Story by Eugene Nyarko Jnr. l National Theatre, Accra l Wednesday, September 2, 2026 —
Ghanaians must change the culture of honouring people only after their death and instead celebrate, recognise and support national legends while they are still alive, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder of the Ghana Legends Awards, Ambassador Gladys Biney, has urged.
She said many Ghanaians waited until their heroes died before showing them love and appreciation, including attending their funerals, wearing commemorative T-shirts and making other gestures of support.
Ambassador Biney said the Ghana Legends Awards was therefore established to reverse that trend by celebrating living legends and giving them the recognition, love and practical support they deserved.
She made the call during a media interview at the launch and fundraising ceremony of the Ghana Legends Awards at the National Theatre in Accra yesterday.
She said many of the personalities being celebrated had sacrificed their lives and resources to entertain, educate and serve society through television, radio and other platforms, but often received little support when they themselves needed assistance.
“Some of them are sick. They need financial support, medical support and everything,” she said, stressing that being regarded as a legend did not mean a person no longer needed help.
Support
Ambassador Biney said the initiative was intended to restore such personalities to the centre of society by providing a platform through which individuals and organisations could demonstrate their appreciation and contribute to their welfare.
She said the platform would enable members of the public to donate towards the needs of selected legends and make them feel valued for the sacrifices they had made for the country.
According to her, a major challenge was the perception that celebrated personalities had accumulated enough wealth and, therefore, did not need assistance.
“People feel legends do not need help. They have everything. So they don’t see the need to celebrate them,” she said.
She explained that some legends had spent significant portions of their earnings taking care of other people, supporting communities and contributing to national development, often at the expense of their own financial security.
Ambassador Biney said those sacrifices should not be forgotten simply because the beneficiaries had become famous.
She noted that when such personalities eventually needed help, they sometimes found it difficult to ask publicly because society expected them to remain financially comfortable.
Legends Fund
Ambassador Biney further called for the establishment of a dedicated fund to provide sustained support for living legends, particularly those facing health and financial challenges.
She said the fund could support beneficiaries with medical care, health insurance and other forms of assistance.
“I am appealing that we have a fund to support the legends because they need to receive medical care, free medical care. They need to get insurance,” she said.
She also called for greater corporate and institutional support for the initiative, arguing that society continued to benefit from the works and products of the legends.
She said the same society had a responsibility to give back to those who had spent their lives contributing to its development and entertainment.
Ambassador Biney said the Ghana Legends Awards was ultimately about making living legends feel appreciated, loved and remembered while they could still experience and benefit from that recognition.
