Stop the tribute song hypocrisy

I know some people will insult me after reading this piece. They will say I hate certain musicians but that will not deter me from spitting the bitter truth.

Few months ago, some media houses and organizations started a campaign against illegal mining popularly known in Ghana as ‘galamsey.’

Citi FM for example, took the #StopGalamseyNow campaign higher and hammered on these five core mandates:

• The total cessation of all small and medium scale mining for a period of six months

• The cessation of the issuance of new mining licences for a year

• The reclassification of mining categories to reflect the use of new/larger equipment

• The allowance of water bodies to regenerate their natural ecology

• Tree planting and a land reclamation project

These calls by the media and pressure groups precipitated Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Peter Amewu’s quest to give illegal miners within the country an ultimatum to halt their activities.

What can creative artistes do to fight ‘galamsey’?

During this fight, some of us advocated that the creative industry also got involved in the campaign. I wrote an article to examine the effects of ‘galamsey’ and how influential the arts would be in fighting such cause.

So I wrote that “movie producers, especially those in the Kumawood world have the penchant for making movies on trending issues especially when the issues are very trivial. Do you remember movies like Attah Mortuary Man, Obinim Schwarzenegger, Tonga, Yentie Obiaa, Sir John, Castro Amanehunu, Oh Vera and Ayari Cough? These are movies that were shot to cash in on very controversial trending terminologies and jargons.

It is therefore surprising that when it comes to very critical matters like ‘galamsey,’ these movie makers are silent. I don’t think it must always be about trivialities. The arts must change the world by changing its perception of the world.

Poetry is another powerful art form that can be used to send out information and create awareness. There are a lot of poets and spoken word artistes in Ghana who can also effectively use their craft to affect their audience by way of campaign against illegal mining.

Painters can also create works of art to show how serious the menace is – so can any other creative arts person.”

The Kojo Antwi ‘galamsey’ song that never was

One of the few musicians that came out to announce his intention to do a song to aid the ‘galamsey’ fight was ace musician Kojo Antwi. He condemned the act and promised that he was going to do a song with Stonebwoy and few other musicians in this wise.

Up till now, Kojo has not yet produced any song to that effect. Apart from Gombilla the poet, Kay Steez, The Gem, Makafui, Kwame Rasta who have used their creative talents to preach against illegal mining, the rest of millions of the creative artists we have in Ghana seem not bothered about ‘galamsey.’

Dance hall kingpin, Shatta Wale, who has the ability to compose 10 songs in 10 seconds, has not done any song on ‘galamsey.’ EL, Hasn’t too. They just don’t care, I surmise.

The last time I spoke to Daddy Bosco, the Communications Director of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), he said the union had not even planned doing any song of a sort. Yet, if it were the death of a public figure, they would have gone to the studio to do a tribute song within thirty (30) minutes. Shame!

When Amandzeba and Gallaxy rubbished ‘galamsey’ songs

Ace musician Amandzeba told JoyNew’s MzGee in an interview that it was useless for musicians to campaign against illegal mining through music and that fighting the menace is government’s responsibility and not creative artists’. Yes, he said this.

Apparently, he doesn’t know (or refuses to acknowledge) the power he wields as a creative artiste, in causing a change in society.

Music duo Gallaxy, also said that they would not record any song against ‘galamsey’ because it would not have any impact on their brand.

The group, comprising Bra Chiky and Kwasi Dav said they do music as business and that singing against ‘galamsey’ would not earn them any money.

“We are business people, we do music to sell and I don’t think the consumers are ready to buy this kind of music so singing about ‘galamsey’ I don’t think is going to get that audience appeal,” they said.

Gallaxy’s statement was puerile, lame, irresponsible and unpatriotic. Citizens who only think about themselves and believe that whatever happens outside their space does not affect them, are not good citizens.

Whatever affects one directly, by extension has a bearing on a lot of other people. Gallaxy is only concerned about singing about women’s butts and sex won’t sing about a menace that can claim the lives of the people that will patronise their songs.

Captain Mahama’s murder and the tribute songs

On Monday 29th May, 2017, Captain Maxwell Adam Mahama, an officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, was said to have been on his daily jogging routine on Monday when he was lynched by some residents of Denkyira-Boase in the Central Region of Ghana. He had been deployed there as part of some anti-illegal mining operation.

The residents claimed Captain Mahama was a robber as he was in mufti at the time. Reports said he was armed with a gun while jogging, and residents who saw him with the gun raised an alarm, attracting some of the youth in the community who attacked and killed him.

After the killing, dancehall artiste Shatta Wale did a touching tribute song for him. Other musicians like EL, Cabum, Nero X and few others have also followed suit – and as the issue generates public sympathy, it is expected that more creative artistes will join the tribute song wagon.

Tribute songs are not bad. Songs can be done to cover all aspects of human life including death. So Shatta Wale and the others have not committed any offence for what they have done.

However, it is unfortunate that our Ghanaian musicians attach urgency to tribute songs than songs that can help prevent deaths.

In Shatta Wale’s hit song ‘Taking Over,’ there is a line that says ‘?y? me life s? m?y? galamsey’ which means ‘my life is hinged on engaging in illegal mining.’ This song came at a time the whole nation including the President Nana Akufo-Addo was at the crescendo of the ‘galamsey’ campaign. Obviously, these are very strong lines that can make ‘galamseyers’ recalcitrant to the fight against illegal mining.

Music, like any creative art form, is a very powerful tool in communication. Musicologists have discovered that music influences a lot of behavioural patterns among human beings.

Music makes people, happy or sad. Music educates the general public on facts and things to do to be better. Music informs. It is not for any reason that words are used to compose music. The lyrics of songs are not for the mere composition. They serve a particular purpose.

There have been times when people have been influenced by lyrics of songs to do good or bad. Some have eschewed certain ills because of the words in a song.

If we continually do songs about hooliganism, indiscipline, promiscuity and other ill behaviours, we should not be proud to do tribute songs when these actions spawn problems and deaths.

Reports indicate that the army officer who was lynched at Denkyira-Boase, Maxwell Adams Mahama was sent to the town to guard at ‘galamsey’ site. Apparently, the inhabitants of the town who are ‘galamseyers’ may have lynched the young man because of ‘galamsey.’

But for ‘galamsey,’ he may not have been in that town. Now, these musicians of ours kept mute over ‘galamsey’ and its dangers and now that an army officer has died while on a ‘galamsey-fight’ duty, you go to studio to show how melancholic you can wax in music. Do dirges put money into your pockets too?

Shatta Wale is a huge artiste with a cult following. If he had done a song on ‘galamsey,’ the campaign would have gone a step farther.

My humble plea to creative artists
Creative artistes in Ghana must be proactive. There are a lot of social issues we can address in our works apart from the butts, breast and violence.

It is true that the commercial songs will get you quick income but once in a while, it is prudent you tackle issues of social development.

Highlife crooner Kwabena Kwabena, has a project for people with heart related diseases. Rapper Okyeame Kwame has also been fighting Hepatitis B through music and health screening. So have other arts personalities embarked on several social responsibility projects.

There is no use neglecting a problem you could have helped in solving and coming back to mourn when the problem escalates.