Obviously, Grace Obaa Yaa Ashey and some of her colleagues may definitely not be happy about this piece and will not in any way keep it as a treasure for future sake.
I am not sure though, but you know like it has been said, opinions come in different sizes and shapes. Cheer songs have been pouring in from different people, genre, languages and from all the ten regions of Ghana in the name of cheering our men to the top of the tournament.
Though it is often seen as a good gesture, many questions are begging for proper answers from these patriotic people. In a pre-debate to push the motion forward, one member asked why those who produced these cheer songs only come in during the occasions and often in the heat of the moment.
He defended his point by saying that in the schools, the national anthem and the national pledge are being sang every morning so why are we not doing this songs any time in the year than just singing to inundate our television screens any time there is an international tournament.
Another point which came in the argument was the names and accolades which come into their songs when they are recording them. Imagine 23 players called for a tournament which demands equal contribution and upon hearing these cheer songs, only a selected few will be mentioned in the songs.
Now ask yourself this question, will you be happy if may be you were among these players in a bus moving to the field and your name is not mentioned. Trust me, you will lose your sense of belonging immediately which can even affect your performance.
Example of this argument is the fact that Michael Essien did not go with the team to South Africa to fight with his blood but his name is almost in all the cheer songs that have come out so far. So what happens to guys like Isaac Vorsah and Kelvin Prince Boateng whose names might not be that popular in the selection.
All these mishaps can at the long run affect some people, especially the footballers individually if not all the players in the team. Argument noted?
Let me balance it for a while at this time for the people who will be at the other end of the argument before I release the final salvo. In fact all Ghanaians can be said to be patriotic but those who go to the extent of recording cheer songs are most patriotic than those who just say it with their mouths.
Imagine the stress, difficulty and even the cost involved in producing just one song. It is a call and a tough order in the industry. That notwithstanding, they add music videos to make the cheer song a complete one where former victories are being shown to bring back proud memories and also to increase our ego.
With this alone, they deserve a whole lot of applauds and encouragement to leave their wives, daughters, husbands and families to keep wake in the studios to record these cheer songs. No wonder many churches in the country on Sunday before the Ghana Serbia match used a chunk part of their service time to just call on the good Lord to show his mercies to us.
Lo and behold he did, and again the cheer songs were heard from all four corners of the country blaring from loud speakers. With all these in mind: we say Ayekoo to you all.
Now the final straw which is likely to break the camel`s back is the question of whether the musicians who record these songs want to do it for money or fame. This question has been lingering on the minds of many people anytime we watch them on TV dancing their hearts out. So we conducted this opinion poll and this is what we gathered.
Almost all the respondents who answered the questions were of the opinion that they feel obliged to do it because they see it as their responsibility to cheer the heroes of this country.
Veteran gospel musician Abaawa Connie has recorded her first cheer song and she says that her song titled “ye de mpaebo” was a divine one which she wanted to do to the glorification of God. “Football is capable of bringing peace even in a war zone country so if Ghanaians are part of this world cup, why should I not record a cheer song for them.
This is not for any monetary benefits” she revealed in an interview with Stephen Nakujah some weeks back. Grace Ashey, who prior to the world cup was not happy with Musiga because of a dubious selection they made to South Africa for the world cup also spoke with Stephen Nakujah and she meted out these words.
“I am not doing this for any one but to show my patriotism as a Ghanaian. I fund all my recordings by myself and I am already known so whether South Africa or not, I will be Grace Ashey” she added.
Hope you are getting my point over worrying my head on this issue of cheer song makers. We don't mean to discourage them in this write up but we just want to clarify some issues in the songs. Moreover, they should know that what they do is more or less like an education for some people in the country so they should get the selection right anytime they are recording these songs.
Plus they should record better videos instead of that rush and scrappy stuffs they put out as music videos. Do I have more to write about? May be yes, but we would have to break here to get the outcome of the Ghana Australia match before we talk. Go get your paraphernalia since you did not record any cheer song yourself. Oseee Ghana!!!
