Alhaji Sidiku Buari
The former President of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Alhaji Sidiku Buari, has appealed to the government to give priority to the creative arts industry by channelling more resources into its development.
He mentioned that if the creative industry in Ghana would gain recognition on the international scene, then the government ought to put in place policies that would protect the works of its stakeholders to enable them to generate revenue from their works.
According to him, “The creative industry in Ghana today has become more lucrative than most sectors of the economy and we must take advantage of this to harness its potential to create employment, wealth and lift many out of poverty.”
Alhaji Sidiku Buari who is also a former Vice Chairman of the International Federation of Musicians (FIM) appealed to the government to build art theatres in all the district capitals as part of efforts to engage the youth and promote tourism through arts and entertainment.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with BEATWAVES, the former MUSIGA president stated that the creative industry is a major income earner for some countries, adding, “If we put our investment in the industry, it could be one of the major sectors and it will create more jobs for the youth in the country.”
As a film producer and a musician, Sidiku Buari pointed out that in order to sell Ghana to the world, the government should position Ghana’s music and tourism on the global market at various international fairs through international exhibitions and cultural events.
He urged the government to collaborate with the stakeholders in the creative sector to identify the potential of the industry through an impact assessment study. The study, he said, could be used to support the preparation of a medium term strategic framework that would guide the development of the industry.
Alhaji Sidiku Buari who is the owner of the Sid Film Theatre and Sid Music Studios was a national athlete in the 1960s, an amateur American baseball player in the 1970s and a trained interior decorator.
During the 1963 All Africa Games in Dakar, Senegal, he won a silver medal for Ghana’s athletics team. Shortly after returning to Ghana, the team participated in the West Africa Games in Ibadan, Nigeria, where he won gold in the 400 metres race.
“Before the 4x400m race in which I participated, Nigeria was leading Ghana by one point and the Nigerians were waiting patiently for their quartet team to win the race for them to throw the country into wild celebration. But that did not materialise because we beat them to win three points in that race and became the over-all winners,” Sidiku Buari told BEATWAVES.
He has 15 albums, including ‘Buari’, ‘Zama Lafia’, ‘Kuka Maraya’, ‘Nyanyo Kpakpa’, ‘Ayalolo’ and ‘Africa Responds To The World’ to his credit.
By George Clifford Owusu