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Diasporia News of Saturday, 28 July 2007

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GhanaFest Chicago is Today!!!

...Chicago Weather Ideal For Ghanafest.
?Ministers Arrive, Papa Sheen and Steve Kelly in Town

The much awaited Ghanafest 2007 is today, July 28 at the Washington Park, 5600 S Payne Drive in Chicago Illinois. The Weather forecast for today is 79 degrees fahrenheit high and 66 degrees fahrenheit low, no rain is in the forecast.

Dignitaries and previously unannounced performers have been secretly sneaking into Chicago for the celebrations. Chicago, the windy city of the Midwest will be buzzing and sizzling hot with the most spectacular and largest Ghanaian cultural festival in the diaspora.

First to arrive on Thursday was Honorable Ignatius Baffour Awauh, Minister of Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana. Honorable Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, arrived at O? Hare International Airport yesterday. Both ministers are in high spirits and looking forward to a cultural extravaganza .

Sneaking quietly this morning to Chicago are Steve Kelly the gospel maestro, and Hip hop sensation, Papa Sheen. Both men are now scheduled to perform along stars such as Cell-Fis(pronounced Selfish), the hip-hop sensation of Ghanaian descent in Bolingbrook ( his latest CD will be available at Ghanafest) Joe Atiso, Sam Ghansah, Dan Boadi , Nat Awuni, Aziza, Diana Akiwumi, Stella Dugan and Davis Wiafe and a host of other talented performers.

As expected,Mr. CNN, will be a special Ghanaweb photo-journalist also arrived this afternoon. Other media who have arrived are the Africast TV network.

The African Spectrum Newspaper headed by "The Journalist" Berko Akoto confirmed their attendance.

The African Spectrum CEO, Berko Akoto labeled this year?s Ghanafest the swan song or the last hooray for the current executives of the Ghana National Council but whatever one may call it, it appears the Executives have planned a grand finale to mark their exit.

Ghanafest substantially represents the African Diaspora. Vendors from Mali, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Senegal, Tanzania,West Indies and merchants from Chicago?s African American communities made for a blend of cultural history, admiration and entertainment.

Festival goers are treated to seemingly endless caches of African fabrics like Kent Cloth custom-made into Dashikis, sashes, hats, head-wraps, shawls and coats for men and women. Vendor tables display assortments of African jewelry such as ankhs, butter and Baltic amber-colored necklaces, wrist bands. Ghanaian dishes served by member organizations of the Ghana National Council in such combinations as kenkey, fried fish, shito, Red-red (combination of fried plantain, cooked-beans and red palm oil, Jollof-rice, okro-soup, waatse, omotuo (rice-gun) would be a lasting mouth-watering experience for patrons. On display on most Vendors tables will be African Art, Crafts and Paintings.