for 3 months only.” The president concluded by informing the public that the Constitutional Review Committee of the Ghanaian Parliament would be visiting various USA cities including Chicago to ensure that the constitutional proposals reflect the broad view of Ghanaians home and abroad. He noted further that information on the constitutional review committee could be obtained from the Ghana Government website at www.crc.gov.gh.
The event was sponsored by the Western Union, MoneyGram International, Dish Network, Transit Funding, African Spectrum, LLC & Princeton Insurance Agency and Nelli productions. .
The Vice-President, Dr. Mark Kutame acknowledged special guests and thanked the sponsors on behalf of the Ghana National Council for their generous contribution and support on this special occasion. The event was emceed by Boafo Papafio (Mayor) and generated over $3,000.00 profit for the GNC. The celebrations ended at 3.30 a.m. with a tired looking but very satisfied attendees.
