Ghana As One Dinner hosts over two thousand guests

Over two thousand guests turned up last night at the Independence Square for the Ghana As One Gala Night.

Guests at the programmed wined, dined and jived to live music way into the early hours of this morning at a grand event organised by Agoo Magazine and Joy FM as part of Ghana's Golden Jubilee celebrations.

The late start of the programme however marred an otherwise beautiful night.

Quite a number of the guests, at least three hundred were queuing behind the barricade set up before the gates leading into the Golden village at the Independence Square for at least two hours after the advertised start of the programme, before being allowed to enter to take their seats.

Some traditional music was however provided to appease them for the inconvenience.

The Independence square had taken on a totally different look from the one that hosted the Golden Jubilee Parade earlier on in the week.

Boards had been used to fence off the parade grounds and red carpets had been rolled out in the lanes in-between the tables, about two hundred of them, set up within the perimeter.

Miniature flags dotted each of the large round tables decorated beautifully with lemon green, gold, white and black table cloths.

The Golden village was one large open air restaurant with giant flood lights combining perfectly with traditional lamp stands to provide lighting.

The female guests were dressed in a variety of styles and designs of the rich Kente fabric whilst their male counterparts were dressed in mainly western formal attires.

According to the organisers, it had taken them six months to put the show together.

A variety of dishes prepared by some of the finest chefs in the country as well as some foreign chefs were laid out on several tables at the Golden Village.

Conspicuously missing however were the local dishes, even though this was somehow compensated with the great taste of the meals that were served with lots to drink.

Two local gospel artistes, Ola Williams and Kwaku Gyasi kick-started the show.

Then came the highlife trio, Jewel Ackah, Papa Yankson and Gyedu-Blay Ambolley. They swept patrons off their feet with some popular hits.

Hiplife artiste, Batman then took his turn with his Obi do wua song, among others taking along with him all who had gathered on the night at the Golden village.

American old-school group, Whispers and Howard Hewitt took the middle-aged and elderly ones to memory lane with some of the popular 80s hits.

Music maestro, Kojo Antwi closed the show with some of his popular hits but not after taking a quick chide at the Whispers.
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A fashion show organised by GTP as part of the Gala saw an exhibition of clothes and accessories from Michael Phyllis, Kwesi Nti, Renee Acquah and Gretta Luce. On the long catwalk that projected from the giant stage into the tables seating the guests, the models showcased beautiful designs from Woodin fabrics.

Many of the people Joy News spoke to praised the organisers for giving them their monies' worth. Some however criticised the late start of the programme.

At the end of it all, the Ghana as One Gala night passed of without question as the big birthday dinner that crowned a wonderful week of celebration for a Ghana@50.