‘Music is a potential revenue earner’ -Boafo

The Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture, S. K. Boafo says Ghanaian highlife music is a potential revenue earner which when properly developed could become one of the country’s non-traditional exports. He said it is regrettable that despite its potential, highlife music has been unable to penetrate the international music market because of the reliance on computerized background at the expense of the original Ghanaian cultural rhythm.

Mr. Boafo said this in a speech on his behalf at a national workshop for the development of musicians, intellectual property rights and contractual arrangements in Ghana. The Minister noted that traditional highlife music of today has been fused with hip hop rhythm of the west and therefore lost its uniqueness. He therefore commended the organizers of the workshop for their vision saying the programme is very timely.

The Chairman of the National Commission on Culture, Professor George Hagan, urged musicians to take advantage of the tax exemption on imported musical instruments to bring in more instruments for live performances.

The President of the Musicians Union of Ghana, Mrs. Diana Hopeson commended the resource person, who were from Britain, Sweden and France for the in-depth lectures which she said will go a long way to broaden the outlook of Ghanaian musicians. She urged the participants to take the lessons seriously so that they can impart it to those who could not avail themselves of the opportunity.

The Vice President of the International Federation of Musicians and Immediate Past President of MUSIGA, Alhaji Sidiku Buari said the Federation will conduct similar workshops in other African Countries in order to shape the skills and talents of African musicians. He described the workshop as an initiative that will help the participants to strategize to move African music forward.