Kwaw Kese Mars "Face of Legon"

Management of Mad Time Entertainment, the record label managing celebrated Ghanaian Hip-Life artiste, Kwaw Kese, born Emmanuel Botwe, took matters into their own hands and virtually hijacked the �Face of Legon� Beauty Pageant yesterday, October 30th, at the National Theatre.

Mad Time Entertainment crew stormed the venue of the event with hordes of �machomen� and police personnel, who prevented everyone from gaining access into the National Theatre, by sealing all the entrances.

Their bone of contention had to do with the failure on the part of the Event organizers to inform the artiste of their desire to engage him in the show before going ahead to publicize the event both on radio and on television.

What compounded the situation was a demand by Kwaw Kese�s management for an amount of GH�5,000, before the function could go ahead.

Speaking in an interview on PEACEFM, Mr. Fenech Okyere, Manager of Kwaw Kese stated that he returned from Wa some few days back only to realize that the artiste was being used in both a commercial and an advertisement without their knowledge and/or consent.

��We are demanding GH�5,000 from them being payment due Kwaw Kese, because that is the figure the artiste normally demands from event organizers before performing at a function�if the money is not given to us, there will be no show,� he said

In his usual cheery element, Kwaw Kese called on the organizers to put up one of their vehicles as guarantee for payment, if coughing up the GH�5,000 immediately was a problem.

�I guess you know this is the only means we earn our daily bread�They have �stolen� my name for commercial�if they don�t pay up, this show will not come off�looking at the kind of personalities who have showed up, it�s a big show as such they shouldn�t allow this to turn into an embarrassment�they have to pay me or otherwise they can use one of their cars as collateral�� he told Peace Fm.

Reached for his comments, Eric Atakora Boateng, Head of the Event Organizers, attributed the rumpus to miscommunication between YFM, an Accra-based radio station and the hip-life artiste.

�As an event organization outfit, we entered into an agreement with YFM (an Accra-based Radio station), on a batter trade system where they were supposed to provide a number of artistes, whiles we, on our part, will give them a percentage of the gate proceeds, but it seems that was not fulfilled...for now we will try and negotiate with them to see how best to salvage the situation because GH�5,000 is a bit on the high side�I don�t see why he should demand GH�5,000 for just a show,� he said.

Meanwhile, reports say a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), details of which are still sketchy, was finally reached between the parties before the event got underway.

Face of Legon, is one of the most prestigious beauty pageants that contribute immensely to tourism in country and organized yearly for students of the University of Ghana.

Two years ago in 2007, judges examined all the five qualities of beauty; the gap-tooth, ringed neck, dimples, charming eyes and the hips.

The gap-tooth is two front teeth with space in-between, and the dimple is an indented area on the cheek which adds beauty to a smile on the face. A ringed neck has lines like chains and charming eyes are the type that have the power to delight or attract people in every manner.

The contestant who possessed all five qualities was crowned Face of Legon 2007.

Source: Eugene Osafo-Nkansah/Alex Ofei/peacefmonline