The Ghana Creative Arts Agency and stakeholders from the music and creative arts industry have received criticisms for the recently initiated #PlayGhana campaign.
The #PlayGhana initiative aims to celebrate and promote the exceptional talents within the nation’s music industry, push Ghanaian artists at the forefront and manage the issue of the influx of foreign music dominance in the Ghanaian space.
However, some members of the industry have questioned the feasibility of this initiative and the possibility of it being undertaken in a consumer controlled market.
Ghanaian dancehall artiste, Shatta Wale after the introduction of the initiative, said, “I just woke up to tell you, you can’t fight foreign music; their 10% music will over shadow the whole Ghana; country with so much jealously when it’s not them on the frontline.”
Kwabena Kwabena also laid emphasis on the tangible benefits these Djs receive after playing Ghanaian songs. He explained that foreign musicians give Ghanaians Djs a reason to play their songs.”Money is ruling the game now so its kind of difficult; when big artistes in other countries release a song, they have a budgeted amount that is distributed all around to these Djs even here in Ghana.”
America based sound engineer, Nektunez believed that musicians have a role to play in making their music cross borders. He said, “Make music that can automatically cross boundaries. You wont have to beg DJs,media and consumers to play your songs. We are no longer in that era where people control the media. Now ppl choose what they want to hear once it sounds good.”
Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, Director of Ghana’s Creative Arts Agency, has made a clarion call together with Music Executive and Cultural Activist, Smallgod to stand as advocates of an initiative geared towards widening the audience of Ghanaian talents within and outside Ghana.
By: Kobina Baidoo
