Though many art critics in Ghana have called on the organizers of Vodafone Ghana Music Award VGMA to consider embossing the names of the scheme’s winners on the plaques or statuettes, the PRO of Charterhouse (organizers of VGMA), Mr. George Nii Armah Quaye, thinks otherwise.
Embossing a person’s name on an award’s plaque or trophy to an awardee or honouree is very important but Charterhouse or the Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) Board seems to have waved it off – considers it as a piffling issue.
One of three reasons why embossing an awardee or honouree’s name on a plaque or trophy is the fact that it ensures: readily identification, forestalls doubt and makes room for easy reference. But, Mr. Quaye begs to differ.
Speaking on Channel R’s 205 Total Entertainment, host of the programme asked Mr. Quaye what Charterhouse has to say with respect to those who are calling on them to emboss winners of the award scheme on the plaques. Mr. Quaye who reacted partly in the first and second person pronounce, explained.
What difference will it make to award plaque I (as in the musicians or winners) have won? If your name is not on the plaques does it change the state that it’s not yours? Does it change the fact that you won it?
When you got the award, all the media were there so does it change the state that you won it? So without your name, it does not change the fact that the award was yours. We still know those who won!” The host, Christian Agyei Frimpong, suggested to Mr. Quaye that it is necessary and can be done.
“It is possible. It’s done in the UEFA champion tournaments. About some 5 minutes for the game to end, the organizers determine the winners and emboss their names on the plaques for the winners – players” Christian Agyei Frimpong revealed.
Mr. Quaye retorted: “with the UEFA example, about 5 minutes to the end of the match, they do analyse and know the winners so they start embossing the winners’ names on the plaques, but in our situation, until KPMG – event statisticians for VGMA bring the results, we don’t know those who have won.
Unless of course people are suggesting we call the award winners, give them a hand shake and later give them the plaques with their names on it.” However, ending his submission, Mr. Quaye admitted “we shall think about it! We shall think about it! It’s not a bad idea!”
GhanaCelebrities.Com’s Opinion
It’s true the organizers are not able to know who wins what before the winners are announced. However, embossing winners’ names on award plaques or statuettes is crucial. An alternative is that, a dummy or miniature plaque could be presented to the awardees or honourees on stage after which the embossed ones, later presented to the winners.
BET Awards uses this alternative. When we all attended school and graduated, we were awarded certificates. On the certificates were our names. It was not only the name of the school that we attended which was on the certificate. This is because, we attend schools individually and toil individually to merit the certificates; hence, our individual names on the awarded certificates.
We all have our names on national IDs, voting IDs, Birth Certificates, passports, driver’s license, etc. Almost all important and tangible items about humans have our names on it. We don’t concur with Charterhouse giving plaques to winners of VGMA without the winners’ names on them.
As noted already, having ones name on a plaque or trophy ensures: readily identification, forestalls doubt, and makes room for easy reference. Do you agree Ghana Music Awards organizers should emboss the winner’s names on the winners’ plaques or not? Share your opinion. Until then…MOTWUM!!