Ghanaian artistes are disrespectful

If it’s about complaints, we usually have our Ghanaian artistes always complaining about event organizers not paying them well, or event organizers paying foreign artistes more or event organizers using their images and names for shows without their consent – making it look as though they (artistes) are pristine, without any fault.

Ghanaian artistes have come under severe castigation by a group of dancers who support them in their numerous endeavors including stage performances and music video shooting. The group has labeled Ghanaian musicians as being disrespectful and ungrateful because they refuse to pay them (dancers) when they mount the stage to support them when they perform and also when they go on set to feature in the music videos.

“Our artistes do not respect dancers who do much to enhance their performances and music videos. When they to go South Africa and Nigeria to shoot their music videos, they pay good money to the dancers but in Ghana, either they refuse to pay and or they give us paltry amount,” Moses Frimpong aka Usher lamented.

Moses Frimpong (Usher) who is head of the dancing group, Flash Mob, revealed that they do sign contracts with the artistes when they are contracted but the artistes, with all the huge sums of money they charge for shows, prefer to go in for dancers who they give money as meager as Ghc 50 per show.

“We do not even charge much especially when you check the kind of effort and support we provide for them in their stage performances and video shoots. We charge Ghc 500 –GH2, 000 depending on the number of artistes you require, yet, these artistes refuse to pay,” he said.

He continued the condemnation, “Fuse ODG is one artiste who respects the craft and contribution of his dancers, so he treats them well and pays them appropriately. Selassie and Kwame, who are dancers of Fuse always speak well of him.”

He had more salvos, “It is no secret that a group like R2Bees has no stagecraft and they need dancers to embellish their stagecraft, yet, they won’t, for reason best known to them.”

Usher concluded that, Ghanaian artistes should be responsible and grateful to dancers for the contribution they bring to the industry. He suggested to the artistes to show the dancers respect, just like they show to dancers in South Africa and Nigeria when the go to shoot their videos. He finally admonished dancers to stop collecting peanuts from artistes who refuse to pay them what is due them as professional dancers.