Renowned Ghanaian reggae musician Shasha Marley
Renowned Ghanaian reggae musician Julius Amua-Sekyi, popularly known as Shasha Marley, has shared a chilling personal memory from the 1979 military coup.
The June 4, 1979 coup, known as the June 4th Uprising, led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) saw the regime impose a nationwide lockdown to consolidate power and the execution of eight military officers
In an interview with Kafui Dey, Marley recounted how his father woke the family on the night of the coup to dispose of empty soft drink and beer bottles collected from Christmas parties.
“My father woke us up and made us pack up all the empty bottles of soft drinks that we had and made us throw them away in a ditch somewhere.
“The reason was that if the soldiers came and they found such bottles in your house, they would beat you up because they thought you were living life.
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“If you had even a crate of empty beer bottles in your house and were discovered by soldiers, you could be beaten and locked up,” Marley said.
The revolt ousted the Supreme Military Council II under General Fred Akuffo, driven by widespread economic hardship, corruption, and frustration among junior officers.
How Rawlings ‘destroyed’ the music industry in 1979 – Shasha Marley recalls
Rawlings had been arrested after a failed mutiny on May 15 but was freed from prison by fellow soldiers on June 4. The AFRC quickly imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew and executed eight military officers, including former heads of state General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong and General Fred Akuffo.
The AFRC ruled for just 112 days before Rawlings handed power to Dr. Hilla Limann of the People’s National Party (PNP) on September 24, 1979, following elections. Economic woes persisted, paving the way for Rawlings’ second coup on December 31, 1981.
Marley also used the story as a word of caution to young individuals on social media, warning them against calling for coups.
“When I see young people on social media calling for coups, I say they don’t know what they are talking about,” he lamented.
Watch the video below:
The music business in Ghana was number one in Africa but 1979 Coup disengaged nightlife, ending up destroying a thriving music industry – @ShashaMarleyGH
Full interview here https://t.co/GqczTlpXLo#KafuiDeyInterviews pic.twitter.com/B6UzMlOE3W
— Kafui Dey (@KafuiDey) February 6, 2026
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