Sidiku Buari
Former president of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Alhaji Sidiku Buari, has appealed to his colleagues in the music industry to unite and work towards the success of the industry.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected national and regional executives of the union at the Accra Tourist Information Centre (ATIC), he said internal strife within the union would not aid in the industry’s growth, adding that a united front will aid and promote the well-being of musicians.
“I am happy that MUSIGA election held on October 10 was a success. I will urge the new executives to put in a lot of efforts in order to accomplish their goals and objectives. They have to work hard as a team to meet the challenges ahead,” he said.
“It’s about time for us to be united and work towards achieving our aims and objectives,” he added.
Credited with 16 albums, the former Vice President of the International Federation of Musicians (FIM) and chairman of Copyright Society of Ghana (COSGA), Alhaji Buari revealed that during his administration, procedures were put in place to ensure that musicians received their royalties twice a year.
He claimed that during his reign, much was done to improve the reputation of the Ghanaian music industry.
He mentioned that it was his administration that persuaded the government to waive the off-duty rate on musical instruments so that musicians could buy their own collection of instruments.
During his reign, he was successful in promoting the enactment of the Copyright Law Act 690 to safeguard the interests of all stakeholders in copyright music.
He counseled the newly elected executives to implement policies that would ensure the right owners would get consistent income.
The veteran filmmaker, musician, sportsman and businessman told BEATWAVES in an interview that he has won over 62 awards in sports, music and film.
He is one of the pioneers of film production in Ghana, with his first production titled ‘Ayalolo’, showed commercially in all the cinema houses throughout the country.
He has over 16 films which include ‘Jealousy’, ‘Meba’, ‘Who Is To Blame’, ‘Man Woman’, among others to his credit.
A former national athlete, he won silver and gold medals during the All African Games held in Senegal and West African Games, all in 1963.
In 1965, he won bronze medal in the 4×400 metres relay in All African Games held in Congo Brazzaville.
He was the president of MUSIGA from 1999 to 2007.
By George Clifford Owusu