All eyes on Ghana

There seems to be an air of nostalgia blowing over black entertainers in the Diaspora and anytime they look back to their roots in Africa, they see one particular destination: Ghana.

For the past couple of years all eyes have been on Ghana, so far as African tours by black international artistes are concerned.


Singers such as Mark Morrison, Boys II Men, Isaac Hayes, Will Smith, Freddie Jackson, Sy Smith, Joe Thomas and many others have visited the country recently to share their good works with their brothers and sisters.


Come Saturday, April 19, two of Africa-America’s top musicians, Eve and DMX, will stage a mammoth concert at the Accra Sports Stadium not only to entertain their fans but also to drum home the HIV/AIDS message through the power of music.


And on April 21, another crowd-pulling group, Naughty By Nature, will join DMX and Eve to shake the Garden City, Kumasi, where they will also drop a note of caution against acts that expose people to HIV/AIDS.


Mr Rich Sakyi-Aduram a.k.a., QC, the Ghanaian representative of Supreme Records of the United States of America, promoters of the shows, told The Mirror in a telephone interview that the initiative to spread the AIDS message in Africa through music, came from Rita Williams, a professional basketball player in the US who also owns Supreme Records.


He said the concerts are in line with basketball player Magic Johnson’s move to create awareness about the deadly disease around the world. “Similar shows are also expected to be held in South Africa”, Rich said.

He said, depending on the success of the Accra and Kumasi shows, the event will be an annual affair which will involve several top international and local artistes.


Ghana’s concerts are dubbed, “Do or Die,” apparently to tell the peoples of Africa to do the right things and avoid HIV/AIDS or die.


The organisers are very much aware that Ghanaians understand their own languages better and have therefore put some top local artistes on the bill. This is expected to throw some element of healthy contest into the shows as our home boys hold their own against their Yankee brethren.


Supreme Records has worked with lots of renowned artistes including Blackstreet and Little Kim and is currently working on Eve’s latest album. The group also has a package coming up for Reggie Rockstone, the grandfather of Ghanaian hiplife music.


It will be a dream come true for many young people in Ghana, particularly those in Accra and Kumasi, to see DMX who sang Ruff Riders, Eve, the singer of Gotta Man, and Naughty By Nature of Hip Hop Hurray and OPP fame live and in flesh, after savouring their music for so many years