Gospel musician Cwesi Oteng has called on his colleagues to boycott the annual 4Syte Music Video Awards (MVA) following a no-show for the genre at last Saturday’s event.
Organisers of the event failed to announce a winner for the Gospel Music Video Award category at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).
The ‘God Dey Bless Me’ singer, speaking in an interview with KMJ on Daybreak Hitz (Showbiz Review) on Hitz FM, described the development as disrespectful. “Why will you nominate them if you will not mention it, would you do that to any of the other categories?” he quizzed. “I think it's disrespectful.”
Cwesi Oteng, who won the category in 2014, stated that it was annoying for a nominee to honour the invitation to the awards only to be disrespected in such a manner.
According to him, there have been several attempts by event organizers to make the gospel genre look less important in the eyes of people and the 4syte Music Video Awards was no exception.
He continued that, “Gospel is the front liner genre in the country and I want our people to know that you don’t need any awards to get to the top.”
Kwesi Ernest, Manager of gospel artistes, SP Sarpong and Joyce Blessing, who was a panelist on the show, agreed with Cwesi Oteng.
He said the organisers have shown gross disrespect to God and gospel musicians and, therefore, needs repentance.
“What organisers need now is total repentance because they have sinned against the body of Christ and his servants, you don’t treat people who do the work of God in that nature.”
Sharing his sentiments on how his artistes were mistreated by organisers of the 4Syte MVA, Kwesi Ernest said, “My artiste Joyce Blessing was nominated, Francis Amo and Obaapa Christy were also nominated and as of Thursday there was a not a single ticket that was sent to us as nominees.”
Meanwhile, Media Coordinator for the 4Syte Music Video Awards, Nii Amaar Amarteifio responding to the threat from Cwesi Oteng said he believes boycotting the awards is not the way forward.
“We are sorry about what happened, we have called some of the gospel musicians and we will sit down with them and try to iron this situation out,” he told Hitz News.