Entertainment pundit and broadcaster Ola Michael has voiced his concerns over the organisation of the red carpet event at the 2024 Telecel Ghana Music Awards (TGMAs).
According to him, the red carpet looked like a marketplace.
Speaking on United Showbiz on UTV on 8 June 2024, Ola Michael wondered if the chaotic scenes at the event were due to it not being properly planned or if an inexperienced planner was booked for the event.
“The red carpet event is an event on its own. But up till now, Charterhouse has yet to master it. This year’s red carpet looked like a marketplace. Maybe they didn’t plan it, or they got someone unqualified to plan it. They just allowed anyone on the carpet,” he said on the show hosted by MzGee.
Ola Michael pointed out the experience of industry professionals like renowned music producer Bullet, who had to share the space with inappropriately dressed attendees.
“A professional like Bullet will come on the red carpet, someone who can help boost the allure of it, and he was being forced to share the red carpet with someone who wore a polythene bag," Ola said.
“Someone else put on a nurse’s uniform and was allowed to come on the red carpet," he added.
He stressed the importance of respecting the red carpet tradition and suggested that with proper management, the red carpet can get to a point where it’s bigger than the awards show itself.
“I think they should polish it up; it’s been 25 years. If it continues like this, people will lose interest in it.
“If we do it well, it will get to a point where people will just come for the red carpet and not the event itself,” he said.
Ola Michael’s comments join those of other industry players who have called for a revamp of red-carpet events at various shows following the ‘disappointing’ display at the 2024 TGMAs.
Earlier on GhanaWeb TV's E-Forum Show, media personality Sammy Rasta said that the TGMA red carpet is not given the same respect as similar events in other countries, leading to ridicule.
He suggested that red carpets should highlight fashion and be managed by industry experts.
On the show hosted by Abrantepa, Sammy Rasta cited the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards (AMVCAs) as an example where the red carpet overshadowed the awards themselves and urged TGMA organisers to partner with seasoned fashion influencers like Kofi Okyere Darko (KOD) to elevate the red carpet experience.
watch the video here
ID/BB
Watch the latest episode of E-Forum here
