GMA has grown. Undoubtedly, it is Ghana’s major entertainment event. As usual, it was well planned but there were challenges that so overwhelmed the organizers that they had to look on helplessly as they could not contain the crowd. Those outside the venue simply refused to leave. They wanted to be part of it, the live event; they felt too associated with it to go away.

The days that followed the event has seen the public praising and lambasting Charter House, the organizers at the same time. Well, good or bad, the genuine feeling I get is that Ghanaians appreciate the GMA. We love it, we feel it. It’s about Ghanaian music and who owns our music aside us?

But for me I have been relinquishing in joy. I have realized growth and maturity in one aspect – fashion! Once, after watching an excerpt of a music awards program in South Africa and realizing that the audience was so formally dressed, I updated my facebook status and asked if the GMA will see such fashion, instead of the bling and stage clothes we usually saw. The comments that came suggested that people were honestly tired of the way some of our popular persons dressed for such events.

At the just ended GMA, the men were so smartly dressed in cute looking suits. Some wore Ghanaian and African themed attires. They looked like they were there, not for showmanship alone, but portraying that indeed, they were there to receive honors for their works so far. Some of the attires were fancy alright, but hey, they still looked lovely. Wondering aloud, where else will they wear such fanciful attires to?

If I am to mention names, I will go on and on and on. I will simply say the gentlemen of Ghanaian showbiz were lovely at the GMA. Not all of them, maybe, but definitely a large number.

Can the same be said about our ladies? For a show slated as a mere musical event, I think they would have passed, but to have an

award themed program such as the GMA, I think, and this is a personal opinion, that they should have complimented the gentlemen fully by understanding that this is an honorary event, not a party-nightclub-beach-show-me-you-have-flesh kind of event. Again, not all of them, maybe, but definitely a large number.

I must add that I really appreciated it that some of the artists have a clear distinction between stage attire and the attire for the evening. Some changed their clothing when they had to perform and oh I loved that. Some performers were good, others tried so hard to win audience support with other additions, since their show was nothing sort of walking up and down the stage and screaming to distort the show CDs that were playing in the background. We are learning. We are improving. We are on our way. We will get there. As to when, I cannot tell. But for now, we are moving!

By Akosua