With Official Starter, our markets have become fun and inviting

Meet Raja and his troupe of market women putting smiles on shoppers and social media on the Day Show with Berla Mundi.

Ernest Raja Nettey, known as Official Starter on social media, is a Ghanaian Youtuber and choreographer famous for his dancing video with market traders.

Raja told Berla Mundi how he was inspired by his late mother to involve market women in sharing happiness on our screens. For Raja, growing up in a local community at Cowlane, a suburb of Accra, boosted his relationship with his dancers.

“My mom was a trader. Whenever we go to her store, we see different kinds of people working to get something to eat. So relating to them (market women)was easy.”

Before dancing with the mothers of our markets, Raja started his street choreography by putting smiles on the faces of the physically challenged.

Another face of Raja’s movement is sharing money and helping the needy. Talking about this side of his work, he shared how he relies on the benevolence of others to help the less privileged in his videos.

“I don’t ask, but anonymous people support me. They keep me going,” Raja said to Berla Mundi.

For Raja, one of his major challenges has been the lack of funding to support his philanthropic works. He notes that he would love to do more for his dancers and the needy but cannot finance this project alone. Raja hopes to secure funding to tour other local markets across Africa.

Watch the full interview on the Day Show below: