Desmond Kwesi Blackmore, known in the entertainment industry as D-Black, has said that the Akufo-Addo-led government has disappointed the youth greatly, hence his decision to join the OccupyJulorbiHouse protest.
The musician lamented the difficulty of the many unemployed youth who are unable to provide for themselves and their immediate families after tertiary education, struggling to make ends meet.
According to him, the high rate at which utility bills are surging as time goes on has led to severe hardship that Ghanaians are struggling with, making it difficult to earn a living. He made these remarks when he joined Day 3 of the #OccupyJulorbiHouse protest, intended to voice the concerns of Ghanaians to the government.
D-Black criticized the government for not being able to fulfill its promises and for not heeding the plight of the people in light of the economic confusion the nation finds itself in.
“You have bad roads. We all drive and sit in the car. Hospitals are not the best, and utility bills are skyrocketing. Every couple of months, the utility bills go up”, he lamented.
“We know what’s happening in the country, and we’re not happy. Many people are jobless even after national service. There are too many issues, and I feel like the youth cannot continue to be silent. The youth have risen up to speak, and I’m here to support them because I’m part of the youth and a citizen of the country. I see and feel what’s going on.
“Regardless of how you see me, what I am affluent in every day, I don’t feel anything. But the truth is that we do feel it. We have families, we have businesses, we run. We’re human beings, and we’re Ghanaians. We’re citizens. We see what’s going on, and we feel the pain of everybody else”.
D-Black
D-Black lamented how the government does not communicate with the people regarding how it handles the concerns of Ghanaians during protests and urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to consider their grievances and address them accordingly.
“Communication is not the best. The youth are speaking, but the government does not respond to us. We are not seeing the promises, not seeing what they [Akufo-Addo-led government] promised us. In a democratic country, citizens should be allowed to voice their concerns, and then they should respond to us and tell us what they’re going to do to fix the country. We’re still not hearing a word from anybody in power. We’re not hearing from our leaders. These are the people we look up to, and we’re waiting to hear from the government”.
D-Black
Citizens partly blamed for economic hardships
Renowned Ghanaian gospel singer Nana Yaw Boakye, widely known as MOG Music, has weighed in on the ongoing demonstrations in Ghana being organized by Democracy Hub dubbed #OccupyJulorbiHouse.
In a tweet, MOG Music emphasized that the government in power is a result of the choices made during elections and suggested that citizens should not solely place all the blame on the government.
While many celebrities, including Efia Odo, Kelvyn Boy, and Efya Nokturnal, have expressed their support for the protests, MOG believes the protest for a better Ghana is in the right direction; however, he noted that the citizens are partly to be blamed for the hardships.
The award-winning gospel singer stressed the need to break the cycle of power between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He further added that he believes that by doing so, politicians will become more aligned with the concerns of the people, realizing that Ghanaians are not willing to accept the situation.
MOG‘s perspective marks the importance of citizen engagement and responsibility in shaping the country’s future. While acknowledging government accountability, he encourages Ghanaians to be mindful of their role in the democratic process and the impact of their choices on the nation’s direction.
His tweet partly serves as a call to action, urging citizens to take a more active role in shaping the political landscape of Ghana and working towards the improvement of the nation.
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