According to allegations, President Nana Akufo-Addo utilized a musician’s work to promote Ghana to tourists without their consent or giving him due credit.
Before filming his Guda music video, Ghanaian musician Kirani Ayat claimed he asked the government for assistance but was rejected.
The video, which was produced in northern Ghana, highlights the local culture and includes beautiful scenery.
Ayat criticized the president on Tuesday after he tweeted a promotional video:
Beneath the deep blue sky, the Black Star is calling. Follow the stars and let them take you on a journey of our people. I invite everyone to the country at the centre of the world – #Ghana ??. #VisitGhana2022 pic.twitter.com/2m5KC2QTkt
— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) September 27, 2022
“The President of Ghana has used my video ‘Guda’ in this ad to promote Ghana. I was actively reaching out to the Ministry of Tourism in 2018/19 to use this video to push tourism in the North and got no reply, yet today it’s in an ad and no one reached out to me for permission,” he wrote.
Kirani claimed that in order to save money for video production, he worked a 12-hour shift as a security guard seven days a week for three months.
The tourism advertisement includes clips from the musician’s video that show women dancing and posing on top of a huge tree.
Ayat has debunked an earlier response from the Ministry of Tourism by writing:
Taking cognizance of the statement issued this morning by the Ghana Tourism Authority, I, Kirani Ayat would like to state categorically that No agency has any Rights whatsoever to my intellectual property neither have I given such rights to any agency either expressly or implied.
TO use my intellectual property. I wish to bring to the attention of Ghana Tourism Authority that what is happening is an affront of your requirement to promote the interest of Ghana which includes its artistes. By this notice, I demand that the said agency be named publicly…
Failure to do so will imply Ghana Tourism Authority is the said agency and I will take all necessary measures to vindicate my rights and protect my intellectual property. @ghanatourismGTA
Again I have NOT given any agency be it private or government to use my intellectual property and DO NOT tell me to be happy about it. I toiled to create this art as an independent artist with no funding from anywhere, and I need to be compensated.
