We Cannot Dance To Their Pito Music

�If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realising that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page��Mark Houlahan. I had the occasion to tell you about President What-The-Hell singing pito music. I heard him sing another one at the just ended National Delegates� Congress of his party in Kumasi. What a discordant music it was! Before I dilate on the President�s second pito-singing episode, please permit me to use this opportunity to pat members of the Zu-za party on the back for a successful congress. The peaceful nature of the congress has shamed those of us who thought there was going be a repeat of the Koforidua debacle, which occurred exactly 10 years ago. I did not have any favourites so I was indifferent to the outcome of the congress. I�m, however, particularly happy about Efo Koku Anyidoho�s victory. Many may not have been enthused about the way he conducted himself occasionally during his tenure as the Communications Director at the Presidency; but there is something about his arrogance that I admire. I�m sure Agya Ofuntuo is still smiling at the victory. As for Wofa Yaw Boateng Gyan, he lost the plot the moment he opened his mouth wider than he should. We are all not oblivious of the fact that there were some mysteries surrounding the demise of Agya Ofuntuo. The threat to demystify those mysteries was viewed as a clear betrayal by many party loyalists. This is because letting such an obese cat out of the bag would negatively affect the fortunes of the party. No wonder he lost miserably! To refresh your memory, pito music is sung by people who drink pito. They never sing pito music when sober. It is sung when they are drunk and in a state of nirvana. Their only instruments are their empty calabashes, tiny stones and their feet. It only takes one elated drinker to start a song by tapping a calabash with a stone. Before you know it, the rest join in with pounding feet and singing with their discordant voices. It is a spectacle to behold! It�s not exactly what one might call a very harmonious music, but it is as exhilarating to the audience as it is entertaining to the singers themselves. One may not even understand the lyrics of the songs. But one thing that is guaranteed is that one would be held spell-bound by the performance of the amateur singers. As I said earlier, the President was heard singing pito music during the Zu-za congress in Kumasi. I call his response to General Secretary Ivor Greenstreet�s observation �pito music� because he simply refused to listen to the voice of reason and truth. He even went to the extent of calling Greenstreet�s observation �selective myopia�. That was very rich coming from a man who believes in using a bulldozer to kill a fly. General Secretary Greenstreet�s only crime was that he had the courage to look the President in the eye and tell him the truth. And the truth is that Asomdwekromanian�s are reeling under severe financial and economic hardships due to incompetence, corruption and pure thievery. Bitter it may be, but that is the truth. The lyrics of his pito music included the construction of the Kwame Okro Circle interchange, the Kasoa road project and the Kumasi Airport renovation and upgrade to international status. But what he failed to tell us was that the cost of all those projects had been inflated. For sure, the suffering masses cannot dance to his pito music when prices of projects are being inflated and the extra cowries used in lining the pockets of public officials and their accomplices. The only persons who would dance to his pito music are those drinking the pito with him. The likes of Woyome and the ex-SADA boss are those who would dance to his pito music. Ethiopia, I�m told, is set to expand its airport reach with the construction of three airport runways in three major regional cites, with a capacity to host big jets like B737 at a total cost of $68.5 million. The first to be constructed in the southern city of Hawassa will cost $22.9 million. The second for another southern city, Robe Goba, will cost $24.7 million. The third project in the Far North in the city of Shire will cost $20.9 million. Whereas these are three new airport runways, our own Kumasi Airport runway recently underwent some renovations and cost the tax payer $29 million. It is worth noting that each of the three new runways to be constructed in Ethiopia costs less than our rehabilitated Kumasi Airport runway. Tell me the Kumasi runway cost had not been inflated, and I would tell you Kwaku Ananse is not a spider. Frankly, I�m not surprised at the actions of President What-The-Hell because he is only exhibiting the traits of pito musicians. They most often do not care about other people�s reaction when possessed with the pito spirit. President What-The-Hell and his cohort can continue singing their pito music. They can even tell the world that it is the best traditional music in the country. But we won�t and cannot dance to it because we know better. See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente! By Agya Kwaku Ogboro