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Music of Wednesday, 20 January 2010

Source: Ameyaw Debrah

Musicians neglect Black Stars

I have observed with some disappointment how Ghanaian musician seem to have abandoned the national football team, the Ghana Black Stars at the ongoing African Cup of Nations in Angola. The sharp contrast from what happened two years ago when Ghana hosted the tournament is simply tragic. In 2008, everywhere you turned you heard a song for the Black Stars; music videos from all sorts of musicians, known and unknown flooded our TV screens. However, today what do we see? Not even the popular Metro TV Black Stars cheer song performed by Tallal Fattal, Samini et al airs on the network’s ‘Advertising Cycle’. So what went wrong?

Could it be because Ghanaians don't have any hope in this black stars team? If that is the case, aren’t musicians supposed to inspire people through their music. Apart from Rev Isaac Ofori who edited his music video to put some footage of the black stars in it, TV Africa playing Amanzeba’s ‘Womba’ and a few others, generally there is not much going on to whip support for the Black Stars.

Could this lack of interest stem from the fact that Orange is the major sponsor for the tourney and since they have no business in Ghana, it is not attractive enough for our musicians? I am sure if Glo or MTN sponsored the tournament, we would have seen many musicians both known and unknown doing something so they get a little sponsorship here and there. If ‘musicians’ can go to the studio to record songs about sakawa, sex and other useless subjects and in addition shoot videos for them to air on TV, why can’t these same people support a worthy cause such as supporting our national football team? I hope Ghanaian musicians bow their heads in shame.

I look forward to seeing their hypocrisy at its peak during the 2010 World Cup. Good Luck Black Stars!!!