Entertainment
Naa Ashorkor leads ‘Five Hours with Mario’
Patrons will have a memorable day as Five Hours with Mario, an adaptation of Miguel Delibes’ novel which is a collaboration between celebrated Ghanaian playwright, LatifAbubakar and the Spanish Embassy in Accra shows today and Sunday.
The move is aimed at putting Ghana’s theatre industry on the world stage.
Speaking at the launch of the play at the Spanish Embassy, Mr Abubakar said “the Embassy’s decision to partner Globe Productions stems from a relationship between me and Ambassador Javier Gutterez, Spanish Ambassador to Ghana, who aims at deepening the Spain-Ghana relationship beyond traditional trade to arts and culture.”
The playwright whose interest is to project Ghana’s theatre industry to the world said the partnership would set Ghana on the world stage once again.
“As pacesetters of virtual live play on COVID-19 with a record 3.5 million live views as well as staging Ghana’s first open air theatre, our dream of projecting Ghana’s theatre industry beyond our country and continent is becoming a reality with the launch of this play,” he said.
The Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy, Mr Diego Spottorno, also said the Spanish Embassy was pleased to partner Mr Abubakar on this project.
He explained that the timing for the adaptation could not have been more appropriate, considering the challenges in the world today.
He said the adaptation of the play would mark the beginning of a great partnership between the Ghanaian and Spanish theatre industries.
Five Hours with Mario is one of the best and most popular Spanish novel, with touches of comedy by a renowned Spanish writer, Miguel Delibes.
The novel addresses two of the author’s favourite themes: the authenticity of rural life compared with life in the city, and death as the ultimate and definitive milestone in human life.
The play which is being adapted into a Ghanaian and Afrocentric stage play for the first time is expected to make an impact not only in Ghana and Spain but across the world.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Entertainment
Sparqlyn reminisces as he congratulates Shatta Wale for winning two awards at 43rd IRAWMA
Ghanaian musician and former member of musicial gorup, Dunsin, Ahmmed Kanneh Larweh, popularly known as Sparqlyn, has congratulated Ghanaian music heavyweight, Shatta Wale following his impressive double victory at the International Reggae and World Music Awards.
Shatta Wale recently made headlines after winning two major awards at the prestigious event held in Florida, USA, securing Best African Dancehall Entertainer and Concert of the Year for ShattaFest.
Reacting to the achievement, Sparqlyn could not hide his excitement after sighting news of the awards on Monday, May 18, 2025.
According to him, the one thing that caught his attention was the plaque presented to Shatta Wale. He noted that the design looked strikingly similar to the one Dunsin received when they won at the MUSA Awards over a decade ago.
The resemblance, especially the upper part of the plaque, instantly brought back memories of his former group’s historic moment on the African stage 13 years ago when the group represented Ghana proudly in South Africa.
It will be recalled that back in 2013, Dunsin achieved international recognition after winning Most Exciting Group in Africa and Most African Video at the MUSA Awards held in Pretoria, South Africa. The awards came on the back of their global hit project “Ɔyɛadeɛyie,” a song that helped elevate the group’s profile beyond Ghana.
At the time, Sparqlyn, then known by many as Kele within the group, was the one who represented Dunsin at the event to pick up the award.
Ghanaian dancehall artiste Charles Nii Armah Mensah, known as Shatta Wale, has won two awards at the 43rd International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA) held in Florida over the weekend.
He picked up the Best African Dancehall Entertainer award as well as Concert of the Year for ShattaFest.
In a statement, Shatta Wale’s management expressed appreciation to the organisers and supporters of the awards.
“Management would like to sincerely appreciate the organisers of the IRAWMA awards for the recognition and continuous support for African music on the global stage.
“We also extend our deepest gratitude to fans across the world, especially the Shatta Movement fraternity, for their unwavering support, votes, and dedication throughout the years,” the statement said.
The statement added that the latest wins reaffirm the artiste’s position as one of Africa’s leading musical exports and a prominent figure in global dancehall culture.
The awards bring Shatta Wale’s total haul at the IRAWMA to 11, highlighting his continued presence on the international reggae and dancehall scene.
At last year’s edition, he won three awards: Best African Dancehall Entertainer, Best Music Video for “Killa Ji Mi”, and Best Crossover Song for “Commando” featuring Bounty Killer. -GNA
