Kofi Agyepong
17 December 2008
During past elections a number of artistes and musicians have taken sides. It would be recalled that popular musicians like Jewel Ackah, the late Joe Mensah, Nana Kwame Ampadu, the Osofo Dadzie group and Maame Dorkonu and others sided with the NDC.
Election 2008 has also seen many popular Ghanaian hiplife musicians siding with the NPP but it seems they are receiving threats from opponents of the NPP.
The musicians, who have been performing at events of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) during the political campaigning for the first round of Election 2008 have described as callous the threat they have been receiving from members of the NDC.
At a press conference in Accra yesterday, the group led by Hip Life artist, A-Plus, said, they have the right to support any political party or individual of their choice.
"We would still be Ghanaians even if the unexpected happens, which we know would not happen ...We see it as unfair for anyone to chastise us in anyway," A-Plus said.
He said the people calling and insulting them should be mindful of "maintaining a conservative stance that may stifle the agenda of expanding the frontiers of Ghana's freedom and the freedom of expression."
Nobody, he said, can intimidate them from supporting Nana Akufo-Addo.
The only thing that we should be intolerant of, A-Plus said, "...is what limits Ghana's development and the people's freedom." The smooth, transparent and non-violent expression of the franchise on December 7th elections, he said, "is a clear manifestation that Ghana's democracy has come of age."
A-Plus disputed the allegation that they are opportunist. He said, "the art industry has suffered for far too long...Apollo Theatre, Rex Cinema, Orion Cinema, Gaskia Cinema, Cenimax, Dunia, Roxy, Regal cinemas, just to mention a few have been taken over by churches and rats...we need help "A-Plus compared people without knowledge of their history as being similar to a tree without roots "We know where we are coming from us a country... we know the old gap between our dreams and the dark reality...A period when a dawn to dusk curfew killed the nation's creativity...We never want to go back to that era."
The group used the opportunity to reaffirm their support for NPP's presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo.
"We are supporting Nana Akufo-Addo for one reason alone...We believe that this country has been failed by past leadership of little vision and very little confidence in the ability, creativity and ingenuity of the people...We support Nana Akufo-Addo because he has shown great signs of commitment to revive the "Can do spirit" that made Ghana the star of Black people in 1957," he explained.
A-Plus said he was sure of Nana Akufo-Addo winning the run-off on 28th December and urged Ghanaians to vote massively for him.
Artists such as Wutah, Kwabena Kwabena, Praye, Kofi B and many other producers were at the function.
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