KENCY2020: Can they withstand the pressure of limelight?

Nothing lasts forever and news come and go, but #Kency2020 will linger for quite a while. The event would be used for reference, for debate, for clarity and would also be the basis for unavoidable gossip.

From ‘obscurity’, the couple have been plunged into the deep waters of celebrity; fame, scrutiny, blather and everything else that comes with it!

Big wedding

The nuptial between Kennedy and Tracy was big, in all aspects; the showcase of affluence and the level of attention it generated. Arguably, no wedding has garnered such widespread attention in Ghana like #Kency2020 and this is indisputable.

For the entire duration of the marriage ceremony, from the traditional wedding to what they call, the ‘white’ wedding, every blog, every online platform and in essence, social media was awash with news, videos and pictures of the ceremony. From Bukom to Asankaragwa to Bawku, almost everybody got a whiff of the ceremony!

The chatter on the wedding persisted even days after the historic ceremony, with blogs and other online portals publishing all manner of stories relating to the event; the bride, her family and other unsolicited angles to the marriage.

Interestingly, some blogs and observers have even tried to compare #Kency2020 to other notable wedding ceremonies in Ghana for its panache.



Admixture of reactions

When you have such a riveting event that captures the attention of the entire nation, you’d definitely expect a reaction. There were those who were wowed by the event and expressed their delight in witnessing such a spectacle and wished the young couple well – then, there was this other group, naysayers who felt there was nothing classy about the wedding and were irritated by the show of affluence and flamboyance.

And oh, there is also this grouping of observers who got frazzled and irked for the constant publication of news, videos and news of #Kency2020. Seeing pictures of the couple and the ceremony, days after the pivotal event just pissed them off.

The phenomenon of having different reactions to a circumstance is customary. Some will genuinely appreciate, others would snarl at it while the rest will just gawk and act nonchalant; it happens everywhere.



Celebrity status activated

The script has been over told – the fact that Kennedy is the son of business mogul, Dr. Osei Kwame Despite but in his own stead, the young gentleman has earned his current positioning in his organization.

As General Manager for one of the most popular media organizations in the country and having won various awards for his hard work, Kennedy could easily mount the ladder of popularity but led a quite a quiet lifestyle, away from the cameras and the microphones. Until the well-publicized wedding, he consciously limited his appearance and relevance in the limelight. Many people had not heard of him and not seen him before. Even those within the media landscape had not paid attention to him.

Now, he sits on that perch as one of the recognizable faces in the country!

For Tracy; the only people who were privy to her beauty and elegance prior to the wedding were her family, friends and of course, her hubby. The rest of us had no inkling of her existence, but now, her pretty face and infectious smile is etched in the minds of almost everybody.

The couple are now legends and the 3-day celebration has placed them on top of the pedestal regarding Ghanaian celebrity status – arguably.



Limelight pressure inevitable

Popular names, popular event, popular faces come with scrutiny – a high level of inquisition and blabber, from blogs to the ordinary observer.

It therefore came as little surprise when some random fellow took photographs of the couple checking-in enroute to the UAE for what has been reported as their honeymoon.

It didn’t end there, no, there’s more!

Another passenger on the same flight was audacious enough to leak information to the blog(s) that the couple were flying Economy Class and that ‘Intel’ got splattered on the blogs and obviously got tongues wagging.

That episode is a foretaste of what is to come in the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Osei – and it surely would get worse.

With their new found reputation, #Kency would be hounded for every move they will make. What they do at all times, where they go at all times, what they wear and what they say at all times would be headlines for the blogs and topics for the gossip- hungry observers.

With smart phones and social media as the new trend, just one click and we have news and gossip.



Survival of the limelight

#Kency are celebrities now – it is unequivocal, but they have a choice on how they want to project their status.

If they want to embrace the stardom and be all over the place; projecting their business out there, making appearances at public events, showcasing their every move on their social media handles and making public commentaries, then they should brace themselves and accommodate all the positives and negatives that come with fame.

They should develop that thick skin to withstand and endure all the fabrications, misinterpretations and wild rumours that come with their eminence.

However, if they want to live a private life regardless of their status, they need to put some measures in place. They should check who they accommodate into their inner circle, check family, check who they talk to and what they mutter to those people. Friends, especially, are not loyal.

They can easily control how they make the news. Some are inevitable but there’s always a way to curtail it. Ask Nadia Buari!

Welcome to the world of celebrity, #Kency!