Ghana Music Week Blasts News-One Over Mischief And Says: 'GMW Festival On Course, No Fight Over The Festival!'

Our attention has been drawn to news making rounds in some media circles of a story headlined “Fight Over Ghana Music Week”, published in the Monday, 10th February 2014 edition of News-One Newspaper, which has been reviewed by other media houses and carried by several online platforms.

In the said story, Fennec Okyere, Manager of Artiste/Rapper Kwaw Kese threatens to take the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) to Court for the right to use the name, 'Ghana Music Week” because according to Fennec Okyere, he owns an outfit (registered since April 2013), under the name “GHANA MUSIC WEEK”

In the said publication, Fennec Okyere was quoted as saying that as far back as 2013 when MUSIGA launched the Ghana Music Week he already had registered the event and therefore had the legal right to the event. This claim is untrue.

The story goes further to state that after broader consultations he Fennec yielded to pleas for MUSIGA to be allowed to go ahead with the event last year; which is also untrue.

The Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) wishes to state categorically and emphatically clear that those claims in the said publication are untrue.

The Facts:

 Ghana Music Week 2013 was officially launched on 11th September, 2012.

 Musiga, and its partners organised Ghana Music Week 2013 from March 4-10, 2013.

 Fenec Okyere was paid for his Artiste (Kwaw Kese) to perform on Ghana Music Week 2013, the very event they claimed to own.

 Checks at the Registrar General indicated that, Ghana Music Week, was registered as a company limited by Guarantee in April 2013 by Kwaw Kese and Fenec Okyere, about a month after Kwaw had performed on Musiga's Ghana Music Week 2013; an obvious exercise of bad faith and mischief.

In Conclusion

We did not want to go through any legal battle with Fenec and Kwaw Kwese, and therefore went on to launch, for now, GMW Festival, with the SAME CONTENTS AS LAST YEAR'S.

By this statement of facts, we of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) assure all partners, sponsors and the good music loving fans of Ghana that there is no fight whatsoever regarding the GMW FESTIVAL 2014.

The Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) is focused and determined to develop the GMW FESTIVAL into a huge international event as part of our nation's drive towards tourism development. For the next three years, therefore, we would be running under the theme: “Promoting Music as the Heartbeat of Tourism”. Among activities/highlights of GMW 2014 Festival are:

 Ghana Music Day (on the air) March 3,

 The Opening Ceremony March 4

 2-Day Workshop on Music Business Development and Artiste Management (March 5-7)

 Ghana Music Honours- Rewarding Music Excellence-March 5

 GH-AllStar Live Concert- The Official 57th Ghana Independence Concert- March

We are by this statement assuring our partners- Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, National Theatre, Fantasy Entertainment; Our Sponsors, and all musicians that, our flagship Festival, GMW 2014 will come off as planned from March 3-9, 2014.

We urge our partners in development, and the media to contact the Communication Team (Call 0264 268 686) for any information related to GMW 2014.

It is our fervent hope that the stated untruths published may be corrected for the knowledge of the consumption of the general public and patrons of GMW FESTIVAL 2014.

Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa

Communication Director, GMW

(Call 0264 268 686)

2014-02-10 171011