Ghana has a budding music scene with many talented artists. Over the past ten years, many of them are doing great with little or no support. The government of Ghana has failed when it comes to supporting artists, especially musicians. Even though there is a Ministry meant to support this form of art, little or nothing is done. This however, isn’t stopping these musicians from creating – and churning out greatness. Here are five video clips from Ghana from five amazing musicians you should know about.
Musician: Akan
Director: Yaw Skyface
Track: Me Sika Aduro
In the opening line of this song, Akan raps «God used sand to create man, but man couldn’t stand afterwards, so God mixed some money with the sand and man was able to finally stand». This song is about money and Akan talks about how bad he needs money. Money propels the world and one can’t simply live without it. In the video, Akan receives ‹prayers› from a pastor who seems to be possessed. He then transitions into a world where he gets all the gold, money, clothes, and women he wants. What I love about this video is the minimalistic approach that was beautifully executed. Akan raps in a dialect called Twi and he is a master of this language.
Musician: Wiyaala
Director: Wiyaala
Track: Wisii (The Sun God)
Wiyaala is a bold, fierce, and talented artist. She hails from the Northern part of Ghana (Upper West Region) and proudly carries her hometown, region, and country on her back. Wisii is a song of hope, but I love this video because of how Wiyaala ‹sells› her hometown once again: From the smocks that the young boys wear to the artist’s hairstyle, and how the beautiful women dress and carry their babies. The melody of the song is lovely and it’s easy to sing along. Wiyaala has many great videos but this one always gets my attention because of the characters, the location of the video, and the melody.
Musician: Amaarae
Director: David Nicol Sey of North Production
Track: Fancy
Amaarae is quite new on the scene and has been dropping some amazing videos over the years. This young musician has defied the norm in Ghana and empowered women to be themselves through her music and videos. She is all about women’s empowerment and encourages people, especially women, to be expressive. From the car to her clothes and the set design, this video is truly fancy and the director did a great job with it.
Musician: Wanlov
Director: Fotombo
Track: My Toto
This video went viral in Nigeria and Ghana when it was released. It’s a very low-budget video but it grabs your attention and that is one thing I love about it. For years, women have been objectified in music videos, so it is quite new and very interesting to see a man play ‹the role› of the woman in this video. I honestly want to see many videos like this, I want to see videos where gender roles are switched.
Musician: Sister Deborah and Wanlov the Kubolor
Director: Wanlov Kubolor Cini
Track: RefuseReuseRecylce
This one is more about the message of the video rather than the video itself for me. Plastic pollution has been a global problem for some time now and several people have called for or are working towards the ban on plastics, but in Ghana the government is not even addressing the plastic problem. It’s not even on the table for discussion. Gutters are choked, the ocean is packed with plastics, and little or no work is being done to curtail this. When it rains, there is flooding because of plastics. It is my wish to see a total ban on single-use plastics in Ghana.
