For a moment I thought my eyes were deceiving me as I went through the list of artists lined up for this year’s Tigo Music Unplugged Concert which happens to be the second after a successful one in Accra last year.
Going through the list, it was quite interesting to note that not a single Kumasi based or “Kumasi made” artist was billed for the concert which is aimed at entertaining the proud sons and daughters of the Otumfour Osei Tutu II.
As the name suggests, this is a concert organized by telecommunication network Tigo and as such they have the right to choose which artists they want to bill for their shows but hey, it just doesn’t work that way so far as you are working with people.
This is not to say that the artists billed do not merit to mount the platform. From Stonebwoy, Shatta Wale, VVIP, Kwaw Kese, EL, Keche and MzVee to Nigerian artists Patoranking, each one deserves to grace that stage but what of doing the honorary thing by involving artists based in the city especially looking at how influential artists from Kumasi has had on the music scene in Ghana at large.
Maybe, far fetched but just like you can’t go to Canada and disrespect Drake, so can’t you drive through to Oseikrom without respecting the artists there. What is the point in celebrating with the people when you can’t celebrate their own?
Perhaps someone is thinking none of the Kumasi artists is really on fire compared to the artists already named for the show but that is FAT lie. The likes of Cabum, Flowking Stone, Shatta Rako, Strongman, Okyeame Kwame and many others are on fire and deserve some respect as you enter their terrain.
The explanation from Tigo however suggests that last year’s event had no Ga. Also they are not a regional concert which is profiled around where people are from.
Again, someone at the top may also be thinking, “This is a FREE concert and so no matter who is billed, the people will come”. Sure, that’s not far from RIGHT but as a network that would creatively create an advert to suit the people of Kumasi, what prevents you from placing premium on its artists as well or have you forgotten so soon about the “Oh Brenda” line in your TVC? What about your own Billboard that suggests you can’t visit the Garden City without having a bowl of the popular food Fufu?
Were they meant to deceive the people into thinking you really cared about them and that they can have a network they could relate to? Well, the people can judge for themselves.
Few weeks ago, Ghanaian rapper E.L who was billed to perform at the CCB auditorium rather turned to be a spectator at other artists’ concert on the same campus. You know why? Your guess might be as good as mine.
I’m not by this post spiting the event but to call on the organizers to pay respect to the talents and acts making an impact with their craft as well. It is said that it is never wrong to go to the drawing board and I hope someone addresses this issue.
