Ratify treaties on rights of musicians

Accra, Nov 21, GNA - Musicians Unions from 15 African countries including Ghana at the end of a Three-day meeting in Dakar, Senegal have called on states on the continent to ratify, transpose and enforce international treaties to harmonise and globalise the rights of authors and music performers.

In a communiqu=E9 at the end of a regional seminar on contractual arrangements and musicians rights, Musician Unions in Africa denounced acts of Piracy on music creation and production that made it impossible for professional and independent creative industry to rise on the continent.


They called on governments and non-governmental organisations to implement joint strategies with the aim of dismantling the manufacture, importation and distribution of cassettes, pirated CDs, VCR and DVDs due to the growth of piracy networks and their cross border characteristics. The Musician Unions urged African countries to ensure the proper application of the law to guarantee the economical and social interest of music professionals since national measures arising from public authority prerogatives are the exclusive responsibility and competence of the state.


The communiqu=E9 called on them to go beyond the political will of defending culture by adopting the convention on the protection and promotion of diversity of cultural expression through concrete measures of fighting piracy in cooperation with concerned professional organisations.


Alhaji Sidiku Buari, President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MISIGS), who represented Ghana at the meeting noted that lack of appropriate cultural strategies, training and funding opportunities had undermined human and institutional capacity to enable musicians and artistes to exploit the cultural industry in Africa to the fullest. Alhaji Sidiku Buari, who is also the Vice President of the International Federation of Musicians, said for a long time musicians and artistes in Africa had not been regarded as serious entrepreneurs whose industry needed the kind of incentives accorded to other professionals.

He noted that in most African countries if not all, musicians did not enjoy social security benefits and insurance or pension schemes, adding that, some did not even have Union representation, protection of their property rights and collection of their mechanical royalties, while their works were constantly pirated.


The MUSIGA President further noted that copying western culture, which he said was primarily a consequence of the colonial past, undermined the status of the African artistes.


He called for the reintroduction of Live Band Music and urged Musician on the continent to stop miming business.


Alhaji Sidiku Buari pointed out that they would be creating employment for themselves and stressed the need for African Musicians to be educated on the opportunities available so as to identify other methods of organising Unions to bargain for their rights.