The youth for presidency campaign waged by Grand Medal recipient and one of Ghana’s all time best hiplife artiste Bice Osei-Kuffour is about to take an international dimension with the music diva calling for the active involvement of Ghanaian youth in Diaspora.

Obour dropped the hint when he led about seven hundred youth of techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region on a walk christened “Walk Out Aids” a programme jointly organized by Youth Icons-Ghana an Accra based NGO in collaboration with a techiman based NGO Youth in Development to raise awareness about and educate the youth on issues bothering on HIV/AIDS where Obour was the guest of honor.

Speaking to the press after the walk regarding his youth for presidency campaign, Obour said people misconstrued him at the early stages of his campaign by thinking that he wanted to be president. He said, the campaign is aimed at helping get the youth of Ghana rediscover themselves as young people and to inspire them set high targets and to denounce some cultural and traditional norms which seem to affect the creativity and daringness of the youth.

The music diva said, “We live in a country where young people are generally considered unwise and are perceived to be irresponsible. My campaign is to help raise the consciousness of the Ghanaian youth that we can be achievers in our youthful ages and that we do not have to be grey haired to succeed”

He stressed the need for young people to purge themselves of the negativities associated to them and strive to build a new image of responsible youth who are daring and thirsty for success. “You and I know very well that Ronaldo of Brazil national football team fame played in the World Cup at the tender age of 16 years in the 1994 World Cup held in Italy, yet Ghanaians could not come to terms when Andre Dede Ayew who was older than Ronaldo at the time of playing his first major tournament at the CAN2008 held in here in Ghana” He said these are the very attitudes we are committed to change and to give the youth some level of assertiveness.  “Most of us young people are timid and do not have any self esteem because of how we are perceived by our elderly in society”.

Obour lamented “Young film actor Macaulay Culkin of the United States became a Hollywood star at age ten (10) with his Home Alone movie that was a block buster. But you and I know there is no way a guy his age was going to be paid that kind of money here in Ghana, what would have been done here would be for the producers to give some stipend to the parents to use him. We don’t believe young people can succeed before they get to even twenty years”.

He said he is determined to change the negative perceptions held against the youth by spearheading the campaign but was quick to admit that he cannot do it all alone. He said he intends taking his campaign to the United Kingdom and Europe in general and the United States of America where there are a lot of Young Ghanaians who have experienced cultures which recognizes youthfulness and opens up to them. He said all he is calling for is for the society to deal with the youth based on the content of their character and not based on their age. “We cannot become active players on the global theatre stage if our society does not inspire confidence in the youth”.

He opined that it was time the youth were equipped with tools of negotiation, dialogue and lobbying as a sure way of building future leaders ready to engage the world. He said with the support of groups like Youth Icons-Ghana, he was sure much would be achieved working together.

He indicated that giving an international dimension to the campaign is critical and would stop at nothing to embark on a trip to some European countries to engage Ghanaian Youth and other Youth groups to compare notes and share in experiences. He called for the support and involvement of all stakeholders to make the campaign a reality.

Obour was full of praise for the massive support he is enjoying from other musicians who have bought into the vision and believe as young people can also contribute their quota using music as a tool. He singled out the efforts of Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa, the Executive Director of Youth Icons-Ghana; a youth based NGO committed through the empowerment of the youth for volunteering his time as the Communications Director of the Youth for presidency campaign.

He also praised his fellow musicians who are part of his team in the likes of Nana Kwadwo Akunor, known in music circles as nana K, Daniel Aboagye, and hiplife group asemkafor comprising of Yaw Adu, Kweku Adu and Junior Sowah Quaye. He stressed “I hope I will continue to enjoy your support through thick and thin as we embark on this ambitious campaign aimed at restoring some dignity to the youth of Ghana”.

He said enjoying the support of great backing vocalists in the persons of Robert Morlee and Gifty Boateng was a great inspiration to his life performances and stressed that crucial to the gathering of all the great musical acts was the inspirational management they enjoy from Samuel Kojo Larweh as artistes manager of the team.

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