Blakk Rasta meets Obama, again, on the BBC

Blakk Rasta

After the 11 July dinner with the world's most powerful man, - Back Obama - Africa's reggae music icon Blakk Rasta is at it again; this time he tells the story of how he met Barack Obama.

Blakk Rasta will be guest on the BBC's Meeting the Celebrities programme set to air at 4:00 GMT on Tuesday September 2, 2010.

The reggae sensation of Barack Obama fame says the opportunity to be heard by the BBC's several million global audiences is rather humbling.

The interview programme comes after several dozen interviews with international media networks including the New York Times, CNN and Deutsche Welle.

The programme coincides with Blakk Rasta's 48th birthday which, for him, marks a major turning point in his life.

“Life has been great so far but I believe this is time to achieve even more,” he said.

Coming after several international assignments in Holland, Ethiopia and Canada, Blakk Rasta says the best platform to give expression to his life story is the book.

He will be coming out with a book that chronicles everything Blakk Rasta – from the lows and the highs, the saddest moments and the happiest times.

The Chufumta man is also making preparations to launch a charity, Blakk Rasta Foundation, that will focus on children who have been ignored or abandoned by their families because of their faith.

“Any child who will be given their walking papers from home because of their faith is our target,” Blakk Rasta said.

Blakk Rasta was born on the Monday of 2nd September 1974 in Tamale in the Northern part of Ghana, West Africa.

He was born to devout Ahmadi-Moslem parents. As a growing youth in the slums of Moshie-Zongo and Aboabo, Blakk Rasta (born ABUBAKAR AHMED), underwent a lot of injustice, favouritism and other social ills.

Education was number one on Blakk Rasta's mind since his parents were both educationists. He grew up as a learned ghetto youth who was a real role model for other youths in the slums. He topped his class several times. Everyone in the slum saw Blakk Rasta as an extraordinary chap with over-endowed academic talent. Music was the last thing to Blakk Rasta though he enjoyed listening to very popular slow music.

The ghetto chap wrote several plays, directed and acted some of them. He writes novels too and won several writing competitions. Blakk Rasta does Reggae music pouring out conscious lyrics about Blackness, Rasta and spiritual love. Sometimes the music has some Jamaican influences and touches. The music is done in English, Jamaican Patois and some African languages.

So Blakk Rasta is on this evening at 4:00 GMT on the BBC World Service.

Story by Myjoyonline.com/Ghana