Radio Akwaaba FM, Germany, sued for playing Ghana Music

Source: Mannheim, Germany/2011
Radio Akwaaba FM, a community radio station for the Ghanaians and Africans in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region of Germany, has been sued by Matzka - Kiener Filmproductions in Germany. Radio Akwaaba serves its customers by enlightening and empowering them to be conscious of the Opportunities and Challenges in their host country, Germany. They are affiliates of Asempa FM in Ghana, and co-contributors of Abrokyire Nkommo with Radio Ghanatta in the Den Hague, Holland.

Matzka-Kiener Film producers allege to have heard Radio Akwaaba playing some clips from their Documentary Film DVD with the title, “Who is High Life”. “Who is High Life” is a compilation of some Burger High Life Artists like, George Darko, Lee Doudu, Atongo Zimba, Pat Thomas, Nana Asamoah, Lumba Brothers and others.

Mr. Akwasi Opoku Edusei, Programs Director of Radio Akwaaba narrated to this reporter that sometime in 2010, the producers wrote a letter to Radio Akwaaba FM accusing them of airing some songs from this DVD without permission. After a thorough search in their Albums, no DVD could be found, let alone a DVD with the title “Who is High life”. So they informed the Matzka-Kiener producers as such. These producers kept on worrying them with other allegations. Last of it all, these producers sent a letter to Radio Akwaaba asking them to sign that they would not play the DVD again. Mr. Akwasi Opoku Edusei, affirmed that, since they did not need the DVD and do not also play from DVDs, there was no need to get a permission to play the DVD in question, so they declined signing it.

In April 2011, Mr. Edusei further narrated that, a court letter from Mannheim Court asked the Radio Akwaaba Team to appear before it on Thursday May 26, 2011 at 10:50. Offence leveled against the radio station was that they had played 3 songs from this DVD without permission from the copyright owners from the “Who is High Life” DVD, and a compensation of 1,085 Euros is to be paid to Matzka-Kiener Filmproduction.

Matzka-Kiener Filproduction named the following songs as been played by radio Akwaaba; “Dina-Ei (As for today)”, “Wo fata me” by Nana Asamoah, a Clown Artist, and “Ghana, Land of Freedom” by Atongo Zimba. If found guilty Radio Akwaaba FM will also pay for all Court Costs and the Cost of the Lawyers of Matzka-Kiener Filmproduction.

On the Thursday May 26, 2011, Radio Akwaaba was represented by its Programs Director, Akwasi Opoku Edusei, and the Matzka-Kiener Filmproduction was represented by its Lawyers from Dr. Gerhard Bumeder Chambers from Munich. The Lawyers presented a CD with some clip on it, purported to have recorded from Radio Akwaaba's website during the airing of the said Songs. The judge collected this CD with the intention of sending it a Music IT Expert to investigate the validity of this CD. Also, the Filmproduction company has one Judith Mensah as its witness who claims to have also heard radio Akwaaba FM playing those songs from the DVD in question.

Radio Akwaaba has been asked to proof its innocence at the next sitting on 8th. September 2011.

Asked how they are going to proof their innocence, Mr. Edusei said, since the Radio Akwaaba is made up of Students with various IT knowledge, they will come to together and brainstorm for ideas to solve this demeaning and deceitful tactic of this Filmproduction company. Even though the team has about 3 ways of proving their innocence through the IT means, Mr. Akwasi Opoku Edusei would not reveal it this reporter.

When Mr. Dieter Matzka, one of the owners of Filmproduction Company was contacted on phone for his side of the story, a woman with the name Joy answered it and told the reporter that Mr. Matzka was on admission at the hospital in Munich, Germany.

Story by: Onuapa Francis Owusu Peprah/Germany