Hey Osagyefo,

It is with much excitement that I dismiss dis missive to you. That's why I like you Kwame, even when my English is sketchy, you can sketch what I want to say in your medulla oblongata. :-) The 26th African Cup of Nations begins in your homeland on Sunday and is the source of my excitement. Allow me to be late to congratulate you on your shepherding Ghana's Africa Cup of Nations triumphs in 1963 and 1965. You are really great, all the tournaments that Ghana took part in your tenure as president resulted in glory and more glory.

No be small thing o! The euphoria surrounding this football fiesta is crazy. When Kaunda's people arrived earlier, Ghanaian fans welcomed them the way the Kotobonku village welcomed their white king and queen from Denmark. They are even lodging in City Hotel, erm Golden Tulip Kumasi City, which was just inaugurated a week ago. You do remember City Hotel right? One of the edifices you oversaw to champion Ghanaian hopsitality along with Ambassador Hotel (Accra), Meridian Hotel (Tema) and Atlantic Hotel (Takoradi). Kwame, the hotels were in a state of disrepair and they are now seeing revitalization. Osagyefo rekO no, Ogyaa yEn ade bi. Na EyE development, yEbEhuuyE a, yEante ase.

Ghana is being coloured red, gold, green (with many black people) in solidarity with our immediate golden jubilee and the aim to sell Ghana. Many street lights are adorned with our colours and flags are flying and beautifying our short skylines. Osagyefo, we are selling Ghana and selling out Ghana too. There are probably more MTN (Cup of Nations) flags than there are Ghanaian flags. How did that happen? Everywhere you go, MTN. MTN, everywhere you go. Go Black Stars go. Go Ghana go. Go everywhere, MTN is there. We love corporate Ghana, we love the billboards, the beautification. (They) You just have to pay - to the AMA, the KMA, the TMA, whatever municipal assembly ei.

Osagyefo, there is nothing like opportunity. Every company and their competition has fine-tuned its marketing campaigns to suit soccer-crazy fans. According to Tigo, every sport has some football genes as per their "Be a true fan" campaign. The new celebration for goals is a shiver. Kwame, abi you can shiver like ripples in a river, it goes like "Brrrrrrrrrrrr". Football is connecting us all like OneTouch and Ghanaians are hoping the Black Stars onetouch all their opponents on the way to victory. You know that bicycle kick that is affectionately called Milo? Nestle is hoping Ghana nestles the ambition of raising their game to championship heights. Guinness is still celebrating greatness. Zenith Bank even has a special account for the Black Stars because you can bank on them as winners. There is no stopping you Black Stars, GO! You gotta love MTN, they may very well be emptying their competition with their marketing.

Osagyefo, there is nothing like opportunity. Every man and his neighbour can see a business opportunity before his customer realises that the opportunity is even there. Kwame, the tickets for the juicy matches have been selling out faster than the official fashions for the tournament. The Nima boys struck first; they bought lots of Ghana game tickets and plan to sell them at the gate for higher prices. Genius. Did they really expect people to queue up at the banks just to buy tickets? No. In the mean time, in between time, we'll be buying the lots of paraphenalia designed to support the Black Stars.

But you know, we should really host and win this tournament. Our golden people have been starved of gold medals and this is a golden opportunity. Even Newmont and Anglogold cannot estimate the glory. Yes o, Kwame, it is no more Ashanti Goldfields, globalization took over. Which is not bad, it helped us earn a couple of modern soccer parambulators; one the son of the African Pele, and the other a flying orange that has just turned gold. Even in the absence of the inspirational tornado, the Black Stars are expected to shine and shine bright. Osagyefo, be with us, pray for us, send us some luck and fight for us. You owe it to us, we continue to make you famous. Even our official song borrows from you, "Osee, osee, Black Stars ei, forward ever".

It's sports time on another radio station so I have to go get the latest filla. All of us at work have stopped to pay attention and I don't want to be a killjoy. Yes o, Osagyefo, I am working. I'll tell you all about it later. For now, it's Go Black Stars go.

I'm gone,
Maximus.