Traditional Artiste Sherifa Gunu has expressed concern over the negative labelling of traditional music in Ghana, stressing that the genre is not “colo” or outdated, but rather a true reflection of Ghana’s rich music culture.
The singer lamented that at a time when Nigerian artistes are proudly promoting their identity and culture through traditional music, Ghanaian musicians continue to look down on a genre that projects their uniqueness.
In an interview with Graphic Showbiz on Monday, April 7, the singer, whose real name is Osman Sherifatu Gunu, said the persistent negative branding of traditional music discourages many Ghanaian artistes from collaborating with her.
“It will interest you to know that many Ghanaian artistes don’t want to work with traditional musicians because they think our music is too outdated and too ‘colo’. They act very big here, sounding like foreigners, but go abroad and suddenly play kora and drums. That’s just hypocrisy,” she said.
Sherifa also highlighted how Nigerian artistes have embraced their culture and successfully marketed it worldwide, while Ghanaians often shy away from their roots.
“Our brothers and sisters in Nigeria have seen the light and are seriously promoting their traditional music, and we sit back here and want to sound more original than the owners of the sound. Nigerian artistes are leading because they know how to sell their culture. But here, when you even sing in your mother tongue, people describe it as too ‘local’ and ‘colo’, like it’s a bad thing. Until we fully embrace our sound, we’ll keep falling behind,” she noted.
While acknowledging the appeal of music trends, Sherifa urged young artistes not to be swayed by ‘fast food’ music but rather focus on authenticity.
She cited the likes of Osibisa, Amakye Dede and Angelique Kidjo as examples of musicians whose careers have stood the test of time because of their originality.
“I don’t and never follow trends and the result is that my music is timeless. So I want to entreat our artistes to be themselves as Ghanaians. Unfortunately, it appears many of our artistes forget where they come from just to gain quick fame. But look at legends like Osibisa, Amakye Dede and Angelique Kidjo—they stayed authentic and still made history. If you copy too much, you’ll disappear,” she advised.
Sherifa Gunu, who first emerged on the entertainment scene as runner-up at the 1998 Embassy Pleasure, a popular national dance championship, has since built a successful music career. She released Salamatu in 2017 and boasts albums such as Dagbon, Akwaaba Wo Africa and African Woman, along with several awards.