As part of efforts to significantly improve upon quality health care services delivery, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has adopted innovative mobile services technology to reach out to every Ghanaian. The initiative, which would be officially out-doored by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on December 19, includes the use of text messaging short code to ease the processing of NHIS documents and services. Mr Oswald Essuah-Mensah, Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs disclosed this when officials of his outfit paid a courtesy call on the Deputy Central Regional Minister in Cape Coast on Monday. The call was to brief the Minister and the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) on the new technological innovation being embarked upon by the Authority to ease its administrative and clientele services. He was accompanied by Mr Ben Kusi, Director Membership and Regional Operations, Mr Stephen Bewong and Mr Daniel Blankson, Deputy Directors, Management and Information System (MIS) and Mr Francis Frempong, Regional Director among others. Explaining operations of the technology, Mr Essuah-Mensah said it involves the use of short code *842*10# on all networks in the country.It gives clients options to check policy validity, renewal of membership, benefit packages, and the over 500 medicine list for only one Cedi per every renewal. The innovation, which is free for pregnant women and the “poorest-of-the-poor”, according to him, would create an effortless and faceless simplicity in accessing NHIS services across the country. “This innovation will enormously ease the travel distance, the hassle and time wasting, and trooping to centres, shorten administrative procedures and improve the data base management of the organization.” “It will drastically reduce the penchant for falsification of unwarranted claims, which is one of the challenges, to the smooth operation of the scheme,” he reiterated. Touching on its viability and accessibility due to lack of telephone reception in some parts of the country, Mr Essuah-Mensah stated that they were in talks with the telecommunication companies to effectively improve their coverage across the country. He announced that the intervention had been piloted in the West Mamprusi District of the Northern Region with success and assured that their personnel had been trained to offer quality services to all clients. In addition to that, plans were far advance to retool it’s offices in the about 275 districts with the needed tools and logistics to increase coverage from the current 37 percent to over 70 percent. This will help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) on health before 2030 and improve the health and welfare of the citizenry and expressed the resolve of the Authority to engage all key stakeholders particularly the traditional and religious leaders to solicit their support to ensure success. Mr Adjei Baffour applauded the Authority for the bold initiative and urged the team to use pragmatic measures to increase the subscriber base of the Scheme. Source: https://www.businessghana.com
Government to partner telcos to harness the power of technology
Mr Vincent Sowah Odotei, the Deputy Minister of Communications has said Government would continue to partner with telecommunications companies and related information communication technology institutions to harness the power of technology to transform lives. He said “we shall not relent in our efforts to ensure that the telecommunications industry gets the needed support to propel growth. Mr Sowah Odotei was speaking at the AirtelTigo’s first Anniversary stakeholder’s dinner in Accra. He said it was for this reason that they are happy at the success of AirtelTigo’s network upgrade exercise. He said the enhanced service experienced that the company brought would certainly play a prominent role in the information communication technology development plan of the government. He commended management of AirtelTigo for the celebration of a one year Anniversary of merger and more importantly for the successful completion of the network integration and upgrade embarked upon. The Minister said the Ministry of communications was pursuing an aggressive rural telephony programme aimed at connecting the entire country within five years. He said “we are also seeking to attract foreign direct investments into Ghana to boost government’s digitalisation agenda.” Mrs Mitwa Kaemba Ng’ambi, the Chief Executive Officer of AirtelTigo said “Now that we have wider network coverage and faster internet speeds, we will continue to introduce first-in-market affordable solutions that are sure to delight our customers.” She said both AirtelTigo Money and AirtelTigo business brands would come to the fore, providing relevant and reliable solutions to customers and businesses. “You can also expect a lot more activity and focus on our role as transformation agents in the communities in which we operate. Investment in our people and network will also remain key”, she added. She commended the Ministries of Communications, Finance, National Communications Authority, Bank of Ghana and other stakeholders for believing in the company’s ambition to do something that has never been done in the history of the country’s telecommunications industry. She said the company was commitment to creating a clear customer experience in the industry and improve the lives of Ghanaians through the use of ICT. Source: http://www.businessghana.com
IT Consortium ranked top financial technology firm
Accra, Nov. 28, GNA – IT Consortium Limited, a financial services technology solutions provider, has been ranked the top Financial Technology firm in Ghana at the 17th Edition of the Ghana Club 100 awards in Accra. A statement issued in Accra by the management of the company said as the first time entrant on the Ghana Club 100 list, IT Consortium was ranked the 14th top company in the country. The awards organized by the Ghana Investment Promotion Company (GIPC), the Ghana Club 100 awards is an annual compilation of the top 100 companies in Ghana based on company size, profitability and growth. Incorporated in 2001, IT Consortium prides itself as one of Africa’s leading financial services technology solutions providers with a mission of providing innovative systems that bring value to its patrons by adapting technology to create systems that provide clear competitive advantages to customers. Mr Romeo Bugyei, Chief Executive Officer of IT Consortium, said the award was a validation of the governance structures put in place to enable the company scale up. “We developed a five-year strategic plan for growth and a 10-year transformational plan,” he said. He said “We are in year three and we are on course to exceeding our targets, business mix ratio and expansion drive across Africa and we hope this award will help us to meet and exceed all our objectives.” He said the recognition gave credence to the capacity of the company to embark on its expansion drive into other countries in Africa. Mr. Joojo Esua-Mensah, the Chief Business Development Officer, also said being ranked among the top 15 companies in Ghana showed IT Consortium’s robust business, corporate and financial structures that have been employed to churn out solutions that benefit the society. Mr. Franklin Eleblu, the Chief Software Architect, said going forward, the company would be able to create more opportunities for jobs. “We have doubled our human resource capacity in the period especially in the engineering and support departments and our road map shows that we will need to grow some more to be able to do the things we need to do, especially as we expand into other African countries,” he said. He said the company had so far focused mainly on business-to-business solutions but from the beginning of 2018, it started developing some customer facing solutions. He said the company had rolled out a solution for tax collection in Liberia and aims to contribute to the government’s drive to expand the tax net by deploying similar solutions here in Ghana. The company’s heavy research focus and collaborations have also enabled it provide a solution for recurring payments on USSD platforms as employed by MTN’s “My Own Pension.” The company is determined to continue on its path of creating solutions that make the customer experience a delight accessible to all. News Source: http://www.ghananewsagency.org
Ghana’s debt increased by 57% between July and August
Ghana’s debt has increased by 57% between July and August this year. Ghana’s finance minister Ken Ofori Att The Bank of Ghana has released the latest summary of economic figures and Ghana seems to be continuously adding more to its debts. A statement from the central bank indicated that, Ghana, between July and August 2018 added GH¢11.4 billion to its debt stock. The bank said, calculating this as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Ghana’s debt represents 57.2 per cent. The country domestic debt component had reached GH¢84.2 billion yet the country has within the period, accumulated an external debt component of GH¢86.6 billion. Meanwhile, between as at October this year, the country’s total exports reached $12.54 billion. The revenue generated from gold was the highest with an amount of $4.7 billion. Oil was next and it brought in $3.83 billion in revenue with cocoa placing third with its export revenue reaching 1.67 billion dollars. In the banking sector, the total Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) increased marginally to 20.1 per cent in October after dropping to 20 per cent in September Also the total deposits of all banks remained at GH¢67.5 billion in nominal terms, but increased by 20.9 per cent on a year on year basis. Source: https://www.pulse.com.gh
The Case For The Use Of Ghanaian English Pronunciation (GhE) In English Oral Test For Students In SHS
The topic on the use of Ghanaian English (GhE onwards) as the Standard English in Ghana is of great concern. This paper is about the spoken, rather than the written language mainly because many Ghanaians can write very good English. Ghanaians encounter newsreaders on TV and radio who strive to speak in a British or an American accent. Some Ghanaians who have also travelled to Europe come back feigning an accent close to the RP. The Ghanaian student at the Senior High School (SHS) is therefore left in a state of confusion as to the accent they should speak in formal and informal occasions. This in a way is frustrating when all efforts to speak like a Native English Speaker fail. Students at the SHS receive a final assault when they come face to face with WASSCE Oral Test, which is replete with some pronunciation features that students are not familiar with. It is, therefore, a speculation that the poor attitude of students towards Oral English Test contributes to the low achievement scores of most students in the WASSCE English Language paper. This is because the Oral Test is conducted based on the features of RP. Hence, this opinion paper aims at arguing that Ghanaian students at the SHS deserve to be tested in the accent of the variety of English they hear and speak instead of using the RP model. This is because GhE is a variety of English as an International Language (EIL), majority of teachers in Ghana are Non Native English Speakers, GhE has its unique pronunciation features, the teaching of English in Ghana occurs within the cultural milieu of the country and Ghanaian pronunciations are intelligible to other speakers of English. STRUCTURE OF THE ORAL TEST The duration of the Oral Test and marks as captured in the English Language WASSCE Syllabus structure are 45 minutes and 30 marks respectively. The focus of the paper is to test a candidate’s knowledge of Oral English. The paper is usually a Listening Comprehension Test. It is made up of 60 multiple-choice objective questions on consonants, consonant clusters, vowels, diphthongs, stress and intonation patterns, dialogues, and narratives. A breakdown of each section is as follows: Section 1: Test of vowel quality in isolated words Section 2: Test of word-final voiced-voiceless consonants in isolated words mainly, but other features such as consonant clusters may also be tested Section 3: Test of vowel quality and consonant contrast in isolated words Section 4: One of the three alternatives below is used in different years: (i) Test of vowel and/or consonant contrasts in sentence contexts (ii) Test of vowel and consonant contrast in isolated words to be selected from a list of at least four-word contrasts (iii) Test of vowel and consonant contrasts through rhymes Section 5: Test of rhyme Section 6: Test of comprehension of emphatic stress Section 7: Test of understanding of intonation through short dialogues Section 8: Test of understanding the content of longer dialogues and narratives To adequately prepare students to pass the Oral Test, in year one, students are introduced to Vowel segments of English, Consonant Segments, Consonant clusters, Mono and Di-syllabic words, and Intonation (Tune 1 and 2). In Year 2, students are introduced to a review of Vowels and Consonants, Syllabic consonants, phonologically conditioned endings: ed- /t, d, id/, es- /s, z, iz/ and Intonation tune 1 and 2 in sentences. In year three, students are supposed to do speechwork review, sentence stress (emphatic and contrastive), weak forms, Linking –r (blending, vowel linkage), and Emphatic intonation (intonation of words in parenthesis) (TSE, 2010). It is a speculation that there is no part in the English Syllabus where it is stated that a teacher must teach pronunciation using a particular variety of English i.e. either the Native RP or GhE. The teachers and students thereby struggle to attain the standard set. Since they are unable to meet the standard, they lose interest in the area. Surprisingly, students giggle and act funny when it comes to lessons on Oral Test simply because they consider the pronunciations as funny and alien. Some even ask questions as to whether their peers will not tease them if they try to speak using the RP. Sackeyfio (1996) attests to the fact that there exist variations in the accents of Native English speakers. She adds that in London for example, there are regional accents that have been accepted as variants of the Native English speech. The upper-class elite who prefer to speak the Received Pronunciation (RP) which constitute about 3% of the educated British population, however, frown upon these variants. The RP, therefore, is not a regional accent. According to Sackeyfio (1996), the RP was considered as the ideal model during the colonial era with the following properties: it accords prestige on the speaker; it is documented, and represents the broad target for pronunciation lessons. Therefore, many debates have been advanced for the teaching of pronunciation using the RP model or what is called Standard English (SE). In Ghana, the debate on what Ghanaian English (GhE) is and what English Language model should be used to teach the Ghanaian student has led to three clear-cut linguistic camps: Those educated Ghanaians who do not accept the existence of a local variety. Those who accept the existence of a local variety, which should be codified and accepted as “Ghanaian Standard”. Those who support that English should be abandoned and an indigenous Ghanaian language should be selected and used (Gborsong et al, 2014) Proponents for the use of Native English model to teach students believe that students must learn English based on the Native English Model as quickly as possible to be successful in school and society. It is in line with this that Gborsong et al (2014) attest to the fact that Standard English is spoken with different accents, which reveals the nationalities of the speakers. In their book, they claim that RP is the variety used by BBC and it is the same
Trump just threatened to place tariffs on the iPhone and Apple stock is getting crushed (AAPL)
President Donald Trump has threatened to put a 10% tariff on the iPhone and other consumer electronics, and markets have reacted sharply. Trump said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that he could put a 10% tariff on iPhones and Chinese electronic goods. Apple’s stock fell in after hours trading following the remarks. President Donald Trump has threatened to put a 10% tariff on the iPhone and other consumer electronics, and markets have reacted sharply. Apple stock dropped over 1.5% in after-hours trading. Trump discussed the additional tariffs in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. Here’s the relevant passage from the WSJ story: In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Trump said that if negotiations don’t work out, he would also put tariffs on the rest of Chinese imports that are currently not subject to duties. “If we don’t make a deal, then I’m going to put the $267 billion additional on,” at a tariff rate of either 10% or 25%, Mr. Trump said. [Trump] said the tariffs could also be placed on iPhones and laptops imported from China. The administration has been worried about a consumer reaction should such items be subject to levies. “Maybe. Maybe. Depends on what the rate is,” the president said, referring to mobile phones and laptops. “I mean, I can make it 10%, and people could stand that very easily.” Apple, which manufactures most of its products in China, had previously been concerned that the Apple Watch, AirPods, and other wireless gadgets might be affected by a round of tariffs on Chinese goods. However, when a final list came out in September, Apple’s gadgets were spared. Those tariffs have already gone into effect. But if import taxes are imposed on Apple’s crown jewel, the iPhone, as Trump threatened, the price of the iPhone could increase or sales could be hurt. Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously said that he doesn’t think the iPhone will get a tariff on it, and he maintains a back channel to key White House economic staff. Cook has said that he disagrees with Trump’s tariffs, and that they show up as “a tax on the consumer.” “Our view on tariffs is that they show up as a tax on the consumer and wind up resulting in lower economic growth and sometimes can bring about significant risk of unintended consequences,” Cook said during an earnings call earlier this summer. Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Source: https://www.pulse.com.gh/
Newmont Declares Commercial Production at Subika Underground in Ghana
DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov 26, 2018–Newmont Mining Corporation (NYSE: NEM) (Newmont or the Company) has achieved commercial production at the Subika Underground project, adding higher-grade, lower-cost gold production at the Ahafo mine in Ghana. Subika Underground represents Newmont’s third profitable expansion in 2018 and its tenth completed project since 2013. Subika Underground was delivered on schedule and within budget for approximately $186 million in development capital. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181126005097/en/ Underground ventilation fans at Newmont’s Subika mine in Ghana (Photo: Business Wire) Beginning in 2019, Subika Underground will add average annual gold production of between 150,000 and 200,000 ounces per year for the first five years and has an initial mine life of around 10 years. Combined with completion of the Ahafo Mill Expansion project expected in the second half of 2019, Ahafo’s average annual all-in sustaining costs (AISC) 1 are projected to improve by between $250 and $350 per ounce compared to 2016. The project has an expected Internal Rate of Return of more than 20 percent. “In addition to increasing gold production and lowering costs at Ahafo, Subika Underground leverages the operation’s existing infrastructure and experienced workforce to further extend mine life,” said Gary Goldberg, Chief Executive Officer. “The mine provides an underground platform to explore additional upside potential in adjacent ore bodies and also includes some of the latest fit-for-purpose technologies to enhance safety, productivity and efficiency.” As the Company’s newest mine, Subika Underground features semi-autonomous loading operations, proximity detection for vehicles, personnel tracking, and planned installation of ventilation-on-demand systems. Over the last five years, Newmont has successfully built 10 new mines and expansions on four continents – on or ahead of schedule and at or below budget. These projects include Akyem and the Phoenix Copper Leach in 2013, the Turf Vent Shaft in 2015, Merian and Long Canyon in 2016, the Tanami Expansion in 2017, and Twin Underground and Northwest Exodus in 2018. The Company also completed a value-accretive acquisition of Cripple Creek and Victor in 2015 and delivered a profitable expansion at the mine in 2016. About Newmont Newmont is a leading gold and copper producer. The Company’s operations are primarily in the United States, Australia, Ghana, Peru and Suriname. Newmont is the only gold producer listed in the S&P 500 Index and was named the mining industry leader by the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Company is an industry leader in value creation, supported by its leading technical, environmental, social and safety performance. Newmont was founded in 1921 and has been publicly traded since 1925. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections and other applicable laws. Such forward-looking statements may include, without limitation: (i) estimates of future production, including additions in connection with Subika Underground; (ii) estimates of future improvements to costs applicable to sales and all-in sustaining cost at Ahafo, including in connection with Subika Underground and the Ahafo Mill Expansion; (iii) expectations regarding timing of completion of Ahafo Mill Expansion; (iv) expectations regarding mine life; and (v) expectations regarding future operating and financial results and internal rates of return. Where the Company expresses or implies an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. However, estimates or expectations of future events or results are based upon certain assumptions, which may prove to be incorrect. Such assumptions include, but are not limited to: (i) there being no significant change to current geotechnical, metallurgical, hydrological and other physical conditions; (ii) permitting, development, operations and expansion of the Company’s operations and projects being consistent with current expectations and mine plans; (iii) certain price assumptions for gold, copper and oil; (iv) prices for key supplies being approximately consistent with current expectations; (v) the accuracy of our current mineral reserve and mineralized material estimates; and (vi) other assumptions. Such assumptions and related forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially. Other risks relating to forward-looking statements in regard to the Company’s business and future performance may include, but are not limited to, gold and other metals price volatility, currency fluctuations, increased production costs and variances in ore grade or recovery rates from those assumed in mining plans, operational risks, community relations risks, governmental regulation and political and judicial outcomes. For a more detailed discussion of such risks and other factors, see the Company’s 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and available at www.newmont.com, as well as the Company’s other SEC filings. The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly release revisions to any “forward-looking statement” to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Investors should not assume that any lack of update to a previously issued “forward-looking statement” constitutes a reaffirmation of that statement. Continued reliance on “forward-looking statements” is at investors’ own risk. —————————————————— 1 AISC or all-in sustaining cost improvement as used in this press release are forward-looking non-GAAP metrics. All-in sustaining cost is defined as the sum of costs applicable to sales (including all direct and indirect costs related to current gold production incurred to execute on the current mine plan), reclamation costs (including operating accretion and amortization of asset retirement costs), G&A, exploration expense, advanced projects and R&D, treatment and refining costs, other expense, net of one-time adjustments and sustaining capital. Expected improvement to Ahafo’s costs applicable to sales is expected to be $150 to $250 per ounce for the comparison period. A reconciliation has not been provided in reliance
Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey: The midfielder who left Africa in secret to move to Spain
When Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey stepped on to the pitch in Lyon during May’s Europa League final, it signified the culmination of a journey from dusty village pitches in Ghana to European football’s top table. “It’s not easy for a guy like me to come from a background where I had nothing to be at this level,” says the 25-year-old. “I started in a small village where my father was the team manager. He did a lot of sacrifices which he never told me about. It was him selling his stuff to try and get me those new boots.” Atletico’s defeat of Marseille to win the Europa League was the end of a fine 2017-18 season for the midfielder. He established a first-team spot, starting 28 league games as the Madrid side also finished second in La Liga. Partey again came off the bench in the final of the Uefa Super Cup in Tallinn in August – an occasion with added spice because Atletico were taking on fierce city rivals Real Madrid. Partey became the first Ghanaian to feature in a Super Cup and assisted Saul Niguez, who put Atletico ahead. They won 4-2. “It was a great season because we were second in the league and we won the Europa League and won against Real Madrid in the Super Cup,” Partey says. “I feel great, it’s a dream come true.” Thomas Partey has won the Europa League and Uefa Super Cup with Atletico, and finished runner-up in La Liga and the Champions League That dream began a long way from the glamour of Madrid, playing for his local side in Krobo Odumase in eastern Ghana. “He was a good boy, very respectful and would rise up to every challenge,” says Ibrahim Issaka, one of his first coaches. “I knew Partey would become a star because he can play anywhere.” Partey comes from a long production line of Ghanaian defensive midfielders, with the likes of Stephen Appiah, Sulley Muntari and Michael Essien make their name at the top of European football. African Footballer of the Year 2018 nominee: Thomas Partey “I tried to be a like a ‘stopper’ using the intelligence of Michael Essien, and also attack. I use the strength of Yaya Toure,” he says. It was Partey’s natural ability that helped him get spotted by Atletico scouts. He left Africa to join the Spanish side in 2011 – in a secretive journey that even his parents did not know about. “I got into a car, they took me to the capital, they gave me my passport and said: ‘Today you travel,’” he told Marca earlier this year. “My dad wasn’t at home. Nobody from my family knew anything, nor that I was going that day – because if they were told then it would cause a lot of problems. I travelled to Spain and it was six or seven months before anyone realised that I wasn’t in Ghana.” His first coach in Spain was former Atletico Madrid midfielder Alfredo Santaelena. “As soon as we [the coaches] all saw him, we all agreed that he would be a player of the future,” says Alfredo. “He is a player with an innate talent.” After loan spells at Mallorca and Almeria, Partey made his Atletico debut in 2015 and has grown under manager Diego Simeone’s guidance. “We all know he’s a great coach, one of the best coaches on the planet. He helped me to adapt to any position he put me in,” says Partey, who has 17 international caps. Partey has scored six times in 17 games for Ghana No game emphasises this point more than the first leg of the Europa League semi-final last season, as Atletico travelled to Arsenal. With Sime Vrsaljko sent off in the opening 10 minutes, Partey was asked to cover at right-back. He performed superbly, working tirelessly as Atletico fought to secure a 1-1 draw, despite playing over 80 minutes with 10 men. With hard work, determination and mental resilience, it was a performance that showed why Partey is one of African football’s rising stars.
Woman, 36, dies after undergoing plastic surgery on her nose
A woman left brain damaged by plastic surgery has died after being in a medically induced coma for almost a month. Laura Avila, 36, from Texas, USA, travelled to Juarez in Mexico for the surgery on her nose on October 30, according to New Orleans-based news outlet WDSU 6. However, she was placed in a medically induced coma after suffering complications, a heart attack and brain damage, following the procedure. Her family’s attorney confirmed the woman’s death in a statement to local outlet WFAA. “Laura was a beautiful woman powerful and full of life,” family attorney Larry Friedman said. “She had the best of life in front of her until this tragic unfortunate and senseless death.” Laura’s sister posted a touching tribute to her over the weekend. “My angelic sister/second mom/best friend & Heartbeat left us today,” Laura’s sister Angie Avila posted on Facebook over the weekend. “My heart aches and I truly don’t know how or if I’ll ever overcome this pain. “She’s the love of my life, and I know she will continue to watch over me and guide me just as she always has. “Thank you for being the best sister in the world.” Angie had previously set up a GoFundMe page which raised more than $110,000 to date to support her sister’s recovery and spoke of the surgery complications. Ms Avila (pictured) was remembered in a touching Facebook post by her sister. Source: Facebook/Laura Avila “Laura suffered a cardiac arrest for four minutes,” Angie wrote. “She was then placed into a medically induced coma to prevent further damage to her brain that was caused by the complications she experienced during anesthesia (sic).” Mr Friedman urged the public to be cautious about overseas plastic surgery. “So that her death is not in vain, people should think of Laura before they look for cross-border discount surgery,” he told WFAA. Source: https://www.yahoo.com/
People are not happy with comedian Kevin Hart throwing his son a cowboys and Indians party
When Eniko and Kevin Hart planned their son Kenzo’s first birthday party, it’s possible they were thinking of nothing but the kind of themed birthday parties they’d attended as children, then selected one that seemed like it would appeal most to their toddler. But once Eniko posted the photos from the cowboys and Indians party, they raised a storm of opinions about what such a theme really means. Eniko and Kevin Hart threw a cowboys and Indians-themed birthday party for their son. (Photo: Eniko Hart via Instagram) “Zos cowboys & indians party was nothing but amazing! Thanks to everyone for coming.. we love you guys!” Eniko Hart wrote on Instagram Thursday, sharing photos of her family and friends decked out in cowboy costumes or draped in Native American blankets next to a teepee at an outdoor venue. In the comments, amid the cooing — that is one very cute little boy — came critiques from Native Americans. Just as they often call for an end to dressing up in “Indian” costumes during Halloween, indigenous people have long called cowboys and Indians parties offensive. “Disgusting. This is equivalent to having a kkk and black slaves party. #interminorityappropriation,” wrote @smitmk01. Many called upon African-Americans like the Harts to see the parallels between blackface and turning native culture into costumes. “So when ppl do blackface or dress as slave and owner for halloween ya cool with it? Yuuuuuup thats what i thought,” wrote @gymandtattooposts. Adrienne K. on the website NativeAppropriations.com further uses the comparison between the way white Americans used negative stereotypes of both groups as a means to create the identity of a dominant white American culture. “So, it’s clear there are large similarities between blackface and playing Indian — both are intentional acts that draw upon stereotypes and a racist history to enact whiteness — but our Nation has created a narrative in which blackface=racist, while redface=normal,” she writes. “Just because our national narrative and history has somehow normalized the phenomenon does not excuse its roots in the process of systematic erasure of the First Peoples from our homelands.” That argument played out somewhat less eloquently on Eniko Hart’s feed, with many defending the party and calling the haters overly sensitive. “I truly hope you and Kevin don’t apologize for this!!”@through1eye wrote to Eniko. “Welcome to the generation of offended. It’s a sad day when a child can’t even have an innocent cowboy and indian themed party.” Neither Eniko nor Kevin Hart has commented on the controversy. Source: https://www.yahoo.com/
