Veteran Ghanaian musician and Presidential Staffer for the Black Star Experience, Rex Omar, has urged musicians in Ghana to place greater value on the country’s own award schemes.
In an interview, Rex Omar highlighted that international accolades such as the Grammy Awards were not established with Ghanaian artists in mind.
He stressed that instead of chasing global recognition at all costs, artists should take pride in and support the awards available within Ghana.
“Sometimes when I hear Ghanaians talk, Grammy is for America. So, if you disrespect the Ghana Music Awards and you think you want to go to the Grammys, I don’t understand it. Because Grammy was not created for you.
“BET is an American TV station that ended up also doing their own awards. You get what I mean? So the whole situation is we have to believe in ourselves and things that we do in Ghana,” he said.
Rex Omar further proposed that industry players create an awards scheme that matches the Grammy Awards.
According to him, such an initiative would attract the interest of musicians in other countries.
“We can also develop our own award if we speak well about it, if we do it well. Other countries will also want to be part of it. So the whole thing is, it goes beyond just receiving an award.
“It’s a whole value chain and ecosystem that must be developed so as to be able to make any meaningful impact,” he added.
