You might be wondering how an all-sports event will help the entertainment business. Well, after careful consideration, I discovered how the 2023 African Games held in Accra helped our music industry.
The African games started on March 8, 2024 and ended on March 23, 2024. This marked 15 days of sporting activities and most importantly, music. At each venue, there was a DJ to play music.
My first day of competition was in the weightlifting event at the University of Ghana. While covering the sport, I couldn’t help but enjoy the background music.
At every point of the music played, it was Ghanaian. I remember listening to a lot of Shatta Wale songs, and that’s understandable. Shatta is one of the few artists here in Ghana who does a lot of motivational songs, the kind of motivation athletes need. The DJs outdid themselves with the music.
Watch Shatta Wale perform at the opening ceremony of the 13th African Games
It didn’t end there, it was huge at the University of Ghana sports stadium during athletics, at that time I was convinced that indeed, Ghanaian music traveled far. Two ladies from Uganda stood next to me during one of the track events and sang Shatta Wale’s ‘Melissa’ word for word. They mentioned how much they loved Kidi, King Promise and Shatta Wale.
I just realized at that moment that Ghana is killing it on the continent, we are just putting our attention in the wrong places.
How beneficial are games to our music industry?
The event brought together fans and, most notably, media personalities from across the continent. They came here with their ears loaded with Ghanaian music.
Just take a minute to think how far our artists will carve their names across the continent, even if 60 percent of those journalists and fans leave Ghana with one of our songs as their favorite, imagine .
Already, those attending the opening and closing ceremonies of the matches have witnessed the reigns of Shatta Wale, King Promise, Wiyaala and Stonebwoy.
These are already global names and you could argue that everyone already knows them, but there is one person who likes them even more now and where he mentioned their names, it would definitely be louder.
African Games: Watch Stonebwoy’s Full Closing Ceremony Performance
For an event of this nature I honestly expected to hear a lot of Nigerian music, you can witness how Nigerian music crosses the continent and it would make sense if the DJs decided to do this, giving us music we can all relate to as a collective.
BUT I was wrong, very wrong! This is why I mentioned earlier that we may just have our eyes set in the wrong place, we may actually conquer the continent. Possible.
To all the DJs represented at the venues, this is an appreciation for all your work, and if this was an instruction given, I humbly congratulate the authorities and the organizing committee for it.
If it wasn’t, I still want to take this opportunity to commend the race organizers for a job well done and service to the music industry.
By: Cyril Anani Senason