Ebony and Grace: When Favour Defies Fairness
Favour ain’t fair! And if there’s any modern story that captures this truth, it’s the story of Ebony Reigns. For me, she was incredibly talented: raw, bold, and unique. She could have become one of Ghana’s greatest musical icons had her life not been tragically cut short. But what continues to puzzle and inspire me is the depth of national and spiritual response to her death. That’s where I began to understand the mystery of Ebony and Grace.
I’ve seen other brilliant musicians in Ghana. Most of them even did more than Ebony in terms of lyrical content and longevity. Daasebre Gyamenah, for instance, was my favourite secular artist. His songs spoke deeply to my soul and inspired some of my writings. Yet, when he died, I only managed a few lines in tribute. Meanwhile, Ebony’s death stirred something unusual in me; it led to not one, but three articles. She hadn’t done “enough,” in my opinion, to warrant that level of attention, yet somehow, she received it. That, my friends, is what brought about the understanding of Ebony and Grace.
After her passing, tributes flooded in from across the nation. President Nana Akufo-Addo tweeted, Vice President Dr. Bawumia expressed his condolences, and former President John Mahama remembered her for her socially conscious song, Maame Hwe. National television covered her one-week celebration live. Ministers of state and public figures came to mourn her death. It was almost as though a state heroine had fallen. I remember thinking, “This isn’t just about talent. This is divine grace in action.”
Her life, and the events following her untimely death, continued to affirm and reinforce a deep spiritual message in my heart: the message of grace. I couldn’t shake the sense that what was unfolding around her legacy was more than mere public admiration; it was a visible demonstration of unmerited favour—grace in action.
So, when I first heard that her burial was scheduled to take place at the Black Star Square, I felt a wave of disappointment. Not because the location was inappropriate by worldly standards, but because my spirit bore witness that her farewell ought to be at the Statehouse. Something within me insisted that Grace was speaking again, and Grace always gives the best.
Grace dignifies. It elevates the undeserving. And in Ghana, the Statehouse is more than a physical location—it is a symbol of national honour, a place reserved for state funerals and the farewell of dignitaries. In that context, holding Ebony Reigns’ funeral at the Black Star Square felt like a missed opportunity to align with the profound message her life and death were conveying. And so I was very happy to later learn that the venue had been changed to the Statehouse.
To bury her elsewhere would have, in my view, undercut the deeper narrative of Ebony and Grace. Her story wasn’t simply about talent or popularity—it was about how God, in His mysterious way, chooses to highlight grace through unexpected vessels. Her funeral, therefore, deserved the dignity and symbolic weight of the Statehouse—because grace never settles for less than honour.
To understand this, look at the prodigal son in Luke 15. His return didn’t earn him mercy; it earned him grace. Mercy spares us from deserved punishment, but grace goes further: it erases our offences and does not remember them anymore. It then exalts us, clothes us in dignity, and treats us as royalty. The father didn’t just welcome the prodigal son back; he gave him the best robe, a ring, sandals, and a feast. That’s what grace does. That’s Ebony and Grace.
Jesus Christ, the embodiment of grace, was God’s best gift to a world that didn’t deserve Him. Through Him, we received salvation, identity, and inheritance, not because of works, but because of grace. As Romans 3:24 puts it, “All are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
The grace message echoed in Ebony’s story should not be dismissed. Romans 9:30–32 explains how those who didn’t pursue righteousness obtained it through faith, while those who pursued it by works missed it. Why? Because grace cannot be earned.
We see this throughout Scripture:
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The adulterous woman was forgiven.
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Zacchaeus, the corrupt tax collector, was received.
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Paul, a former persecutor of the church, became its greatest apostle.
All examples of grace, not merit.
So if we can learn from Rahab, David, the Samaritan woman, and others who were unlikely vessels of God’s glory, then surely we can reflect on Ebony and Grace. Her lifestyle may not have aligned with what many consider moral, but the national response to her life and death revealed something divine: favour that defies fairness. Ebony and Grace remind us that God chooses whom He wills, not based on works but on purpose and calling.
Priscilla Opoku-Kwarteng, known to the world as Ebony Reigns, died at 21 in a tragic car accident—just as her star was rising. Yet her impact remains. That is not just fame. That is favour. That is grace.
Rest in peace, Ebony Reigns. You were a mystery and a message. A living parable of favour that’s never fair but always divine.
More related scriptures
Romans 3:20-24
20 Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 9:25, 26
“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;
and I will call her ‘my loved one,’ who is not my loved one,”
26 and, “In the very place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people’; there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”
Romans 10:1-4
Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Romans 11:5, 6, 11
5 So too, at present, there is a remnant chosen by grace. 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. 11 Again I ask: Did they stumble to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
