Highlife music, medium for boosting Ghana's image
Ho (Volta Region) 24 August 2001
Dela Fumador, Executive Director of Del-Com Services, promoters of music and tourism on Wednesday called for the development of High-Life music to serve as the country's flagship on the international scene.
He said Ghana's attraction on the world music scene was due to its Highlife music characterised by live stage instrumental performance by musicians.
Fumador, who is also the Welfare Officer of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), was addressing a news conference at Ho on Wednesday, to draw attention to the indigenous Ghanaian Musical forms as sources of foreign exchange for the country.
He noted that tourists who came to Ghana craved for highlife music and not imitated Western music.
Fumador said a report compiled by Professor John Collins of the Music Department of the University of Ghana, Legon, among others stated: ".... foreign exchange comes to Ghana via tourists attracted to the local music that includes live highlife performance."
The report said tourists, "do not usually enjoy local computerised techno-pop music and so Ghana is losing some tourists to Mali, Senegal and Guinea, where there is a vibrant live popular music scene".
"Ghana is, therefore, losing out on the World Music arena, which focuses on African, Latin, Afro-Caribbean, folk, ethnic and reggae," Prof. Collins said in the report.
Fumador, therefore, called on the government and Media, especially radio stations, to assist musicians to rediscover their highlife roots.
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