GMB’s Ampomaa faces backlash as Efiya Otiwaa demands apology over ‘nananom’ song

Efiya Otiwaa, a US-based Ghanaian Afro-spiritual musician and originator of the song “Nananom” released under Asaase Records, has called on Ampomaa, the Ashanti Region representative on TV3’s Ghana’s Most Beautiful (GMB), to issue a public apology for discrediting her work by describing it as a folk song.

Otiwaa said the matter extends beyond Ampomaa’s performance of the song. Her principal concern is that the song was allegedly used without permission and later described as a folk song when its origin should have been acknowledged.

She is therefore demanding that due credit be given on the same GMB stage where the incident occurred.

She believes Ampomaa should use the same platform to acknowledge Otiwaa as the creator and rights holder of “Nananom” and to dispel the impression that the song is a traditional folk composition.

Otiwaa also used the incident to highlight a broader problem affecting African creatives: works originating from the continent are sometimes deprived of proper attribution and credited to people or traditions that did not create them.

Her advice to performers is straightforward: before using another person’s creative work, establish who created it, trace its origins, and obtain the necessary permission.

For Otiwaa, an apology on the same stage would not only correct the record but also demonstrate respect for Ghanaian creatives and affirm the importance of giving creators their rightful credit.