Musicians Dream Of One-Stop Music Centre

By Stephen K. Effah
Saturday, 10 May 2008

Ghanaian musicians have appealed to the government to assist the music industry to establish the first-ever one-stop music centre to cater for the entertainment needs of the large number of visitors into the country.

They explained that Ghana has become a tourism destination in Africa, hence the need for a vibrant entertainment industry where one could enjoy live music, have access to a recording studio, a library, theatre and musicians hall of fame among others.

A member of the Musicians Union of Ghana, Amandzeba Nat Brew, made the call when some winners of the ninth Ghana Music Awards Festival called on the Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, Sampson K. Boafo, at his office in Accra yesterday.

Amandzeba said that such a one-stop music centre would also boost the music industry, which he noted, "is a focal point of our development.We are the voice of the people so it will be proper for government to initiate a one-stop music centre."

He commended President J.A. Kufuor for the establishment of the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture which, he said, will among other things, help preserve and market the rich culture of the country.

He urged the minister to arrange a meeting between President Kufuor and the musicians in order for them to table their request before him for consideration.

Mr. Boafo assured the musicians that the government would create the enabling environment and facilitiate their activities to ensure that the industry thrives, and urged them to always take advantage of that to improve their work.

He asked the musicians to portray the unique culture of the country on the international scene, saying, "you must be able to come out with a unique style typical of Ghana."

The minister again took the opportunity to advise the musicians to avoid obscenity in their presentations stressing that they should be ambassadors of the Ghanaian culture.

He urged them to also use their work to further promote the peace being enjoyed in the country, "especially as we prepare towards the upcoming general election in December."

Mr. Boafo asked the musicians to engage professionals like managers, auditors and directors among others to help them in their musical career, noting "that is how you can work well and be managed properly."

Having a management, he stressed, would also help them to make the neccessary investment that would make them profitable.

He commended the award winners for their various works which earned them the awards. He also thanked Charter House Productions, organisers of the awards for the initiative and urged them to improve upon subsequent events.

In a related development, all the ninth MTN Ghana Music Awards Festival award winners will on Tuesday, May 13, be presented with their cash prizes at an event that will be used to address issues raised after the awards festival.

On top of the issues will be the award of the Record Label of the Year, Best Female Vocal Performance of the Year, and whether Cee and Ohemaa Mercy who boycotted the awards night, should be given their money or not.