The first day I saw the viral video of Rashida Black Beauty aka malafaka, I didn’t foresee it getting much attention or an article from me. I found it funny and troubling at the same time.

Little did I know that the video has received so much recognition that the village champion was now an award winner.

She won the award for the viral video of the year. First of all, I do not know most of the videos that went viral except the alleged KNUST sex tape which got leaked accidentally to expose the stupidity of those involved.

Sex is no news if kept secret, if it gets onto another person’s phone, it is a blockbuster movie. I always feel sorry for such victims because they were only seen doing something many people do but are likely to pay for it for the rest their lives.

In Rashida’s case, it wasn’t leaked accidentally;it was a message and recorded with little care of who sees it and who doesn’t.

A broken-hearted teenage girl who should be doing something meaningful with her life instead of being a sex expert as she tried to point out was too eager to make a point and prove to her ex that she is the top notch.

At this stage, she shouldn’t be talking about boyfriends and sex and broken heart and malafaka.

Personally, I don’t think she deserves an award for what she did. But that is where we are now, you can get to the top through the back door and it will be deemed okay. People have done it consciously and are leaving good on the back of that. In her case, it was accidental; she didn’t know it will give her this attention.

In fact, she had no idea I will dedicated my time to write an article to react to one written by Manasseh Azuri and AfiaPokua- alia Vim Lady about her. But this is the reality- she is a mini star now

For Sherifa Black Beauty, she grew up in a contaminated environment with what appears to be very little parental support. It is even worse to know that though she claimed to have lost her virginity at the age of 16, she saw that as an achievement because most of her peers had theirs taken at thirteen and fourteen. She is the star of a rotten lot and therefore expectedKushmaiher unfaithful boyfriend to respect her, hold her in high esteem instead of ditching her.

It is sad, funny and intriguing peace of video if you put yourself into the shoes of the lady and many other young people influenced by our current way of living and look at how our society is developing and retrogressing at the same time.

20 years ago, a teenage could never speak of sex, today; we have celebrities who are proudly called baby mamas without husbands who get red carpets laid for them to walk on. Don’t get me wrong, I respect single mothers because many of them are victims of unfaithful men. In the case of our celebrities, I know many who don’t want husbands but want kids.

Kobolor was a special guest at a major event in Kempisky early this year. Yes, the Kubolor you know who exposed his tiny pen live on TV for Sherifa and her friends to see, the one who has kids with more than 4 different women and married to none. I mean the guy who posted his own naked picture on social media. He is called a star in Ghana

My colleague Manesseh found it needful to write a long article against the recognition given her and a few other radio and TV personalities have waded into the issue.

Their point is that we are rewarding the wrong person and inspiring people to do wrong to the top. What they forget is that they have all sat down aloof and watched countless people used worse means to the top without criticising them. On their platforms, they have promoted such people and got them all the attention

They have all pounced on the victim of our collective neglect-Sherifa Black Beauty

Today, Vim Lady of Adom FM, an educated radio presented who is famous for using insults on her radio program is saying that the award for Rashida will have a negative impact on our society. To her, that award should have gone to possibly one Ama, a Medicine Student of KNUST who swept six awards in school for her academic excellence

A journalist famed for insults, profanity and derogatory comments on radio has no right to talk about our fallen standards as a people and use an 18 year old’s recognition as an example of how far we have regressed morally.

Today, true professional journalists are struggling to compete because people like herself contribute daily to sweeping professionalism under the carpet and she has a large following for that. In the post, she called herself a media guru- laughable

To her, she and Ama the KNUST lady are the examples people must follow. Congratulations to Ama, I am proud of her, women should be proud of her but in all fairness, she got her deserving recognition. It doesn’t get better than six awards from one of the best Technological Universities in Africa which I believe will include a scholarship.

Ama, as intelligent as her six awards suggest will never swap that recognition with the comical award given to Sherifa Black Beauty.

The JIGWE Award is not for scholars, it is an entertainment award so Ama didn’t qualify for that award. As useless as the Viral video category may seem, it is meant for viral videos. Sherifa Black Beauty’s video is a viral video. People liked it, watched and shared it.

The same people who celebrate Amber Rose, who think Mzbel, Efya,Moesha and the rest can hide behind music and movies to sell their nudity think that the poor girl’s recognition will inspire others negatively.

The girl is not the source of the problem, she is a victim. If the sources merit their awards, leave the girl alone and don’t try to push her down

Anyone who has eyes can see a turning point in her life; she has a raw talent for comedy that can be utilized in movies. She needs to be nurtured.

People condemning her have not condemned those who despite getting the privilege of being educated opted to sell their nakedness for fame.

Our Kumawood movies are full of insults, our so called elitist’s movies are full of revealing sex scenes and our music and videos are not any better. We hail the stars involved and give them awards.

From the village or wherever Sherifa and her peers are, they watch them in movies and listen to people like Vim Lady rise to the top with unprofessionalism on the airwaves

Those who have taken the moral high ground have overlooked all this negativity in our society and turned their attention to a young lady who is nothing but a victim of what we have celebrated over the years

Admittedly, in their respective posts, they tried offering counsel as to how she could helpedafter dedicating a long-time in their write-ups to put off anyone who would want to help her. A very hypocritical way of giving balance to a lopsided criticism

Tracy Boakye is called a celebrity because in the only movie she played a major role in; her breast was exposed and fondled countless times on camera by two different characters in over five different long scenes.

Efya can show breast for all to see and our holier than thou opinionated media personalities will not talk about it and draw our attention on how it will influence young ladies negatively  because she sings and can therefore do anything she pleases.

Why are we always pushing the marginalized down and comparing them to people who were born into stable homes with opportunities and enjoyed massive parental support- financially and emotionally?

Sherifa could have been a Doctor if she was born to the parents of Ama, we shouldn’t try to compare apples to arranges

Afia Schwarzenegger is a star, what has she done aside saying worse things than this girl can ever say?

All these people consciously walked that road to the top, Sherifa didn’t know her video will get her this fame and make a life changing impact on her life. Everything that has happened after her video is by accident

When you give the charcoal seller a white T-shirt, you have inspired her to go to the bathroom to clean-up; this is going to be the turning point in her life. Good things must sometimes go to those who need it to be good.

To some people, it should always be the brilliant girl, the beautiful girl or the rich girl right? Don’t we give awards to actors and actresses who only insult and expose their nakedness in moves?

The focus should be how to get the best out of the girl and not how to push her down and see if we can get her up after
Ghana has always been about giving scholarships to brilliant but needy children. What happens to the not so brilliant but needy? Should we live them to rot in their ignorance and poverty?

Every human deserve one golden opportunity to make it in this, life; what we have to do is to find the right help for this girl, we shouldn’t push her back to where she has always been.

By: Isaac Kyei Andoh

 

Exclusively Newslinegh