Music of Wednesday, 21 February 2007

Source: ghanamusic.com

Abena Yankson's Desire Fulfilled

Abena Yankson?s desire to praise her maker began long ago when her talent was identified in the formative years of her life.

By the very tender age of 9, Abena was showcasing her musical talent on the big stage; by that age she had already mastered ?big stage? abibi ndwom (a local musical type) performances under the tutelage of her grand auntie.

Her impressive and captivating performances were however limited to Christian programmes and mainly to the official functions (camp meetings) of the Methodist Church in Ajumako circuit.

It is not surprising that abibi ndwom has been cleverly fused with pop rhythms on this album. She was the lead vocalist for a number of singing groups in her hometown, Ampia-Ajumako in the Central Region where she was born and spent the first decade of her life.

Abena had a very keen interest in Education and never allowed anything to disrupt her dream of climbing up the academic ladder. She holds an MSc degree in Health Planning and Management from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and a BSc in Community Nutrition from University for Development Studies. She attended Mfantsiman Girls Senior Secondary School and Obuasi Presbyterian Junior Secondary School, after a primary education in her home town.

Her academic ambition was never a hindrance to her desire of making the Lord?s service her delight. At the university she was the praise and worship team leader for Ghana Fellowship of Evangelical Students (GHAFES) and Ghana Methodist Students Union (GHAMSU), Treasurer and Assistant Secretary for GHAFES at the University for Development Studies (UDS) and also a founding member of the Nyankpala Methodist Church in the Northern region. She was also an active member of Campus Crusade for Christ and took part in several evangelism activities both within and off campus.

Apart from winning souls for Christ she also has keen interest in saving lives through preventive health care. She has been working in the health sector since the completion of school and has particular interest in maternal and child health issues. After her education at UDS, Abena worked with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in a very busy district in the Northern Region. Abena did not just serve the people of Savelugu in the Northern Region with her health professional abilities; she also found time for God and established a Choir in the Savelugu branch of the Methodist Church. She is currently working with an international NGO that deals with health communication issues and worships with Carlvary Methodist Church, Adabraka, Accra.

Her weekends and leisure time after work are mostly spent on song writing and composition. She has worked hard to make her dream of helping fulfill the great commission a reality through songs writing. It is obvious that Abena has savoured the delicious pleasure of praising her maker through music with a passion that has been amply and forcefully manifested in her first studio effort.

This debut album affirms Abena Yankson as a heart that has hungrily sought to eternally praise and worship her maker. Her fans (old and new) might have waited for a long time for this album, but the wait is evidence that this project has been completed in God?s time. It is a work of faith, of prayer, of endurance, and ultimately the work of a servant who had stood and identified with her Lord (Jesus!)

The lyrics will undeniably illuminate your every step as you seek to get closer to your maker and seek to secure your destiny. I also believe that every listener?s soul will be nourished to flourish as you feed on the wonderful contents of the album.