Late last year, a Multi TV video of an interview of a
man went viral on social media. The man, an
unemployed father of five, was asked how he had
managed to meet the challenges of the tough
economic situation that the country found itself.
In his response, the man, Ayitey Mohammed,
credited his survival strategy to a “kpa kpa kpa
movement”. According to him, “kpa kpa kpa” was
not about stealing or using nefarious means to
survive but using all available legitimate means to
make ends meet.
Almost overnight, the video went viral and the
phrase “kpa kpa kpa” caught on like wild fire
becoming a slang for one’s ability to survive
despite the odds. The slang entered everyday
Ghanaian usage and not long after, it started
appearing in works of art as well.
Various shops began referring to their reduction
sales and giveaways as “kpa kpa kpa”. Hiplife
artiste, Guru, released a single titled, “kpa kpa kpa”
and lately telecommunications company, Glo,
launched a promotion with the same slang.
With the popularity of the “kpa kpa kpa” slang on
the rise, Ayitey Mohammed, the man in the viral
video is demanding financial compensation from
businesses and other commercial users.
In an interview with Accra based Neat FM, Ayitey
Mohammed demanded Gh¢50,000 from Hiplife
artiste, Guru, as royalties to be paid to him for
making the song with the slang without seeking
prior permission.
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In an interview with Showbiz on Wednesday, Ayitey
Mohammed expressed his anger at Guru and his
management team for not discussing terms with
him before using the slang in a song. He, however,
admitted that he received an amount of GH¢160
and a hamper as well as other presents from the
artiste at Christmas but he did not consider that as
adequate compensation.
“I deserve more than just a hamper and GH ¢ 160,
as we speak, my three kids are in the house and I
need to pay their school fees,” he said.
According to him, although he has not registered
the term, “kpa kpa kpa”, he should still be having
some cash in his pocket.
However, Frank Agyekum, artiste manager for
Guru, told Showbiz: “I really do not know what
Ayitey Mohammed wants. The fact that you are the
origniator of a term doesn’t mean no one else can
use it. At least, we have compensated him with
some cash, hamper and other items,” he said.
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