Barosky’s Fame Saved Him: However, Many Ghanaians In Europe Remain Homeless

Veteran Highlife musician Barosky, once celebrated for his contributions to Ghanaian music, recently found himself sleeping on the streets of Manchester. His plight only came to national attention after distressing footage circulated online, prompting Ghana’s High Commissioner to the UK, Sabah Zita Benson, to intervene personally.

According to multiple reports, she instructed the consular office to reach out immediately after the video went viral and later travelled to Manchester to meet him and assess his condition. Barosky’s case touched many because fame gave him visibility, something countless other Ghanaians abroad do not have.

The High Commissioner acknowledged his immense contribution to Ghanaian music and assured him of full support, including facilitating his return home if he wished. She emphasized that homelessness can happen to anyone, regardless of background, and urged compassion rather than judgment.

However, Barosky’s story is not an isolated tragedy. It is a mirror reflecting the harsh reality many Ghanaians face in Europe, realities rarely discussed openly. Every year, thousands of Ghanaian youth leave the country in search of greener pastures. With limited employment opportunities at home, migration becomes a desperate attempt to survive.

Yet the truth is that life in Europe is far harsher than many imagine. The struggle for legal documentation, stable employment, and integration into society can take years, sometimes decades. In Ghana, friendship is a lifeline. A friend may offer you food, shelter, or even share the little they have, However, in Europe, such kindness is rare.

Even when a fellow Ghanaian offers temporary accommodation, it often comes with pressure: “Find your own place quickly.” Not because they lack compassion, but because helping an undocumented migrant can endanger their own legal status. Immigration authorities in many European countries impose heavy fines or even revoke residency permits for those who shelter undocumented individuals.

This fear has created a culture of emotional distance among Ghanaians abroad. Some avoid helping entirely. Others, driven by personal conflicts or jealousy, have even reported fellow Ghanaians to immigration authorities, leading to arrests and deportations. In fact, many deportations of Ghanaians in Europe originate from tips given by other Ghanaians, not from local citizens.

In some cases, when help is given, it sometimes ends in betrayal. There are painful stories of stranded Ghanaians who, after being offered shelter, repaid kindness with disrespect, even infidelity. These experiences have hardened hearts and weakened communal trust. Many marriages have turned sour because of those they help sleeping with their wives.

This problem is not limited to Ghanaians. Across Europe, Africans often mistreat one another due to envy, desperation, or fear. Instead of forming strong communities, many fall into patterns of competition and suspicion. Some sabotage others’ progress, fearing that another person’s success will overshadow their own fragile stability.

In foreign lands, where racism, isolation, and economic pressure already weigh heavily, Africans should be each other’s strongest support system. Yet too often, they become each other’s greatest obstacles. This emotional coldness is one of the deepest wounds African migrants carry, a wound rarely discussed publicly.

In my opinion, every Ghanaian deserves a better treatment overseas, when in trouble. He shouldn’t be famous like Barosky before he gets that help. Barosky’s name opened his door, but what about the thousands of nameless Ghanaians sleeping in parks, train stations, abandoned buildings, or relying on strangers for food?

Many are battling depression, homelessness, exploitation, and fear of deportation. Some have lost contact with their families. Others are trapped in undocumented limbo, unable to work legally or return home. The Ghana High Commission’s swift intervention in Barosky’s case is commendable, but it must not end there. Every Ghanaian abroad deserves the same level of care, dignity, and support.

The Embassy should be a refuge for all citizens, not only those whose stories go viral. No Ghanaian in distress should ever be dismissed with the cold phrase: “Nobody asked them to leave Ghana.” Migration is not a crime. It is a human response to hardship. A nation’s greatness is measured not by how it treats its stars, but by how it treats its most vulnerable. The current government showed that responsibility in the evacuation of its nationals from trouble country South Africa.