Story: Nana AKUA AMPONG

The Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Ras Caleb Appiah-Levi, has opined that MUSIGA has not done enough to build a strong support system for Ghanaian musicians.

He said  that due to this system failure, many of the musical legends die after many moments of financial struggle.

Voicing out his sentiments, he said, “we are very weak and that is why we cannot support our musicians. MUSIGA is meant for welfare and advocacy.

“You don’t have to wait for the death of a musician before talking about welfare. Seeking the welfare has to do with ensuring that the work of the musician goes on well and the royalties and copyrights are being protected.”

Exemplifying his point, he made mention of the late Nana Ampadu, where he stated that even though the legend had served Ghana from the 1960s till his death, the musician has not been honoured well enough.

“Why should it be this way? Especially for someone who has composed over 800 songs. He would never have tasted poverty if the system was right. The system is not working here. Let the system work in the music industry where the people will log in the royalties,” he added.

He admonished that if MUSIGA wants to be recognized for what it stands for, it “has to fight for our musicians, whether they are members of MUSIGA or not.”

Ghanaian highlife legend, Nana Ampadu, died at age 76 on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, and this marks a major loss to the Ghanaian music industry.

The family of the late Nana Ampadu revealed that he died on admission at the Intensive Care Unit of Legon Hospital.

Days after his death, veteran musician Akosua Agyepong pinned his death on the carelessness of a doctor at the hospital but this has been contested.