Yup, those fireworks are all mine :)

So this an inside joke many friends of mine and I share. Well at my birthday’s expense. Let’s just say I am British born Ghanaian who showed up on the 4th of July… hahahah are you kidding? Oh now… I have promised them that one day… at their lovely American BBQ’s for this brilliant occasion, I’d visit them with my custom made ‘tooth-pick Union Jack and Black Star flags’, stick em into their hot dogs  and show them who’s BOSS!!! Mwuahahahhahahah. Nah I am kidding, I love the true spirit of July 4th!!!!

So yup, I’ve got an ironic (some say) birthday  – July 4   Many have asked me what I wanted this year. Well this year, I want to give a group of kids a summer to remember. So, I am saying goodbye to personal gifts, outings, drinks/dinners. Yes people… I am sacrificing a good ol meal!!! You know me and food…

Please as a gift to me, please help a child, for even a day, discover the wonderful world I did. The crazy wonderful world of ART.

Our Program starts August 1, 2011 Oh and my birthday this year is for the whole month of JULY so… belated gifts are always welcomed too

Please pass on. Thank you sooooo much!!!

Sam’s Birthday gift to AKOSIA’s Street Academy Creative Summer program

Atlanta… Kinshasa’s calling…and doing it NOIR

“Repackaging the revenge thriller in parakeet colors and distinctive African beats… writer and director Djo Tunda Wa Munga gives ‘Viva Riva!’ a playful sensuality that goes a long way toward disguising formula.” -Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
“A blast from start to finish… Revel[s] in genre codes and [is] reminiscent of Tony Scott’s mix of adrenaline and style… [a] sexy actioner…” -Robert Koehler, Daily Variety
“…the first film made in the Democratic Republic of Congo in over two decades…. Director Djo Tunda Wa Munga presents Kinshasa as a vibrant, lawless sprawl of shantytowns, gated villas, bordellos and nightclubs.” -Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7

VIVA RIVA finally comes to Atlanta JULY 22 2011 …Come and witness what these critics and others have all agreed and claim to be one of the most daring films to come out of Africa. Viva Riva is a brilliant crime thriller following the makings of a neo-noir film  that would keep you wondering if you were really watching something made out of Africa, let alone by an AFRICAN Check out the trailer below.

Trailer courtesy of Music Box Films

Riva is a small time operator who has just returned to his hometown of Kinshasa, Congo after a decade away with a major score: a fortune in hijacked gasoline. Wads of cash in hand and out for a good time, Riva is soon entranced by beautiful night club denizen Nora, the kept woman of a local gangster. Into the mix comes an Angolan crime lord relentlessly seeking the return of his stolen shipment of gasoline. Director Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s Kinshasa is a seductively vibrant, lawless, fuel-starved sprawl of shantytowns, gated villas, bordellos and nightclubs and Riva is its perfect embodiment.

WITH: Patsha Bay Mukuna (Riva), Manie Malone (Nora), Hoji Fortuna (Cesar), Alex Herbo (J. M.), Marlene Longange (Commandante), Diplome Amekindra (Azor), Angelique Mbumba (Malou), Nzita Tumba (Mere Edo) and Jordan N’Tunga (Anto).

2011 MTV Movie Awards – Best African Film

WINNER OF 6 AFRICAN MOVIE ACADEMY AWARDS 2011

Official Selection – 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, 2011 Berlin International Film Festival, 2011 South By Southwest Film Festival

Winner – Best Feature Film – 2011 Pan African Film Festival

Stay tuned for more updates about Viva Riva and the upcoming Atlanta Screening

Learn more about the film visit Viva Riva Website

New mangos… ones from Fanti Land

Here’s a peek at the behind the scenes of our second video for M3NSA’s love ballad, Fanti Love Song. Thank you everyone who helped out on this.

Enjoy and be on the look out for the official video release.

To learn more about the artist M3NSA, visit M3NSA

Always such an honor and so humbling…

The documentary film “Zoom Zoom -The Professor”, covering the historical career & rise of a young man from the boisterously tough quaint fishing town of Bukom, located in Ghana’s capital of Accra, has been chosen to be part of National Geographic’s “2011 Women Hold Up Half The Sky Series” featuring films by trailblazing female filmmakers. Zum Zum: The Career of Azumah Nelson, the educational/festival title to the documentary will be screened on April 2, 2011 at the National Geographic Headquarters in Washington, DC, to educate the world about the life of Azumah Nelson beyond boxing.

 

 

Azumah Nelson holds his title of “The Professor” to heart, as he has made it his life’s mission to educate the children of the black star nation of Ghana, West Africa. The documentary project started as a piece to help bring awareness to the Azumah Nelson Foundation in conjunction with his children’s book to raise 23 million dollars(USD) to build an educational sports complex for underprivileged children in Akuse, Ghana.

“I hope this leads to distribution for him and foundation in the near future, but this being for such an honorable non-profit cause, I hope it gets a chance to circulate around, hopefully in the festival circuit as well. I hope people who normally wouldn’t consider watching a boxing story of a young man from a little coastal African nation who believed his destiny was to become a King amongst Kings fulfilling his destiny beyond anyone’s expectations as he rose amongst the greatest, would get the opportunity to do so. Hopefully getting a chance to meet the living Legend himself too.”

Press Contact:

Aretha A. Sarfo
VISIONS Entertainment & Publicity/Global Fusion Productions Inc.
P: 212-280-0699 /E: aretha@visionspublicity.com or info@globalfusionproductions.com

Happy Birthday, Black Star nation…

Just a few hours away… March 6th marks the 54th birthday of a country that I am proud to be a part of… I am bummed not to be around to share you with my friends and family back home, but I am going to make sure I do so with my new friends and family across the pond.

Just like 54 years ago marked a new beginning for the then newly born Ghana, I take this as a chance to mark a new beginning for a few projects I have planned. You’re already aware of my upcoming summer project that (with TKAFoundation) I am joining AKOSIA to help make a summer for kids from the Street Academy in Ghana, one filled with art and culture.

Stay tuned  for news on upcoming projects, both small and big.

As always, thank you all for your support.

See ya soon!

Say hello to the TKAFoundation

www.tkafoundation.org

Check us out tonight on the Internet Radio Show between 8:30pm-9:30pm!!! Go to http://www.vVcradio.com/ and click “Listen Now” The TKAFoundation will be the guest on the Indie Show! for more about our project visit

“It’s An Artful World” TKAF/Akosia Fundraiser campaign vvcradio.com

 

Back from the dead…

..Ok so maybe not as dramatic… but I am back after a lot of sweat, tears, laughs and pure diligence and hard work. I managed to, collaborating with some amazing artists (seriously, guys I couldn’t have done this without you…), produce and direct my first music videos. You’d remember I started a blog (No One Knows video project) to promote raising $2500 to help make these videos. We managed to raise in total about $800 from friends and family through online fund raising and we also got some other things and services in kind. Words can’t even begin to express and tell you all how grateful and thankful I am for all your help!!!

Please enjoy M3NSA’s 1st music video from Sankofa Pictures and stay tuned for his second one coming real soon.
I’ll be updating that blog shortly
Meanwhile, do enjoy and once again, thanks!
♥

Down to the wire…

Hi guys,
So I am less than a month away to start shooting my first music video. I am so excited about this project.
I have created a blog about this here

http://sankofamangoes.blogspot.com/p/no-one-knows-video-project.html

Please visit and show your support.
Thanks
sam

Blending visuals into music

No.1 Mango Street – the international debut album by MC, singer and producer M3NSA.

no one knows… electrifying!!!

M3nsa is Back on the scene with his new brilliant single- “No One Knows”.

Enjoy the song by clicking on the link below and support the upcoming project.

NO ONE KNOWS by M3NSA

The single is a cocktail of eclectic afro sounds infused with Nu-jazz and High-Life delicately underscored with sweet harmonies of rhythm and blues.

An inspirational single antiquated with the adage “No one knows tomorrow”. The wonderfully sang sampled chorus by the Nigerian soul singer Asa offers unforgettable words which rings true to the listener. A fusion of soul and afro hip hop sets this single apart as an all time hiplife anthem. Through this song, we hope to create an awareness from this message to youth of tomorrow preparing them today.

No.1 Mango Street is one of those albums which will help bring to the menu what Hip-hop has been missing for a long time – an authentic, everyday perspective which has made the genre fun and enlightening at the same time.

With snatches of Twi and Pidgen, the clever rhyme schemes and narratives are what make this album universally relatable. Says M3NSA, “You don’t have to be into African hiphop to listen to the album, you just have to be into music.”

Visuals always help tell a story more vibrantly, with pictures, colours, scenery and action, to fulfil all the things missed out sonically. Not only does a video enhance sound or music for that matter, we’re in an age where people always want to connect music with images. The video tells the story of a man looking to find what exactly the future will bring, by consulting soothsayers, fortune tellers etc. However, what they predict is often inaccurate and he has to alter the future himself.

MOBO nominated- Best African Act (2010), this single is proof of the great artiste M3nsa is. Definitely a single to have in your collection of must haves music this year. The single is Timeless and Inspirational. A great chill out and party song for every occasion.

For more details, visit Sankofa Pictures Blog or Sankofa Pictures

To support the making of this video visit the link Music Video project

Edited by Sankofa Pictures

Written for Sankofa Pictures by Javada Appenteng with extracts from M3nsa’s album press release 2010

The sweet taste of Mangoes….

Told ya I’ll be back soon – didn’t I?

So yeah, anyone who really, REALLY knows me, will agree with the love I have for mangoes.

I think this is a sign I fell in love with M3nsa’s upcoming album, No.1 Mango Street (due to drop early October 2010). After featuring a song from this album in the Azumah Nelson documentary, I loved it so much I begged him to let me listen to his album cos I knew I wanted to do some sort of video with him.

It was torture!!!! The songs- all so beautiful, so inspiring, so yummy like mangoes heheh…, it was hard for me to decide on which one was my top favorite!!!! The whole time, from track 1 – 13, I am like Ok I want this one… NO… I want THIS one… ARGHHH!!!! Finally I did settle on one. It’s a beautiful piece and features a very beautiful Nigerian songstress, Asa.

I am so excited about this opportunity to work with this amazing artist

For more about the project, please visit -
Click Here No One Knows Tomorrow Project

Please feel free to pass this along to your friends and family

Thanks guys and can’t wait to get the ball rolling on this.

x

s