With what seemed to be a rather embarrassing way to mark the 20th anniversary of Ghana’s most prestigious music awards event, apologies have rained in, criticisms have flared and stringent actions have been taken.
These, however, do not wipe out the unfortunate mark carved by the two biggest reggae-dancehall acts in the country.
Following a series of sanctions spelled out to Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale by the board of Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs), the reactions from Ghanaians have been mixed. While some have outrightly thrown their support behind the board for upholding their standard, others have remained rooted behind the two Reggae-dancehall acts.
On Wednesday, May 23, 2019, the board of Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs) announced an indefinite ban for the two artistes. In addition, they were stripped of awards they won on the night of the said incident.
Also, the Song of the Year and Artist of the Year for the event have been nullified.
Taking the reactions of some Ghanaians on the streets of Accra, even though some supported the rather stern decision, they also faulted the event organizers for the several security lapses on the night of the event. And have asked for pardon and reconsideration for the two artistes involved.
“I support the VGMAs board's decision, but what I will say is that they should reconsider and if it is a fine that they have to pay, they must pay to serve as a lesson to them and to others too...the security too was very poor...,” one noted.
Another said that,...“Dancehall music is like that, unlike highlife which is less controversial. To me this incident is normal, so I think the board should rethink and rescind the ban and re-award them. This should be a lesson for them.”
“I don’t think this decision is in the right direction, actually, you’ve already awarded them and you’re taking it back for their misbehavior? I think it’s not fair.” A young man added.
“These two artistes are our main entertainers, so they should pardon them for this situation, we’re not going to get any entertainment if they’re banned from taking part in the event.” Another opined.
Watch below the views of some Ghanaians on the decision taken by the VGMA board concerning Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale:
