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MUSIGA to organise yearly music
festivals
Accra, Dec. 17, Ghanadot/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.
GNA
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