I have observed these three facts of life. No matter what, you may have to be able to position yourself for one of these threes.
They are:
1. The ability to rise above all odds to move from zero to 10.
2. The ability to maintain your position at ten (10) or go higher so you don’t fall to zero (0)
3. The ability to rise again even if you fall from your 10th position to zero.
Many have been able to achieve number 1 but finds it difficult to remember where they are coming from and manage to maintain their success so they don’t fall below the poverty line or worse of than where they came from.
Some, are able to manage their success and even transfer those successes to their generations making them become the strong foundation on which many successful and powerful families and nations stand.
Whiles you can find a lot of people in the 1st and 2nd brackets, only a few are able to have the ability for bracket 3 – thus having the heart, the mind and courage to rise again even if they fall below the level they are coming from.
People in this 3 are very few. Yes, very very few.
While others see where they fall to as their bed and sleep forever in lamentation, blame games, and sadnesses;
These type of people I’m talking about seeing where they fall as a classroom and laboratory for a stronger come back.
In Ghana, a typical example of the people in the 3rd bracket is Shatta wale(shatta movement) (Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr) whose name of the musical stage in the 90s was Bandana…he reign with the likes of Batman (Samini), Lord Kenya among other. You remember…. Bandana from Ghana, oh heeei,…song right.
Somewhere, along the line, his flames quenched and his music career could best be described as dead and broken beyond repairs. Many of his peers, pals I think might have seen him as a total failure while his enemies will defiantly jubilate over his fall.
Shatta Wale, I don’t know where he found himself and what he went through but bounced back to the music stage and this time round bigger, better and hotter. Coming back, he made one significant move “he changed his brand” from Bandana to Shata Wale.
Anytime, I play his hits Kakai, Ayoo, Taking Over, and the other….I don’t only enjoy the genres and the message from those songs but I see a great inspiration and wish I will one day have the opportunity to ask him how he did it.
Many young people in Ghana and Africa should be able to tap into people like Shatta Wale in their endeavors whether business, leadership, social work or whatever. Shatta Wale should be sharing his story for us to learn from.
As I speak to you now, Shatta Wale is the greatest and most powerful musician in Ghana despite his others sides that I may know.
Shatta, I salute you.