Gospel musician Ohemaa Mercy has opened up about the overwhelming moment former President John Agyekum Kufuor recognised her for her contribution to Ghanaian music.
She admitted that she was so nervous ahead of the ceremony that she initially struggled to believe the honour was meant for her.
Speaking during an interview with George Quaye on Joy Prime, the singer recalled being invited to the Castle sometime around 2009, following the release of her third album, Wobeye Kesi.
For Ohemaa Mercy, the invitation alone was enough to make her nervous. She said she could not immediately understand why she had been invited and even feared that something might have gone wrong.
“When I was going, I was shivering. I didn’t even know why I had been invited to the Castle,” she recalled.
Her uncertainty deepened when her mother called her during the event and revealed that then-President Kufuor had recognised her among some of the country’s outstanding musicians.
According to the musician, she initially dismissed the news, convinced that her name may have been mentioned by mistake.
She said she deliberately waited until almost everyone had collected their awards before going for hers because she still could not believe the recognition was real.
It was only when broadcaster Kwame Sefa mentioned her name that the reality finally sank in. That moment, she said, left her in tears.
“I cried the whole day. It was tears of joy. Honestly, I can’t tell you how I was feeling,” she said.
The experience became even more memorable when she found herself being saluted by soldiers and standing before President Kufuor, who personally presented the award to her.
“Seeing President Kufuor holding my hands and giving me the award… Jesus Christ is something else,” she said.
Looking back, Ohemaa Mercy described the experience as one of the moments in her career that gave her renewed encouragement and reminded her that her work was being seen and appreciated beyond the gospel music community.
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