'Ka na wu': The song that made JJ Rawlings send soldiers after legendary musician Aseibu Amenfi

When the legendary Aseibu Amenfi was creating his widely-hit song ‘Ka Na Wu’, he had a perfect idea of what the song was about and the impact it was going to make.

What he however did not anticipate was that the song was going ruffle feathers in the leadership of the country then and make him a subject of attack from gun-wielding military officers.

As he explained to Kofi TV in 2019, ‘ka na wu’ was essentially to capture some situations in his life and how at some point he had to speak out against certain things he endured in his life.

“The part about the white person doing wicked things was initially not part of the song. When I was about to do the final song, one of my in-laws came to speak to me about his sister wanting to return.

“She had left because I was struggling but now wanted to come back. I had already moved on so it was after my in-law left that I realized what he came to say was a good example of foolish things. I had taken care of her and even called her obroni but she left me and now want to come back because I’m well-to-do now.”

He added that “That part was about a broken heart. It was a broken heart song but they used it for campaign. Also Radio Gold started using the song for their programs so I got a lot of haters. Unfortunately, those who courted me hatred abandoned me. NPP rejected me after the song.”

Unfortunately for Asebu Amenfi, the timing of the release of the song and the prevailing situations in the country then meant that the song was viewed differently, particularly by the Rawlings administration from what he had in mind.

‘Ka na wu’ was released at a time the Rawlings regime was in full force with the imposition of curfews with free speech being a luxury in the country.

The song, in the view of the leadership of the country then, was a direct attack on them as it cast aspersions and innuendos at them.

He noted that due to the controversy surrounding the song, some soldiers, including his relative, were sent to have a witty conversation with him with a hidden motive of getting him to commit himself and admit releasing the song because of Mr. Rawlings.

According to the veteran musician, during his interaction with the soldiers, he emphasized that the lyrics of the song and the situation in the country at the time were mere coincidences.

Later in the day, his relative who accompanied the soldiers to the house expressed he was really anxious during the interaction as he thought the musician would eventually commit himself. The relative, he says, then revealed to him the reason the soldiers paid the visit.







KPE/DA