Over a decade now, Ghanaians have been complaining about how the Ghanaian media and DJs push Nigerian songs in Ghana when the story is not the same in Nigeria. Others have also opined that the slow growth of the Ghanaian entertainment industry has been the ramification of the infiltration and influx of Nigerian productions into the Ghanaian entertainment industry and market.
Some entertainment connoisseurs in Ghana have been pushing an agenda for some time now trying to get the ratio of Nigerian songs being played on the Ghanaian airwaves as against Ghanaian songs on Ghanaian airwaves to turn; with the Ghanaian songs getting the lion’s share.
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There have also been circumstances where Ghanaian artists have been ignored by the Nigerian audience during performances mostly because they were ignorant of whom the artist was or their songs. Like musicians, Ghanaian comedians have also had to deal with Nigerian comedians overtaking comedy shows and audiences in Ghana at the expense of Ghanaian Comedians with only a handful of them getting the chance to perform in Nigeria. The movie industry can also not be left out in this discussion, though there has been a massive improvement in that sector recently.
However, entertainment enthusiast, Nana Yaw Wiredu, after his visit to Nigeria for the SoundCity MVP Awards has debunked the assertion that Nigerians are not playing Ghanaian songs on rotation, juxtaposing that “ Nigerians are playing Ghanaian music on rotation, what now?” He buttressed his point with his experience in Nigeria saying that most clubs, malls, places and radio stations he visited and listened to while in Nigeria were constantly playing Ghanaian songs like Sarkodie’s Adonai and Bleeding to mention a few.
He also threw a challenge to Ghanaian artists that instead of thinking their songs are not being played out there, they should rather aim at intensifying their promotions, visit, tours and others in Nigeria. He also encouraged Ghanaian artists to challenge themselves with more collaborations with Nigerian artists to help them take over a larger market like Nigeria.
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Another interesting point he raised was that “Ghanaians are crying a very wrong cry, we play foreign music more than the Nigerian songs in Ghana” he stated. He explained that, contrary to what Ghanaians think, their biggest competition is not with the Nigerian songs but foreign hip-hop songs overtaking the music scenes in Ghana. He recalled that some hit songs in Nigeria haven’t made its way to Ghana. Yet, should an American artist like Kendrick, Drake, Nicki, Cardi B release a song, it will be on almost all Ghanaian stations and DJs playlist in less than 24hours.
He finally asked Ghanaian artists to boldly go into the Nigerian markets and other African countries to conquer such territories instead of sitting back and thinking they will not be accepted in such hemispheres.
