Wanlov the Kubolor | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Emmanuel Owusu-Bonsu |
Born | Ploiești, Romania |
Origin | Ghanaian Scalo Kay |
Genres | Afro Pop |
Occupation(s) | Musician, Singer, Rapper [1] |
Years active | 2007 – present |
Labels | Fokn Inc |
Emmanuel Owusu-Bonsu, known by his stage name Wanlov the Kubolor (born September 8, 1980) is a Ghanaian-Romanian musician and film director born to an Akan father and a Romanian mother. [2] Kubolor is a Ga word that essentially means truant, but can be understood to be a wanderer or vagabond. [3] He is the brother of the television show host, model, and musician Deborah Owusu-Bonsu.
Kubulor's parents moved to Ghana before he was a year old, and he grew up in an artistic household where both parents were avid collectors of music and had an interest in the arts. He attended Adisadel College. [4] It was while he was at Adisadel that he began rapping his favourite lyrics with high school friends and performing the local circuit in Cape Coast and Takoradi. It was here that his enduring musical partnership with the songwriter M3NSA was formed. He then moved to the United States for college in 2000 where he attended the University of Mary Hardin Baylor. He dropped out after two years of studying computer science and business administration, to dedicate himself fully to his musical career. [5] [6]
Kubulor released his debut album "Green Card" in late 2007 on his return to Ghana after a 7-year stay in the USA. Wanlov the Kubolor has collaborated with Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, Ghana's rap pioneer/Highlife legend, and Reggie Rockstone, the godfather of Hiplife, among other artists worldwide.[ citation needed ]
He has campaigned for the cause of OAfrica, [7] a charity for out-of-home children and various similar causes, in particular, those linked to ecology or pollution in Ghana. In 2017, he told members of Blogging Ghana that he "is considering making a third installment to his Ghanaian Pidgin-English musical Coz Ov Moni". [8]
He is an activist for the rights of LGBT+ people in Ghana. In 2021, when the Ghanaian anti-LGBT bill was introduced, he spoke against the intent of the bill. [16] [17] He collaborated with Angel Maxine and Deborah Owusu-Bonsu to use their music as a form of activism against homophobia in Ghana. [18]
He is also an activist against plastic waste Ghana. [19]
In September 2023, He alleged that Sam George, one of the lead proponents of the Ghanaian anti-LGBT bill, was sponsored to push such laws in Ghana. He further claimed a linkage between the Ghanaian parliamentarian and the World Congress of Families. [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Ghana face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Sexual acts between males have been illegal as "unnatural carnal knowledge" in Ghana since the colonial era. The majority of Ghana's population hold anti-LGBT sentiments. Physical and violent homophobic attacks against LGBT people occur, and are often encouraged by the media and religious and political leaders. At times, government officials, such as police, engage in such acts of violence. Young gay people are known to be disowned by their families and communities and evicted from their homes. Families often seek conversion therapy from religious groups when same-sex orientation or non-conforming gender identity is disclosed; such "therapy" is reported to be commonly administered in abusive and inhumane settings.
Presbyterian Boys' Secondary School (PRESEC) is a secondary boarding school for boys. It is located in Legon, Accra, Ghana. It was founded in 1938, under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast. The Basel missionary-theologian, Nicholas Timothy Clerk (1862–1961), who served as the first Synod Clerk of the Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast from 1918 to 1932, used his tenure to advocate for the establishment of the secondary school. The school has ties with its sister schools, Aburi Girls' Senior High School and Krobo Girls Senior High School.
Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu is a Ghanaian urban planner and politician. He was the majority leader in the Ghanaian Parliament until he stepped down on 21 February 2024 and is the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs in Ghana. He is the longest serving lawmaker in Ghana.
The GUBA Awards, or Grow, Unite, Build, Africa (GUBA) Awards, formerly known as the Ghana UK-Based Achievement Awards, are organized by GUBA Enterprise, a social enterprise organization dedicated to the support and advancement of Africans in the diaspora and Africans on the continent through various socio-economic programmes and initiatives.
Coz Ov Moni - The First Pidgen Musical Film in the World is a 2010 musical film produced by the FOKN BOIS and directed by independent Ghanaian filmmaker King Luu.
Deborah Owusu-Bonsu better known by her stage name as Sister Derby or Sister Deborah is a Ghanaian-Romanian television presenter, musician and model of Akan origin and a former presenter at e.tv Ghana.
Ursula Owusu-Ekuful is a Ghanaian lawyer, women's rights activist, and a politician who has been actively involved in politics and public service representing Ablekuma West Constituency. She is currently the Minister of Communications and Digitalisation.
Coz Ov Moni 2 - The World's 2nd 1st Pidgin Musical is a 2013 musical film produced by the FOKN BOIS and directed by independent Ghanaian filmmaker King Luu.
Samuel Nartey George is a Ghanaian politician. He is from Ahwiam, Old Ningo. He is a member of the National Democratic Congress. In November 2015, he defeated the incumbent E. T. Mensah to represent the party in the 2016 parliamentary elections for Ningo-Prampram Constituency. He is currently a member of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana representing Ningo-Prampram constituency. Sam George holds anti-LGBTI views.
Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade, better known by his stage name Mr Eazi, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record executive. He is the pioneer of Banku music, a fusion of sound he describes as a mixture of Ghanaian highlife and Nigerian chord progressions and patterns. Mr Eazi relocated to Kumasi in 2008 and enrolled at KNUST, where he began booking artists to perform at college parties. He showed interest in music after recording a guest verse on "My Life", a song that gained traction and became a popular record at KNUST. Mr Eazi released his debut mixtape About to Blow in 2013. He gained an international audience following the release of the Efya-assisted single "Skin Tight". His second mixtape, titled Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra To Lagos, was released in 2017.
Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith is a Ghanaian Anglican Bishop. He is the current Bishop of Asante Mampong and was elected Archbishop of the Church of the Province of West Africa in June 2022, in succession to Archbishop Jonathan Hart of Liberia.
Mensa Ansah, better known as M3NSA is a British Ghanaian producer, composer, rapper, singer and filmmaker. Known for his recognizable sound and instinctual storytelling, while still being deeply rooted in his motherland, he has grown into an international sensation through the years because of his ability to navigate different languages, cultures, and art expressions.
Everybody Get Agenda is the sixth studio album by Bantu, released on September 23, 2020, on Soledad Productions. Like their previous album Agberos International, this long player was composed and written by all members of the band. It was recorded in Lagos, Nigeria and mixed in Cologne, Germany. The music style is Afrofunk and Afrobeat with elements of Yoruba music, Soul, Jazz and Rap.
LGBT+ Rights Ghana is a Ghanaian organization that advocates for LGBT rights in Ghana. The organization has engaged in some forms of activism including creating the Ghana Gay Blackmail List to combat the blackmail and extortion of gay men. In 2021, the organization opened its office in Accra which led to public outrage and opposition from anti-LGBT organizations in Ghana. LGBT+ Rights Ghana's Executive Director is Alex Kofi Donkor.
The Ghanaian anti-LGBT bill is a proposed law in Ghana that would introduce wide-ranging restrictions on LGBT+ rights. The bill was approved by the Parliament of Ghana on 28 February 2024 with bipartisan support, and will only come into effect if signed into law by President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Rightify Ghana is a Ghanaian organization that advocates for LGBT rights in Ghana. Rightify Ghana was established in February 2020 as a non-profit organization to advocate for the rights of LGBT+ Ghanaians.
The National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values is a Ghanaian anti-LGBT advocacy group. The group has advocated for conversion therapy, a practice that the scientific consensus has found is pseudoscientific and that has been described by the UN and the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims as torture.
Angel Maxine Opoku is a Ghanaian musician. Maxine is known as the first openly transgender Ghanaian musician.
Joel Ofori Bonsu known by the stage name OliveTheBoy is a Ghanaian Afrobeats singer and songwriter. He is currently signed to Sony Music's Columbia Records through its subsidiary Bu Vision Entertainment.
Joshua Owusu Afriyie, also known as Josh Blakk, is a Ghanaian musician.