Entertainment
Harnessing the business side of dancing …Isaac Allotey shows the way
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• Isaac Allotey
Isaac Allotey aka ‘The African Lion’ has proved that dancing is not only an art for pleasure or exercise, but it is a serious business.
Starting as a juvenile dancer with friends and joining groups to dance, he never knew he could be famous, until he grew up and travelled outside Ghana.
Dancing to the highest level has propelled him gain knowledge in a field, and believes young people in the space could capitalise on their talent to make ends meet.
According to him building a unique brand opened a lot of doors and lifted one above those seeing it as pleasure.
Against this backdrop, ‘The African Lion’ has a huge heart and believes in giving back to society.
His philanthropic endeavours include Dancefrica, a US non-profit organisation that he co-founded and serves as a director.
Dancefrica’s mission is to invest in the future of Ghanaian children by providing financial and creative support to undeserved, high risk children, so they may find success and prosper in their adulthood.
The nonprofit’s first big event is Save the Dance, a competition for children under 17.
Isaac Allotey is again a founding member of the Ghana Alliance of Dance Professionals and has been able to maintain his connections with his international students by providing online classes and workshops during the pandemic.
His talent and fantastic special skills in moving his body and taking majestic steps earned him the Ghana National Dance Champion in 2002, and won the Malta Guinness National Champion in 2005.
Through dance, he has been exposed to many things in life and experienced different cultures, and travelled to the USA, Germany, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Benin, Cape Verde and Togo.
He has worked on series of television programmes, and was a main judge for the Bumper to Bumper 2021, an eight weeks televised competition on TV Africa.
Allotey choreographed the opening dance for Di Asa, an Atinka TV Reality Series and Competition featuring the dance talent of women and worked on the Lawrence Otoo Dance Competition as a Judge.
An International Relations student at Cumbria University, Rumzia Sule, has been officially crowned Miss Ghana 2026, emerging victorious over 12 other contestants to claim the coveted national title.
The grand finale of the 69th edition, held under the theme “Empowering Women, Enduring Legacy,” saw the University of Ghana graduate Fatimatu Zara Ishacu finish as the first runner-up and Whitney Opoku Nketia adjudged the second runner-up.
Other awards, such as Miss Fitness, Miss Talent, Miss Eloquent, Most Beautiful Skin, Miss Congeniality, Most Disciplined, and Miss Photogenic, went to Nedlyn Appiah, Lucille Akua Oputa-Otutu, Davinia Owusu Kuffuor, Lawrencia Serwaa Amankwa, Fatimatu Zara Ishacu, Anita Appiah, and Whitney Opoku Nketia, in that order.
Rumzia also won the Beauty with Purpose award.
Unlike previous editions, this year’s pageant adopted a strategic, scaled-down format. Shifting away from traditional pomp and pageantry, to a more personal and community skills development theme.
The final selection was held at the Oak Plaza Hotel in Accra before an elite panel of judges, relatives of contestants amongst others present to witness the historic occasion.
According to the organisers, Exclusive Events Ghana and the Miss Ghana Foundation, the format change was a deliberate choice, as part of preparations towards the upcoming milestone for the brand both nationally and internationally, that is, next year’s landmark 70th, in Ghana and this year’s 75th anniversaries, internationally.
Despite the cozy setting of the coronation, the finalists underwent the full, rigorous pageant journey following nationwide auditions on June 27, 2026.
The young women participated in intensive, weeks-long mentorship, leadership, and entrepreneurship programme designed to test their resilience, empathy, discipline, and professionalism.
Furthermore, the contestants demonstrated their commitment to national development by rolling up their sleeves for the National Clean-Up Exercise, supporting President John Dramani Mahama’s call to restore cleanliness across Ghana by desilting choked gutters in parts of Accra.
The Foundation emphasised that these outreach programmes were vital evaluation tools used to identify a queen who genuinely embodies compassion and a willingness to serve society beyond the glamour of the stage.
Rumzia’s exceptional public speaking and commanding vision ultimately separated her from the field.
As the new Miss Ghana 2026, Rumzia will now begin preparations to represent the nation on the international stage at the upcoming Miss World pageant in Vietnam.
Born on August 14, 1980 in Cape Coast, where centuries-old castles still whisper of slavery, resistance and survival, musician Lexikon says his life has been shaped by the weight of history and the hope of renewal.
Growing up among the relics of the transatlantic slave trade, the artist developed an early hunger for truth, justice and identity.
That search took him from the halls of Mfantsipim School to the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the UK, where he fused academic training with a growing passion for artistry.
But it is on stage, through reggae and dancehall, that Lexikon’s voice finds its fullest expression.
According to him, “Music is not just entertainment. It is a call to the youth, a challenge to corrupt power, and a hymn of hope.”
Over the years, Lexikon has built a catalogue of 15 albums. Through his Baanfire Revolution, he champions Pan-Africanism, self-reliance and empowerment. With his Christ-For-I Mission, he uses the same platform to redirect hearts to faith and purpose.
Industry watchers describe his work as more than sound, a movement, a sermon, and in his words, “a revolution wrapped in melody.”
Now based in Accra, the father, artist and advocate says he remains committed to speaking for Africa’s young people.
For Lexikon, music is the tool: a reminder that even in struggle, there is room for renewal, and that, as he puts it, “music can be the whip of change.”
As Ghana’s creative scene continues to evolve, Lexikon stands as one of the voices merging culture, spirituality and social commentary rooted in Cape Coast history, but speaking directly to a new generation across the continent.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
