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26.07.2013 Feature Article

Al Quaeda Dance: Are Ghanaians celebrating terrorism?

Al Quaeda Dance: Are Ghanaians celebrating terrorism?
26.07.2013 LISTEN

The good people of Ghana, especially those in the entertainment sector, are seemingly celebrating terrorism in a way they might not have even realized.

It is appalling and condemnable that terrorist group names are being associated with entertainment in the West African country.

Even before I get deeper, let me state that I might be erroneous with my view or not well informed on this subject but at as anybody else might state it, this is just an honest opinion.

Where is the entertainment industry taking the country to with the 'Al Qaeda' dance?

Never did I imagine songs being made in succession and dance moves created to project the name 'al Qaeda' with such verve and enthusiasm. Even if that was prophesied to happen, I personally never imagined it being in Ghana; a country free from such terrorist lens and known for her peaceful atmosphere.

To make matters clear before I am assumed to be getting spellings wrong here, let me state that I am aware of the entertainment sector spelling 'Al Qaeda' as 'alkayida' to suit their motives and in a way disassociate themselves from the terrorist group which has a worldwide base, but who is playing the kid here? The pronunciation and sound pattern are the same; 'ælˈkaɪdə'

In recent times, Ghanaians have come up with their own forms of entertainment. Dance moves and songs have been made to highlight the role entertainment plays in our lives as a people with the recent buzz being about the hip-life centered 'Azonto' dance.

Though some religious heads have come out to have their own take on the Azonto craze, it is very rare to see group of people condemning it as something negative in the Ghanaian entertainment field.

The buzz about the dance has not subsided one bit as West African country, Nigeria and a host of other nationals have adopted this genre finding their way into the hearts of Ghanaian entertainment disciples.

Then just recently, another dance craze that has reared its head is the 'al-Qaeda' dance. Hip-life songs have in succession been made in line with this dance move and sadly innocent kids are embracing the new trend just as they did with the Azonto dance.

I might have lost out on writing this script till I saw a group of kids a few days ago challenging themselves to the best 'Azonto and Al Quaeda' dancer on my way home from work.

In all honesty, I personally believe the dance is nothing worrying but the name associated with it is scandalous. There is no way a group of people should celebrate terrorism the way these bunch of hip-lifers want Ghanaians to do.

It's simply unbelievable that a terrorist group like 'al-Qaeda' who as a result of their activities worldwide have resulted in the death of a host of people get their name tagged with a dance move in the West African country of Ghana.

For starters, al Qaeda is a global militant Islamist organization founded by Osama bin Laden in Peshawar, Pakistan at some point between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad and a strict interpretation of sharia law.

It has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations Security Council, NATO. Al-Qaeda has carried out several attacks on non-Sunnis, non-Muslims and other targets it considers kafir. Al-Qaeda has attacked civilian and military targets in various countries, including the September 11 attacks, 1998 U.S. embassy bombings( Kenya) and the 2002 Bali bombings. (Wikipedia)

How do we explain the name to the kids who are already excitedly learning the moves? In recent months and probably years, the Azonto dance has reigned with the name being used for certain public concerts across the nation. Foreigners have embraced the dance with Westerners even admiring the intelligence with which moves are made when Ghanaians pull out the Azonto dance.

But can the good people of Ghana hoist their flag proudly with the new dance which is associated with a terrorist group? How will Westerners take this? How will other nationals embrace the name? Are we as a people saying there is nothing wrong with the name and so we can associate it with entertainment? What did I miss or what am I missing at all? We have indeed lost out on all other things and need such a name for entertainment?

Yes we can dance, but let's not call it 'al Qaeda' (alkayida). That should be a simple message everyone should get.

In the comfort of my home, I tuned in to e.tv Ghana one Saturday to watch the entertainment programme, 'e on e' with Caroline Sampson and surprisingly enough, there I saw hip life artiste, Guru, defending the dance and stating that the good people of Ghana have had enough of Azonto and so are moving to something new in the name of 'alkayida.' How shameful.

Guru actually spelt the name out with the intention of swaying critics off the assumption that the dance is associated with the militant group. The damage has been done already Mister.

Insisting the name of the terrorist group and that of the dance have nothing in common is laughable. After all the apparel associated with the dance is that of Islamist militants. Most videos on Youtube tells it all.

As if this is not enough, I recently saw a Ghanaian movie titled 'Boko Haram.' I only shook my head and moved on. What do entertainers want with terrorist groups? The Boko Haram bit should be discussed on another day. For today the beef is about 'al kayida' or 'al Qaeda'; however you choose to spell it.

Let us dance but terrorism should have nothing to do with it. Hope I made myself clear.

Get more interactive with the writer, Benjamin Agyei-Boateng on Twitter @AngeloBenjy

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