Shatta Wale, a well-known dancehall artist from Ghana, has used social media to ridicule the #PlayGhana campaign. This campaign aims to encourage the preference of Ghanaian music over international songs.
The recent launch of the #PlayGhana initiative took place on Thursday, December 14, 2023, with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture working together with the Creative Arts Agency and various stakeholders from the music sector in Ghana. This project seeks to boost the popularity of Ghanaian music throughout the nation leading up to the festive period known as ‘detty December,’ when many people from the diaspora visit Ghana for their holidays.
However, in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Sunday, December 17th, 2023, Shatta stated that creatives are unable to resist the increasing presence of foreign music in the nation. The artist who rose to fame with the song ‘Melissa’ thinks that a small portion, approximately 10%, of international music will outshine and surpass the entire music scene in Ghana.
Shatta elaborated on the fact that the conflict between Ghanaian singers is the main obstacle to the advancement of the music sector. “I am here to inform you that it is futile to resist foreign music as I have just awakened.” A nation that experiences immense envy when they are not in the forefront.