blahk-ink! Blog

• 'Building Bridges' Anthology

  2009 Jan 02

  
  Late Spring 2008, I happened to be lounging with a few friends and acquaintances when the idea of this anthology got sparked. I have always wanted to collaborate with other writers and thinkers and analysts on topics and themes that are important to me. So when Czar Kijana, Albert Wagah and Augustine J. Jeffery intended their interest – we being all from different parts of the African diaspora - the conversation gradually steered to our differences, and similarities and how to foster a common future.
  
  Before the night was over, we had agreed on a theme (bridging the gap between us), deadlines had been set, and the scope or lack thereof had been agreed. The only aspects missing were other representative voices vis-à-vis female, Caribbean, European and any other perspectives that would make our project whole; so I sought out and found blogger Adjua Dubb who had actually repatriated from her native Washington D.C. to The Gambia; and then I contacted Shantelle George in England, who brought in fellow Caribb/Brit Nathan Richards both of whom had travelled to Africa and the West Indies. And the project was on.
  
  By the time our deadline matured, I had in front of me a rich collection of varying points of view that covered the major aspects of our travels, our ‘cultures’ and our literary styles. The only deviation from the original plan, if we may so describe it, was that the contributions of Kijana and Wagah were not present.
  
  While editing the pieces, I found myself nodding in agreement to George’s academic observations, appreciating knowingly Dubb’s practical tips for the homeward-bound, laughing to tears in reaction to Richard’s hilarious account of his recent sojourn in Ghana, and pondering on Jeffrey’s Christo-philosophical/psychological take on the way forward.
  
  All in all, 'Building Bridges' is an anthology of our pure, non-scholarly, truthful and painfully personal stories regarding our individual and collective intentions and endeavors towards fostering a closer, more meaningful and sustained connection between Africans the world over.
  
  Well, the collection is out now and I sincerely hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing them.
  
  

• 'Salt in her Womb' out now

  2009 Jan 02

  "Salt in her Womb" is Achampong's tenth book. This book, his forth collection of verse, was inspired in part by internet networking friends - especially on MySpace and Facebook. It is a tentative journey into the zones of desire and longing that ends on the feverish peaks of passionate fulfillment.
  
  
  

• Two new Achampong books out today!

  2008 Mar 31

  http://www.lulu.com/content/2208748
  http://www.lulu.com/content/2261877
  
  Press Release
  
  The new Nana S. Achampong novel, venusplazadotcom had been described severally as “disturbing”, “sick”, “bold”, “ground-breaking”, and “original”. No matter whom you listen to, that it is a sizzling piece of literature is beyond dispute. Baba Abdulai of news editor of New Vision newspaper summed it up as “a ghost story in cyber space” while Gold-FM’s B. B. Menson says that “it is online dating gone terribly wrong”.
  
  The author though insists it is a story about strangers who fall in love – online, and in higher realms. “It is just a story of the times we live in mixed with a hint of vodou and lots and lots of verse,” explains Achampong. What he chose to not say is that it also deals rather graphically with more than a few pages of racy lesbian sex chat. But not to digress...
  
  According to a blurp on the publishers site on www.lulu.com, venusplazadotcom, “Achampong's second novel, a sequel of sorts to the critically acclaimed Dream A Song, is an eerie, disturbing and misty introspective of the immigrant underground in Maryland, as seen through the lives of an intergalactic cast whose incursions into CyberSpace, the supernatural, and the back streets of Baltimore leave behind a trail of darkness and mysteriously bloodless chills.
  
  Online, off-line and astral interactions blur and interconnect as the seemingly clueless lead character brings the reader into the streets of Baltimore through the eyes of an undocumented immigrant, and then connects him/her into a virtual world of avatars who end up brutally dead, peculiarly, to the bafflement of the Baltimore City and County Police Departments.
  
  This eighth addition to his catalog establishes Achampong firmly as a fixture in the Maryland literary system. Signings and launching dates will be announced later, but the book is available on www.lulu.com/achampong at the moment.
  
  New Vision's Abdulai concludes that this is the "clearly the most refeshing read on the market continent-wide".
  
  Achampong, an African journalist, currently resident in Baltimore, Maryland, where he produces/directs the seminal weekly program ElderSpeak for Fox television. He also strings for the Afro Newspaper. His other passions are painting, the collection of exquisite crafts and curios, and God in reverse order.
  
  Also released alongside venusplazadotcom is Adinkra (ī'kŏn')-cepts: concept ikons of the Ashanti Akan of West Africa'', his seventh book and second non-fiction. This ground-breaking work traces the history of the symbology of the Akans of West Africa and discusses the phenomenon’s nuances, evolutions and current applications. The author enhances the definitive work with a sumptuous buffet of pictures and illustrations.
  
  Other books by Achampong include The Equilibrists (poetry), F.l.o.a.t.i.n.g. (poetry), Dream A Song (novel), Sun of God (play), Empowernomics: Understanding the system of God’s purpose for mankind - An Outline of the Core Teachings of Rev. GENE C. BRADFORD (non-fiction), and My Kikuyu Princess (poems).
  
  
  Source: Wind Inc
  
  

• Greeting the season with “Empowernomics”

  2007 Dec 26

  Another year has come and gone; another promise in the “big” scheme of things has been fulfilled. As we observe Christmas and the holidays, and as the new year sprouts, we count our blessings and spread the love that we need to make our world work.
  
  It is in this spirit that I am proud to announce the release of my new, non-fiction book, “Empowernomics: understanding the system of God’s purpose for mankind - an Outline of the Core Teachings of Rev. GENE C. BRADFORD”. The book explores the underlying themes that run through the teachings of a teacher I met by chance.
  
  It was a beautiful spring morning in Baltimore, Maryland. I was at the end of my tether. As an immigrant in the United States, my life had become a constant drudge through an endless struggle through a dark valley of trials and tribulations, woes and impediments: I had a pending, rather ominous court date in the pipeline; my two sons, 7 and 8, whom I hadn’t seen in the past five years or so, were more or less homeless in Africa with no one to take care of them; I had no one I could call my friend; my family, who I know care in their own way, seemed occupied with their own personal problems; to top it all, my marital life was in shambles and I was left alone to take care of my infant third son.
  
  Needless to say, the three jobs I did would not provide enough revenue for my rather modest life: bills were piling up by the day. Liters of liquor and packets of cigarettes would not numb me anymore. I had tried every way imaginable, and the pain associated with my journey through this dark valley was becoming more unbearable. In short I was a broken man with a confused spirit and I was getting consumed by toxic self-absorption and was ready to give up, pack it in, forget it, and move on … whatever that meant.
  
  On that crisp nippy morning, I left my apartment early just to avoid the darkness therein, and since it was too early for me to start at my first day job, I drove into the first public parking area I could find with the intention of just whiling away time.
  
  When I came to, I realized I was sitting in the parking lot of the Full Gospel Tabernacle Baptist Church, a quaint family-style worship center on Lord Baltimore Drive. Without much regard, I ventured into the chapel and sat among a small group of warm welcoming students of the Bible contributing to a teaching/learning session moderated by an imposing figure with a message so revolutionary, I just sat there and, for the first time in my life, actually listened.
  
  Mind you, I am no novice to the Gospel. I come from a very Christian family; in fact my ancestors were instrumental in introducing the Anglican (Episcopal) denomination to some of the Gomoas and Agonas in the Central Region of Ghana where I come from. As if that were not enough, I was made to go to Kumasi’s St. Hubert’s Seminary to be prepared for Catholic priesthood. I therefore am not completely ignorant of the Bible and the ideas expressed therein. My little prior faith had gradually but systematically been diluted and eroded by “reality” and I had lost the connection and had grown to become an agnostic of sorts.
  
  However, when I heard Rev. Gene C. Bradford teach on the message of Christ and explain in everyday terms the meaning of parables and lessons in the synoptic gospels, I felt like a child again, ready to imbibe the nectar of the wisdom of the Good Book in order to quench a deep thirst I was not even aware existed. Like Nehemiah says of Ezra, Bradford “read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and …gave the sense, and helped … to understand the reading”. (Neh 8:8) By our third meeting, I had begun to notice specific doctrinal differences between his teachings and the religious studies my lecturers at the seminary spewed out. I also noticed that his teachings were different from the way we observed back home. Fundamentally, I understood that the whole purpose of God in our lives here on earth is so that He may redeem the world back to Himself.
  
  That seemed to make sense. And yet, for that to happen, man would have to abide by some basic underlying principles in direct fidelity to the commandments of Christ. And this is achieved by making God preeminent in our lives and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Finally, I began to understand that we all have already been empowered by Calvary to achieve this purpose through the sufficiency of God’s grace. This understanding he called “Empowernomics”.
  
  These revelations started me on my new quest for enlightenment. Through further meetings and studies with Rev. Bradford, the burdens that held me down, the doubts that blinded me and the carnal focus that sought to stifle my spirit, begun to systematically strip away. I understood that by seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, I was reorienting my mind to focus my treasures on God thereby concentrating on His purpose with the faith and belief that the things I need to reach my goal would be given through His assured providence. And that God was able to make His grace abound to all good work for those who work according to His purpose… that which he called “Empowernomics”.
  
  With this new understanding, the purpose in my life started to come into focus: all of a sudden, dark overwhelming plumes of fleshly concerns that had deliberately consumed my waking moments and clouded my vision, started to dissipate, giving way to a bright sky with clear views and an enduring purpose in sight and within reach.
  
  Hitherto, the only way I knew to work towards solving my problems was to pray and/or ask for prayers. Now I understand that if you want peace, you have to produce the peace yourself for Christ stated that “blessed is the peacemaker”. As uncomforting as it may sound, we have been given all we need to be our best and we are charged to produce the fruit that we desire. As simple as this sounds, and – paradoxically - as profound as the idea of sufficiency is, the only way to actually realize this divine power is to actually live it. The hurdles are going to spring at us; the problems are going to multiply. But our faith in the preeminence of God and our love for our neighbors should be sufficient to equip us to endure the vagaries on our way to Zion. Empowernomics.
  
  Rituals such as the very actions of praise, worship and prayer do not seem to count as righteousness if it they are not anchored on faith and abounding love. To show one’s love for God and the understanding of His purpose, one needs to sow the seeds of righteousness and multiply the seeds sown so the world may see one’s light and glorify He who is in heaven.
  
  The book “Empowernomics” is my attempt to reproduce in a lucid, linear way, an outline of the teachings of the great teacher Rev. Gene Bradford, the essence of the message that redirected me back to my greater purpose. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did working on it.
  
  Happy holidays.