The herald angels sing again

I believe it would be in order to commend Ghanaians for our comportment during these elections such that, besides a few altercations, we showed again why we are the beacon of hope for Africa in ensuring peaceful elections. Even when the Electoral Commission’s verification machines were malfunctioning we endured it and eventually voted. Our patience is legendary!

Again, it will be in order to congratulate the media for another brilliant job this weekend. The radio stations were all up and running and their reporters were all over the place. Their top analysts and contributors were in the studios and trying to make a sense of the figures as they trickle in.

In like manner, the television stations were also out there with the cameras and microphones and they showed us what was happening at the polling stations across the length and breadth of this country and we took in what our people were doing.

If you were neither on Twitter or Facebook on Friday, Saturday and Sunday then you missed out big time. Social media was buzzing with allegations, truths, half-truths, lies and damn right stupidity about things happening at the various centres of voting. You only had to choose what you believed and leave the rest for what they were.

I spent a helluva lot of time in the sofa moving from one channel to the other and having a good time watching and tweeting and enjoying the fact that some people took my tweets seriously and others took them for the tongue-in-cheek-maximum-140-characters-missives most were meant to be.

I am impressed yet again that the media, radio stations especially, had adequate capability and above the gall to call the presidential election. The point has been made over time that projecting the results of an election is not a bad thing and stations ought to be allowed to do it if they have the ability to do so. Unfortunately, some supporters of losing candidates do not take kindly to that and would like to cause mayhem on staff of stations that called the elections and I don’t think that is the most civil the thing do in a nation that touts its democratic credentials so loudly.

At the end of the day some people’s candidates won, others’ candidates lost and you probably don’t need to know that my candidates in both the presidential and parliamentary elections were in the latter category. However, majority of Ghanaians would be happy that we still have some semblance of peace after all was said and done, regardless of who won or lost.

It is my prayer that things would cool down, tempers will be reduced and consequently the post elections tension would go down as we all prepare and look forward to the next elections and most importantly celebrate Christmas in peace.

CHRISTMAS IS IN THE AIR

One thing I am grateful for is the fact that the Ghanaian voters ensured that we did not got for a second round in the just ended presidential elections. A second round would have cannibalized the one season I love more than most – Christmas and that would not be appreciated at all.

We were so much into the elections that Christmas was left on the back burner and so I am grateful it is over and we can talk about Christmas again. Thankfully some of the radio stations in Accra have started playing Christmas carols and they gear up towards the season.

As you would know, however, not every station attaches a lot of importance to playing of Christmas carols and in my lifetime I have chucked those who do not out of my least for at least the two weeks that precede Christmas day.

Over the last few years the one station that I spend about 60% of my radio listening time on around this time is Sunny FM. This is because they seem to be the station that understands my voracious appetite for Christmas carols than most others.

I have started listening to Kojo Oppong Adjei and his colleagues at the Ridge traffic lights based have started the Christmas carols playing again and I cannot get enough of it already. My morning shows are sorted now that the station has started this regimen.

The thing about Sunny is that they know which carol to choose at which time and because they have mastered the art of knowing which ones are good for which occasions, they are able to get you the one that best speaks to you.

They don’t also play your usual everyday “Once in royal David’s city” kind of carols only, but blend those with contemporary carol performances from contemporary artistes of all shapes to give the listener that joy that only the imminence of Christmas can bring.

So I am with Sunny FM this season and I hope that as I listen to them I end up with a sunny Christmas full of love and many good things as they are going to hit me silly with all the good Christmas carols in their ‘arsenal’.

Of course Sunny FM does not have the monopoly to Christmas carols and as they take the high ground others would also be doing their best to satisfy the carol-taste of their own listeners too with great carol renditions.

So choose your station this Christmas as the carols hit the airwaves and the songs bring back those de ja vu feeling of we have been here before. Enjoy it if you can and be grateful to God for the gift of his son, a successful elections and a magnificent year.  

Listening & Watching with Francis Doku/Graphic Showbiz