AAHM Honours Amakye Dede
2/7/2012 1:30:18 PM -
The Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition (AAHM), Ghana, has honoured and appointed one of Ghana's premier highlife musicians, Dan Amakye Dede, also known as 'Iron Boy', as an ambassador and advocate for the Ghana Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition at a colourful ceremony held at the Alisa Hotel in Accra.
The ceremony attracted a lot of personalities from the United Nations, World Food Programme as well as the former president of Ghana, His Excellency John Agyekum Kuffour, the 2011 World Food Prize laureate, who was the guest of honour.
A citation accompanying a plaque presented to Amakye Dede described him as a philanthropist, a family man and a strong hunger advocate.
The citation read: 'In view of your firm conviction in the possibility of a hunger-free Ghana, your belief that all Ghanaians have the right to adequate and nutritious food, and your determination to espouse this belief across the country through your concert tours, the Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition confers on you this award as Ambassador of the alliance in Ghana'.
AAHM is a global voluntary partnership created on the recommendation of the World Food Summit by the Rome based UN Food Agencies, FAO, IFAD, WFP and Bioversity International.
The alliance brings together local, national and international institutional institutions with the aim of building national-level policy dialogue in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. It also assists in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
On his part, Abrantie Amakye Dede thanked the AAHM for the honour bestowed on him and pledged his continued support for the fight against hunger and malnutrition.
To him, partnership played a key role in eradicating hunger across the globe, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Amakye Dede began his career in 1973 when he joined the Kumapim Royals as a composer and vocalist. This band, led by Akwasi Ampofo Agyei (AAA), had hits like 'Abebi Bewua Eso', 'Wanware Me A', 'Odo Mani Agyina' and the seminal 'Ohohoo Batani'. Dede later moved to Nigeria http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Akwasi_Ampofo_Agyei&action=edit&redlink=1 where he had his hit 'Jealousy Go Shame'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria
He then formed his own band, the Apollo High Kings http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Apollo_High_Kings&action=edit&redlink=1 , in 1980. He dominated the highlife scene in the 1980s and 1990s and continues to have hit songs in the 21st century.
He has almost 30 albums to his credit. He has experimented with different genres; soca , calypso http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calypso_music , lovers rock http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovers_rock and pop music http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soca_music . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_music
By George Clifford Owusu
