Ebony goes home today

Maame Hwe and ‘Aseda’ will dominate the streets of Accra and perhaps many parts of the country today as captivating dancehall diva, Priscilla Opoku Kwarteng, aka Ebony Reigns, is laid to rest.

These are titles of two of the many popular songs by the 20-year-old songstress; but today, ‘Maame Hwe’ and ‘Aseda’ will take centre stage not as songs, but rather as the customised official cloths that will grace the funeral of Ebony Reigns at the forecourt of the State House in Accra.

Tragic death

The 20-year-old “show stopper” met her tragic death with two others, in a motor accident at Nyamebekyere in the Ahafo Ano South District in the Ashanti Region on February 8, 2018, a week before her 21st birthday.

She was returning to Accra after she had paid a visit to her mum in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region, when she met her untimely death.

It was an incident that threw the entire country into a state of mourning, including those who did not even like her brand of music.

Social media platforms were awash with messages of condolence to her family and friends while others prayed for God to keep the soul of one of the youngest and talented artistes that Ghana had ever produced.

“I don’t know why the good die so young. This was a young lady who was just about to hit the prime of her career,’’ one social media enthusiast said.

“There will never be another Ebony. Maybe someone close, but not the same. May her soul rest in perfect peace,’’ one of her fans tweeted.

Her unfortunate death also attracted tributes from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and other high-ranking personalities.

Celebration of life

If her one-week observance ceremony, held at Dansoman on February 18, 2018, is the benchmark, then Ghana should expect one of the massive crowds ever in the history of this country at her funeral.

The one-week observance turned out to be a carnival, as thousands of people from all walks of life gathered to celebrate the life of the dancehall diva.

Today’s funeral is, therefore, expected to take Accra and the whole country by storm, as the country bids farewell to one of its finest daughters.

Tears will flow but they will definitely be tears of gratitude to God for blessing Ghana with such a gem.

The reign

As an underground artiste, who made hard work her hallmark, Ebony Reigns had taken over the music scene of the country just two years after she released her first song.

Her maiden music video, “Dancefloor,’’ released in 2015, did not receive much play, but by 2017, the “90’s bad gal” was the queen of Ghana music.

She released hit after hit, topping all the charts and headlining many shows.

Songs such as “Sponsor,” “Date Ur fada,’’ “Kupe” and “Poison’’ could move you to the dancefloor anytime of the day.

Love her act or hate her, Ebony Reigns was one of the artistes who had a distinctive personality that matched with her style of music and resonated with her fan base.

Dancehall was her trademark, but she could switch to other genres so easily and effortlessly and still make a hit song.

‘Maame Hwe,’ which highlighted the ills of domestic abuse, was not only a hit song, but it was her message to the world that she was a multi-faceted artiste, ready to speak about the problems facing society.

Her ability to put on a stage performance that moved music fans was the envy of many other musicians.

Arnold Asamoah Baidoo, an entertainment critic, in a tribute to her, described Ebony as an artiste whose stagecraft and branding position “controlled headlines.”

“The Ebony brand was as big as the power crisis (dumsor) in the country, the fluctuating fuel prices or the topic of corruption, as she controlled the conversation with her craft and almost everybody in her business, from politicians to pastors, businessmen to the ordinary Ghanaian,’’ he said.

Writer’s email: emma.hawkson@graphic.com.gh