Today we invite you on a journey to Ghana, Africa, as we meet a media mogul and influential leader, Nana Aba Anamoah. Nana Aba has utilized her position and influence to raise awareness around several social concerns in Ghana, from Tramador drug abuse...
Listen to the podcast here
Today we invite you on a journey to Ghana, Africa, as we meet a media mogul and influential leader, Nana Aba Anamoah. Nana Aba has utilized her position and influence to raise awareness around several social concerns in Ghana, from Tramador drug abuse (a powerful narcotic) to political corruption, LGBTQIA+ concerns, poverty, and lack of access to medical care by so very many who are simply too poor to afford access, or who are gay or transgender and are therefore denied access. She is a stellar example of the power of influence, and of standing up for what you believe and facing fear of retribution.
About Our Guest: Nana Aba Anamoah, General Manager of GH One TV + Star 105.3 FM
Nana Aba Anamoah is one of the most prominent journalists in Ghana. She is the Radio and Television Personality of the year; an award she has won for the second time in 3 years. Other awards include TV News reporter of the year, Current Affairs presenter of the year, Ghanaian woman of the year (Media Category), and Social Media Personality of the year.
Nana Aba has become the leading voice on many issues on social media in Ghana with a staggering following of over 3 million on instagram alone.
Nana Aba is currently General Manager of GHOne TV and Starr 103.5 FM.
Guest Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenanaaba/
Join the Care More. Be Better. Community! (Social Links)
Website: https://www.caremorebebetter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CareMoreBeBetter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CareMore.BeBetter/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/care-more-be-better
Twitter: https://twitter.com/caremorebebettr
Clubhouse: https://www.clubhouse.com/club/care-more-be-better
~Join us live each week for open conversations on Clubhouse!~
Support Care More. Be Better: A Social Impact + Sustainability Podcast
Care More. Be Better. is not backed by any company. We answer only to our collective conscience. As a listener, reader, and subscriber you are part of this pod and this community and we are honored to have your support. If you can, please help finance the show (https://www.caremorebebetter.com/donate). Thank you, now and always, for your support as we get this thing started!
00:00 Introduction
05:24 Combatting
14:17 The Power of Influence
16:50 Political Corruption In Ghana
25:40 LGBTQIA+ Concerns of Africa
36:42 Similarities From Ghanaian To American Political Issues
38:00 Other Social Issues In Ghana
43:00 A New Charity Is Coming — The Hearts Wide Open Foundation
46:30 A Plea for Hospital Beds In Ghanaian Hospitals
Transcript
Corinna Bellizzi: Hello fellow do-gooders and friends I’m your host Corinna Bellizzi an activist and cause marketer who's passionate about social impact and sustainability. If you haven't already done so, please be sure to visit my website care more be better calm, you can sign up for our newsletter to be the first to gain access to new episodes and easily browse past shows on topics that matter to you. You'll find show transcripts and suggested actions you can take to make a difference if you're so inclined, you can even become a member and make a donation right on our site.
Today we're going to meet an incredible woman who leverages her position as a thought leader news icon and influencer for good. Her name is Nana Aba Anamoah and she is one of the most prominent journalist in Ghana, she is the radio and TV personality of the year and a word she is one for the second time in three years. Other awards include TV news reporter of the year, current affairs presenter of the year and Ghanaian woman of the year and social media personality of the year, she has become the leading voice on many issues on social media in Ghana, with a staggering following of over 3 million followers on Instagram alone.
Nana Aba is currently general manager of GH One TV and star 103.5 FM. Nana Aba, welcome to the show.
Nana Aba Anamoah: Thank you Corinna. Thank you so much.
Corinna Bellizzi: Before we get started, I have to say, happy birthday.
Nana Aba Anamoah: Thank you, thank you very much.
Corinna Bellizzi: yeah you had quite the birthday party didn't you.
Nana Aba Anamoah: I did I did I was tiring, but a lot of fun I had so much fun, I was exhausted, at some point I just disappeared into my room, but it was fun.
Corinna Bellizzi: Well, I have to say it was a little jealous, namely because we're just getting to the point where we can even open up and have gathered here in California so uh you know i'm looking forward to hosting my first party. At the end of June right around when this podcast will air. Now I read online that it was put on by your colleagues and some celebrities, many of whom you helped launch the careers of so.
Nana Aba Anamoah: yeah.
Corinna Bellizzi: I was hoping, you could tell us what you love about working in media and mentoring newcomers, in the space.
Nana Aba Anamoah: Well, I love working in the media, because i'm able to i'm able to put seven issues across to the wider public. In Ghana, you could be in a community and be very loud, but if. Nationally people are not talking about your issues, then your problems don't get fixed so you're always looking forward to a journalist coming to your community to feature bad words, for instance, and once it has put on national TV or national radio and the country's talking about it. Then you are rest assured that you're going to get results, and so I love being in the media to be able to put all of these issues across on to ensure that. At least about more than more than 80% of these issues are addressed daily so that's why I love the MEDIA I love to mentor because it's a very, very weird with the first one is that I don't like to be doing all the work, my friends, sometimes say that i'm so lazy and, yes, I agree, I think it's my biggest weakness and also a very great strength for me. i'm the life of see that i'm lazy, but I just see that I I like to participate selectively.
Corinna Bellizzi: we're always fighting over the semantics.
Nana Aba Anamoah: Though the choice of words, but I tell them that i'm not lazy I want to participate when I want to mentor because I feel that I shouldn't be the only one, doing the work I shouldn't be the only one, taking the glory, there are younger people who can do better than I am doing. All they need is the opportunity All they need is a right people to hold their hand and open the door for them so it's something I enjoy doing, and as soon as I realized that this person has got it this person can do it. I spend extra time getting them ready for the big opportunity and that big opportunity is always. Very close to them because you're going to find an arbonne who's too lazy to show up and say oh. I know you're you've been trying to do this for a while, can you step in and do this for me. And they do it and there's always no problem, so I wait till the right time and then I just throw them out there and they always do very well so far i've been lucky, none of the people i've mentored has been disastrous they're all very, very, very serious about your work. They cherish the opportunities that from the way they don't play don't play with that at all yeah.
Corinna Bellizzi: yeah you know I followed you for a bit on social media, and I can see you're consistently celebrating the people that you've helped a mentor along the way and it's just such a joy to watch because that is half of the leadership game right, you have to help other people follow behind you and watch them succeed and there's so much joy, you can get from that so thank you for that commitment that's all.
Nana Aba Anamoah: Thank you.
Corinna Bellizzi: Know on a little bit of a serious note, as we dig into your work and social impact, I learned that you lead an initiative to stop tramadol abuse. In Ghana so i'd love for you to talk a little bit about that and learn more about what that problem was and how you're working to address that.
Nana Aba Anamoah: Okay, so a few years ago, a young guy in one of our very poor neighborhoods called nema have called me on the phone and sometimes I want to help people get my number, but I have been told that my number is the easiest to find in Ghana, so I get all sorts of people calling me all the time, so he called me and he said he needed help. He had abused, a particular drug for too long, and he didn't know what to do, he wants to quit but it's difficult for him to quit and I was a bit worried about him, so I spoke to a couple of my friends and I said let's go check out this guy because I didn't like the way he sounded I don't think it was a full length guy who was calling me.
I don't think there were any games up, and so my friends were worried that no this this neighborhood is a rough we can go with you, we can even allow you to call, and I said no i'm going to go, because this guy I mean I don't think you just pick up a phone and tell me that he's he's abusing a drug, and he needs help, so I took the pains went to the Community, I found him I went to the guy I found in, and it was a serious problem, he he had overdosed. He was a school at the time it's quit school his whole life had just crashed before him. And so we managed to take him to his psychiatric hospital, which was quite far from him. And then the doctors there said Oh, that is what the young men are doing the young men and women are doing now, there is a drug called trauma rolling down at the color travel. And I said well tramadol is as it's not an over the counter drug it's not something you can just buy and it's expensive in Ghana, so I don't expect a guy like that to have access to the broad number one. And even have the money to buy it and he said oh it's something I need to look into but he has no idea, but there are so many young people coming in and abusing this drug and it’s causing a lot of problems, so I decided to go back to the Community, and I was told that all something the young men are doing now we are by trying to model. Some investigations, so that the drug was fake there was a there were three tablets of white or blue and the Green three tablets that were being brought into these poor neighborhoods by. The Chinese some Chinese were coming into Ghana somewhat bringing it from Nigeria and they were selling it to be young. Young men and women in the communities and was doing three things for them the white one had its own effects the blue had a perfect and then the greenhouse effect. But bottom line for most of the people who are taking it was for economic reasons they had been told, and obviously was working for them, they had been told that when you take a white tramadol. And you don't go hungry and these communities are very poor community, so it is they live below $1 they live on below $1 a day. And so, if you get a broad we're just lucky to have $1. And so, when you have $1 today you're not sure whether next door, I will come from, so you don't want to spend it on food you'd rather spend it on things that are more important to you, they feel are more important to them, so if this drug is going to stop them from eating when the better of going for that pockets and a pocket have about 12 tablets, so it means that, in a month they're going 12 days without food, and this drug was supposed to take them through live peacefully I don't know who put that in their head, but it was being sold for as little as one gunner CDs, which is.
73
00:09:25.260 --> 00:09:33.840
Nana Aba Anamoah: Less than $1 less than $1 so the yarn case we're taking it that the same drug would allow them to work under the sun for long hours.
74
00:09:34.110 --> 00:09:40.530
Nana Aba Anamoah: And so, instead of working eight hours they could do 16 hours and get extra money, and so it had economic.
75
00:09:40.920 --> 00:09:55.860
Nana Aba Anamoah: implications and then it was a security challenge as well, the other ones, they were taking the photo was an aphrodisiac to help them have long sex and bad long hours of sex, but that wasn't really my consent so much my main concern.
76
00:09:57.030 --> 00:10:01.350
Nana Aba Anamoah: Where were the young people who were on the streets thinking that this drug.
77
00:10:01.890 --> 00:10:13.440
Nana Aba Anamoah: was a solution to their problem, so I went round the entire country because I didn't think it was just a problem lacrosse and my goodness, it was wide spread.
78
00:10:13.890 --> 00:10:22.440
Nana Aba Anamoah: Now what I realized that these people were abusing drugs and the first question, I said to myself or as myself, was Where do they go to.
79
00:10:23.220 --> 00:10:33.870
Nana Aba Anamoah: If, in the case of this guy he needed help he wanted to go of the majority of the young men and women, I spoke to wanted to stop abusing the drug but they didn't know how to go about it.
80
00:10:34.800 --> 00:10:46.950
Nana Aba Anamoah: And we didn't have a national rehabilitation Center in Ghana, we have three psychiatric hospitals, one in Accra our capital city there's one and kip cause there's one.
81
00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:59.250
Nana Aba Anamoah: outside of cry in punt on, but these were the only through facilities in a country where our population is about 28 million people and it's expensive and difficult to even get there.
82
00:11:00.030 --> 00:11:09.000
Nana Aba Anamoah: So you go to the neighborhoods and you can't even get access to a psychologist or psychiatrist there is no rehab Center and so through the campaign we did.
83
00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:17.520
Nana Aba Anamoah: The government decided that for the first time we needed to build a national we have politician Center so I was very happy that.
84
00:11:17.850 --> 00:11:24.480
Nana Aba Anamoah: For all the hard work that I I put in traveling across the country going to some of the most.
85
00:11:25.020 --> 00:11:35.640
Nana Aba Anamoah: Dangerous ghettos in Ghana and every time people watched it on TV I got caused by you Okay, because I visited that ghetto, and I said to people that i'm fine these guys.
86
00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:47.610
Nana Aba Anamoah: No one tried to harm me they were happy to hear that I was there to offer them help so at no point did any of them try to help me, but I could understand their fears, because these were hardened.
87
00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:55.890
Nana Aba Anamoah: addict some of them were hardened criminals, but I was lucky that they were welcoming they allowed me to come into their communities to speak to.
88
00:11:56.190 --> 00:12:06.600
Nana Aba Anamoah: The most hard working episode, for me, was when I visited a community in the ashanti region is one of the biggest regions in Ghana and one of the richest regions in Ghana.
89
00:12:06.900 --> 00:12:15.900
Nana Aba Anamoah: I went there, and one of the neighborhoods called Alabama this woman had had a baby a baby was one year old she had abuse.
90
00:12:16.530 --> 00:12:29.610
Nana Aba Anamoah: Drugs so much that have baby will not breastfeed until she's hard Okay, it has system and that scared me that broke my heart and.
91
00:12:30.150 --> 00:12:38.220
Nana Aba Anamoah: In the Community, I want to ask you, is there a rehab here, no, is there a facility, we can take these people to know.
92
00:12:38.490 --> 00:12:43.770
Nana Aba Anamoah: And I went to the police station and the police said, well, we know it is illegal, for them to to.
93
00:12:44.040 --> 00:12:52.170
Nana Aba Anamoah: take these drugs cocaine and others, but we can bring them here because we don't have the money to buy them suit every day, so these people have just been left to the.
94
00:12:52.590 --> 00:13:03.240
Nana Aba Anamoah: faith and it was I was totally broken that day, and so I went on TV and I wanted for so long and then people understood what I what I was trying to do.
95
00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:10.350
Nana Aba Anamoah: And i'm happy to say today that the woman is now fine because i've got people to go in there and rescue her in the baby.
96
00:13:10.650 --> 00:13:20.400
Nana Aba Anamoah: Are the last time I spoke to her was about three months ago, and the baby was fine the baby the child deserves a lot longer baby or the child is as cool now and the woman herself is fine she's.
97
00:13:20.730 --> 00:13:26.130
Nana Aba Anamoah: A quite a skill and so she's able to work now, but she says once in a while she goes into.
98
00:13:26.550 --> 00:13:36.930
Nana Aba Anamoah: Some episodes because she wants the the drug but she's she's trying to get over it she's doing so well and i'm happy with it, but now there's so much awareness.
99
00:13:37.500 --> 00:13:45.480
Nana Aba Anamoah: Another thing that broke my heart, was that, after the campaign we did people became aware of the fake trumbull so now they're.
100
00:13:45.780 --> 00:13:50.940
Nana Aba Anamoah: The people who are going into the Community to sell the promo to then we're being beaten up some of them were lynched.
101
00:13:51.630 --> 00:14:00.600
Nana Aba Anamoah: So I had to do another program to say that you cannot lynch people you can't kill people when they come to your community, we are selling an illegal drug you can do, such as an arrest.
102
00:14:00.870 --> 00:14:08.460
Nana Aba Anamoah: arrest them and take them to the police station, but don't don't beat people up won't kill them because you think they're bringing you a fake drug, so I had to do.
103
00:14:08.820 --> 00:14:16.530
Nana Aba Anamoah: Two different things you know, because every time I was in the campaign I didn't think there was going to be that effects later for people to go ahead and lynch people because.
104
00:14:16.740 --> 00:14:26.100
Nana Aba Anamoah: The law says that the drug is fake and you want to harm us so now you're bringing that we have to deal with here, you know, so I had to go back again and then tell them no you can't do this.
105
00:14:26.550 --> 00:14:35.610
Nana Aba Anamoah: When anybody comes arrest them or call the police, they can be picked up and let the Lord deal with them, but you have no right to touch any human being yeah.
106
00:14:36.090 --> 00:14:39.600
Corinna Bellizzi: yeah well, I mean you're revealing right now the power of influence.
107
00:14:40.530 --> 00:14:46.380
Corinna Bellizzi: have quite a following in Ghana and the people do listen to you, I mean i've been.
108
00:14:46.380 --> 00:14:47.100
Corinna Bellizzi: On these.
109
00:14:47.220 --> 00:14:48.570
Corinna Bellizzi: Calls on clouds with you.
110
00:14:48.600 --> 00:14:48.900
Nana Aba Anamoah: Where.
111
00:14:49.410 --> 00:14:51.240
Corinna Bellizzi: they're asking you to run for office.
112
00:14:52.650 --> 00:14:53.130
Nana Aba Anamoah: You know.
113
00:14:53.460 --> 00:14:59.190
Corinna Bellizzi: They want you to be their literal political savior and it's a lot of responsibility with that.
114
00:14:59.430 --> 00:15:06.180
Nana Aba Anamoah: mm hmm yeah oh it's a whole lot of excess Sometimes I feel the pressure, sometimes I have to withdraw a bit because.
115
00:15:06.570 --> 00:15:15.990
Nana Aba Anamoah: I feel it's affects my mental health, sometimes too, because then it becomes other people's problems, all the time and then i'm unable to take care of myself.
116
00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:26.580
Nana Aba Anamoah: You know so once in a while I just withdraw from everybody just to take care of myself you put myself in order before I start putting other people's issues first.
117
00:15:26.820 --> 00:15:30.690
Corinna Bellizzi: yeah that's part of the problem of being there to champion a mantle like that.
118
00:15:30.690 --> 00:15:31.020
Nana Aba Anamoah: Because I.
119
00:15:31.050 --> 00:15:33.360
Corinna Bellizzi: do feel such an incredible responsibility.
120
00:15:33.780 --> 00:15:40.860
Corinna Bellizzi: So, again just incredible efforts on your part, now you mentioned something that is something i've thought about.
121
00:15:40.920 --> 00:15:52.470
Corinna Bellizzi: learning about you, and that is your own personal safety, the fact that you are having these really influential conversations that can be a little earth shaking.
122
00:15:52.500 --> 00:15:57.810
Corinna Bellizzi: To communities, and in some cases, you know make you a target so.
123
00:15:57.870 --> 00:16:06.210
Corinna Bellizzi: Yes, I wonder if you've had any concern in that arena, as you champion these causes, I mean, are you becoming more concerned, for your own safety.
124
00:16:06.900 --> 00:16:09.210
Nana Aba Anamoah: absolutely every single day.
125
00:16:10.350 --> 00:16:16.020
Nana Aba Anamoah: Because I think I don't I don't know that anyone seems to think, especially the Youth in Ghana seem to think that.
126
00:16:16.470 --> 00:16:30.360
Nana Aba Anamoah: If there was a particular issue and another boy is not talking about it, then the issue will be addressed, and so it makes me a target for it put the political parties, especially especially balls that are in power.
127
00:16:31.770 --> 00:16:42.960
Nana Aba Anamoah: In the number of times i've been attacked on social media verbal I mean verbally i'd get calls and people are attacking me on the phone How dare you say this, we are trying to do this, blah blah blah.
128
00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:55.470
Nana Aba Anamoah: i've been very loud and corruption, and I feel that this country has no reason, we have no right to go to the West to borrow money because we have so much money in this country, we have.
129
00:16:55.950 --> 00:17:13.470
Nana Aba Anamoah: Almost every national resource, we have oil, we have gold, we have bauxite we have cocoa, we have everything and we don't need we don't need to go to the West begging for money to to fix our country, but it is happening every day, you have situations where.
130
00:17:14.730 --> 00:17:24.570
Nana Aba Anamoah: A politician has taken $15 million from the state and they talk about it for three days and nothing happens it goes to the president's attention successive governments.
131
00:17:24.780 --> 00:17:36.330
Nana Aba Anamoah: It goes to the president's attention Oh, you need to bring evidence, but the evidence is right there and even doing anything about it so they've been countless times and the moment, everyone can talk about it and they think it's okay.
132
00:17:37.170 --> 00:17:48.030
Nana Aba Anamoah: This one, it will go away, but the Mormons know, nobody talks about it, it becomes a big issue, and then they start attacking me fact they've been so many times, where meetings have been held.
133
00:17:48.420 --> 00:17:53.070
Nana Aba Anamoah: Over and above what to do about an hour been so they come on social media.
134
00:17:53.370 --> 00:18:00.180
Nana Aba Anamoah: And they are like a tag brock's the goal or out for me they call me all sorts of names I mean i've been called everything i've been called a prostitute.
135
00:18:00.450 --> 00:18:08.310
Nana Aba Anamoah: i've been called are being called all sorts of things at some point, they said I was a husband snatcher i've never been to anybody's husband, but they were just.
136
00:18:09.060 --> 00:18:16.140
Nana Aba Anamoah: They were just trying to spoil my reputation at some point one politician that I criticized hardly.
137
00:18:16.800 --> 00:18:28.560
Nana Aba Anamoah: got some few people to get that gave them money, and then they said go on social media and our takeaway they did it, fortunately, for me, the people will follow me do not buy into the story, so a.
138
00:18:28.560 --> 00:18:29.340
Nana Aba Anamoah: lot of the time.
139
00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:41.460
Nana Aba Anamoah: Yes, you find these political or tablet scoring or out attacking me, but I have so many followers who would also say no, this is not true you're doing this because Nana boss said a B, C D and that's what you're trying to do.
140
00:18:42.510 --> 00:18:51.420
Nana Aba Anamoah: On my birthday, I received so many calls and one of them that pretty much took me was a guy who said that oh.
141
00:18:52.110 --> 00:18:59.580
Nana Aba Anamoah: And then i'll buy you do so much for young people, but just watch out because we have been asked to hurt you.
142
00:18:59.970 --> 00:19:03.420
Nana Aba Anamoah: But because we, like you, we don't want to don't want to do anything to you.
143
00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:10.200
Nana Aba Anamoah: I sat down for about the last one kitty it's must be one of these forgotten immediately I reported to the police and the police report.
144
00:19:10.440 --> 00:19:20.970
Nana Aba Anamoah: Or look out for you will be there for you, yes, so once I get I get I get worried about me and my family, I have a son, fortunately, my son doesn't live in Ghana, he lives in.
145
00:19:21.690 --> 00:19:30.150
Nana Aba Anamoah: Florida, and so i'm happy that he's away he's out of the country, but yes, sometimes I do I do get really worried because I.
146
00:19:31.740 --> 00:19:35.670
Nana Aba Anamoah: I never know who's approaching me people come from very far.
147
00:19:36.060 --> 00:19:43.200
Nana Aba Anamoah: different communities, and they are in my office without appointments and they're standing sometimes on the trees waiting for me to come up.
148
00:19:43.500 --> 00:19:51.690
Nana Aba Anamoah: Because they have a problem and the thing is it's not about who can fix it, so I never know who's coming to see me if the person is out there to harm me or just coming for.
149
00:19:52.380 --> 00:20:04.800
Nana Aba Anamoah: Some advice word of advice or consolation I just never know but yes i've thought of it in number of times about my my security my mental health, I thought of it in number of songs yeah.
150
00:20:05.520 --> 00:20:15.120
Corinna Bellizzi: Now you mentioned, corruption, I did a little bit of research on this and to and saw that the corruption index in Ghana has actually been declining over the last eight years.
151
00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:27.630
Corinna Bellizzi: So it started out at something like 48 at its peak and is now coming down to around 43 as the last assessment and one of the solutions that's been proposed is that more women come into politics.
152
00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:35.190
Corinna Bellizzi: Because apparently there's a correlation between more women in politics and less corruption in.
153
00:20:35.190 --> 00:20:50.100
Corinna Bellizzi: Government, which is quite interesting to be frank, so do you agree with that position or direction, and do you see a silver lining as we kind of are looking into the forward projection of the world.
154
00:20:51.450 --> 00:20:54.060
Nana Aba Anamoah: I, I agree, I totally agree.
155
00:20:55.170 --> 00:21:04.050
Nana Aba Anamoah: More women coming into politics and going, I mean it's something we've talked about over and over again, there are women were very confidential pull themselves up.
156
00:21:04.560 --> 00:21:17.010
Nana Aba Anamoah: And when it comes to the most critical point just a few of them make it so, for instance, our women in Parliament, the number of women in Parliament has reduced.
157
00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:29.880
Nana Aba Anamoah: Because the woman the woman don't want to put themselves up for it and they are attacked by the male colleagues a lot, there is always on my agenda that's set against them.
158
00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:36.960
Nana Aba Anamoah: There are some who are not married and marriage is such a big issue in in in our part of the world.
159
00:21:37.890 --> 00:21:44.220
Nana Aba Anamoah: When you reach a certain stage and you're not married that is used against you, but i've been telling people that.
160
00:21:44.730 --> 00:21:51.780
Nana Aba Anamoah: I you can't say that I am only fulfilled when I am married, but unfortunately that's how people think, so you have a woman.
161
00:21:52.080 --> 00:22:01.050
Nana Aba Anamoah: who's ready to contest the one who's extremely competent you know this woman can do the job, but because she's not married, they say, oh she's not married she cannot be responsible.
162
00:22:01.590 --> 00:22:02.610
Nana Aba Anamoah: And and just.
163
00:22:02.670 --> 00:22:15.180
Nana Aba Anamoah: they're thinking, what do you mean she can be responsible because she's not married or were still if you don't have a child if you're married and you don't have a child oh she's been married for five years she has no child should look at all yeah.
164
00:22:15.210 --> 00:22:16.530
Corinna Bellizzi: I would have been built an iced.
165
00:22:17.730 --> 00:22:33.690
Nana Aba Anamoah: It says it says it is depressing, as the person, so the woman try very hard to pull themselves up for it it's difficult, we have a bill in Parliament the affirmative action our bill it's been in Parliament for the longest time every.
166
00:22:34.830 --> 00:22:47.910
Nana Aba Anamoah: Every political party promises that we are going to pass the bill the win the election and they've never passed the bill and so it's still sitting in Parliament we are hoping that one day over the past there was a time where we're asking for quarters.
167
00:22:48.930 --> 00:22:59.040
Nana Aba Anamoah: it's working to some extent, but it's not so good, the President has tried, for instance, to appoint more women.
168
00:22:59.550 --> 00:23:14.520
Nana Aba Anamoah: In his cabinet and it's better than before it's been raising over the over the last few years, but we've had women occupying seven very setting a serious important positions for so the electoral commission.
169
00:23:15.570 --> 00:23:23.220
Nana Aba Anamoah: was headed by a woman, she left another woman took over we've had to chip justices where women.
170
00:23:23.670 --> 00:23:31.950
Nana Aba Anamoah: And so that's one of the highest positions in Garland been a Chief Justice you're the third most important person or the land so we've had.
171
00:23:32.220 --> 00:23:40.770
Nana Aba Anamoah: Two women there and that make everyone happy we've had two women are the electoral commission we've had a female Attorney General.
172
00:23:41.760 --> 00:23:53.130
Nana Aba Anamoah: Twice so that was for the first time we had a female Attorney General her party was torn out the next part of that came was had a female Attorney General as well, unfortunately for.
173
00:23:53.700 --> 00:24:02.310
Nana Aba Anamoah: This particular year that the Attorney General is male the female was no reappointed but we've had women, making for we're making inroads.
174
00:24:02.730 --> 00:24:08.340
Nana Aba Anamoah: We are getting more women in the boardrooms now more women becoming CEOs and general managers now.
175
00:24:08.700 --> 00:24:19.920
Nana Aba Anamoah: I think it's going to get better and you're right when you talk about corrupt corruption and then appointed more women and i've had men who have said all.
176
00:24:20.430 --> 00:24:26.760
Nana Aba Anamoah: This was a situation we had earlier when a woman took over we're seeing meaningful use of our resources.
177
00:24:27.360 --> 00:24:37.050
Nana Aba Anamoah: There was less than less corruption, and so you are absolutely right, I think that if we give more women, an opportunity in this country, a lot of the.
178
00:24:37.860 --> 00:24:50.850
Nana Aba Anamoah: email going on in governance will stop because sometimes it is, it is just unbelievable it's just unbelievable how people milk, the state, I remember, there was a case against the woman.
179
00:24:51.570 --> 00:25:10.590
Nana Aba Anamoah: Corruption, it was a corruption case as well, and she was accused of embezzling phones on the conversation on radio and TV was shocking people were shocked that a woman, why should a woman invisible funds, and I said to them the men and bezel funds.
180
00:25:11.040 --> 00:25:16.380
Nana Aba Anamoah: And so ever woman has embezzled funds what's the problem they didn't understand why a woman.
181
00:25:16.680 --> 00:25:26.460
Nana Aba Anamoah: Because you're a woman you shouldn't do that if someone is located and I couldn't understand the common sense in that conversation that we've put up with so much mediocrity.
182
00:25:26.820 --> 00:25:32.280
Nana Aba Anamoah: With men that people think that if a woman comes to do the same for you, that is such a huge problem, I think this.
183
00:25:34.020 --> 00:25:48.720
Nana Aba Anamoah: Is a double standard precisely and so, but I think that women who have occupied such sensitive positions have done very well they've they've done justice took the job on the left us being praised every single day in Ghana.
184
00:25:49.770 --> 00:25:59.820
Corinna Bellizzi: Although that's great to hear now it's also pride month we're in June now and LGBT Q a plus issues are top of mind for many across the globe.
185
00:26:00.750 --> 00:26:05.250
Corinna Bellizzi: I know in Ghana, in particular, there are a lot of challenges that the Community faces.
186
00:26:05.310 --> 00:26:22.920
Corinna Bellizzi: Specifically, because it's essentially illegal to be a gay man and the entire country so i'd like for you to talk about that a little bit and just if you're willing to share, you know anything that you're doing in this particular arena to support the LGBT Q community.
187
00:26:23.820 --> 00:26:25.200
Nana Aba Anamoah: Absolutely, I mean the.
188
00:26:26.430 --> 00:26:35.880
Nana Aba Anamoah: The issue with the LGBT Q community in Ghana totally breaks my heart every single day that I, I hear about them, I just get.
189
00:26:36.450 --> 00:26:37.920
Nana Aba Anamoah: So emotional.
190
00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:41.220
Nana Aba Anamoah: And so the Community in Ghana.
191
00:26:42.420 --> 00:26:52.830
Nana Aba Anamoah: once in a while they talk about the legalizing they talk about legalization once in a while if they hardly do talk about legalization.
192
00:26:53.430 --> 00:27:05.370
Nana Aba Anamoah: And I think what Billions have paid attention to is what this community is asking for and guardians haven't paid attention to, because we have opportunists in position having positions.
193
00:27:05.940 --> 00:27:10.590
Nana Aba Anamoah: politic we have some politicians who are opportunists they're not they're not doing their job.
194
00:27:11.070 --> 00:27:20.790
Nana Aba Anamoah: They know very well that they've been given a task they are unable to deliver, and so the easiest target for them is the LGBT Q community.
195
00:27:21.090 --> 00:27:34.800
Nana Aba Anamoah: And so, for instance, the whole country goes and book that we have had bad roads in these communities, for a long time, pregnant women are dying because they don't have access to health care they need to travel miles.
196
00:27:35.220 --> 00:27:47.070
Nana Aba Anamoah: to access health care and so people start talking about this, and the next minutes kareena unfortunately the next minute you find three people picked up.
197
00:27:47.940 --> 00:27:52.290
Nana Aba Anamoah: By the security agencies that Oh, we caught them.
198
00:27:53.190 --> 00:28:01.050
Nana Aba Anamoah: In the act or we saw them doing advocacy of LGBT and then everyone stops talking about access to healthcare.
199
00:28:01.350 --> 00:28:09.960
Nana Aba Anamoah: Everyone stops talking about the bad rules, and it is not the LGBT Q How dare you the Bible is against it and laws are against it.
200
00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:21.060
Nana Aba Anamoah: blah blah blah they go on for days and weeks, and then everyone forgets so the politicians in this country hijack conversations take off people's minds.
201
00:28:21.300 --> 00:28:26.370
Nana Aba Anamoah: From the most important issues by using the LGBT Q, because they know how.
202
00:28:26.700 --> 00:28:36.630
Nana Aba Anamoah: galleons feel about the LGBT Q, and so they know it's so easy to throw them in for everyone to forget about the critical issues, and I say to people that.
203
00:28:36.900 --> 00:28:43.260
Nana Aba Anamoah: You can feel any way about the LGBT Q Community or whatever you feel I mean you are homophobic.
204
00:28:43.920 --> 00:28:51.120
Nana Aba Anamoah: And people don't even understand that they are homophobic that they don't even understand what homophobia is i've had people pass certain.
205
00:28:51.720 --> 00:29:04.530
Nana Aba Anamoah: comments, and I say to them about what are you seeing is problematic, you cannot see that it's homophobic oh it's a homophobic I just don't want to be associated with days I don't want to be associated with lesbians.
206
00:29:05.010 --> 00:29:09.900
Nana Aba Anamoah: Because this is what they do in the bedroom and what as a, why are you concerned about what people do in the bedroom.
207
00:29:10.440 --> 00:29:23.730
Nana Aba Anamoah: Why are you thinking about what people do in the bedroom we have human beings who are gay human beings who are lesbians, they go to the hospital, because they are not well and the hospital has the.
208
00:29:25.350 --> 00:29:34.530
Nana Aba Anamoah: audacity to turn them away because they again, and this person is very sick, the person has the right to receive healthcare.
209
00:29:34.860 --> 00:29:38.820
Nana Aba Anamoah: And they are turning them away and you sit down, you see the hospital's did the right thing.
210
00:29:39.270 --> 00:29:44.190
Nana Aba Anamoah: they're unable to socialize they can't go to school, you go to school, the moment they find out that you're gay.
211
00:29:44.610 --> 00:29:55.200
Nana Aba Anamoah: Trust me, Korea, you can never go to school, again, because they know you're gay you're going to live amongst them they think that you you're a cast your cast thing you can all live with them.
212
00:29:55.650 --> 00:30:01.170
Nana Aba Anamoah: And I just it just fits my understanding, all the time that you can't lynch.
213
00:30:01.770 --> 00:30:11.850
Nana Aba Anamoah: A human being, because you feel he's different from you that's a human being, you claim your Christian you claim you're Muslim you claim the Bible in the quran.
214
00:30:12.480 --> 00:30:20.160
Nana Aba Anamoah: Is against LGBT to you also claim the Bible says love your neighbor as yourself, so why are you.
215
00:30:20.580 --> 00:30:26.820
Nana Aba Anamoah: being hypocritical one minutes, the Bible is saying this to you and you believe that, but the Bible says another thing to you.
216
00:30:27.060 --> 00:30:35.220
Nana Aba Anamoah: On your sink know this one, we cannot do, why are you choosing what you think is right for you, and so that has been my anger, with a system like.
217
00:30:35.760 --> 00:30:42.300
Nana Aba Anamoah: Recently, that they managed to get an office in Ghana, it was a whole issue and that's How dare they.
218
00:30:42.810 --> 00:30:53.490
Nana Aba Anamoah: get an office and I said to people that love they're getting this office, because the whole country's against them, those know want to speak for them, no one speaks for them, I have, I have.
219
00:30:54.150 --> 00:31:05.100
Nana Aba Anamoah: done shows on LGBT Q I sat down with gays had a conversation with them this show went on TV Corina I was almost beaten up at this country.
220
00:31:05.640 --> 00:31:16.440
Nana Aba Anamoah: Because I sat down with homosexuals and people just couldn't understand I said how I mean I did this because I need you to understand that they are human beings.
221
00:31:16.740 --> 00:31:24.030
Nana Aba Anamoah: And the way you treat your treats me should be the same way you treat these people I such with them, I didn't die, they are not.
222
00:31:24.360 --> 00:31:36.900
Nana Aba Anamoah: They are not evil, they are people minding their business, why do you want to be concerned about two men are doing in the bedroom or two women are doing that in the bedroom I have decided to be transgender, how is that your.
223
00:31:37.290 --> 00:31:52.020
Nana Aba Anamoah: Why why, why are we targeting them, and so, unfortunately, I mean, fortunately, for me, people are beginning to wake up to this awakening that politicians are deliberately.
224
00:31:53.730 --> 00:32:00.180
Nana Aba Anamoah: pitching the LGBT community against the rest of Ghana and so people are people are beginning to speak up.
225
00:32:00.420 --> 00:32:02.370
Nana Aba Anamoah: Recently, a number of them were picked up.
226
00:32:02.400 --> 00:32:10.740
Nana Aba Anamoah: In their community in Ghana, they were in they kept them in the cells for 21 days I mean, how do you do that and that's even against the law.
227
00:32:11.460 --> 00:32:20.430
Nana Aba Anamoah: So I spoke to one police Come on, and I said to the police commander that what do you arrest people, you cannot keep them overnight, you cannot give them more than two days in a cell it's illegal.
228
00:32:20.730 --> 00:32:33.420
Nana Aba Anamoah: Your claim LGBT is illegal, but you're also practicing another illegality Where are you keeping people in cell for more than two days Oh, the against what they are doing is against the law, what they're doing is evil it's a satanic.
229
00:32:34.680 --> 00:32:42.180
Nana Aba Anamoah: And I just looked at him and I said you you're a married man, are you trying to say that you've been loyal to your wife as well, because you.
230
00:32:42.630 --> 00:32:53.070
Nana Aba Anamoah: You I know you very well you don't you have a wife, but you have girlfriends do you know the Bible is against that as well, do you know it's illegal as well, oh because i'm a man it's so key.
231
00:32:53.700 --> 00:32:54.960
Nana Aba Anamoah: In agreement with a woman.
232
00:32:55.230 --> 00:33:02.220
Nana Aba Anamoah: yeah so there was a lack of education about LGBT Q and going Oh, but i'm glad that.
233
00:33:03.120 --> 00:33:14.370
Nana Aba Anamoah: Slowly people are beginning to understand and I have friends in the Community who call me sometimes i've seen an Abba you know we like you would all want to be to be attacked.
234
00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:22.620
Nana Aba Anamoah: You said enough it's hockey just stop it then don't say anything more because I think sometimes they get concerned as well, but I get very emotional.
235
00:33:22.860 --> 00:33:29.310
Nana Aba Anamoah: About because I know I know, homosexuals and gone I know les mills and they're fantastic people we do so well.
236
00:33:29.820 --> 00:33:36.600
Nana Aba Anamoah: And I don't understand the hatred, I interviewed a politician recently on my show and then he threatened.
237
00:33:37.050 --> 00:33:42.930
Nana Aba Anamoah: To be top the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, because the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana.
238
00:33:43.590 --> 00:33:58.020
Nana Aba Anamoah: Was are the opening of this LGBT Q office, and he spoke against all the attacks and canyons were upset that how dare this Austrian High Commission Cohen speak about LGBT Q.
239
00:33:58.890 --> 00:34:07.560
Nana Aba Anamoah: And I was just completely sure that it's a Western it says not African it's all Western and I said to guardians that it's a soul Western.
240
00:34:08.430 --> 00:34:16.740
Nana Aba Anamoah: You go to the West you're in a hurry to travel to the West and by designer but not made by canyons you use it so let's assume LGBT so Western.
241
00:34:17.490 --> 00:34:27.750
Nana Aba Anamoah: Then stop patronizing everything was still your leaders leaders of Africa travel, all the way from Africa, they go to France, they go to Australia, they go to the US and the bed for money.
242
00:34:27.960 --> 00:34:37.440
Nana Aba Anamoah: These are taxes of the people of those countries, as some of these people are from the LGBT Q, but you're using your money to develop your country and that's the hypocrisy of the system.
243
00:34:37.980 --> 00:34:52.050
Nana Aba Anamoah: But i'm happy that slowly the beginning to understand I just hope and pray that we can still continue to champion the rights of these people to healthcare to education.
244
00:34:52.740 --> 00:35:00.990
Nana Aba Anamoah: To freedom, then they need to be able to move around freely occurring i'm telling you if you, you are in this room, with me.
245
00:35:01.500 --> 00:35:09.180
Nana Aba Anamoah: And we're all having a conversation and dancing and someone whom everyone knows this guy walks in here the whole mobile quiet.
246
00:35:10.080 --> 00:35:19.920
Nana Aba Anamoah: And people will start working out because a gay integral and I just said this was so primitive it's all it's all primitive it's a cage.
247
00:35:20.400 --> 00:35:28.410
Nana Aba Anamoah: So we need to change the mindset, we need to and these people haven't even talked about legalization legalization hasn't really come up at all I know the moment legalization.
248
00:35:28.950 --> 00:35:34.980
Nana Aba Anamoah: get onto the table is going to be a whole issue in Ghana, but I say to the Community that tickets a day at a time.
249
00:35:35.760 --> 00:35:40.200
Nana Aba Anamoah: let's try to get you to access health care, which is important because.
250
00:35:40.890 --> 00:35:58.860
Nana Aba Anamoah: In 2010 to one, there is no reason why someone should die because he gave and couldn't access health care, no one should be beaten up because he escaped, no one should be turned down by school that, because this is a Catholic school and you, I know, gay, we cannot.
251
00:35:59.880 --> 00:36:10.170
Nana Aba Anamoah: We cannot you don't get you hear you you can't be enrolled in the school or because the school is established by this charismatic church we can't allow you to be part I don't get it.
252
00:36:10.260 --> 00:36:12.840
Nana Aba Anamoah: I really don't get it, but it's something we are.
253
00:36:13.080 --> 00:36:22.500
Nana Aba Anamoah: constantly talking about I just hope that gun, yes, so i'm just gonna in Nigeria, they get eaten up all the time, we are killed all the time.
254
00:36:22.920 --> 00:36:31.050
Nana Aba Anamoah: It makes absolutely no sense and we have leaders who are supposed to be exposed and some of them pull themselves liberals and sometimes I.
255
00:36:31.470 --> 00:36:42.450
Nana Aba Anamoah: Have fights with people who call themselves liberals, because I say to them that Okay, I have a very conservative mind and very conservative about things, but if I am able to say that.
256
00:36:43.050 --> 00:36:49.650
Nana Aba Anamoah: These people need to be protected at all costs, and you call yourself a liberal and you do not understand that.
257
00:36:50.790 --> 00:36:55.860
Nana Aba Anamoah: The LGBT community is so huge across the world, and there was absolutely.
258
00:36:56.310 --> 00:37:05.100
Nana Aba Anamoah: no reason for anybody to be killed because they again if you don't understand it, then we have a problem you don't understand why you call yourself a liberal you don't understand it at all.
259
00:37:05.400 --> 00:37:15.660
Nana Aba Anamoah: You know so it's a conversation we're having in Ghana, I know the Nigerians are having a conversation to talk about it is, it is a big issue as well, you cannot dare biggie.
260
00:37:16.260 --> 00:37:26.670
Nana Aba Anamoah: So in Africa it's a problem but i'm happy that there was a lot of sensitization going on underground trying to sensitize people about it.
261
00:37:27.060 --> 00:37:34.020
Nana Aba Anamoah: i'm hoping that in the next five years and i've given myself, I said five years in some states too long, but I say five years so it's okay.
262
00:37:34.410 --> 00:37:45.540
Nana Aba Anamoah: let's just give ourselves five years and then things will slow down and because I don't know that, because if you look at the statistics of gays will talk every day it's just it's just the pricing, you know it's really depressing.
263
00:37:45.870 --> 00:37:48.840
Corinna Bellizzi: Well, even a timeline of five years could be optimistic.
264
00:37:48.870 --> 00:37:50.640
Corinna Bellizzi: And that's The sad thing because.
265
00:37:50.640 --> 00:37:50.910
Corinna Bellizzi: yeah.
266
00:37:51.000 --> 00:37:51.480
Nana Aba Anamoah: You have.
267
00:37:51.540 --> 00:38:01.170
Corinna Bellizzi: A situation where, as you mentioned earlier that LGBT Q Community at like an issue is brought to the surface, specifically when the government's trying to derail.
268
00:38:01.170 --> 00:38:01.890
Corinna Bellizzi: You from.
269
00:38:02.190 --> 00:38:02.820
Corinna Bellizzi: Thinking about.
270
00:38:02.850 --> 00:38:09.270
Corinna Bellizzi: Other important issues, so you know it's, not to say that the LGBT community is any less important.
271
00:38:09.540 --> 00:38:11.160
Corinna Bellizzi: But it's being used in a.
272
00:38:11.160 --> 00:38:12.480
Corinna Bellizzi: particular way, then yes.
273
00:38:12.570 --> 00:38:12.840
Corinna Bellizzi: Right.
274
00:38:12.870 --> 00:38:14.910
Corinna Bellizzi: Individual yeah 28.
275
00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:16.560
Corinna Bellizzi: And to ignore other issues.
276
00:38:16.590 --> 00:38:25.380
Nana Aba Anamoah: yeah they use they use them a lot it's so easy so easy targets in this country and i'm just guardians are beginning to read between the lines.
277
00:38:25.590 --> 00:38:27.120
Nana Aba Anamoah: Now, be a finding out that the.
278
00:38:27.150 --> 00:38:30.420
Nana Aba Anamoah: Politicians just use this Community, you know.
279
00:38:30.480 --> 00:38:38.310
Nana Aba Anamoah: You just I mean it's it's a common tactic, you know it's like Oh, we don't want you to look at this particular thing we're gonna we're gonna there for breakfast right up.
280
00:38:38.340 --> 00:38:45.000
Corinna Bellizzi: To front and Center I mean in the United States, the thing that gets held above, I think most things is you know abortion.
281
00:38:45.060 --> 00:38:50.550
Corinna Bellizzi: or rights to portion it's something that in flames a difference between right and left and.
282
00:38:50.550 --> 00:38:55.380
Corinna Bellizzi: keeps us from agreeing when we might actually see eye to eye on many issues.
283
00:38:55.980 --> 00:39:00.750
Corinna Bellizzi: This polarizing thing is just brought right into the Center to divide us.
284
00:39:01.050 --> 00:39:03.780
Corinna Bellizzi: And we division progress doesn't get made.
285
00:39:04.200 --> 00:39:05.310
Nana Aba Anamoah: So that's yeah you're.
286
00:39:05.310 --> 00:39:06.360
Corinna Bellizzi: Probably right.
287
00:39:06.480 --> 00:39:07.620
Nana Aba Anamoah: yeah that's true.
288
00:39:08.310 --> 00:39:11.820
Corinna Bellizzi: Well, I have to say I can see why so many.
289
00:39:11.880 --> 00:39:14.220
Corinna Bellizzi: of your fans want you to run for office.
290
00:39:14.670 --> 00:39:17.910
Corinna Bellizzi: My passion comes through and I.
291
00:39:18.750 --> 00:39:30.150
Corinna Bellizzi: I mean, I know it's going to take a lot of effort from many individuals and leadership to help both a brute this corruption and support communities that that need it.
292
00:39:31.170 --> 00:39:35.970
Corinna Bellizzi: In particular, in the LGBT community, but also, as you even spoke about with trauma door.
293
00:39:37.110 --> 00:39:37.950
Corinna Bellizzi: I just think.
294
00:39:38.070 --> 00:39:42.240
Corinna Bellizzi: You know, these issues are going to continue to come up and they're going to need champions.
295
00:39:42.240 --> 00:39:43.260
Corinna Bellizzi: Like yourself so.
296
00:39:43.380 --> 00:39:44.880
Corinna Bellizzi: Whether or not that's in politics.
297
00:39:47.220 --> 00:39:47.580
Nana Aba Anamoah: yeah.
298
00:39:48.720 --> 00:39:54.810
Corinna Bellizzi: So i'm curious what other social issues are you presently working to support and champion.
299
00:39:55.650 --> 00:40:02.610
Nana Aba Anamoah: White so um hmm I tried to help a lot of young people on the streets.
300
00:40:04.500 --> 00:40:16.680
Nana Aba Anamoah: Last year I was driving home from work I bought one of our traffic intersections and we have a lot of focus and Carla one minute, Korea, can you just hold on a minute.
301
00:40:17.520 --> 00:40:18.720
Nana Aba Anamoah: yeah just a minute.
302
00:40:34.560 --> 00:40:37.590
Nana Aba Anamoah: i'm back so last year.
303
00:40:38.730 --> 00:40:51.600
Nana Aba Anamoah: during one of our lockdown as we went into a lockdown we had to lock down anyway, I was driving home from work and then I get to the traffic in the section on two young men.
304
00:40:52.170 --> 00:41:01.440
Nana Aba Anamoah: rushed to my car and because we have hawkers a lot of workers in Ghana, so you get to ever traffic intersection you find young people selling all sorts of things from.
305
00:41:02.070 --> 00:41:11.070
Nana Aba Anamoah: confectionery is two drinks to Dr king's to all lots they have a whole lot and you can buy almost everything in traffic.
306
00:41:11.670 --> 00:41:20.700
Nana Aba Anamoah: And so, this young man approached me I wrote down and settle can we take a selfie with you, no, no, no big deal let's take a selfie and the one of the young men said oh.
307
00:41:22.230 --> 00:41:25.830
Nana Aba Anamoah: I always wanted to be a presenter but I couldn't.
308
00:41:26.910 --> 00:41:37.590
Nana Aba Anamoah: pursue further education, because my mother passed away my dad didn't have money, and so this is why i'm you know i'm on the streets selling and he was selling.
309
00:41:38.160 --> 00:41:48.510
Nana Aba Anamoah: charger a car charger for foods for selling charters, and so I asked him that How much money do you make in a day, and he said he makes a profit of.
310
00:41:49.050 --> 00:42:00.870
Nana Aba Anamoah: 50 CDs 50 CDs about maybe $10 that's how much he makes him a day, but he really wants to be a presenter because asking his passion, all our lives, I said to him okay.
311
00:42:01.830 --> 00:42:08.340
Nana Aba Anamoah: pass by the Office, the next day, when you have time, I honestly didn't think that I will turn out, but he turned out.
312
00:42:09.240 --> 00:42:15.690
Nana Aba Anamoah: that's how serious he was and then he said to him, I really want to do this, I think this is my future, as I said, okay.
313
00:42:16.200 --> 00:42:25.890
Nana Aba Anamoah: we'll take you off the street for a while come for some training and I don't want to see you in action now, but i'm going to hand you over to one of our producers to.
314
00:42:26.280 --> 00:42:43.140
Nana Aba Anamoah: take you through you know and walk run to see what you can do in front of the camera so you don't know once and the producer called me and said, there was a talent, right here, you need to see him, so I went down to the studio, and this was the guy in front of the camera and he was phenomenal.
315
00:42:43.740 --> 00:42:50.370
Nana Aba Anamoah: So I said to him, they need to stop going back don't go back to the streets, this is where you belong in the winter give you a job.
316
00:42:50.730 --> 00:43:00.330
Nana Aba Anamoah: we're going to train you we're going to give you three months of training every month will give you an allowance after three months if you realize that this is really what you want to do, we will employ you.
317
00:43:00.720 --> 00:43:09.120
Nana Aba Anamoah: and start you start earning a salary, so we did that for him and then people saw him on TV and kareena.
318
00:43:10.590 --> 00:43:14.580
Nana Aba Anamoah: After that every young person was coming to my office every day.
319
00:43:14.700 --> 00:43:15.660
Nana Aba Anamoah: I need a job.
320
00:43:18.600 --> 00:43:19.380
Corinna Bellizzi: on that one.
321
00:43:19.740 --> 00:43:27.510
Nana Aba Anamoah: way, I wanted to do this and I don't have the means I want this I don't have to me, so I said oh my God, what have I done.
322
00:43:28.050 --> 00:43:37.770
Nana Aba Anamoah: Another time I was driving home same traffic a guy was selling toilet rolls tissue paper and there, he was running towards my car.
323
00:43:38.580 --> 00:43:48.330
Nana Aba Anamoah: I wrote down and he said he had completed the university with a first class and here he was on the streets, he had been out of the university for about six years neutral.
324
00:43:48.990 --> 00:43:57.690
Nana Aba Anamoah: He was on the streets Okay, I said come to my office with your CV the next day let's see what we can do for you and looked at his CV and kareena I was stunned.
325
00:43:58.230 --> 00:44:10.410
Nana Aba Anamoah: That this guy was even better than a lot of people in my office in fact his his academic record was better than mine but the guy was on the street selling tissue paper.
326
00:44:12.060 --> 00:44:23.520
Nana Aba Anamoah: And it's, not to say that people who sell tissue paper are below me, but if you if you're in Governor, you will understand that you on the street talking sometimes they go home with nothing.
327
00:44:24.030 --> 00:44:33.960
Nana Aba Anamoah: You can be on the street from morning till night and the sasquatch us in Ghana lot and then the sun all day and all the makers, maybe five cities.
328
00:44:34.200 --> 00:44:35.100
Nana Aba Anamoah: Five cities as.
329
00:44:35.640 --> 00:44:44.400
Nana Aba Anamoah: Less than $1 that's how much you're making in the day that's absolutely nothing so he brought a CV we managed to get him a job.
330
00:44:44.940 --> 00:44:50.550
Nana Aba Anamoah: Fast forward he's now a supervisor with the company and donor he's doing very well he's so happy.
331
00:44:50.820 --> 00:45:01.500
Nana Aba Anamoah: Another guy similar story he's not happy he's been getting married he called me The other thing that he's getting married if he wants me to be the chairman of his wedding I said i've never been married before I don't have any experiments that can be the.
332
00:45:01.500 --> 00:45:15.390
Nana Aba Anamoah: Chairman of your work, so that is what i'm working on now I get people approaching me the brilliant students but from very deprived homes, they don't have access to money to pursue their education so.
333
00:45:15.930 --> 00:45:24.750
Nana Aba Anamoah: Fortunately, for me, I have a good relationship with certain institutions and scholarships that gets there right so i've helped a few young people were very brilliant to.
334
00:45:25.230 --> 00:45:35.370
Nana Aba Anamoah: pursue higher education outside the country but I get a lot of people say, well, you need to you need to do this properly, you need to structure it because.
335
00:45:35.880 --> 00:45:44.190
Nana Aba Anamoah: A lot of the time I do it for my my pocket i'm using my own resource to do it and so i've been convinced to put a foundation together.
336
00:45:44.670 --> 00:45:55.950
Nana Aba Anamoah: i've been pussyfooting for some time, because I just feel that I am not ready for their responsibilities or brain but there's a lot of pressure for me to put it together and so that's what i'm currently working on.
337
00:45:56.550 --> 00:46:05.340
Nana Aba Anamoah: organization called hearts wide open and I don't want it to be just in another initiative so that's why they call it, then an arbor foundation.
338
00:46:05.700 --> 00:46:13.650
Nana Aba Anamoah: I just don't want any foundation in my name I want to foundation that ever again, you will be part of so hearts wide open if you're able to give.
339
00:46:14.070 --> 00:46:21.180
Nana Aba Anamoah: Our to help others, unless you, because when I help people had get people calling, how can I also have I don't have money, but I want to help with a little I have.
340
00:46:21.600 --> 00:46:35.100
Nana Aba Anamoah: And some trying to put this together, but at the moment, my immediate focus is getting these young men and women off the streets, there was a young lady who came to see me a few years ago.
341
00:46:36.030 --> 00:46:44.700
Nana Aba Anamoah: She was in a very deprived Community he was practicing prostitution and so she came to see me and she says he saw tired she's exhausted.
342
00:46:45.210 --> 00:46:49.920
Nana Aba Anamoah: She can't do this anymore, she can be a prostitute anymore, she wants to quit.
343
00:46:50.460 --> 00:46:57.990
Nana Aba Anamoah: She wants to acquire a skill, so I made a few calls one of my friends who had a salon set or break it all by she's interested in.
344
00:46:58.380 --> 00:47:12.390
Nana Aba Anamoah: You know acquiring a skill, so I took her there she went there now she can make people up fix their hair she managed to open her own shop and she's doing so well and every time I see, I am super proud.
345
00:47:12.810 --> 00:47:31.710
Nana Aba Anamoah: That she's able to do this for herself she's had a baby she's so happy and so that's what i'm trying to get a lot more young people to go off the streets, find themselves make their lives better afford them by giving them a skill, helping them to get a skill to earn money.
346
00:47:32.880 --> 00:47:36.270
Nana Aba Anamoah: purple money at the end of every month salary yeah.
347
00:47:36.360 --> 00:47:38.490
Corinna Bellizzi: Well, you took some words out of my mouth I.
348
00:47:38.490 --> 00:47:41.820
Corinna Bellizzi: was going to ask you what's next for you and it sounds like.
349
00:47:42.390 --> 00:47:48.450
Corinna Bellizzi: Part of that answer you know it's hearts wide open foundation I love the name.
350
00:47:49.440 --> 00:47:54.990
Corinna Bellizzi: And I don't know if you're currently accepting donations, because one of the questions I was going to ask you is.
351
00:47:55.350 --> 00:47:59.280
Corinna Bellizzi: You know how can people support got good day and people and the challenges.
352
00:47:59.280 --> 00:48:04.560
Corinna Bellizzi: That you're facing right now and what would you recommend but it sounds like this could be it.
353
00:48:05.130 --> 00:48:14.100
Nana Aba Anamoah: yeah this could be it, but i'm still working on it, fortunately i'm done with the registration, because I believe in doing things the right way.
354
00:48:14.730 --> 00:48:18.120
Nana Aba Anamoah: I don't like cutting corners, so far as when I was registering that company.
355
00:48:19.050 --> 00:48:33.150
Nana Aba Anamoah: someone's own and i'll buy you a nap or go to the registry general yourself and you take just an hour for them to register and I said no, I want to go through the proper procedures, so it wasn't a registry general's department for a while it's finally being registered.
356
00:48:34.410 --> 00:48:47.580
Nana Aba Anamoah: i've got a project manager who's pulling the structures to get getting your bank accounts getting everything a proper office for it, so when it is done, then I can start receiving donations are the moment I don't want to receive donations because.
357
00:48:47.700 --> 00:48:47.970
Corinna Bellizzi: yeah.
358
00:48:48.120 --> 00:48:49.830
Nana Aba Anamoah: I don't have a proper structure, yet.
359
00:48:50.040 --> 00:48:51.630
Corinna Bellizzi: You know, but it's me and I have.
360
00:48:51.930 --> 00:48:53.340
Corinna Bellizzi: To say that you're getting it done.
361
00:48:53.970 --> 00:48:55.770
Nana Aba Anamoah: yeah i'll get it done differently.
362
00:48:55.860 --> 00:48:59.820
Corinna Bellizzi: that's fantastic well perhaps when it is completed, you can come back on we can talk all.
363
00:49:00.330 --> 00:49:03.720
Nana Aba Anamoah: Day doing that was amazing now.
364
00:49:04.770 --> 00:49:16.080
Corinna Bellizzi: I would love to just offer you the floor as we prepare to close, is there any question you wish i'd asked that I haven't or just some thought that you'd like our community to think through or something you'd like to leave them with.
365
00:49:16.770 --> 00:49:19.500
Nana Aba Anamoah: Yes, I will just say that, and I see you.
366
00:49:20.520 --> 00:49:26.700
Nana Aba Anamoah: do a lot of work on infant mortality, I see your your posts on instagram.
367
00:49:27.150 --> 00:49:30.660
Nana Aba Anamoah: And every time I check out your story there's something about infant mortality.
368
00:49:31.110 --> 00:49:41.700
Nana Aba Anamoah: I just want to say that in Ghana, we have tried very well to bring the mortality rates down it's still not the best but it's better than before.
369
00:49:42.810 --> 00:49:53.070
Nana Aba Anamoah: I would want to use this opportunity to plead to everyone who's listening, if you ever ever ever wants to help people, I think that we would appreciate.
370
00:49:53.700 --> 00:50:00.450
Nana Aba Anamoah: Any one sending done in hospitals and clinics bets because we have no beds and Robin Ghana.
371
00:50:00.840 --> 00:50:11.820
Nana Aba Anamoah: Are you go to the hospital and forget about coronavirus I mean coronavirus rooms really exposed down or that much I mean I look at what happened in the US in China in the UK in other countries.
372
00:50:12.180 --> 00:50:22.860
Nana Aba Anamoah: And we look here, we said, well, we are so lucky we were we were caught up deaths, but it wasn't so bad and hospitals were not chopped.
373
00:50:23.940 --> 00:50:31.260
Nana Aba Anamoah: We didn't have the issues, others are facing, but we have a new bed syndrome that has specificity for so long.
374
00:50:31.800 --> 00:50:37.560
Nana Aba Anamoah: You go to the hospital with a critical condition on your told Oh, you have to go back home because there's no big.
375
00:50:38.280 --> 00:50:44.160
Nana Aba Anamoah: else you have to lie on the floor pregnant women are delivering on the best law in Ghana.
376
00:50:44.670 --> 00:50:55.770
Nana Aba Anamoah: Pregnant women are dying because they couldn't reach the hospital on time because they live very far away from a hospital pregnant women are dying, not because.
377
00:50:56.220 --> 00:51:07.800
Nana Aba Anamoah: The baby was sick, but because they didn't have access to basic things just be the goal for antenatal once, twice it's too expensive, we can't afford it, so they stopped going to the hospital and then.
378
00:51:08.370 --> 00:51:16.680
Nana Aba Anamoah: They get complications along the way, and so, if people really want to help i'd like them to channel your energies into a health care system.
379
00:51:16.920 --> 00:51:29.070
Nana Aba Anamoah: They can read about it, there are so many clinics and Bono that are online getting in touch with them and our pressure deletions to these hospitals and clinics in the form of beds oxygen tanks.
380
00:51:30.150 --> 00:51:41.160
Nana Aba Anamoah: something as simple as that shoots in Ghana, in one of our one of our biggest hospital the collaborative hospital sometimes you have.
381
00:51:41.700 --> 00:51:54.240
Nana Aba Anamoah: nurses call and a lot of nurses call me from the the Labour Ward and they say Oh, there are about seven women here who delivered three weeks ago, but because they haven't been able to pay or.
382
00:51:54.780 --> 00:52:05.370
Nana Aba Anamoah: They haven't been able to put their bill, we have kept them here we can't allow them to go home and you ask how much is each woman supposed to pay and Korean is as little as 100 bonus.
383
00:52:06.120 --> 00:52:19.110
Nana Aba Anamoah: $100 because of hundred dollars, they detain pregnant women and their babies at the hospital, you know, so I got my first look, this will pay for these women to be free let's do this let's do that for them.
384
00:52:19.470 --> 00:52:20.760
Nana Aba Anamoah: So that's me, I mean.
385
00:52:21.060 --> 00:52:27.480
Corinna Bellizzi: Here, if you go to the hospital to have a baby the fees that you have to pay to the hospital are so much more than that.
386
00:52:27.780 --> 00:52:29.340
Nana Aba Anamoah: by leaps and bounds law.
387
00:52:29.760 --> 00:52:30.540
Corinna Bellizzi: yeah a lot more.
388
00:52:30.780 --> 00:52:31.230
Nana Aba Anamoah: than that.
389
00:52:31.530 --> 00:52:40.140
Nana Aba Anamoah: Oh no it's actually little, but they did say the woman they detain them and sometimes you have husbands moving forward to please can you help me with.
390
00:52:40.380 --> 00:52:50.400
Nana Aba Anamoah: My wife, has been detained I want my wife and my baby home but they keep them them, sometimes for three weeks four weeks, and the idea to change because it costs money to pay the bill and the setting of the hospital.
391
00:52:50.910 --> 00:52:55.500
Nana Aba Anamoah: And the bill keeps increasing every day because you need to give them food the baby must eat.
392
00:52:56.730 --> 00:53:03.570
Nana Aba Anamoah: So i'm very happy if people would pay some attention to our healthcare system yeah i'd appreciate that a lot.
393
00:53:05.310 --> 00:53:06.870
Corinna Bellizzi: Well, well, thank you so much.
394
00:53:07.650 --> 00:53:09.450
Corinna Bellizzi: For inviting balls.
395
00:53:09.510 --> 00:53:10.440
Nana Aba Anamoah: I enjoyed this.
396
00:53:11.160 --> 00:53:26.580
Corinna Bellizzi: This has been amazing and i've learned a lot i'm going to seek out a hospital or two to make a personal donation to because I also believe so much and supporting, particularly women, and that phase of life and so thank you for bringing that up.
397
00:53:26.730 --> 00:53:28.470
Nana Aba Anamoah: Thank you, thank you so much.
398
00:53:29.460 --> 00:53:39.840
Corinna Bellizzi: No, I just want to go ahead and invite our listeners to get involved, you can act in many simple ways, you could share this podcast with some friends.
399
00:53:40.170 --> 00:53:50.790
Corinna Bellizzi: Or you could do something as simple as providing an exceptional donation to a hospital and need in Ghana, or even in other communities that are underserved around the globe.
400
00:53:51.270 --> 00:54:05.070
Corinna Bellizzi: To find suggestions i'd like to invite you to visit our action page on care more be better calm there you'll find causes and companies, we encourage you to support and as soon as done abba's Charity is completely i'll be sure to highlight it there as.
401
00:54:05.070 --> 00:54:06.990
Nana Aba Anamoah: Well, absolutely yes.
402
00:54:08.190 --> 00:54:16.860
Corinna Bellizzi: So you can follow us on social spaces on instagram clubhouse and more at care more be better or just send us an email to Hello at care more be better calm.
403
00:54:17.310 --> 00:54:30.810
Corinna Bellizzi: I want to hear from you and I want to thank our listeners now and always for being a part of this pod and this Community because, together, we can do so much more we can care more and be better Thank you.
404
00:54:32.190 --> 00:54:33.180
Nana Aba Anamoah: Thank you, Corinna.