My Life Changed After a Trip to the Volta Region – Kuami Eugene

                        NEWS STORY 

Ghanaian highlife artist Kuami Eugene recently opened up about how a trip to the Volta Region transformed his life for the better. In an interview with Doreen Avio, the acclaimed musician reflected on how his years of dedication to the church laid the groundwork for his musical journey. However, it was a specific gospel event in the Volta Region that marked a turning point in his career.

“It was tough for me in the church until a friend invited me to the Volta Region. When I came back, everything just changed overnight. I joined MTN Hitmaker, and to my surprise, I was selected. I ended up as the second runner-up, and shortly after, I got signed by Lynx Entertainment. From winning Song Artist of the Year to being named New Artist of the Year, it’s been an incredible journey,” he recalled.

Kuami Eugene shared that the invitation came from a friend who worked as a pupil teacher, and it was a pivotal moment in his early music career. “She invited me to a three-day convention with her church. Back then, I was known as Minister Eugene Marfo. That was actually where I earned my first paycheck, so a big shoutout to that female friend of mine,” he expressed.

He emphasized the significant role that the church played in shaping both his spiritual life and his music career.

“Every now and then, I come across a post on social media, and suddenly, there I am—Eugene Marfo. I want to remind everyone that I’m still a minister of God, and my journey really began in the church. It was there that I learned everything I know about music, from playing the piano and guitar to so much more. Even while I was in school, I was actively involved in music, playing the drums for my church. I was pursuing my passion, but back then, I didn’t have the same level of support that I enjoy now,” he shared.

He went on to express his heartfelt gratitude for those who have helped him along the way, especially emphasizing the role of divine grace and mentorship. 

“I’m truly thankful for this journey; it’s been such a beautiful experience. There are a few key people in my life without whom I wouldn’t be where I am today. First and foremost, there’s God. He has been my guiding force throughout this entire process, from my early days in Fadama to now. It’s all been about His grace. I also owe a lot to my mom, my dad, and my family. Plus, I’ve had the chance to learn from amazing mentors like Richie Mensah and Eric Goka, who have been incredibly influential in my life. I’ve gained so much knowledge from them, so I want to give a big shoutout to everyone who believed in me,” he said.

Kuami Eugene, whose real name is Eugene Marfo, has become one of Ghana’s most celebrated contemporary artists. He’s known for hit songs like "Angela," "Wish Me Well," "Open Gate," and "Monica." After rising to fame through MTN Hitmaker, he has won several awards, including Highlife Artiste of the Year and Artiste of the Year at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards. He remains a powerful presence in the Ghanaian music scene and has just released a new song titled "Do Better."

SECRETARIAT INAUGURATED TO COORDINATE ANTI ILLEGAL MINING OPERATIONS

1. Yes. Because it is showing a mining site and the news headline is about mining

2. Sadness and empathy. Seeing a group of people mining on the land evokes sadness knowing that it is our land being destroyed and empathy towards those working tiredlessly to find gold just so they could feed themselves

3. It is manipulated because of the kind of emotions it evokes. These emotions just by looking at the image attract the audience to read the news story and also to accept the initiative that is to be taken based on the headline without hesitation

4. It has been taken using a high angle shot. This has made the workers look belittled, of less authority.

5. It adds depth to the story. Though the headline states that the secretariat wants to begin anti illegal mining operations, just by looking at the image, you can see that the news story will be about the bad side of mining which already gives an in depth understanding of the news story

6. Yes, if the secretariat's image instead, it will not evoke those emotions this image evoked, Instead, it will reinforce the headline 

7. This image is more in depth than other images because it has shown the miners and a mining site and not a government meeting or the secretariat's face

8. No, it is a general image even though it will work in favour more for those who are not in the political sector because they are more affected by the illegal mining

 Gory accident involving VIP bus claims 7 lives, injures 31

1. Yes it does because we can see the state of the car and the people around  

2. The image evokes a lot of emotions if created linguistically... Sympathy and even arguments on how the image is portrayed. The urgency because people need to be made aware. Sympathy because people got injured and died. The argument about how and why there was an accident. All together makes it more emotional.

3. The image doesn't look manipulated. The image tells what the headline talks about. It doesn't look like it was made different.

4. The lighting in the image makes it  more interesting to look at and technically helps evoke such emotions in a way because of how dim it is

5. The image definitely added more depth to the headline because we can guess that the news story is about a deadly accident before even reading the news story and it gives readers an insight of how serious the case is.

6. This image evokes more urgent emotion than other images because of how intense the scene looks as portrayed by the writer.

7. Others covering the same story might make it not so interesting because they don't use the same image even though some did but at different angles

8.  It is politically significant because it is pointing out that they should compensate the victims' families because it is a public bus 

By: Martina Gaisie