Veteran Highlife performer Rex Omar is advising Ghanaian artists to put more money into their own personal and professional development rather than focusing on obtaining recognition elsewhere.
He thinks it is a mistaken strategy that burdens local talent to rely on approval from other countries.
Rex Omar stressed in an interview with Graphic Showbiz that no nation ever gave preference to foreign creatives over its own, and that it was the responsibility of Ghanaian creatives to raise the bar and create high-caliber work that could be competitive on a worldwide scale.
He urged artists to take their time developing their skills, making themselves marketable, and producing content of an exportable caliber.
“If we are able to harness our talent and export the creative content, we will get that international validation. This is because when you have a product and you want it to be good, you improve upon it. As you are marketing it, if it is a global product, people will accept it and that is a validation.
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“So you don’t necessarily have to go to the UK or the US to be known there because nobody will actually even push you since everybody is pushing their own,” he said.
The board chairman of the Ghana Music Rights Organization (GHAMRO), Rex Omar, emphasized the value of business savvy, noting that recognition on a global scale by itself would not bring in money.
“I believe that when we say international validation, a lot of Ghanaian artistes already have it. But that alone will not necessarily put money in your pocket. There must be intentional business behind whatever we are exporting in order to benefit from the revenue stream that comes with it,” he added.
