Ghanaian Afropop, Livingstone Etse Satekla, better known by his stage name Stonebwoy, has stated that Nigerians don’t reciprocate the love they receive from Ghana.
Stonebwoy said this as he agreed with his colleague, Shatta Wale, who had earlier told Nigerians to be grateful to Ghana for supporting their artistes.
Stonebwoy wrote, “We were all Africans before we got separated into individual nations. African history and migration studies confirm that there is more that unites us than divides us.
“As the big family that we are, we all draw diverse creative inspiration from one another – no wonder then that we have similar cultures and values across the continent, and this cross-pollination is clearly shown in our music and sound.
“With the advent of the modern day nation-state, each independent nation is uniquely gifted in order to contribute its quota to the overall status of Africa’s entertainment and creative arts scene.
“To do this, we must support each other in equal measure. Our brother nation Nigeria has done very well to mark many of the biggest milestones in the entertainment scene and is putting Africa on the global map due to the strength of its population (amongst other qualities).
“Accordingly, our Nigerian brothers must consider that with their great power comes the responsibility of helping to forge a united African front by deliberately allowing music from the other African countries which pollinate Nigerian music to flourish on Nigerian platforms on local and international levels.
“This approach will enable the African sound to dominate the world as one big family and as a global force… That’s how we stand as one Africa. My brother Shatta Wale’s approach may be wrong but the topic of our brother nation Nigeria not reciprocating the love and support it receives particularly from Ghana is valid and deserves critical attention.
“Meanwhile, as the saying goes, we must love our neighbours as we love ourselves (not more than we love ourselves). This means that Ghanaians home and abroad must emulate the Nigerian approach of prioritising an agenda to invest in and support Ghanaian talent.”