A video featuring Meek Mill went viral on social media last weekend, where the 35-year-old rapper can be seen at various locations in Ghana’s Presidency, also known as The Jubilee House. The place is Ghanais the highest security area and serves as the president’s office.
According to local media, the rapper uploaded an Instagram reel late on Sunday, January 8, 2023, stating that he will be releasing a new song soon. Meek Mill was in Ghana in December to perform at Afro-Nation festival during the Christmas holidays.
Afro Nation is one of the biggest music festivals in Africa. After a three-year hiatus due to Covid, the event has returned, bringing over 15,000 revelers to Accra, Ghana’s capital, behind the historic Black Star Square landmark.
In the short video, he was in several places in the presidential palace, including the facade, the main hallways, the main conference room, and then in a sitting area:
However, Ghanaians are not happy with the location of his video shoot. Both the president and the rapper received backlash for shooting a music video on the Jubilee House grounds.
Many Ghanaians have claimed that the filming of the video breached security by allowing the rapper access to sensitive locations.
He deleted the controversial video following heated comments on social media.
Security concerns
Not only are social media users protesting the idea, Ghanaian politicians have also criticized the video.
As my joy online reported, MP for North Tongu Constituency (one of the constituencies represented in the Parliament of Ghana), Samuel Okudzato Ablakwa also expressed concerns over the safety of the video. In his Twitter post, the MP called for those responsible for the Jubilee House desecration to be sacked.
“All those responsible for this despicable desecration of the Jubilee House by Meek Mill must be fired immediately. How do these explicit words from the president’s lectern positively project Ghana?
A leading member of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Elikem Kotoko, questioned the government’s decision to allow American Rapper to shoot the video in the Jubilee House.
” ‘When a clown moves into a palace, he does not become king. The palace becomes a circus. Turkish proverb,” Elikem Kotoko tweeted.
Apologies
Following outrage over the Jubille House video, Meek Mill broke his silence. Early this morning, he apologized to Ghanaians on social media.
“My apologies to people for any disrespect! We’re still going to push to make the connection between black people in America and Africa… what I’m trying to do is more than a video and you should see it soon! My apologies to the office too! he tweeted.
“I’m just not here to not separate anything black…we’ve already separated ourselves enough and don’t understand each other’s cultures…let’s use this to help resolve this and no longer judgment them to each other!” Meek Mill added.
“To the people of Ghana, no video I drop is meant to disrespect the people of Ghana…. The fastest way to connect is through music and I wanted to do that with works by art…I’m in my thirties from America and didn’t know much about the way of life here,” he said.
The Presidential Palace, also known as the Golden Jubilee House, is the official residence of the President of Ghana. It was inaugurated in November 2008. This large-scale project, which cost over $40 million, met with widespread resistance from the government opposition party.
The structure was built in the shape of a cut tree and represents modern architecture while maintaining the traditions of Ghana. The presidential palace is located north of the circle of Sankara.
On March 29, 2018, President Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo renamed it Golden Jubilee House. Previously it was known as Flagstaff House.
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