A review of the song “Maye se mo pen” by: Michael Owusu Sakyi O.J

A song for our Generation

Michael Owusu Sakyi also known in the showbiz circle as O.J, a gospel musician renowned for his soul inspiring songs once again has come-out with a hit. The song to me touches on all facets of human endeavour or human evolvement. It espouses on the good or bad that might result with being a child, a youth and finally, an adult. Purposely for not putting things in their proper perspective.

The title “maye se mo pen” literally meaning “I have once being like you”, can be liken to someone sharing an experience of a lifetime, this time an unpleasant one. Fortunately, the fellow goes out to elaborate on the bad outcome of living such a lifestyle and admonishes the upcoming generation to desist from living a similar lifestyle.

The song uses much of a reality approach to sending across its message of admonishing rather than creativity. This is a mark of someone who aims at using his God given talent to affect his generation and not only to impregnate his pocket.

This song could not have come at a better time than this. A time when all manner of unpleasant living have crept into the Ghanaian social context. The youth these days subscribes to living an affluent life though not bad but, fails to put the appropriate measures which can sustain them at the later stage of their lives in place. Universities and other recognised institutions now harbours students who instead of balancing the equation of a sort by sticking straight to their purpose of studies have turned to organising events that promotes nothing but immoral practices. A generation where “educational trips” have now become avenues for “sexual satisfaction trip” and many other un-pleasantries. A generation which defines strength to be “the number of bottles of alcoholic drink one can take” …shhh.hmm, what a perverse generation. We ought to listen to this song and get to know what the future holds.

The song which is one of my favourites, admonishes the youth to live by experience. An experience that is built on juxtaposing current situations to that which others have lived in the past. The song, though described as a gospel music, do not only touch on things pertaining to the Christian faith but spans beyond it. It speaks life (reality). It teaches what the youth of our time would do and must do to either succeed or perish.

If you are yet to get a copy for yourself, I would entreat you to move without hesitation. So that we can help promote such a great initiative. Do not go in for just the audio version, but you should equally endeavour to get the video too.

To Michael Owusu Sakyi (O.J), may the Lord Almighty continue to strengthen and inspire you to always come out with such generational inspiring songs.

Certainly, the child would see the future to be happy, but how the adult or old would describe his or her past depends on how he or she lived it.