...Sounds on da ground and seens on the see-ins

When the African Cup quarter-final clash between Ghana-Nigeria game went on recess (half-time) as a drawn game, I was tense. Really tense. Both teams seemed up to the task and it was going to take something special to separate them. I even suggested that President Kuffour should go to the Black Stars' dressing room to motivate and inspire the 'boys'. After all, he postponed his favorite pastime -travelling - to stay in Ghana to inspire them and watch this dreaded duel with the Super Eagles of Nigeria. Eventually, Ago-goal struck and Ghana carried the day in the presence of their 'Number one fan', John Agyekum Kuffour. JAK, we join 5Five to give you kudos.

5Five is one of the new groups taking the Ghanaian music scene by storm. They are a hiplife duo who have had two successful English singles. English songs made in Ghana have struggled for local airplay but 5Five have broken that duck and are enjoying a lot of fame. Coupled with some great videos, they are a constant feature in many concerts. Their first single, 'African Girls' is a favorite of many. Their second single, 'Number one fan', touches on their popularity. Other songs on their 'Your love' debut album are 'Akyeke na paya', etc.

'Number one fan' talks about the particular fan who follows the celebrity everywhere and shows the most passion for his/her work. 5Five's numbero uno is a girl who runs after them and rolls with them in the night club. "Boy you know the things you do, makes me wanna be with you". If the Black Stars don't succeed, Ghanaians would reject them. This affects Ghana as a whole. When the Black Stars win, the number of Guinness bottles sold breaks records. Even if the Black Stars win and are thought to not play well as in the Namibian game, the Guinness vendors count losses. Even your number one fan may desert you if you are not performing. Look at the barrage of criticisms the Black Stars received in the tournament. It took Kuffour's intervention to rally the Stars and their fans back to the cause.

I thought it was very remarkable for President Kuffour to postpone his trip to Italy (for a meeting of the World Food programme) to come and support the Black Stars. Mind you, he was in Ethiopia just before that. Kuffour was once the chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko (wokum apem a, apem bEba) so he is experienced in motivating teams. He even showed up at the Ohene Djan Stadium in the Ghanaian colours and his reaction to Michael Essien's goal was priceless. "Know that I am your number 1 fan, cos you know these guys aren’t quite like you". Kuffour believes in the Black Stars and he requires all Ghanaians to follow suit.

Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was a number one fan as well. He helped form a team called the Republicans from which a lot of the original Black Stars came from. We won two African Cup of Nations titles under his watch. Jerry John Rawlings was no different and even though he would not sit in the VIP section due to his differences with the current government, he shows up to support the boys. We all know how the Asantehene is Kotoko's number one fan. Football does that to Ghanaians, it can make us all united and fans behind one solid goal.

I really commend President Kufour for cancelling this Italy trip but he needs to do more. We need our leaders to be our number one fans. A fan who would give monetary and moral support. It may be easy for Kuffour to substitute the Black Stars for the Porcuppine Warriors but we need him to be the number one fan for many other Ghanaians. These include those who are excelling in their different endeavours but may not get the publicity of the Black Stars. We all need the encouragement and support, especially from above. "No fears, we are together and we are winning". Such statements can drive us all to greater heights. All Ghanaians need such motivation, it should not be limited to the Black Stars in times of competition, we should have a national campaign that would be supported by both public and private institutions.

Full Number one Fan lyrics.
Photo by Asamteam