Last weekend, the second edition of the Ghana Gospel Music Awards was launched at the Royal Ravico Hotel.
Mr Samuel Okine, Chief Executive Officer of S&S Media Concepts, the event organisers in his speech, said that last year?s event even though was very successful organisation wise, financially it was not very good.
He added that this year?s format remains the same as last year and nominations will be done by radio presenters, art writers, the musicians themselves as well as other stakeholders in the industry.
He ended by saying ?The Ghana Gospel Music Awards will continue to reward the gospel musicians and we will organise workshops to aid the musicians?.
Diana Akiwumi, a renowned gospel musician and the National Vice President of MUSIGA, said she was glad when the awards scheme was put in place because she felt that gospel musicians had reached a stage where they merited their own awards programme.
She gave the assurance that there will be a marked improvement this year because they had taken all the criticism and praise to heart and were working to present a better package this year.
?I want to urge all musicians to appreciate the efforts of award organisers because it is not easy to do things on a broad scheme. I will also urge them to package themselves well so they can win awards in future.?
She congratulated the organisers and the musicians and gave them the assurance that MUSIGA was firmly behind them.
Reverend John B. Ghartey, a Theologian and Lecturer who officially launched the awards also recounted some of the challenges they faced last year and also reiterated the facts that gospel musicians need to be rewarded for their efforts.
He advised the gospel musicians on their need to imbibe professionalism in their work so they can penetrate the international market since it was their time. He further invited organisations to help support and reward the efforts of the musicians.
This year?s event is scheduled for May 1, 2004 and is under the theme ?Possessing the land for Christ through Gospel Music?.
Categories to be awarded are Best Gospel Song, Best Gospel Album, Best Male Voice, Best Female Voice, Best Small Ministry, Best Medium Ministry, Best Mass Ministry, Best Praise Song, Best Worship Song, Discovery/New Artiste of the Year, Best Packaging, Best Music Video, Best Accapella Group, Most Inspiring Lyrics and Best Production House.
Sponsors are Global Lighting Centre, Borges Olive Oil, Beverage Investment, Coco Beach Resort, Smile Mineral Water (Shaaba), Royal Ravico Hotel, Beechnut Baby Foods, JN Products, Agate Transport Services, Challenge Bookshop and Eastern Alloys Company Limited, Morrison & Associates (Event Statisticians), Sunny FM (officially radio station).
Media partners are Vibe FM, Radio Gold, Channel R, Joy FM, Radio Hits and Adom FM.
MC for the event was Reverend Cephas Haywood Amartey who was at his usual eloquent best with a performance by Alabaster Box the hottest accapella group in town.
