Ghana Music Awards For the last five years, November has been a much expected month in the calendar of Ghanaian showbiz events. It is the month that Ghana Music Awards,the glamorous and high profile event that recognises musicians and others in the music industry takes off.

In November, usually the four-month search begins with a lot of media publicity as the first step in the artistes nomination process gets underway. Not this year. The music scene has been unusually quiet and this has set a number of anxious music enthusiasts asking whether the awards event has been stopped. ?I am looking forward to the event; in fact I have been praying that this year, my favourite artiste, Obour, would sweep the awards with Konkotibaa,? one such enthusiast who called Graphic Showbiz last Tuesday said.

The sentiments of the Obour fan represent a large number of other music enthusiasts who have come to look upon the Ghana Music Awards as the ultimate event of importance in Ghanaian music circles. However, not all music enthusiasts are so eager to see the Ghana Music Awards; not after the last edition during which the hiplife trio VIP, and the gospel trio Daughters of Glorious Jesus, swept the stakes clean taking ten of the 18 competitive awards available.

The after-event furore was tremendous. The organisers received considerable bashing for ?allowing? only two groups to share most of the awards.Other critics were outright harsh, accusing the organisers for being ?kuluulu? and handing over the awards to their cronies.

Some of the critics called it plain sabotage and others still said the organisers were only in the game to enrich themselves.Have the harsh criticisms had any effect on the organisers? Do the criticisms have anything to do with the unusual November silence this year?

?Yes they have,? Mrs Theresa Ayoade, the Events Manager of Charter House, the conceptualisers and organisers of Ghana Music Awards told Graphic Showbiz last Tuesday at their Kokomlemle offices in Accra. According to her, the after-event furore in the media last year has made them pause a bit to address the issues raised.

?After the 2003 awards during which Kontihene won the ?Song of the Year? and most people gave us a lot of credit for the organisation, we thought that we had found the right formula after four years of experimentation?. ?We were thus taken aback by the fact that the following year, the same people who previously applauded us were now turning round to condemn us.

?Although many of the arguments raised by the critics were not based on issues, we have nevertheless listened to them and we are now in the process of overhauling the processes?, Mrs Ayoade said. She confirmed that Ghana Music Awards 2005 will definitely come on and although it seems to be running late, there is still enough time between now and March to run through the processes.

Mrs Ayoade disclosed that VIP, who won the Artiste of the Year at the last awards will be travelling to South Africa in December to perform at the KORA Awards as part of their prize. She did not give a specific date for the 2005 edition of Ghana Music Awards, neither would she say what changes should be expected in the nomination process of the awards. All she said was that as soon as they were ready with the results of their overhaul, the public will be informed.