2020 3Music Awards Next Rated Act, Martin Sore known by his stage name Soorebia has expressed displeasure over what, he intimated, is the hypocrisy of industry players from the Navrongo and Sandema area of the Upper East Region.
According to Soorebia, industry players from that part of the region who had accused award organizers of sidelining musicians from their area and nominating only Bolgatanga-based musicians for awards appear to have no issues with the recent nomination of artistes from only their area for the 2022 3 Music Awards.
This, the Gaafara’ hitmaker contended, is hypocritical and unnecessary sectionalism which is unhealthy for the growth of the region’s creative industry.
“The first time I saw the list of nominees I laughed. You know why? For some time now, Navrongo people keep complaining of being sidelined. They said Upper East Music is Bolga music industry because most times, they nominate people from Bolga, they think that it is an agenda around here to sideline the rest of them but in this list, there is nobody from Bolga and nobody is complaining.
What is good for the goose is good for the gander. That was my first impression when I saw it. I was like this year nobody from Bolga or Bawku is part of this and the Navrongo people are not saying anything. So it is good when it is them but anyway they deserve it. No big deal,” he stated in an interview on Dreamz FM.
He posited that the region’s arts industry requires a united force to flourish thus, creative persons across the region should eschew sectionalism and acts of divisiveness and work together to project talents from the region.
“I don’t like that Bolgatanga and Navrongo thing. It is not good. If all the nominees are from Navrongo, they are Upper East people. If all the nominees are from Bawku, they are Upper East people, you don’t start making an agenda just because people from your side are not nominated. It is not good. When you do that, going in to the future, you will shoot yourself in the foot just like the way they have right now that all the nominees are from their side.
There is Sandema, there is Navrongo and Navrongo so should we also start complaining? You didn’t see this coming so the complaint wasn’t necessary in the first place because Upper East is Upper East. It doesn’t matter where the person comes from. So they should shun than behavior. It is not good,” he admonished.
Soorebia said this in reaction to the nomination of Mani Mandela, Kilimore and AlaptaWan for the Upper East Region’s Next Rated Act at the 5th edition of the 3 Music Awards.
The nominees, all from the western part of the region, will battle it out for a ticket to represent the region in same category at the national level.
Since the introduction of the category, Soorebia is the only artiste from Northern Ghana to have won.
