Why soldiers were not allowed to keep empty bottles at home during the 1979 coup – Shasha recounts

Reggae singer and songwriter Shasha Marley has recounted his memories of the 1979 coup d’état, known as the June 4 Uprising, which was led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings.

Speaking in an interview with Kafui Dey, the Reggae artiste recalled that he was in secondary school at the time and how, at 2 am, his father would wake them up to dispose of empty drink bottles in a nearby valley.

“Mad, 2 a.m, my father will wake us up. We’ll carry empty Fanta bottles, Coca-Cola bottles, empty ones. We’ll go and throw them away. We’ll dump them in the valley,” he recounted.

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When asked why his father would wake them up at that hour to dump the bottles, he explained that during the coup period, if military personnel entered a house and saw empty soft drink bottles, it was taken to mean the occupants were “enjoying life,” which could invite punishment.

“Because when the military comes to your house and they see empty bottles, one crate of Fanta in your house, they’ll beat you up. Because you’re enjoying life,” he explained.

According to Shasha Marley, the sight of such bottles could lead to beatings or even being locked up at the guard room. He added that whenever he hears people calling for a coup today, he believes they may not understand what they are asking for.

“When I hear people now calling for coup, they might not know what coup is. I said, man, you don’t know what coup is all about. I experienced it. When they see a carton of beer bottles empty, they’ll beat you up and probably go and lock you up at the guard room. So my father will wake us up as little children. We’ll carry all of them. And my father had them because Christmas, he used to have a party. So we’ll carry all of them in the middle of the night and we’ll go and throw them away,” he noted.

Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings led several members of the Air Force, including junior officers and corporals, in an attempt to overthrow the government on June 4, 1979. The attempt was initially unsuccessful.

During his trial, Rawlings justified his actions by claiming that official corruption had eroded public confidence in the government and tarnished the image of the armed forces.

He also alleged that Syrian and Lebanese businessmen in Ghana had gained control of the country’s economy at the expense of the African majority.

Watch the interview below:

If the military found empty Fanta/Coca-Cola bottles in your house, they would beat you up because it was a sign that you’re enjoying life. @ShashaMarleyGH recounts his memories of the 1979 coup in Ghana.

Full interview here https://t.co/GqczTlpXLo #KafuiDeyInterviews pic.twitter.com/LbSVwIsP1D

— Kafui Dey (@KafuiDey) February 6, 2026