Tag: Ghana

Categories
Film Features Film/TV

Coming to Africa: Welcome to Ghana

Anwar Jamison and Nana Ama McBrown reprise their roles in Coming to Africa’s sequel.

Anwar Jamison set out to do something very few people have ever done: The Memphis-based filmmaker wanted to shoot a movie in Ghana. The second-largest country in West Africa is undergoing a period of economic expansion, and Jamison was fascinated with the young democracy’s success story. It was a long fight, but after enduring setbacks such as the lead actor bailing on the project right before he was supposed to get on the plane, Jamison finally completed Coming to Africa — just in time for the 2020 Covid pandemic to shut down movie theaters worldwide.

“The premiere was at the Las Vegas Black Film Festival, which I believe the first physical film festival that opened back up during that time,” says Jamison. “Then I had the chance to come back and do Indie Memphis. … I took it to Ghana, had a great response over there in the cinemas. But, again, it was somewhat slow because I guess we were kind of pioneers in that space. We were one of the first movies that came out as their cinemas reopened because they had been closed a lot longer than ours over here due to Covid.”

After an indie theatrical release in the U.S., Coming to Africa was released on Amazon Prime Video, where, Jamison says, “It was really, really well received! Then I moved it over to Tubi and [Roku streaming channel] kweliTV, who I really enjoy working with. DeShuna Spencer runs it right here out of Memphis.”

But if the original Coming to Africa was a struggle, things were easier for the sequel, Welcome to Ghana. In the first installment, Jamison took over the lead acting role out of necessity, playing Adrian, an ambitious American business executive who has his life changed on a visit to Ghana’s bustling capital, Accra. Much of that life-change is thanks to Akosua, a charming schoolteacher played by Nana Ama McBrown. “It was my first time in Ghana, literally,” he says. “In a way, that helped me play the character because I was in the same situation as the character. I literally was seeing these things for the first time. This time, I was able to have more of a game plan ahead of time and say, ‘This is how I want to do things.’”

As a result, Welcome to Ghana is considerably more ambitious. Akosua and Adrian are planning to get married, but her family doesn’t approve — and that’s just the first complication. Jamison wanted to make an ensemble comedy, and the success of the first film in Africa and the opportunity to work with McBrown, the biggest star in Ghana, helped open lots of doors. “It really turned into a who’s who of actresses and actors who are the cream of the crop over there. It is a true ensemble cast. They were looking around at each other on the set like, ‘Wow! We’ve never really been in a movie together!’ I was able, from the outside, to kind of pull people together. In Ghanian film, you’re going to have political ties. This actor works with their director only, or, this actor works with this production company. But me from the outside, I was able to just grab people who I was familiar with, who are some of my favorites in Ghana and Sierra Leone, and pull ’em all together.”

The film had its world premiere in Accra on the same day last summer as Barbie. “The biggest Hollywood movies are big in Ghana,” says Jamison. “So I was proud that we smashed Barbie that day! Barbie had a nice crowd. But for us, Coming to Africa: Welcome to Ghana, it was out of control!”

The film is now streaming on Amazon Prime and Tubi. “The story is very universal, so it crosses geographical, cultural, racial, ethnic boundaries,” says Jamison. “You’re getting all of these cultural things, but once you sink into the story, you realize they do a lot of the same things we do. So you get to see differences in the culture, but you also get to see those similarities.”

Jamison says he’s finishing his doctoral dissertation on African cinema before he starts prepping the final film in the trilogy. “I want Memphis to know that this was made by a Memphis filmmaker, and I want them to know that we took a lot of pride in putting it together, and that we put Memphis on the map in Ghana!”

Coming to Africa: Welcome to Ghana is streaming on Amazon Prime and Tubi.

Categories
Art Art Feature Fashion Fashion Feature

Memphis in May Returns in Style

Credit: Accra Fashion Week/Memphis In May International Festival

Note: Though the culture of Ghana is more than some governmental policies, the Memphis Flyer and the author do not support the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and human rights violations occurring in Ghana. For more information on this issue, read “Honoring Ghana, Malawi Troublesome for Some In Local LGBTQ+ Community,” and visit LGBT+ Rights Ghana’s website, a cyber activism blog raising awareness of LGBTQ+ issues in Ghana and throughout Africa.

Absent for the past two years, Memphis in May International Festival is back and ready to celebrate the culture and history of the Republic of Ghana. While, of course, you can expect the usual smattering of exhibits and educational opportunities, for this year’s festival, Randy Blevins, the festival’s vice president of marketing and programming, is especially excited for two events: Ghana Live! Riches & Rhythms and “Kente & Kitenge: The Fashions of Ghana.”

Ghana Live!, Blevins says, “is going to be a very entertaining evening of authentic music from the nation of Ghana.” The Thursday night show at the Orpheum will begin with performances by the National Dance Company of Ghana, telling the story of West Africa, and will conclude with a performance by Okyeame Kwame, one of Ghana’s leading highlife musicians. “The highlife music,” Blevins says, “is that colorful, kind of calypso sort of sound. It’s very upbeat and makes you think of a tropical paradise. You’ll bounce right out of the Orpheum.” Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online.

As for the “Kente & Kitenge” fashion show on Saturday, Blevins says, the Memphis in May Festival has not had a fashion show, at least since he’s been with the organization. Organized in partnership with Nana Tamakloe, founder of the popular FashionGHANA blog and of Accra Fashion Week, the show will feature, as Tamakloe says, “designers that are very Ghanian-centered with a more modern twist — in fact, I’d say more of a futuristic twist. We are looking at the future of African fashion.”

 The four designers, who were also featured in the Accra Fashion Week, include Broots Fashion, FashionGHANA, Style by Magbrien, and Red Cotton Boutique. Broots Fashion, a relatively new brand operating in Ghana, blends African print with funk. “When I say funk,” Tamakloe explains, “I’m literally referring to American funk, like when you go back to the ’70s. They’re taking that and blending it with the African culture, and they have this whole retro people-power thing behind their brand.” Meanwhile, Style by Magrien focuses on more high-end, couture clothing, and Red Cotton Boutique creates “free-flow” pieces for “the mature woman.” “Most of their clients are diplomats and businesswomen,” Tamakloe adds.

The FashionGHANA collection, called the “Direction Collection,” is by Tamakloe’s company of the same name. The collection is sort of a blueprint for designers to take inspiration from when creating pieces for mass production. “It comes out of the experience of trying to advise designers who showcase at the Accra Fashion Week,” Tamakloe says. “Most of the artists are caught up in the art, which is nice, because they’re very artistic. … But we’re trying to advise them to keep their creativity in a way that keeps a minimal end of production [i.e. by keeping costs down through simpler, more stream-lined designs].” In doing this, Tamakloe hopes, more Ghanian designers and African designers, in general, will have access to a larger market and influence. 

Overall, since starting the FashionGHANA blog 10 years ago after working as a music-producer-turned-modeling-agent in the U.K., Tamakloe’s goal has been to promote African and Ghanian fashion. “When I came to Ghana, I realized there was so much that could be done for the fashion industry,” he says. “We’re looking at a time when Instagram was not there, so many creators were unknown. FashionGHANA was a window into African fashion as a whole. … We were the first African blog to receive one million followers on Facebook.”

Tamakloe will be in Memphis for the “Kente & Kitenge” show and says he is excited to celebrate the 10th year of FashionGHANA in Memphis. “It’s a beautiful coincidence that this is happening,” he says.

Tickets for the fashion show at the Hilton Hotel East, Saturday, May 7th, 11 a.m., can be purchased online for $65 and will include brunch and champagne. For more information on this year’s Memphis in May and its accompanying events, visit memphisinmay.org. 

Some other events and exhibitions of note include:

  • “Where I Come From,” exhibition of work by Ghanian artist Theresah Ankomah, whose creations allow her to reflect her origins and story. Register online for the opening reception on May 7th at 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. | Urevbu Contemporary, on display Thursday, May 5th-May 31st
  • 2022 Black Star – Black Tie Gala, celebrating the Ghanian history and culture with an exclusive menu, dancing, and entertainment. | Renasant Convention Center, Friday, May 6th, 6:30 p.m., $350/ticket
  • Durbar Ceremony, at which His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, king of the Asante Kingdom, will address the public in this traditional ceremony, including a procession and dancing. | Beale Street, Saturday, May 7th, 1 p.m., free
  • Cuisine of Ghana, a full five-course dinner created by visiting Ghanaian chef, Jove Ansah. Reservations must be made by calling Chez Philippe at (901) 529-4000. | Chez Philippe at the Peabody Hotel, Saturday, May 7th, 7 p.m.
  • Taste of Ghana, an evening of Ghanaian music by Obruni Dance Band, authentic small plates and soups, shopping from artists and craftsmen, and listening to and sharing personal stories from the local Ghanian community. | Museum of Science & History, May 7th, 6 p.m.- 8 p.m., $20/youth, $35 adult
  • Indie Memphis Film Series, screenings of films as part of an ongoing “Global Lens” series. Featuring The Burial of Kojo, Sankofa, and Queen of Glory. | various locations, Wednesdays, May 11th, May 18th, and May 25th, 7 p.m., $12
  • “Beautiful Metals of Ghana, Adornments, & Wearables,” exhibition featuring metal objects exploring the culture and craftsmanship of Ghana. | Metal Museum, on display through May 31st
  • “Contemporary Art of Ghana,” exhibition featuring contemporary works by artists from the Artist Alliance Gallery, Accra. | The Goodwyn Gallery at Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, on display through May 31st
  • “Every Human Being is a Human Being,” exhibition exploring Ghana’s role and contribution to trans-Atlantic slavery. | National Civil Rights Museum, on display through May 31st
  • “Isaac Hayes: Black Moses Gives Back,” exhibition showcasing Hayes’ unique dashikis collection and humanitarian work in Ghana. | Museum of Science & History, on display through July 31st
  • “Palms & Plants of Ghana,” live exhibit of flora from Ghana, including rare Sansevieria, Euphorbia, and Kalanchoe. | Memphis Botanic Garden, on view through the season; no admission required.
Categories
Music Music Blog

Beale Street Music Festival: Memphis in May Reels in Global, Local Stars

CREDIT: Nabil

Nabil

Lil Wayne

Back in December, Memphis in May announced a few of the headliners for this year’s Beale Street Music Festival. Today, we know the rest of the story.

In addition to previously announced acts such as The Lumineers, Lil Wayne, The Avett Brothers, and Memphis’ own Three 6 Mafia, the lineup is now even more sure to have something for everyone:  Weezer, The Smashing Pumpkins, The 1975, DaBaby, 311, Deftones, Leon Bridges, Lindsey Buckingham, Louis the Child, Nelly, Portugal. The Man, Brittany Howard, Liam Gallagher, and rappers Moneybagg Yo, Young Dolph and Al Kapone.

The Lumineers

Those last three are not the only performers with deep Memphis connections. “Of course, Beale Street Music Festival always prominently features Memphis artists,” says James L. Holt, President and CEO of Memphis in May, “and this year is no exception, with Mavis Staples, Project Pat, Lil Wyte, Amy LaVere, and many more.”
Myriam Santos

Mavis Staples

Other acts familiar to many music fans include: Of Monsters and Men, AJR, Rival Sons, Billy Strings, Manchester Orchestra, Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Glorious Sons, Patty Griffin (winner of the 2020 Grammy for Best Folk Album), Waka Flocka Flame, Dirty Honey, Duke Deuce, Reignwolf, Toosii, Beabadoobee, Crobot, and Lil Migo.

The festival’s international exposure is especially pronounced, with the lineup also featuring two mega-stars from Ghana, the country to be honored during this year’s Memphis in May celebrations. The rapper Sarkodie has been recognized twice as Africa’s Artist of the Year and named to MTV’s and BET’s lists of top African rap artists, while Stonebwoy was named 2019’s Best Male Artist at the African Entertainment Awards.

Sarkodie

Meanwhile, the Beale Street Music Festival once again lives up to its namesake, the home of the blues, with appearances by Keb Mo (winner of the 2020 Grammy for Best Americana Album), Bobby Rush, and Taj Mahal, along with Janiva Magness, Don Bryant & the Bo-Keys, Trigger Hippy, Kenny Brown, Lisa Mills, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Sue Foley, Blind Mississippi Morris, Hurricane Ruth, Kelly Hunt, Richard Johnston, Earl “the Pearl” Banks, Memphissippi Sound, and Australia’s Blues Music Award winners, Kings and Associates.

The Beale Street Music Festival opens to the public at 5 pm on Friday, May 1st and runs through Sunday, May 3rd. Tickets can be purchased through eventbrite.com and are sold now through April 19th as three-day passes for $145 or single-day tickets for $55 (limited quantities). A limited number of VIP passes are also available at eventbrite.com for $699.

The 2020 Beale Street Music Festival is sponsored by Bud Light, Terminix, and Monster Energy.

Categories
Music Music Blog

Dancing Highlife in Memphis, Obruni Style

CREDIT: Jamie Harmon

Jamie Harmon

Obruni Dance Band & the Mama Africa Dancers

One night this summer, with some time to kill, I dropped in to the Wiseacre Brewing Company on Broad Avenue. Walking across the parking lot, I heard grooves not often played in our neck of the woods, and opening the door to the bar, the music suddenly springing into the night, only confirmed that we weren’t in West Tennessee anymore. It had to be West Africa.

Filling the room were the sounds of an ace Ghanian highlife band. The band was collaborating that night with dancers who sang along with many of the classic highlife numbers. Hypnotic, joyous guitar arpeggios shimmered over fiercely syncopated beats — this was the real deal! But scanning the players, I saw only familiar faces from other combos around town.

The Obruni Dance Band is indeed comprised of local talent. And, given that many American fans have had African music on their radars since the 1960s, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that enough Memphis musicians were big enough fans to eventually create their own band. Here, along with a slideshow using Jamie Harmon’s images of the show I chanced upon that night in July, are the details of how that happened. I asked Obruni’s founder and lead singer, Adam Holton, about the origins of his interest and what his vision for the group might be.
Jamie Harmon

Adam Holton & the Obruni Dance Band


Memphis Flyer: How did you first get into highlife music, and how deep did you go with it?

Adam Holton: I’m from Memphis and I first learned about highlife and other types of Afro-pop when I was in school at University of Colorado, Boulder. There was an ethnomusicology professor from Ghana named Kwasi Ampene who had a “West African Highlife Ensemble”. I went to see a performance of theirs, and I was blown away by this huge ensemble of 20+ musicians, dancers, and drummers playing this infectious dance music with killer bass lines! I joined the group the next semester and stayed in the group under Kwasi’s leadership until after I graduated. I traveled with Kwasi to Ghana as a part of a study abroad program, and got to sit in a few times at clubs in Accra. I also took some bass lessons from Ralph Karikari, a killer highlife bassist and guitarist who is famous for his role in Dr. K. Gyasi’s Noble Kings band.

It sounds like Boulder must have quite an Afro-pop scene.

The West African Highlife Ensemble would invite guest artists each year for a big performance, and through these special performances I got to back up some heavy hitters including Mac Tontoh of Osibisa, Okyerema Asante, and Paa Kow. Paa Kow is a drum prodigy who was playing professionally before he was a teenager, and he and I started the By All Means Band together in Colorado, playing Afro-funk-fusion. We eventually moved to Memphis in 2007 and played here for a little more than a year before breaking up.

Where did you go from there?

I went in other musical directions with other musical projects (Mister Adams, Big Barton) just following my muse where it wanted to go. Some time in 2016 (about seven or eight years after the band broke up), I kind of looked up and realized that this music that I had devoted many years of my life to learning and playing was no longer a part of my life, and I missed it terribly! No one in town was really doing the Afro-pop thing, so I decided to start a new band. Initially, I tried to find any West African musicians who might be in the area, but to date I haven’t had any success with that. So I just started calling on players who had some world music experience or who have jazz backgrounds and can really play just about anything you throw at them.

Obruni means foreigner in the Akan language of Twi. As a white American in Ghana, you’re kind of a sore thumb, so strangers will playfully call you Obruni as you pass them in the street or markets. I decided to name the band Obruni Dance Band because I figured American audiences wouldn’t know what it meant, and I thought that it would be kind of an inside joke to Ghanaians who would immediately know that the band wasn’t from Ghana. Highlife bands are often really large by comparison to rock bands, which translates to a lot of concentrated human energy during performances. The band started with five members (Logan Hanna, Stephen Chopek, Felix Hernandez, Gerald Stephens, and myself), but we have since added Victor Sawyer and Jawaun Crawford on trombone and trumpet.

So does the band mainly play classic highlife music, or do you write originals in that style?

Right now Obruni plays about 50/50 original music versus covers. We are somewhat limited in the covers that we can do because I am by no means a fluent Twi speaker, and so I mostly focus on songs that are sung in pidgin English. Sometimes, I take a popular rock song, and give it a heavy highlife makeover so that pretty much no one would ever recognize it. We do songs by The Beatles, Nirvana, Dire Straits, and Warren Zevon alongside songs by Osibisa, Prince Nico Mbarga, The Sweet Talks, and George Darko.
[slideshow-1] See events listed below to discover two ways to hear the Obruni Dance Band this weekend.

Categories
Music Music Features

Talking Drums

CREDIT: Bryan Welker

“It’s true,” admits Ghanaian drummer Paa Kow (pronounced like Paco, with a stop in the middle) about playing with musicians from the U.S. “Somebody from home would actually understand what I’m doing more because we are speaking the same language. But music is huge enough for everybody. You get a band and make sure the sound is what is needed. You find better musicians who can feel it, and you get what you want, which is what I’m doing right now.”

Paa Kow will play at the Hi-Tone on Tuesday, August 19th. Opening act, Mister Adams, is led by Memphian Adam Holton, who is one of Paa Kow’s former sidemen and students. Holton studied at the University of Colorado Boulder, which is home to the West-African Highlife Ensemble. Holton met percussionist-producer Peyton Shuffield in that program, based on highlife, the national sound of Ghana.

“The professor who led that group would take a group [to Ghana],” Holton says. “On Peyton’s trip there, Paa Kow happened to be in town. Peyton was like, ‘We’ve got to get this guy to the U.S. People would freak out if they saw him playing drums.'”

Paa Kow came to Boulder and later returned to Ghana with Holton, Shuffield, and others in tow.

“We got to play with a lot of Paa Kow’s old buddies in Accra, the capital,” Holton says. “A lot of the elder statesmen of highlife, like George Darko. It was eye-opening to go to his home country and see how he was treated there. Just from knowing him over here, you had no idea that at any music spot in Ghana, they all know him and are looking up to him. He’s an idol to all the young musicians. They were carrying his drum bags for him. He’s treated like royalty over there.”

Highlife is a 20th-century hybrid of traditional music of the Akan people from the Gold Coast of Africa and popular music influences from colonial sources. It was music for the elites, hence the name and Paa Kow’s stature in his native Ghana. Paa Kow’s playing reflects an African approach to drumming that is as much tonal as it is rhythmic. The clave beat that underlies most of what we consider Latin music came to this hemisphere through Ghana and Cuba. Rather than the tick-tock/on-off of western drummers, Paa Kow develops polyphonic, tonal rhythms that bubble like lively conversation. Each drum seems to have 10 voices.

“I think it’s part of the tradition in Ghana and growing up in that village,” Paa Kow says. “I started making my own drums from cans. Making something and playing and make sound out of it, it helps. That’s what everyone does. You can see them making their drums, putting a calf-skin on it. But the sound that would come out of that drum, you won’t believe. It was just the tradition. That helps me make sound out of any drum. You can see a drum that is busted. You get a head on top. It all is going to come from you. You can buy the most expensive drum you could ever buy or drums that are just old. But the way you make the drums to sound, that’s what’s important. That’s what it is. And if you can make sound out of even a can, you can make sound to make a better rhythm out of it. That’s what I’ve been believing since I’ve been growing up.”

Paa Kow’s parents were well-respected musicians in Ghana during his childhood. He’s been a serious musician since he was a child.

“I think percussion is the same as a drum kit,” he says. “The reason why I say that is you’ve got to pick up the percussion and make sound out of it. Making sure that the sound that’s making out of it is ready. Playing a cowbell in a band, if it’s a clave, I have to keep it. I see the same attitude on the drums. I think that being a percussion player helps you play a drum kit or any instrument. Keyboards, bass, everything; it’s all based on the percussion. So I saw that and I was like, Wow, I want to do more. I’m playing a cowbell or only two congas. I want to play the pedals, put my foot on the high-hat stand and make a lot of sounds. I decided from that time, I would play the drum kit, at the age of seven.”

Asked if there are any recordings of his parents, he says, “I wish. Back in those days, it’s hard to get recordings of stuff. My uncle has an album. He did it with some producer. The guy brought the instruments in from Germany. He was playing shows and everything. But I didn’t think of that at that time. I need to check. I bet it’s great stuff. My mom was part of the band. She was a singer. But I didn’t do any recording with them. I was too young.”

After making a name for himself in his homeland, Paa Kow set his sights on the U.S. Meeting Shuffield turned out to be the opportunity that worked for both of them. Shuffield produced Paa Kow’s latest album, Ask.

“Peyton came to Ghana in 2006,” Paa Kow says. “He came with the students from Boulder, Colorado, and was looking for someone to study with. He asked everyone to come and meet with him. So he gave me a call and he came over. He actually saw what I have. That’s the reason why we met in Ghana. I was touring around. I was like 22 and already playing with some big bands in Ghana. That same month, I was supposed to come to the U.S. It didn’t happen.”

Shuffield arranged a guest position at the Highlife Ensemble and Paa Kow came to the U.S. in 2007. He appreciates all the musicians who have worked with him here as much as they appreciate him.

“In Ghana, we have a traditional music, and we have some called highlife,” Paa Kow says. “There is deep traditional music. Coming here changed my vision of it. I’m kind of doing my own thing, which is one sound from home — I still get all the tradition stuff. And being in the States, the musicians I play with are all educated musicians from the music school. It’s good with the fusion and the jazz and stuff. But I don’t think I’m doing a pure highlife. I have my own vision going on with my music right now. But those are influences, the jazz, blues. I call it Afro-fusion.”

Categories
Letter From The Editor Opinion

Letter from the Editor: Don’t Act Like an American

Are you ready for some football? Some hard-hitting, gridiron action? Well, sorry, amigo, you’ll have to wait ’til September. Unless, that is, you’re ready for some futbol. It’s World Cup time! And it’s a big deal everywhere else in the world. In the U.S.A., not so much.

That would change, of course, if Team USA managed to win a couple of games. “Miracle on Grass,” anyone? Unlikely. According to stats guru Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight.com, the U.S. has a .4 percent chance of winning the cup — 250-to-one odds. We’re ranked alongside such non-powers as Nigeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Cameroon.

Team USA’s first game is against Ghana, which, to be fair, is similarly ranked. So we could win that one and be 1-0, right? Do you believe in miracles? Unfortunately, Germany and Portugal await the U.S. after its opening game. They don’t believe in miracles, and only two teams advance from each four-team pool. Sure, we’ve beaten Germany twice before, but those were world wars, not World Cups. The smart money is on Brazil, the host team. Silver gives them a 23 percent chance of winning. He adds that Brazil hasn’t lost a game in its home country since 2002.

Like most Americans, my main exposure to soccer was taking my young kids to their games. All the parents stand on the sidelines and watch a herd of six-year-olds run back and forth for 40 minutes. Once in a while, a ball gets knocked past a bored goalie. Cue the mad celebration. Goal!!!

The World Cup’s kind of like that. Only the players are bigger, and you don’t have to drive them through McDonald’s after the game. Also you can drink. Sure, you may think soccer is boring, but have you watched baseball lately? Spit. Scratch. Adjust uniform. Ball three. Repeat. Besides, this event is going to be happening for the next few weeks, so you might as well get into it. Here are a few helpful suggestions on how to better enjoy the World Cup:

Pick a team to root for. Sure, you’re pulling for the U.S., but that probably won’t be an option for long. So improvise. Maybe you’re of Dutch heritage, like me. Go Netherlands! Yes, the wooden cleats make it tougher for them, but they’re plucky.

Get used to the fact that soccer players flop more than Manu Ginobili. They fall and scream and writhe in pain, then jump up and start running again. Don’t worry about it. It’s part of the fun. Embrace the acting. It’s Oscar-caliber.

Go to a soccer-centric bar and cheer with the crowd. You might get a free drink. Accept the fact that almost every game ends 2-1. It’s the soccer way. And, ties happen. A lot. Do not suggest ways to increase scoring, like making the goals bigger or handicapping the goalie. This will make it obvious you’re an American poser.

Which you are.

Bruce VanWyngarden

brucev@memphisflyer.com