By Simon Asare
Accra, July 2, GNA – Mr Berny Sarfo, Chief Executive Officer of Bizzle Entertainment, says one of the reasons Ghanaian artistes are unable to headline major international shows is due to a lack of unity.
Mr Sarfo was the only Ghanaian promoter invited to this year’s AfroNation music festival in Portugal, which took place from June 28–30, 2023.
Ghanaian artistes including Camidoh, Black Sherif, and Gyakie mounted the stage to thrill thousands of music fans, with the likes of 50 Cent, Popcaan, Burna Boy, Asake, Ayra Starr, and Davido headlining the event.
Speaking in an interview after the event, Mr Sarfo, who played a crucial role in the organisation of the event, was grateful to the Co-founder of AfroNation, Smade, and the entire team for giving him the opportunity to work on the AfroNation platform.
He noted that one way for Ghanaian artistes to headline major shows around the world requires unity, with the top artistes supporting the upcoming ones so that they can create more hits.
“The first thing is unity. I can tell you there is a lack of unity among artistes in Ghana. They don’t promote themselves. It is hard to see an artiste in Ghana promoting other artistes’ songs even on social media, and that is not helping our entertainment industry.
Also, it is hard to see Ghanaian artistes pulling a surprise on a fellow Ghanaian artiste on stage. They only show up at shows they are billed to perform at, unlike the Nigerians.
“For them (Nigerians), they easily appear and perform, and that will come as a surprise to the patrons and even sometimes the artiste on stage. Because of that, Nigerians in the diaspora attend shows since they know that there will be surprises,” he said.
He further urged Ghanaian artistes to work on their numbers on social media and all the streaming platforms.
“Whenever you have huge numbers like Burna Boy, Wizkid, and so on, automatically big-time event organisers will contact you for shows. So Ghanaian artistes should check that side too.
“Seriously, the Nigerians are already doing these things, and that is why they are getting all the big shows around the world to perform,” he said.
Mr Sarfo, who is currently the manager of Ghanaian music legend KK Fosu, has over the years staged successful concerts, including the annual Afroflex in London which has featured the likes of Samini, Kwabena Kwabena, Nana Quami, Article Wan, and Nero X, among others.
He is expected to host another major show in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2023, with award-winning Ghanaian songwriter, Fameye set to headline the event.
GNA