Patronage of the launch of the GMW Festival held last Tuesday at the National Theatre in Accra, did not meet expectation as it could not attract a large audience. Most seats in the auditorium were empty.
Present at the event though were a number of dignitaries including the Minister of Tourism, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu Agyare, the Deputy Minister of Trade, Hon. Nii Lante Vanderpuiye, the President of MUSIGA, Mr Bice Osei Kuffour and Mrs. Dinah Hopeson, a gospel songstress and former President of MUSIGA.
Some old veterans in the music industry such as Mary Ghansah, Ben Brako and Smart Nkansah graced the event. The festival is under the theme “Positioning Ghanaian music as the heart beat for tourism.”
The MC of the event, David Dontoh, who is a veteran in the movie industry, gave a brief history of the origin of Ghana to the present day tracing the creativity in Ghanaian music till now.
Demonstrating with the Dondo, a drum instrument from the North of the country which he said had been used over the years to create wonderful tunes, Dontoh described how music using Ghanaian instruments like the xylophone, atumpan and the fontomfrom had been used to create melodies that have traversed the country from the north to the south.Present at the event though were a number of dignitaries including the Minister of Tourism, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu Agyare, the Deputy Minister of Trade, Hon. Nii Lante Vanderpuiye, the President of MUSIGA, Mr Bice Osei Kuffour and Mrs. Dinah Hopeson, a gospel songstress and former President of MUSIGA.
Some old veterans in the music industry such as Mary Ghansah, Ben Brako and Smart Nkansah graced the event. The festival is under the theme “Positioning Ghanaian music as the heart beat for tourism.”
The MC of the event, David Dontoh, who is a veteran in the movie industry, gave a brief history of the origin of Ghana to the present day tracing the creativity in Ghanaian music till now.
MUSIGA President, Bice Osei Kuffour said the festival was a means to converge the interests of the tourism sector with that of the music industry since music played an integral role in promoting tourism in the country.
He said all festivals and other traditional events that portray the country’s heritage have music accompaniment which underscored the critical role music played in promoting the culture of the people.
Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu Agyare, paid tribute to deceased musicians including Dr. Paa Bobo, Thomas Frimpong and Ronnie Coaches who passed away recently for helping lift high the flag of musicians in their own way.
She also urged musicians to stand united. “It is important that you stay united because if there is division among you, all your efforts will fail and the country will stand to lose”, she said.
The Ghana Dance Ensemble served patrons with a variety of dances from various parts of the country, displaying their dexterity in the use of a variety of traditional instruments.
The event was climaxed with songs from some veteran and young musicians that got the audience on their feet.
The launch was supported by Airtel, Techno and Accra Brewery Limited.
Credit: Graphic Showbiz
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