Ghana’s dancing referee shining a light on Bukom’s hidden stars

Alexander Cofie began playing colts football with Black Stars legend Laryea Kingston and several other players who went on to play in major European leagues.

He is now a barber, working from a tiny plywood kiosk in Bukom, where he was born and has spent his entire life.

His is the story of many aspiring artists in this buzzing shanty town, which was once a hub of commerce and hip-life in pre-colonial Ghana. Years of poverty and underdevelopment have left the country in shambles. According to Cofie, a lack of opportunities stifles local talent.

"As for Bukom, everyone has a gift. Children, too. But we don't have any help,"

When Cofie's football career ended, he turned to refereeing. He also added dancing on the pitch to make his craft stand out. His videos have since gone viral, and he says he has received phone calls from people all over the world wanting to meet him.

"I never learned to dance." It was something I was born with. "Everyone in Bukom is a dancer," he says.

Bukom has produced numerous national champions in boxing, dance, music, and football, including former world champions Azumah Nelson and Ike Quartey.
Last year, the government constructed an Astroturf park in the heart of the slum, where young people had previously played football on a red dirt field. Since then, many of the area's unknown talents have found a venue to showcase their abilities.
Benjamin Lamptey, 22, a footballer who was frustrated by the area's talent's underdevelopment for years, started a Monday night football competition.

Starting around four PM each Monday, he brings collectively soccer groups from throughout Accra to play the local group in Bukom. The sport nights- referred to as Monday Stars- also attract dancers, acrobats, magicians, and many others to reveal their talent to the cheering crowd. Local organizations, taking advantage of the group, come to promote too.

“It is a competition. It’s like a large birthday party, and it brings the community together. My Monday Stars is very popular. These days, if Monday Stars doesn’t come on for any motive, human beings might be very irritated,” Benjamin says.

It is referee Alexander Cofie’s dance actions which have attracted hundreds from outdoor Bukom to see the weekly opposition.

“You know Bukom, humans like preventing. So they wager at some point of the sport, and so tempers are continually high. So I ask the DJ to play music, so I dance during the game to carry tempers down,” he says.

Nii Tetteh, a local photographer, he, too a local of Bukom, made videos of referee Cofie and shared them on his social media web page where he promotes nearby talents.

Many of his films have gone viral with hundreds of perspectives and shares on Instagram and Facebook, incomes him many media interviews.

“I am surprised on the sheer wide variety of abilities right here and what number of cross waste. So I file them and proportion their testimonies in order to get help. As for referee Cofie, I accept as true with if he has an possibility to teach and better himself, he can emerge as a exquisite referee,” he says.

Referee Cofie desires to pursue a professional course. He hopes that the brand new attention he's having in Bukom gets him the needed aid.