Michael Boadi-Darkwa
Michael Boadi-Darkwa, artiste manager and chief executive officer of Loulou Empire, a record label, has called on music and dance performers to give equal importance to all the performances they undertake as they seek to portray the Ghanaian culture.
He said culture is an important tool for every country and it cannot be performed by misinforming people, hence the need to attach importance to dance performances as it communicates to others the true nature of the tradition of a people.
Speaking in an interview the artiste manager said every dance performance has traditions, philosophies and cultural meanings backing it and this need to be well explained to educate viewers on what is being portrayed.
He said if professional dance performers and amateur groups want to remain in the art industry, then there is the need to preserve, develop and transform the cultural and traditional values into something new that has bearing on the traditional dance displays of the country.
He called on dance teachers to provide the right instructions pertaining to dance performances.
Michael Boadi-Darkwa advised contemporary musicians to avoid the use of Pidgin English and use more of “traditional rap” to promote the rich culture of Ghanaian songs.
He said that the music industry was dying due to high patronage of modern rap. He therefore admonished new artistes to value “traditional rap” as it portrays the unique Ghanaian culture.
“Musicians are like painters who have to select the paints they want for their work. Therefore in Africa or Ghana in particular, our concern is the language. That is the Ghanaian decency practice”, he said.
He added “At the moment, some of the songs are in Pidgin English and these together with modern rap are destroying the music industry. Let’s endeavour to use traditional rap in our songs to revive the industry.”
He warned musicians to act instinctively, exercise patience and sit down to write their songs properly before releasing them.
“Make corporate studies, share ideas and opinions. There is something called rudiments of reading; desist from over reliance on the computer and learn the rules of quality music so you can breakthrough. Be versatile, dynamic and create contents of your own.” He cautioned.
He accused radio stations and DJs as responsible for the dwindling industry. He said radio stations and DJs must scrutinize songs before giving them airplay since their duty was not only to entertain but to educate as well.
By George Clifford Owusu