Workshop for musicians begins amidst opposition from MUSIGA

Ho, Jan. 20, GNA - A workshop on Music and Poverty Reduction started in Ho on Friday despite protestations from the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) which described the intensions of the workshop as "spurious".

The workshop, being held under the aegis of the Ho based Institute for Music and Development, according Professor Komla Amoako, the Institute's Executive Director, was to strategise to get stakeholders in music and other creative works realise the ultimate returns for the efforts.

The French Embassy, Goethe Institute and the Ministry of Tourism are supporting the workshop, which is being attended by musicians, producers, songwriters, economists and legal practitioners, among others.

While the workshop was going on some members of the Union led by Alhaji Sidiku Buari, its President, paraded some principal streets of Ho with placards some reading "Dey want Chop our money" and "No MUSIGA no World Bank Loan".

Alhaji Buari flanked by some members of the Union including Papa Yankson, C K Man, K K Kabobo and Adane Best told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the organizers of the workshop only wanted to take advantage of musicians for their selfish interests.

He said MUSIGA was opposed to the formation of any other umbrella body of musicians as being suggested by the Institute of Music and Development.

About 40 police personnel were deployed at vantage points in the municipality to keep order.

Police Inspector Samuel Adakwa, who led the Police personnel at the Chances Hotel, venue of the Workshop told the GNA that the police team there was under orders to ensure that the workshop was not disrupted. Professor Amoako, told participants that the workshop was meant to advance the interests of all stakeholders in the music industry. He said currently it was difficult to know who was driving the music industry in Ghana saying that the copyright administrative procedures had failed to meet the expectations of Musicians.

Professor Amoako said as a result of the good management of her music industry, South Africa "rakes in' 1.5 billion dollars a year from the business.

He expressed regret that for the past 50 years or so, each time an attempt was made " to put things right in the industry, something happened to put it back two steps".

Professor Amoako denied accusations that his organization had gone in for a grant from the World Bank, saying it was not technically possible for an organization like his to access such facilities. He said what his Institute had set up to do was to provide ideas to help reform the music industry and stressed that he would not be cowed by vilification from any quarter.

Mr Carlos Sekyi, a musician said it was unfortunate that many "don't put value on their creative works, slamming the copyrights law in its present form as taking "control out of the hands of people who owned those rights".

Mr Andrews Amegatse, a retired public servant and one time Copyrights Administrator said the issue of copyrights was no longer culture but trade.

He said the copyrights process should operate in a 'multi-polar landscape" allowing a lot of freedom with only a governing council to set the rules.

Regarding MUSIGA's opposition to the workshop, Mr Amegatse said it was in the public interest that; where there was "controversy over issues, all voices are heard".

Topics to be treated during the workshop include: "Promotion and development of the music industry in Ghana: Defining the legal and regulatory framework," Rights of the Individual Musician and Performer under the Copyright act," and "Strategies for an Appropriate Legislative Framework to Guide the Development of the Industry". Mr Rex Omar, a popular musician in an interview with the GNA said that the opposition of MUSIGA to the workshop was based on ignorance. On his part Mr Nat Brew, another popular musician said the irony of development and progress was that those who opposed reform for the better were often in the majority and the discerning, few.