The Pundit without Portfolio

September last year, Sally Mann, while working as a judge for a talent show that has produced no one so far, critiqued the performance of one contestant for trying hard and woefully failing to imitate Cina Soul. According to Sally, this contestant had a good enough natural voice and didn’t have to attempt singing like Cina Soul. Then she added, “As for that Cina Soul, it is Ghanaians who have over-pampered her. I think she is overrated.”

A year on, at a similar event, a contestant sings, this time doing well in Sally’s estimation. Instead of focusing on the talent she is paid to groom, she decided to take a needless dig at Adina for no reason, telling the contestant that she out-sang Adina on her own song.

Andy Dosty tried to handle it by suggesting that Adina has one of the most underestimated voices in the music industry. Then Sally steps in, “That Adina who loses her voice when she sings?”

In this country, once you can be loud about something and get some media presence, immediately you become an expert in that field.

This is why Sally would qualify as a judge of a musical talent show when all she has done is tear down names instead of building them.

How is it even going to benefit an upcoming talent when you give her the impression that those who have already made it are not good enough? It’s unheard of, anywhere in the world, for a professional talent builder to tell an upcoming talent that those they look up to are not good enough.

Adina doesn’t have a good voice and Cina Soul is overrated? One must be delusional to cast such a damning verdict on a singer like Cina Soul, who sings as well as any musician in the world, and Adina, who has done so well for herself, having released some of the biggest songs over the past decade.

And even if you hold such an opinion, is that the right platform for it?

In this country, we promote noise makers. From politics to entertainment, moderate, level-headed, and informed analysts struggle to rise, while noise makers are celebrated and placed at the forefront.

If not, as a pundit and entertainment analyst, when has Sally ever presented informed, data-backed, and factual analyses on issues? Aside from attacking people, bringing down established brands, and ranting like someone high on something, when has Sally ever made sense to be deemed fit to guide talents in the first place?

In an industry with documentary struggles for women who want to succeed, you’d expect someone like Sally to encourage these young ladies, speak well of someone like Adina who had carried herself with such dignity and made some of the best songs in recent times, you’d expect her to speak for someone like Cina Soul, who’s talent is out of this world but barely gets the recognition she deserves.

No, Sally would rather want to trend by passing unprovoked condescending comments about them, targetting their very means of livelihood for one week trend, that’s is evil and devilish.

Thankfully, Andy Dosty was there to speak some sense into what is an obvious not so bright head that feeds off negative energy. She didn’t listen and his part didn’t trend too, but at least, he made an effort.

We need people who understand entertainment to talk entertainment, not people who can shout, say what trends and not what matters.

We need people with wisdom and the ability to research and analyse properly to discuss issues.

Such a cheap way of achieving relevance of the hard work of others should be roundly condemned.

Pundits have to be experts of something or at least have some sense and decorum, Sally here barely demonstrates any of such qualities at the level require to discuss issues, let alone nurture talents.

Kofi Kyei