VGMA 2021: Stonebwoy, Shatta Wale ban to be lifted

The Board of Ghana’s premier music awards scheme, Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) has agreed to internally to lift its ban on once rival dancehall sensations Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy.

Robert Klah, Head of Public Events and PRO at Charterhouse, main organizers of the VGMA in a conversation on Daybreak Hitz stated that conversations on when to lift the ban ensued at the board’s inaugural meeting.

He stated that Charterhouse will later issue an official statement after the board meets both artists and their management to talk out outstanding issues.

“There is a reason why this altercation happened and you want to be sure that they don’t resurface. You want to have that kind of conversation to understand and agree on how things should move,” he told the host Andy Dosty.

The two dancehall acts were banned indefinitely from participating in the VGMAs following an unexpected altercation between them which brought the 2019 edition to a stanstill.

The two were kept in police cells for 48 hours and were stripped of the awards they won that night; their plaques were taken back by organizers of the awards show.

On the night, due to panic caused by the altercation which led to people fleeing the venue, organizers failed to announce the Artist of the Year award I which both artists were nominees.

Mr. Klah added that other artists who collaborated with Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy in the year under review could submit their works for nominations in this year’s edition of the VGMA should the ban be lifted on the board’s next announcement.

Submission of entries however ends on February 15, 2020.