Valentine bash was rained off in Sunyani

Sunyani, Feb. 15, GNA - The joy of Valentine revellers, who thronged the Catering Rest House in Sunyani on Tuesday night to savour the live performance of Lord Kenya, the ace hip-life icon in the country evaporated into thin air as the much-publicised show was rained off. The disappointed Valentine celebrants thus, had to rush helter-skelter due to the strong winds either to their homes or to some other entertainment spots much to their chagrin.

Some residents however, saw the rain, which was accompanied by very strong winds as a timely "divine intervention" to curtail the obscene activities that especially the youth indulged in during such shows in the Brong Ahafo regional capital.

Officials occupying bungalows located around the rest house heaved a big sigh of relief because the noise and clamour that accompanied such shows much to their displeasure were silenced by the power of the heavens.

As usual, almost everybody at the show was clad in the traditional red attire and as if to out do each other, some of the dresses could best be described as outrageously undesirable.

The show had attracted so much publicity and on the Tuesday afternoon, a vehicle with a public address system was seen going round the principal streets of Sunyani, announcing the arrival of Lord Kenya, who was extensively interviewed on the local FM radio stations. The hip-life star himself had gone round the capital showering wads of cedis on admirers and urging them to purchase tickets to attend the show, which he promised to be a very memorable one.

But as if by a divine design, the heavens opened its floodgates around 2100 hours for the rains to pour on the regional capital, which had been starved for the past several months.

Many perceived the "no-show" as a second misfortune to befall on residents of Sunyani, as hundreds who had bought tickets to attend a live show by another much publicized show at the Eusbett Hotel at the close of last December became a non-starter.

This time, Ofori Amponsah, a highlife music star, who was billed to feature in a Christmas show failed to turn up although, according to the promoters they had made some advance payment to him only to hear on the day of the show that he had flown to the United States of America the day before.

Although there were other artistes listed on the show, the absence of Ofori Amponsah took the "steam" out of the Christmas fervour that had gripped the hundreds of revellers.

The promoters threatened to take legal action against the maestro in an interview with the media in Sunyani, as the disappointment nearly metamorphosed into violence.

Residents had before the celebration of the Valentine's Day been bombarded with messages of carefulness and sense of decency during the celebration on FM radio airwaves by religious leaders and other opinion leaders, who educated listeners about the meaning and essence of the celebration. All were attempts to negate the erroneous impression in the minds of especially the youth that, the day was for making love with friends or the grabbing of new lovers for promiscuous activities. 15 Feb.06