Play 100% GH music at Christmas —KOD charges DJs, clubs
Renowned broadcaster and fashion designer Kofi Okyere Darko, popularly known as KOD, is calling for a 100 per cent play of Ghanaian music by DJs, pubs, and nightclubs among others during the festive season.
He believes since Ghana has become the preferred tourism destination for Christmas and New Year in the sub-region, industry players must position themselves to benefit from the thousands of visitors who come into the country for the festivities.
Speaking with Graphic Showbiz on Wednesday, December 21, the graduate of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) said the decision must be intentional with the goal to popularise Ghanaian music to foreign visitors especially.
“I have heard reports that about one million visitors are expected in the country. When these people come, they will sleep in our hotels, eat our food, get collections from our fashion designers and even buy souvenirs back to their respective countries.
“Songs we play resound in their ears, but in the last few years, if we listen to music played on our airwaves, it is more of Nigerian songs from morning to evening. I think that we have to make a deliberate effort to promote Ghanaian music at such times,” he said.
With the advent and popularity of social media, music is travelling beyond geographical boundaries, but KOD is certain traditional media is very crucial in the promotion of Ghanaian music.
“Of course, I can understand that social media is very popular and the Nigerian artistes are really taking advantage of it, but what about our radio and television platforms?
“We cannot continue to feed people who come into the country with Nigerian music. I think that is very unacceptable, to say the least.
“December in GH is very big now and there is no better opportunity than to deliberately push our music to resound in the ears of visitors who come here. While leaving our country with elements of Ghana, music must be part of it,” he said.
KOD’s assertion about giving prominence to Ghanaian music has been a simmering debate over the years.
He told Graphic Showbiz that even though some industry players rubbished such moves because of their personal interests, the implementation of a policy by the various radio and TV stations would make it achievable.
“I know that 100 per cent Ghanaian music in December will be difficult, but it is attainable if there is a policy guiding the players. I’m saying this because the Nigerians are deliberate on getting their music popular here in Ghana, to the extent that they even have some of our DJs and key industry players on their payrolls.
“For such people, they will definitely find it difficult to play solely Ghanaian music, but with a policy, they will have no choice but to oblige. Even if we can’t play only our music, 70 per cent will be good because we have created this huge platform (December in GH) and we must be beneficiaries,” he said.
December In GH is a unique package of events and programmes to make Ghana the preferred tourism destination for Christmas and New Year.
In the last three years or more, Ghana has played host to millions of visitors around the world and even though KOD gave a thumbs up to the initiative, he also entreated Ghanaians to be good ambassadors through service delivery.
“Our service delivery is very poor and there is the need to take another look at that if we want to build a good image for our country. It is very important since that will go a long way to affect the decision of foreign visitors to come back or not,” he added.