In the week that we celebrate the diversity in our musical culture, I’ve just come across the UN charter on cultural diversity, and reading it, I affirm for myself why there is a need to deliberately preserve and promote our culture. Lately, there is a greater call for more in depth dialogue, greater discourse on the direction of our culture, and I am pleased with that. I know the UNESCO office here in Ghana is planning just such a conference sometime later this month. This is such welcome news.
Drafted at a meeting in Paris in 2005, the charter affirms that cultural diversity is a defining characteristic of humanity, and that is it also conscious that cultural diversity forms a common heritage of humanity and which should be cherished and preserved for the benefit of all. I couldn’t agree more.
I am most intrigued with the document. It defines “Cultural diversity” as referring to the manifold ways in which the cultures of groups and societies find expression. These expressions are passed on within and among groups and societies and it is made manifest not only through the varied ways in which the cultural heritage of humanity is expressed, augmented and transmitted through the variety of cultural expressions, but also through diverse modes of artistic creation, production, dissemination, distribution and enjoyment, whatever the means and technologies used.
Like many people working in the creative industries, I would like to see culture given much more attention by our government. Encompassing such sectors as technology, tourism, entertainment and the arts, which employs directly or indirectly more than 50% of our population, it is amazing that not much attention is given to it.
We (in the industry) believe that the creative industries can on its own help raise the GDP of this country. Take tourism for instance. It is one sector that has the potential to increase wealth in many communities as well as provide much needed revenue for the government in a variety of ways. But, isn’t a shame how it is not enjoying more attention than usual? I mean, it is not as if the government doesn’t know. There’s been talk about it in many quarters over the years, how tourism is the no. 2 or no. 3 top earner for the country, still the tourism bill is yet to go to parliament.
Then come to the entertainment sector. The current rise in the popularity of High life music is, on its own, offering its own greater opportunities, which need government intervention to help protect musicians. You see, besides Highlife’s magnetic pull as dance music, it is also best listened to live, and in that vein offers more than just mere entertainment, but also direct employment because a number of musicians have to play it, as opposed to if a DJ is engaged to provide music for an event!
And we all know how Highlife so defines us a people that it fits us squarely on a world music map, attracting people to make trips to Ghana to learn more about it and experience the rhythm in our entertainment centers. Go to the Ebo Taylor headed music department at the University of Ghana and you’ll appreciate what I am talking about.
Talking about Highlife music always gets me excited. We have such a winner in that music genre which is, perhaps, the only one we can boldly called our won, something indigenously Ghanaian that we can also export, thereby, making more money from. Tonight when all the performances at the MTN Ghana Music Awards are done, I am pretty sure many people will hail the maestro, the legendary CK Mann’s delivery. The man just delivers good, clean, danceable music and it will be edifying. And I am so glad we get to see him perform again, even though he has pushed on in age.
Highlife music is synonymous with live band. Live band calls for dancing. And dancing begs getting down and moving to the groove! Right now, Ghana, after years of searching, has her groove, Highlife music, right back, where it belongs. Question is, how jealously we will guard it, advance it and flaunt it when we have to?
I explore this question on the state of Highlife in an article I have submitted to the magazine for the MTN GMA, which will be distributed free at the awards event tonight at the Dome. Get a copy. Or should say, grab a copy now!!!
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