GHANAIANS WARNED OF BOKO-HARAM AND AL-KAYIDA.

Two new hiplife rap songs dubbed “Al-kayida” and “Boko-Haram” introduced to the entertainment scene in Ghana recently is generating great concerns. Al-kayida just like the popular Azonto dance, is a social dance associated with the music “boys abre” literarily meaning boys are tired. The lyrics relays emphasis on the socio-economic hardship the youth are facing in the country. Interestingly, the video of this song features Kwadjo Nkansah aka Lil Win, a prominent local comedian and an actor. His twist and turns of the dance and his fusion of rapping makes it very hilarious. The writer of Boko-Haram also tells his ordeal as a resident student in a community in Nigeria which was attacked by Boko-Haram an Islamic jihadist militant organization based in Nigeria with links to Al-Qeada and Alshabab. But for his flair in rapping and his smartness of singing to his captors, he would have been killed. The song writer in the music says he was released after singing this Boko-Haram song to the militants. This song just like the Al-kayida dance has laid its grip on almost every Ghanaian particularly the youth. As a result, some concerned citizens are calling for the ban of these music and dance. Some of the raised concerns are that these groups are noted for violence across the globe and continue to perpetuate atrocities against humanity; therefore anything associated with either of them must be treated with seriousness and not to trivialized them into social entertainment. Others also believe that entertaining Boko-Haram in Ghana might attract these militant to influence the youth to join them. Some have also argued that embracing such dances in to Ghanaian society relegates traditional dances such as Adowa, Kpanlogo and even highlife to the background. However, commenting on the issue on PeaceFM , an executive member of Musician Union of Ghana, Okyeame Kwame says he finds nothing wrong with the song. He explained that like most songs, musicians tell stories through their songs and it could be on any issue “music is expressive and it is usually based on what the song writer feel about a particular issue”. Okyeame Kwame however noted that he is a bit troubled by the Al-kayida dance rather than the Boko-Haram song and hope something done about it.