Are you really a fan?

Fan, is the shortened form of fanatics, from Latin, “fanaticus” meaning, ‘insanely but divinely inspired’.

To be a fan is more of an obsession than an attribute. A fanatic is a die-hard fellow, enthusiastic and devoted to his subject of interest. There is an intense, uncritical devotion and zealous commitment. A fan shows an undying love for a performer by doing a number of things.

To begin with, he promotes the songs, movies, books by using them as a wall paper, ringtone and buying them online. Undoubtedly, they should be members of a fan club and be able to creatively hold conventions. There should be a form of fan labour in the form of literature reviews and the acquisition of material things to encourage the entertainer in his field.

Noteworthy, a fanatic of a thespian should be hungry for social interactions with the showman and others about his/her career. Every art lover has a culture. Surprised?? There are certain things you’ll see in a person to quickly help you to identify a ‘madman’ caught in the web of craft – his ability to adapt to accommodating the show.

Having just an unreasonably crazy crush on him/her, follow-up on tours: this one is shocking, a hoodwink belief of an existence of a special relationship between the artiste and fan. Some take it so seriously that they get the Celebrity Worship Syndrome. This is when there is an obsessive addictive character in which a person becomes overly involved with the totality of a celebrity’s personal life.

A sad event occurred when in 1989, Rebecca Schaeffen, a film, television actress, was killed as a result of violent attack from a stalking fan. Interesting, isn’t it? So I ask Ghanaians who claim to be fans of certain celebrities if they are Actifans, Passifans, Big Name Fan, or the Trufan.

I think one woman displayed the Celebrity Worship Syndrome when she came from as far as Kumasi to say she wanted to marry Sarkodie. Oops. One may ask what all these stand for? They are a true representation of a person’s standing in his claim to be a fanatic of a particular genre of art. As I try to explain what they mean, you could rightly place yourself at the corner or high seat where you belong.

The Actifans are involved in the fanac (fan activity) for instance doing a convention of a particular fan base. It creates stronger bond in the fandom.

The Groupie is one existing Passifan who have just strong passion for rock stars but not their music. The Passifans enjoy the subject of the fandom and not directly involved in a fandom. Quite a controversial title of Big Name Fan, isn’t it? He is well-known within the fandom and contributes to the franchise itself. The Trufan as the name depicts is a dedicated fan. Hope the exposition has been helpful. But the question then is this, where are you?

It is no news in Ghana as there are fandom of the SM movement, Bhim Nation, Sarkholics and the Highgrade Family. Considerably, they are doing well in their respective fandom. But can they do more and how well can that fully benefit the fanatics as well?