Ghana Showbiz Latest News and Updates

EXCLUSIVE: Ghana‘s fast-developing film sector has received a significant vote of confidence from the country’s government as President Nana Akufo-Addo sets plans to introduce a new tax rebate system for film productions.

England manager Gareth Southgate says Kobbie Mainoo is doing "brilliantly" but has not had enough playing time this season to earn a maiden squad call-up.

Manchester United prodigy Kobbie Mainoo is set to miss out on being handed his first senior call-up to the England national team this month, according to reports.

Chocolate maker Lindt has warned shoppers that the company has 'no choice' but to increase the prices of their products.

Wayne Rooney has compared Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo to former midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger.

RAYE has spoken to NME about her record-breaking number of wins at this year’s BRIT Awards, and what it’s like to receive praise from artists including Kylie Minogue. Watch our video interview with her below.The singer-songwriter went into this year’s ceremony as the artist with the most nominations, with a record-breaking seven. She then went on to win in six categories, including Songwriter Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best R&B Act and Best New Artist.

Manchester United fan favourite Dimitar Berbatov is now open to the idea of including youngster Kobbie Mainoo in the England squad for this summer's European Championship.

Gary Lineker and Ian Wright have agreed Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo should be called up to the England squad for next month's internationals.

Manchester United youngster Kobbie Mainoo is not expected to make an immediate decision on his international future - despite increasing interest from England boss Gareth Southgate.

What would Valentine’s Day be without a strawberry or two, and now for a limited time only you can get your hands on £20 worth of The Body Shop’s best-loved strawberry-scented products just in time for February 14. Running until 9am February 13, shoppers can nab their free gift when they spend £35 on The Body Shop’s products online and add The Sweetest Strawberry Heart Gift Box, £15 here, to their basket before adding the code VDAY at checkout.

Faye Webster's "Feeling Good Today" is a song for those moments when you realize that, actually, things are going O.K. right now.

Ben Croll Premiering out of Sundance’s World Cinema Documentary Competition, the impressionistic essay film “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” refracts the plot against Patrice Lumumba through a kaleidoscopic lens. Cutting between historical footage of the UN General Assembly and home movies shot in liberation-era Congo, weaving in a diverse set of perspectives, and setting the pace to a non-stop rhythm of bebop, rumba and classic jazz, director Johan Grimonprez evokes the euphoria of post-colonial possibility and the heartbreak of the dashed hopes and violent reprisals that would ensue.

Andre Onana will be available to play for Manchester United against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup and Tottenham in the Premier League before he leaves to represent Cameroon in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Nicholas Weinstock The first time I went to Ghana, I was 19 years old and volunteering to build a health clinic in a rural village. It was the early ‘90s, I was a teenaged lunatic, and everything bad that could have happened to me did: I got malaria; I was beaten up by soldiers on the border with the Ivory Coast — but I also encountered wonderful people and stunning and moving and unforgettable experiences and friendships.

“Wellness”Nathan Hill (Knopf)At turns (darkly) hilarious and heartbreaking, this 624-page novel from the author of “The Nix” skewers Gen X cynicism, self-care devotion, cancel culture and aspirational wealth — with a brutal breakdown of how Boomers fall for conspiracy theories online. Jack and Elizabeth fall in and out of love, raise a difficult child and strive, often begrudgingly, to climb the corporate and social ladder, in gentrified Chicago, until the suburban dream starts to look more like a nightmare.“The Berry Pickers“Amanda Peters (Catapult)In July of 1962, a Mi’kmaq family arrives in Maine from Nova Scotia to pick berries for the summer. Weeks later, their youngest child, Ruthie, vanishes.

People magazine, noting that saying “girlfriend” was a “spur-of-the-moment” thing.“I told myself, ‘Just say it,'” she said. “When I finally said it out loud, I smiled inside because it was a big moment for me.”Bruck’s Instagram post containing the clip of the exchange between her and Maslowski has gained more than 110,000 views on TikTok and more than 200,000 likes on Instagram.“Messages are pouring in from all around the world, including Ghana, Germany, Australia, London, as well as many states across the U.S.,” Bruck told People about the far-reaching impact of the post.

Progress and the Peril” asserts that regions without criminal penalties for homosexuality or gender-nonconformity have made greater advancements in curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS.According to the report, more countries took steps to decriminalize same-sex relations in 2022 than in any of the past 25 years. At the same time, however, countries with existing prohibitions on same-sex activity, such as Uganda, Kenya, and Ghana, are attempting to impose harsher penalties on people convicted of violating those laws.The report claims that 129 of the world’s 194 countries do not criminalize same-sex relations, and an additional 24 don’t enforce existing criminal prohibitions, leaving only 41 countries with recent prosecutions for violating anti-sodomy laws.

Harry Maguire has accepted the apology of a Ghanaian MP after he apologised for publicly mocking him last year. A year ago, MP Isaac Adongo compared Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia's economic management to Maguire's poor performances on the pitch for Manchester United.

Nas honoured his idol Rakim at the inaugural Paid In Full Foundation Hip-Hop Grandmaster Awards.The hip-hop legend Rakim rose to fame as a part of the DJ-MC rap duo Eric B & Rakim in the 1980s, with the duo still highly regarded as one of the most influential and best duos in rap. The was honoured on Saturday (November 18) at the first-ever Hip-Hop Grandmaster Awards.Nas was asked to honour the duo with a speech, and started his speech by rapping a couplet from Eric B & Rakim’s 1987 track ‘Paid In Full’: “Thinkin’ of a master plan / ‘Cause ain’t nothin’ but sweat inside my hand.” He then proceeded to say that the song “said, ‘I can make it [as a rapper]'” before lising Rakim, Doug E.

EXCLUSIVE: Grammy award-winning Afrobeats artist Mr Eazi has signed on to headline the forthcoming fifth season of The Change Africa Podcast from Nexa Media. 

Thania Garcia Amaarae‘s uniquely futurist take on R&B and Afropop comes as the product of years of unexpected travels — sometimes brief, but momentous stays in distinct locations across the globe. Born in the Bronx, the singer-songwriter and producer spent a lot of her childhood and teen years: moving from New York to Atlanta to her family’s home base in Ghana. Amaarae is still globe-trotting, and when Variety recently caught up with her over Zoom, she was in an airport on the way to a release party for her latest magazine cover story.

Edward Enninful, the editor-in-chief of British Vogue, has been named the most influential Black person in the UK.

EXCLUSIVE: The National Film Authority of Ghana (NFA) has set the lineup for it’s inaugural Africa Cinema Summit (ACS) in Accra, hosted in partnership with FilmOne Group (Nigeria) and Silverbird Cinema (Ghana). 

EXCLUSIVE: Byron Allen’s Freestyle Digital Media has picked up the North American VOD rights to Emmy winning filmmaker Kern Konwiser’s documentary, Still a Black Star about Japanese artist and environmental activist Mago Nagasaka.

Ben Croll Introduced last year, MIA’s dedicated animation program heads into its sophomore edition with a more firmly entrenched industry position and a resoundingly global outlook. With the program scaffolding already in place, MIA curators spent the past year shoring up support and scouting for projects at key markets in Berlin, Cannes and Annecy, resulting in a program of roughly 30 co-production pitch projects and works-on-progress that altogether spans more than 40 countries.

Prince Louis has firmly cemented his place as one of the cheekiest members of the Royal Family - whether it was his funny antics during the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations or the faces he pulled on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. While there are lots of examples that would be in the running for Louis' funniest or sweetest moments over the years, the point when he ran over to his grandfather to sit on his lap is certainly right up there.

Rio Ferdinand has been impressed with Sofyan Amrabat’s start to life at Manchester United and believes the midfielder could help restore the correct culture within the club.

Chrissy Teigen and David Chang are headed to Freeform with a brand new food show!

BreAnna Bell Freeform has added three new unscripted series, “Chrissy & Dave Dine Out,” “Royal Rules of Ohio” and “Sasha Reid and The Midnight Order” to its slate. Previously set at Hulu, “Chrissy & Dave” and “Royal Rules of Ohio” will now debut linearly on Freeform, with episodes available for streaming on Hulu the next day. Joel Kim Booster hosts the restaurant series alongside Chrissy Teigen and David Chang where they take viewers to must-try restaurants in Los Angeles that are unexpected.

Freeform is adding three unscripted series to its slate, including two that originated at Hulu.

J Hus and Burna Boy have been announced as the headliners for the inaugural Afro Nation Nigeria, happening later this year.Earlier this month, it was announced that Afro Nation Nigeria will take place on December 19 and 20 this year at Lagos’ Tafawa Balewa Square. This will be the second time Afro Nation has been held in Africa – last December, it was staged in Ghana.Yesterday (September 26), the festival revealed the first acts on the 2023 line-up, confirming Burna Boy and J Hus as the headliners.

Naman Ramachandran After a record-breaking first season, “The Real Housewives of Lagos” is returning for Season 2. Season 1 of the reality TV series saw the first episode break the first-day streaming record on Showmax Nigeria and become the only African title to crack the top 10 most-watched shows on the streaming service in 2022 across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.

Naman Ramachandran Africa-based filmmaker development organization Realness Institute has unveiled its next wave of initiatives as part of MIP Africa and FAME (Film, Arts, Media and Entertainment) Week. As part of the event, which is now in its second year in Cape Town, South Africa, alumni of six Realness Institute programs will pitch their films and television series to the market in The Film Pitch and The Episodic Pitch forums. Alongside this, the current cohort of the Institute’s Southern Africa Locarno Industry Academy (SALIA) have programmed and co-organized the FAME Week Africa Short Film Festival.

EXCLUSIVE: The National Film Authority of Ghana (NFA) has set what it has described as a new strategic partnership with FilmOne Group (Nigeria) and Silverbird Cinema (Ghana) to host the inaugural Africa Cinema Summit (ACS) in Accra.

King Charles has always been a vocal advocate for protecting the environment as he has been campaigning for climate change for over 50 years and was a true pioneer for the social cause before it became the global emergency that it is today. Whether it is planting trees or using organic farming methods, the King is a man who practices what he preaches.

Ashanti is a mega-famous vocalist, who even counted Michael Jackson as a fan.