It’s the aftermath of the
Vodafone Ghana Music Awards 2014 (VGMA) and as usual, I am coming your way with
society’s thoughts and mine ofcourse!
First of all, I would like to blame
His Excellency, President John Mahama for allowing Vodafone and Charter House
to subject the good people of Ghana to this ordeal. Next time, the Presidency
should do well to integrate these aspects of happenings into the National
Security itinerary. We need to be safe!
On to the show itself, it
appeared amateurish after fifteen years of successive organization. A supposedly national show of this magnitude as the name depicts should come very
organized because the brunt and all the criticisms stops at the doorsteps of
Brand Ghana. There was no interlude for cultural displays such as Adowa, Borborbor,
Kpanlogo and what have you, yet there was a Ghana Music Awards? I do not think
that is all we have to offer as Ghanaians.
Apart from the show coming to an
end, I would not say it was a success except for some amusing moments to those
who chose to be amused and those who chose to be irked by some of the stunts
that were pulled by all the variables - Masters of Ceremonies (MCs), performing
artistes, Winners of the coveted awards and Charter House alike.
I would not profess to know much
about Event Organizations neither will I pass for any good director but I saw
everything live and colored on my small TV and can say the show was more of a
Music Fest than an Awards night. An awards night should be straightforward,
devoid of innuendos unless the show is celebrating something else.
The Masters of Ceremonies (MCs)
were flat and rigid. There was no cohesion between them and they lacked the
flair to move and direct the crowd which was their prime objective. Instead of
adding tad oomph to the show, they took away everything with their
unprofessionalism. That bit about Iyanya’s stale relationship and the bit about
him almost becoming our in-law while
introducing the act was bewildering especially if the relationship was
debilitating to him. I am sure you would agree with me that it threw the
artiste off balance and probably accounted for him jumping around like a
besieged toad. Simply, they did not really appear prepared.
The line-up of artistes for the
night was too exhaustive with regards to the allotted time for performance.
Methinks, it would have been business-like if they were allotted a limited time
or asked to perform only two songs each or the number of artistes was rather
reduced with much allotted time. I can only say R.I.P. to all the artistes who
could not even mime but chose to shout as though they were not the recording
artistes of the songs they performed. It is one thing to have a hit song and
another to have a hit act.
Apart from a few artistes like Sonnie
Badu, Sarkodie, Samini, Mz.Vee, Stonebwoy who stood out even though they did
not bring much aboard to keep us talking, the rest were a flop. And these
people only stood out because the rest were mediocre. Talk about Castro who came
to cheer lead the crowd and waving handkerchief as though we were at a retreat.
For a hip/high life artiste who was not performing anything Borborbor, I must say it was Somewaybi.
The red carpet session was not
timed and evidently, it dragged into the night which affected the closing time.
Either being on the red carpet should have started earlier than it did or
truncated after a while or better still continue interviewing the folks
backstage while the show is on-going. Even though most of us are not interested
in who they were wearing, we still
insist that if it must be done, then it must be done well.
Going forward, it is worthy to
note that a Psychic would be needed in the future to foresee inappropriate
stunts such as the one which was pulled by Elikem-the-Tailor who also is the
only Ghanaian to have made it to the Big Brother Africa Finals. As though the
ambush advertisement where he was seen asking his fiancé, Pokello Nare to turn
around for all to see how creative he can be even though he did not miss the
chance to talk about his creativity on the red carpet, he went ahead to turn
the supposedly national Awards night into a night of marriage proposal. I am
wondering how the Awards night would have panned out if everybody came upstage
with their ring to show how romantic they can be. Seriously, his demeanor on
stage was somewaybi.
What accounted for all the
potential winners who were nominated but could not make it to the Awards night?
It is either they didn’t take the whole show serious or the Organizers did not
take them serious. And to think that some of them were present but could not
walk upstage to pick up their awards smacks of arrogance. The night was
supposed to be one of the biggest nights in their Career, not ours. They have
to be admonished to take themselves seriously.
In same vein, I am still trying after
about 72 hours to fathom the reasons that would make an artiste with the
highest number of Awards not go home with the coveted Artiste of the year Awards?
How did Shatta Wale with only two awards ended up being crowned the Artiste of
the year at the expense of Sarkodie who picked about four awards? Does that
mean an artiste with just one award can also walk home with the Coveted Awards
on a very good day? In other words, Charter House must do well to erode all the
controversies that surrounds this scheme by coming out with clear cut criteria
because it’s serious business.
Charter House also lost the plot
by not doing anything humanly possible to avail the man of the moment Shatta
Wale at the show. Shatta Wale should have performed because it is convenient to
say that he was the only one who could have moved the crowd. Charter House did
not make that possible simply because they are comfortable giving us just half
baked foods.
Clearly, Charter House is always
getting away with their blunders but somebody tell them that the sum of the
parts amounts to a whole. Maybe, I am being sentimental but I think Joey B driving
home the Hyundai i10 was undeserved. I stand to be corrected but how many of
Joey B’s song projected him to be the new discovery of the year at the expense
of the sensational Bisa K Dei?
Maybe, Bisa k Dei and Stonebwoy with
his Taribo West-like hairstyle who also went home with ten fingers must learn
how to say pussy in their songs
because sexually suggested songs win. Entertainment is entertainment and not a
moral road show. Format a hard drive, say
pussy and Voila!
Did I miss out on the Vodafone Icon,
Funny Face, after the red carpet parade? You would have thought that somehow
the Vodafone icon would have been fixed somewhere inside the programme but you
can't always find reasons to justify why bad things happen to good people.
Stage Management was also substandard.
Unlike other Awarding Ceremonies, there was only one stage with dim or very bright
lights and all we had was one entry door which made it possible to predict
where the act was coming from. It is also imperative that the organizers add
more award categories to the existing ones and be mindful of their timing. If a
programme is scheduled to close within three or four hours, they have to do
well to keep their word and we just might also take them serious and contribute
our quota as audience and observers. And oh the least said about MUSIGA’s in
all of this, the better!
After all is said and done, I would like to congratulate all the winners, not forgetting Charter House whom i will give a ‘C’ rating.
