Ghana Music Festival next August

Accra, Dec. 17, GNA - Mrs. Diana Hopeson, President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) on Monday announced that from next August there would be a Ghana Music Festival every year to promote indigenous music.

She explained that as part of the music festival, MUSIGA would organize fairs that would put on display traditional music instruments and typical music and dance from various regions in the country as well as seminars and workshops that would teach musicians the dynamisms in the music industry.

Mrs. Hopeson was speaking at the MUSIGA Regional Congress where new regional executives were elected for the Greater Accra Region. Mr. A.B. Crenstil, First Vice President of the Union, Nana Ampadu, General Secretary, Amandziba Nat Brew, Second Vice President, Mrs Jude Lomotey, Treasurer and C.K. Morrison, Welfare Officer were other executives present.

Mrs. Hopeson said even though Charterhouse organized a viable music awards every year, the Musicians' Union have to organize a platform that celebrated every facet of the Ghanaian music industry.

"I want to challenge this region and other regions to prepare a group to represent them in August to participate in the first ever Ghana Music festival," She said.

Touching on challenges and the way forward for the Ghanaian Music Industry, Mrs. Hopeson commended the government for passing the copyright law and the fact that the government made provision for the industry in the national budget and urged Ghanaians to adhere to the full tenets of the law.

Mrs. Hopeson, who shared her vision for the industry in the next four years, said her objective was to strengthen the administrative structure of the union which included updating of data and statistics and strengthening linkages with government bodies and other organizations related to the music industry.

Developing a new membership file, updating the MUSIGA website and creating a directory for all musicians were, among the things the new executives of the MUSIGA would do to enhance the association. Mrs Hopeson said MUSIGA was also coming up with a new minimum wage for musicians, including those who sing in churches where musicians would be paid social security and other benefits.

She called for change of attitude among musicians and for them to adopt hard work as their trademark.

"Let's be ready for change and the change should start with us." Mrs Hopeson urged musicians not to rush to travel outside the country with the objective of finding greener pastures since there were many ways of earning a regular income from the industry in the country. "Most of the job opportunities in the music industry are really behind the scenes. Promoters, sound engineers, audio mixers; there are also jobs in the music business for booking agents, concert managers and publishers. We lack people in these areas." she said.

Nana Kwame Ampadu, General Secretary of the Union, expressed concern about division in the union and said, "instead of developing ourselves as musicians we are always creating conflicts." He mentioned specifically those who have formed another group and said it was the wish of MUSIGA that they came to join the group again and sort out their differences.

"MUSIGA is ready to meet and dialogue with them." Nana Ampadu emphasized the need for churches to pay musicians in their churches a minimum wage and said that a rough estimate of the number of churches in Accra alone was about 5,000. He shared his thought with members about doing political songs for a particular politicians and said it was their job and they could do it once they were being paid for it.

Mr. Enerst Kwesi Ennin was elected chairman of the Greater Accra branch of the Union.

Other executives elected include: Nana Yeboah, Vice Chairman, Mr Chizzy Waler, General Secretary, Mr Andy Frimpong-Manso, Treasurer and Mr Jacob Ayikwei, Welfare Officer.