Ghanaian musician, M.anifest has urged fans to be measured in how much premium they place on artistes to amplify their political ideologies.
According to M.anifest, the ability to shoulder that responsibility can be a tall order for artistes who are not naturally cut out for that kind of advocacy.
He believes there are musicians with the passion to drive that agenda while others may not be ready to thread that path, which must be respected by fans.
The rapper and record producer made these comments during a conversation at the University of Ghana on the creative issues bothering the creative space.
“Imagine Adele tried to do Kendrick Lamar’s ‘We gon’ be alright’. Not every artist is supposed to be a voice for you outside of their music. They might not even have the capability. You don't develop that capability overnight to be able to have a clarity of thoughts about social issues, your political views, and ideology. It is very different from being able to put a song together that's a rallying cry," he said on Monday, March 6, 2023.
He spoke on the theme, Creative Economy and Our Collective Future and Development as part of activities marking the school’s 75th Anniversary.
He addressed an auditorium filled with students, academics, and music stakeholders on means of harnessing the power of creative arts.
At the just-ended Nigeria election, Grammy award-winning musician, Burna Boy shared his frustration about countless fans who called him out for supposed political apathy.
“I dunno [sic] why it’s such a big deal to some Nigerians that I’ve not been vocal about the elections,” Burna responded via social media.
That was the premise for the question which came up during the event at the University of Ghana's Cedi Conference Hall.
M.anifest told the moderator, Akosua Hanson that, more effort must be channeled into elevating the creatives who have committed to toeing that line of political advocacy rather than pressuring the lot who may not have the capacity to do same.
“And if you want to be prepared yourself. If you want to if you want access to speak for you learn to uplift the artists that have the capability because not every artist is supposed to be that," he explained at the Cedi House.
The musician also believes that the situation reflects the uneven playing fields bedeviling the multiple facets of the creative space for which reason citizens always fall on musicians to amplify their concerns.
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