Legendary Ghanaian Highlife musician, George Jahraa has bemoaned the lack of recognition and celebration for senior musicians in the country.
Speaking about his own experiences on Showbiz 360 with Caleb Giovani, Jahra underscored the need for greater appreciation of established artists and their contributions to the music industry.
Expressing his frustration, the ‘Ashikele’ crooner stated, “It’s only in Ghana that we don’t celebrate senior artistes.”
Jahra revealed that due to the popularity of the Hausa songs he sings, he qualifies as a citizen of Mali and has registered there to receive royalties.
“but by God’s grace because of the Hausa songs I sing, I qualify as a Malian citizen and I’ve registered there to get royalties. And I tell you if it was not for the royalties from Mali I’ll probably be dead,” he narrated.
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Jahra further stressed that this lack of recognition can be demoralizing for veteran musicians who have dedicated their lives to their craft.
George Jahra who is well known for his songs, Asor and Haka Dunia/Zanu Kade also pointed out the disparity in audience size when comparing senior artists like himself, Lucky Mensah, and Daddy Lumba to international acts such as Salifu Keita and Alpha Blondie
“I went to Salifu Keita and Alpha Blondie’s shows and they’re older than me but if you look at the crowd they can pull, I ask myself can Lucky Mensah or myself George Jahara or Daddy Lumba pull such a crowd??” he queried
Neglected Legends: George Jahraa speaks out on the lack of recognition for senior artists in Ghana.#Showbiz360 pic.twitter.com/xuXtu1dvHY
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) June 12, 2023
Expanding beyond the music industry, Jahra highlighted the lack of celebration for renowned personalities like Apostle Safo.
“We don’t celebrate our veteran musicians and personalities. People don’t celebrate Apostle Safo but this man trained me and Akrobeto. Very soon we’ll say we don’t know Asamoah Gyan, it’s bad,” he hammered.