Over the past years, event organizers have contracted foreign artists for musical shows in Ghana, but this year, the status quo seems challenged.
In fact, our showbiz industry started importing foreign acts as far back as the 80s and 90s. I recall at a young age, the massive reportage and media attention Yellow Man received when he was billed to perform in Ghana in the 90s. He polled massive crowd at the National Theatre and gave a top-drawer performance. The concert had rave reviews in Ghana’s media circles.
Then entering the new millennium when a number of event organizers began emerging, the orientation of bringing foreign acts into Ghana intensified. It almost became a competition, where if an event organizer could fly a foreign act into Ghana it meant they are richer, influential and well connected – a jejune competition if you ask me!
Over the last 20 years, we have imported not less than 50 A-list foreign artists to perform on our soil. List of some of them include, Steve Wonder, Boys to Men, Cool and the Gang, Isaac Hayes, Alvin Slaughter, Bow Wow, Don Moen, Jimmy Cliff, Shaggy, Ron Kenoly, Sizzler, Cece Winans, Donnie McClurkin, Kirk Franklin, Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross, Jay Z, Amber Rose, Keri Hilson, Fabulous, Beenie Man, Akon, Eric Donaldson, Seal Paul, Demako, Movado and Chris Brown.
Indeed, the importation of foreign acts into Ghana for musical concerts has always not met the full delight of Ghanaian artists and art critics. On the artists’ part, they always kvetch of how event organizers give preferential treatments to foreign acts over them.
Preferential treatments such as: payment of huger professional fees to the foreign acts, provision of expensive and prestigious hotels to accommodate them, meeting of all the technical riders of the foreign acts, inability to have collaborations with the foreign acts, amongst others.
Aside the fact that we willfully contract these foreign artists to come and perform and repatriate our hard earned monies to their economies which is not in our best interest, is also the fact that some of these foreign acts do not even show enough respect to us when they are contracted.
I recall the year 2010 when Rick Ross came to Ghana – this chap went on stage with almost over 50 percent of the event patrons not present at the Doom of the Accra International Conference Center AICC. Rick Ross gladly mounted the stage minutes before 8pm (billed time), performed and left that very night to catch another flight to South Africa.
When majority of the event patrons came, they were told Rick Ross has finished performing and is on his way to catch another flight. The crowd was absolutely mad – meanwhile, this dude was rumoured to have been paid a whopping $170, 000.
Sean Kingston was hugely advertised to come to Ghana in 2012. The organizers shot a short video of him – pledging to come and how he loves Ghana and Ghanaians. At the end of the day, he did not come but failed to shoot a similar video to apologize or explain to his cherished fans why he could not come. Just last year – 2013, Chris Brown came to Ghana for Rlg’s ‘Hope City’ concert. At the end, he came to perform, smoke, promote marijuana and left us ‘fighting’ ourselves.
Elephant Man was highly expected to come to Ghana to perform at 2013 Bass Awards. After all the TV advertisements in which he promised heaven and earth, he failed to turn up. Rumour even had it that he snubbed the event organizers – gave no explanation for his action but ‘chopped’ the half payment he received free bonto!
Meanwhile, if it had been a Ghanaian artist, the event organizers would have prevailed upon him or her to wait for the patrons to come in their numbers before the fellow performs. Woe betides any Ghanaian artist who insists and performs to a half full concert and leaves afterwards – he or she would be described as being rude and arrogant but for a foreign act, we allow it to pass.
This year, 2014, the only foreign act I can remember having graced our land is Yvonne Chaka Chaka from South Africa – came to perform at this year’s Legend and Legacy Ball (Lal Ball). In fact, I wouldn’t want to consider her a foreigner in the true sense of what I call foreign act.
Foreign acts, I mean esteemed artists outside Africa, specifically Western acts. The only foreign act who readily comes in mind this year is Lauryn Hill. Usually, when these foreign acts are coming, massive publicity and gimmicks are done for all and sundry to know that a foreign musician from say America, Britain or Jamaica is coming to Ghana.
Unfortunately, with Lauryn’s coming, the publicity was as low as contralto – a little funny, because, even in America and in her general music career now, Lauryn Hill has lost relevance and is not a ‘hot cake’ so why contract her for a musical concert in Ghana? To resuscitate her career? Or because Ghanaians love dead goods?
So the big questions are: Are our event organizers perhaps heeding to the call by some industry pundits that the importation of foreign acts is not in the best interest of our showbiz industry so they should stop or cut it to the barest minimum?
Is it also that this year, our event organizers don’t have enough money to contract the foreign acts? Or our showbiz industry has already discovered great talents who are entertaining us so even if foreign acts are brought in, they won’t do any ‘magic’ or over-entertain us?
Well, my candid opinion on this importation of foreign acts is simple – it should be done sparingly, because at the end, our artists, the media, and Ghana as a country do not benefit much!
Bringing them and paying them those huge professional fees is akin to the proverbial analogy of a poor man who works tirelessly and gives what he has earned to a rich man because he admires the rich.
What do you also think? Let’s get talking. Until then…MOTWUM!!
I think some GH musicians proved them wrong this year, lkn at the year in review & also maybe that Chris Brown incident might hve led other Event Organizers to lay back a little.
De more we promot our own de best dey becm for us to njoyy dem….