Forum On Ghana Music Awards

THE organizers of the Ghana Music Awards, Charterhouse, last weekend organized the first of three open forums in Kumasi as part of events leading up to the official launch of the awards. The event, which attracted a large number of participants from the Ghana music industry was held at the Rexmar Hotel in Kumasi. Participants described the decision to re-introduce open forums in the schedule for the Ghana Music Awards as a laudable one. This is because it brings together all stakeholders of Ghanaian music to discuss ways by which the processes of the GMA could be perfected and also ensure that the opinions on which artistes excelled were counted. The forum was over-subscribed as attendance far exceeded the expectation of the organizers. This is an indication of the level of credence that has been given to the Ghana Music Awards as an authentic music awards scheme. In attendance were radio presenters, entertainment journalists, producers, distributors and musicians from different associations. The general public was not left out as many made sure their favorite music icons were not left out of the nominations. The moderator for the day was Fred Darko, who steered affairs well. Present also were some members of the Planning Committee, which included Diana Hopson, President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) and her Second Vice Chairman, Amandzeba Nat Brew. Others were Fred K. Mensah and Nii Ayite Hammond, a representative of Charterhouse, the event organisers. Participants were given the opportunity to review ways through which GMA, which is in its ninth year, could be improved. Again, a review of the different categories and their definitions was made to ensure that the provisional definition in circulation captured the essence of the category. Participants also took part in the nomination and categorization processes, an opportunity that was greatly appreciated by all. One important suggestion made at the forum was that, in a year that there are no worthy contenders for a category, that category should be left blank to encourage creativity. Clarifications sought by participants on some aspects of the awards and the Ghana Music Awards in general were all ably answered by the panelists.