Amid an escalating dispute regarding the scheduling of musical concerts at the Accra Sports Stadium, Professor Peter Twumasi, the Director General of the National Sports Authority, has responded to claims made by popular Ghanaian musician Shatta Wale, asserting that his team had accepted the conditions set forth by the stadium autho rShatta waleities.
The controversy was sparked when Shatta Wale, in a live video broadcast on Facebook on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, accused the stadium authorities of bias.
He alleged that external influences had pressured them into allowing his arch-rival, Stonebwoy, to host his Bhim Concert just three days before Shatta Wale’s highly anticipated Freedom Wave Festival, scheduled for December 25, 2023.
Shatta Wale emphasized that the stadium authorities had informed his team that it would require three days for concert setup.
Therefore, Stonebwoy’s event slated for December 22, left Shatta Wale with insufficient preparation time.
“You told my team that to do a show at the stadium, one needs three days to set up. So, if you are doing your show on the 25th, you need three days ahead to set up – on the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th. That is what you told my team,” Shatta Wale stated in his video.
He further questioned the timing of Stonebwoy’s concert, suggesting that it could have been scheduled on a different date in December to avoid overlapping with his event.
However, Professor Peter Twumasi told Joy FM that the National Sports Authority had conducted several meetings with both Shatta Wale’s team and Stonebwoy’s team. During these discussions, they reached an agreement on the conditions for hosting their respective concerts.
“We met with his team and agreed on these conditions. They’re okay,” Professor Twumasi confirmed.
He added that there were no restrictions currently preventing either party from holding their concerts on the designated dates, with December 25 booked for Shatta Wale and December 22 for Stonebwoy, while other events had been scheduled for different dates in December.
Meanwhile, Chief Abiola, the road manager of Stonebwoy, revealed on Hitz FM that their team had been open to collaborating with Shatta Wale’s team to ease logistical challenges. However, Shatta Wale was reportedly unwilling to consider this arrangement.
“I got feedback from Sammy Flex that Shatta Wale was not happy with the timing, so we should push for more time for them to set up. So I also took it back to my team and had a back-and-forth with them, and they were okay. We decided to shift the date from the 23rd to the 22nd, which would provide Shatta’s team two or three clear days before their event,” Chief Abiola explained.
Shatta Wale and Medikal had initially announced the Freedom Wave Festival, scheduled for December 20-25, 2023. This expanded event includes various activities, such as regional fan base gatherings, an exhibition of Shatta Movement merchandise, pre-concerts featuring new artists, a dress rehearsal, and the main concert itself. On December 23, 2023, both artists and their fans will unite at the Accra Sports Stadium for a special industry prayer session.
Previously known as the Freedom Wave Concert, Shatta Wale and Medikal have transformed it into a festival, adding four additional days of entertainment. The duo first launched the event in 2021, following their legal troubles that led to their incarceration.
They followed up with a successful second edition in 2022, filling the 40,000-capacity stadium.
Throughout recent years, Shatta Wale and Medikal have consistently expressed their unwavering support for each other and have collaborated on various projects, including their joint album, ‘Cross Roads.’