The Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) has launched a campaign to create awareness about the COVID-19 pandemic through music and video messages. The campaign is a joint effort with the former Creative Arts Council with support from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and ECOWAS under the supervision of the National Commission on Culture (NCC).
Speaking at the launch, the UNESCO Head of Office in Ghana, Mr. Abdoulrahmane Diallo noted the power of culture and the creative arts in leading change initiatives. He commended MUSIGA and the Creative Arts Council for participating in the campaign and advised all celebrities to champion the fight against the pandemic by using their social media handles to drive the campaign.
The Executive Director of NCC, Madam Janet Edna Nyame on her part assured the two organizations of her outfits support to ensure a successful campaign. She noted, “The support from UNESCO to the Commission and our affiliated organizations to combat the ravages of COVID-19 is indeed very welcome. There is the need to educate our people on how to prevent the virus from spreading.”
The ECOWAS Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Baba Gana Wakil also commended the two organizations for participating in the campaign which is the first such initiative jointly supported by Ecowas and UNESCO in the sub region to combat the pandemic.
President of MUSIGA, Bessa Simons indicated that the Union is committed to using music as a tool for advocacy and cited the Union’s work in advocacy over the years. He admonished Ghanaians to continue observing all the protocols enumerated by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the fight against Covid 19.
On his part, the former chief operating officer of the Creative Arts Council, Frank Owusu applauded UNESCO and ECOWAS for their support and also commended the celebrities who participated in the project for availing themselves for the project.
The campaign involves a song, music video and video messages by musicians produced by MUSIGA and video messages featuring celebrities produced by the Creative Arts Council. The campaign is airing on selected radio and television stations and is also available online on the social media handles of the celebrities and two organizations.
The song features Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) 2020 Songwriter of the Year and International Organisation for Migration Ambassador, Kofi Kinaata; VGMA Gospel Song of the Year winner, Celestine Donkor, the Golden Voice of Africa, Pat Thomas and multiple award-winning artiste, Amandzeba. Other artists on the track include highlife singer, Adane Best and ace SDA songsmith, Samuel Kofi Agyemang.
