Dayana Biney exclusive interview with Ghanaweb

She is one of the most hardworking Ghanaians in Italy and with that Dayana Akosua Adu Biney is seeing her careers - as an evangelist, a pastor, gospel artiste, a journalist, cultural mediator and an author – reaching greater heights. In an exclusive interview with Ghanaweb correspondent in Italy, Reggie Tagoe, she revealed more about herself, her careers and on immigration in Italy. Read all about this interview below:



Reggie Tagoe (R.T): Extremely excited seeing you again. You are one of the most hardworking Ghanaians in Italy. An evangelist, a pastor, musician, a journalist and now an author all rolled into one. I want you take me through how you arrived into each one of these.



Dayana Biney (D.B): Thanks for the compliment. I used to work at the National Investment Bank (N.I.B), Takoradi Branch, in Ghana and asked for leave to visit my husband, but my intention was to remain if conditions here are favourable even though he had discouraged me from coming. But love ruled when I came so decided to stay and start life here with him. I then joined an evangelical church here and was a member of the choir. This passion for music and the opportunity given me to do solo's in the choir and a praise and worship leader in the church stirred me to do my own album so I would be a blessing not only to people in the church I attended but to the grand church of God. I then formed a gospel band and had engagements with the Brescia Municipality to perform at most of their programmes and was working alongside the immigrants’ office of CGIL – one of the Trade Unions in Italy. Not long after this, the Head of the same Department told me of a job vacancy at Rete Brescia Television network (RTB TV) where they were looking for an African News anchor and then asked me to go for the job. I thought I was going for a TV space to do my gospel songs but they immediately put me on after a short interview on Live News broadcast trial. Two years afterwards, I received an engagement to Minister at a church in Naples with a Pastor friend and after the ministration, the Bishop called me out and said God told him to ordain me as an evangelist and my husband who was then pastoring a church at Perugia, as a Pastor. Though my whole family had always worked under the evangelism umbrella, we were then called out to establish a church in Brescia under the same Bishop and church. This was how I was ordained as an evangelist and co-pastor. My career as an author is a blend of all the professions and field that I work in and my four books are an expression of my present quadri-ministry. This first book is dedicated to my field as a Pastor, the second to my field as a writer, the third book is to my field as a cultural mediator and the fourth to my field as a gospel artiste and a music therapist. These books are mostly my sermons, the revelation given to me as a prophetess, social worker, political activist and therapist.







(R.T): An amazing round of engagements. What keeps urging you on?



(D.B): The foundation of the righteous is God. He is my spring of life and energy. Then I believe that passion and a strong rebellion against the words: “I can’t”, is what stirs me on. Then, I am a person who likes to ask for “whys”. These books are long years of research I have made with conclusions and results received.

(R.T): In our last interview, published October 16 2009 on Ghanaweb, you described some of the difficulties you encountered in your initial years in Italy, all appeared to have changed now. When was the breakthrough and tell me more about that?



(D.B): Hmm! ....... Change is not static, but is progressive and that is how life is. I don’t really get what you mean by breakthrough because whilst life last, there are always going to be challenges but by Christ, I run through the troop and by Him, I leap over the walls of hindrances.



(R.T): The city of Brescia houses the biggest Ghanaians community in Italy, it doesn’t seem many Ghanaians here are coming through the way you are. I am wrong here and what is the biggest impediment?



(D.B): Well, all are born with different “dunamis”, capabilities and abilities. I am Akosua Adu and because we all have a unique fingerprints, I believe each and every individual must maximise or develop his or her potential and refuse to be a photocopy. I know some great people in Brescia who are also on the frontline doing great exploits. All the same, thanks for the compliment, because to be sincere, when the Ghanaians community were awarding people who had made a mark in the land, I was not even mentioned nor included, so I do what I do, because of a “charge to keep what I have”. I will be accountable for my days spent on earth. This is why while the day is on, I work.



(R.T): Your careers are revolving around different areas as I mentioned. How do you combine all these at different times. It’s not easy, isn’t it?



(D.B): It is really hectic. Take for example today, I fixed an appointment with you and see the time I returned home - 9p.m. But whilst my body is strong and there is work and I have the passion, I work. And all these fields are co-operating with each other.



(R.T): There are many immigrants here who think it is very difficult to make it in life in Italy as a foreigner. I am talking about a real career. They talk about impediments within the Italian society against immigrants. Do you think what they are saying is correct?



(D.B): Yes, and it is so everywhere. What is an impediment here might not be an impediment at another place. In Ghana, tribalism and nipotism are the impediments. In Italy, race, ignorance, false propaganda and low self esteem are the impediments. Certainly, there are Italian Professors who are leaving their own country to England because they say the salary there is good. I believe migration is very spiritual and a place which is good for one person might not be the same for another.



(R.T): You do find many Ghanaians, for that matter immigrants, here as factory hands or doing menial jobs even after years of staying here and that includes people with some education. You think it’s the system or the people are not making the right efforts to get a breakthrough?



(D.B): Let’s face facts. I came here with a degree as a bank employee and secretary to the Regional Director of a bank in Ghana. I therefore put an advertisement for an occupation as a secretary and a company called me the following week. I then proceeded to work but unfortunately for me, the letters on the keyboard of the typewriter was totally different from what I used at the bank in Ghana. My employer here did not even care whether I spoke the language or not. There are a lot of reasons why Ghanaians in Italy are factory hands. Some say it is because the illiterates were the first to come here. I know that there are challenges but if the language and the society has not really encouraged us, let’s see what those who leave here for other places find, more also, we live to see what our children birthed here and have a good command of the language are going to be.



(R.T): The launching of your 4 books recently was a remarkable day. I must confess I didn’t expect you to release a book at this time. Tell me more about each book and what it represents.



(D.B): The first book is titled, ‘Mysteries of the Lord’s Supper’. It is a 300-page book with 16 Chapters. The titles include what is the Eucharist and its purpose. I then move on to the tongue since the Eucharist means thanksgiving, and how the proper use of the tongue is like drinking the blood of Jesus and eating his body and how the improper use of the tongue is like drinking the blood of Satan. I then move on to define what is the blood of Satan. The book centers on the fact that the true Eucharist is celebrated with an “act of praise.” I argued that it is useless to celebrate the Lord’s Supper if we don’t learn the act of praise for to celebrate the Lord’s Supper is to give thanks. The book therefore, centers on the Eucharist which is known as the body and blood of Christ and defines it as the act of thanksgiving for so is it called by Saint Paul.



In the second book which is called the ‘Table of the Lord’, which also means the ‘Lord’s Supper’, I taught on how partaking worthily or unworthily can cause a believer to live or die. I also taught on what it means to partake of the Lord’s Supper worthily and what it means to partake it unworthily and as led by the Spirit of God, gave Biblical references to certain diseases ailing the church such as marital unfaithfulness, divorce, incest, miscarriages, spiritual rape, psychological and psychiatric problems as the consequence of despising the Lord’s Table. In the book of Corinthians, Paul says that “a believer becomes an idol worshipper when he does not examine him or herself before eating the Lord’s Supper” and then goes on to say that because of this, many are sick and dead. This book has also 268 pages and 18 Chapters. Some include: The slain, When the table becomes a snare, The harlot, many are sick and dying as in the Table of the Lord in the New Testament Church.



The third book is titled:‘The Doctrine of Life and Psycho-genealogy’. It is also a 291-page book with 16 Chapters. The book gives the Biblical definition of life and God’s doctrine of life or God’s law on life. I expounded on the eternity of life and its different modes of transmission to our progeny.

The chapters begins with, The beginning of man; what is the meaning of blood and then goes on to the various modes through which human life is transmitted to another. I discussed how life is passed on through the DNA of parents through the umbilical cord and why Bible demands that our parental umbilical cord must be cut when we are born again. There is also a chapter on the doctrine of life and the DNA of God. This is where part two of the book begins. Its chapters include: what is psychological hereditary, nurture and nurturing and psycho-genealogy. All topics are backed by spiritual references and are parallel with scientific truths.

The last look which is titled:‘The Blood of the Elohim and the Voice of Thanksgiving’, is a handbook for all music students, praise and worship leaders, above all, every believer. It is a book on the philosophy of music. In it, I argued with Biblical support that, the blood of the spirits or the spirit body of man is thanksgiving and that, as blood is to the body, so thanksgiving is to the spiritual body of man. It is a 234-page book with 12 Chapters. They include: the worship dance therapy; the meaning of songs; types of songs; the Lord’s song, the meaning of thanksgiving, the effect of thanksgiving, discerning God’s presence with its manifest at our thanksgiving, moral and immoral praise, the city of refuge and living through thanksgiving.



(R.T): What were some of the challenges in coming out with these books?



(D.B): Though these books have an educational, family, social and musical aspects, its foundation is spiritual and therefore some of the slightest challenges such as losing all the works because of a virus were very painful. I also found out that the most difficult area where I could no longer take it was the editing. I must appreciate my husband and children because I would be glued to my labtop for days without even looking at their faces. I remember the days when I sat behind the computer for two straight days and my husband got so much worried about my health. But when I am set for something, I do all I can to complete it.



(R.T): The day of the launching was an exceptional event within the community of Ghanaians here and absolutely a turning point. What do you make of the occasion with presence of high profile men of God and the youths coming for an event like this?



(D.B): My satisfaction was not so much of the high profile men of God even though that was remarkable since each of them had nurtured me or sowed into my life in one way or the other. My joy was to see high profile Italian doctors, politicians, missionaries come to support my vision and buy the books. Well, they said that, ‘if you want to hide something from the African, hide it in a book’. But what do we make of this proverb, when it is the African who is now writing the book for people to buy..... this is a turning point.







(R.T): I don’t want to go into all the areas of your careers. Let’s talk about your TV programme as a newscaster at Rete Brescia TV. Your story really made some news about Ghanaians abroad about being the only African female newscaster on Italian TV. What has been the response – I mean from family, friends and across all those who read that story?



(D.B): Oh! That news got my elder brother, Barima Asamoa, whom I have not seen for many years to get in touch and congratulate me. He has opened an Institute for Journalism in Ghana and is presently with the BBC in London.



(R.T): You have come a long way to reach this far. Give me, in briefs, about some of your experiences in Italy.



(D.B): Do you mean what I used to do before?



(R.T): Yes.



(D.B): I was employed as a newscaster? Well I did every course that was offered to foreign citizens, from home science to computer programming and then was offered a job in a fashion factory as a seamstress.



(R.T): Let’s again talk about immigration in Italy. Stories about society impediments and one can say it is rare seeing immigrants here in certain positions as can be seen in the U.K or US. You think that is going to change soon?



(D.B): Oh Yes! What didn't the British do to us? They killed our cultural identity, beguiled us to be shy of our food, clothes and country but now we have African parliamentarians, teachers, nurses, doctor, etc. You bear me witness that Italy has changed drastically and all is fallen into the hands of the people from the East. I mean Chinese, Indians, etc. If we also believe in our potentials, change will come. The problem is not the Italians but ourselves. We must emancipate ourselves from our mental captivity and then change will be inevitable.

(R.T): What are we going to see about Dayana Akosua Adu Biney as the next stop - an evangelist, a pastor, cultural mediator, gospel artiste, journalist and now an author. What’s next?

(D.B): I heard a scripture from a preacher on TV who said that Bible says that the light of God shines on the path of the righteous and it gets brighter and brighter and from that moment I understood that life is a mystery which unfolds step by step as we walk with Jesus, my creator. He knows me more than I know myself and therefore, I lean on him knowing that, my path will get brighter and brighter.

(R.T): Thanks Dayana for this interview. It’s a joy being here and talking to you?

(D.B): Thanks to you too for caring and May the Almighty God richly bless you.

- Reggie Tagoe in Brescia, Italy.