As I sat behind my TV on Tuesday April 29 2014 to watch Mark Okraku Mantey try to explain how the executives of the Ghana Music Rights Organization (GHAMRO) and structures worked in there on GhOne, some few things kept running through my mind and they were that the recent resignations, internal wranglings and outcry would soon call for a REVOLUTION as no better argument could be raised by the afore mentioned and many other executives who have spoken to the matter.
Matters were even worse when Mark Okraku Mantey attempted explaining how royalties were shared amongst musicians. He explained the Association had a scheme of sharing among registered members which meant the current crop of musicians who are enjoying massive airplay but unregistered with them had zero monies although monies were collected in their names. Who does that? Crazy, right?
As stated already, the recent resignations and public registeration of dissatisfaction by most members of the organization clearly tells what the future holds for the current leadership of the organization which has also been operating illegally since their term of office expired some months ago.
For many years, a lot of Ghanaian musicians have not been interested in the affairs of the association but with the recent discussions on the Association, the many challenges and lapses in their operations, many who have taken delight in them have called for the board to be dissolved and made to account for every penny spent.
In all these, one name that seems to be at the center of the confusion is the BOSS, Carlos Sakyi who has been accused by so many members including Bandex and Kojo Antwi for operating an autocratic system, an accusation he has on several occasions refuted. Carlos Sakyi seems to have lost the ‘thing’ for which the same people asked him to be their leader.
I had the chance to listen to a vocifrous Carlos Sakyi adressing the challenges of music rights owners in Ghana and describing the erstwhile COSGA as irresponsible, incompetent and not rendering accounts in a tete a tete with Honourable Betty Mould Iddrisu, something that led his followers who believed he could lead a fight for them ask him to head the new administration. However, he stands accused of the same things he fought for today.
The question I keep asking is for what reason would virtually everyone on the board ask that Carlos Sakyi be axed from his position? Is it a planned thing or what? I don’t really think so.
Carlos and his leadership have gone beyond their two year term in office and are required to organize an election but not until they have rendered an accounts, something many members have hit on several times.
Recently, the president for the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Bice Osei Kuffour otherwise known as Obour in a long scripted letter outlined some grievances with the Association although he was a sitting member of the board of GHAMRO but did not go well with Carlos Sakyi.
Just like any Ghanaian politician, Carlos did not respond to the issues addressed in the letter but rather cast a swipe at Obour and his office (MUSIGA) as being a failed administration.
I know you might have heard of the issues surrounding GHAMRO and seem uninterested but trust me, a REVOLUTION will soon hit them with the recent developments. I however pray, these people are able to put in place the right structures to make our musicians better of than what we see despite making great efforts at their craft.
