Sammy Darko adjudged Ghana’s Best Political Journalist for 2010

Sammy Darko a senior Broadcast Journalist with Ghana’s leading private FM radio Joy Fm on Friday 9th September, was crowned Ghana’s best political reporter for the year 2010. He was recognized by award organizers Ghana Journalists Association for his documentary titled “Foot Soldiers”.


The phenomenon of “foot soldiers “though has always been a part of Ghana’s burgeoning democracy was not pronounced until after the 2008 elections in Ghana when this political class began to assert itself, believing that they had singlehandedly brought their party to power.


These foot soldiers are mainly sympathizers of a political party who executed the campaign at the grassroots level and often included perpetuating violence to as it were, put the fear of God in their rival parties. Interestingly, they never abandon the use of force as a weapon even after their party has gained power. So with the same amount of force if not more, they demand their share of the national cake including locking out government officials, and seizing public property.


They were a great source of worry to the political elite who were clueless how to contain them. This documentary, in the absence of a detailed academic study of the phenomenon provided society with an in-depth of a problem that confronted not just the ruling party, but the other parties whose sympathizers had also discovered an antidote to the “attitude” often put up by their leaders once they assume the reins of power.


Apart from the political parties, the citizenry also needed a solution to the anxiety created by the foot soldiers and the deprivation they cause with their seizures of public property.