DJs, Please Don?t Kill Highlife

The Record Producers and Music Publishers Association of Ghana (REPPAGh) has taken a swipe at radio and television disc jockeys (DJs) for ?giving our highlife music a bad name just to hang it?.

In a statement signed by the associations General Secretary, Puduo Nana Richard Oppong Mensah, REPPAGh asked ?what are our DJs? telling our youth? Are they saying that Ghanaian highlife, which is identified on the world music map, is too old and must be forgotten??

The group questioned the rationale behind the description of highlife as ?adadamu? and ?old timers? and suggested that highlife of the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, or the 21st Century are better references than the so-called "old-timers" and/or ?adadamu?.

The association wonders why we enjoy and promote foreign hymns composed in the 17th Century, but brand our own highlife as old. The first Ghanaian music was recorded in 1932.

That was only ?yesterday?, so why have we stopped promoting music produced in the past?

REPPAGh has reminded society that ?children crow up with what they are taught ?saying -that presently, there are more Ragga, Reggae and Funk music and dance on our television and radio stations than our local music and dance, which we should rather promote.

It is very funny that we condemn our own music and play Soul and Reggae music composed and produced many years ago, but still enjoy them.?

The association advised DJs, programme producers, directors and record librarians to make it a point to play more Ghanaian music such as highlife, gospel, adowa, kpanlogo, agbadza, etc. in order to promote them.

That, the group believed, would eventually promote our culture and tourism which will in turn bring in more foreign exchange to the country and also create employment for the youth.

REPPAGh also challenged local composers and producers to produce quality songs which will be attractive to the youth and also stand the test of time.