View this post on Instagram
Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has been accused of using a musician’s work without permission or credit to advertise the country to tourists.
Ghanaian musician Kirani Ayat said he reached out to the government for support before shooting his Guda music video but he was turned down.
The video was shot in northern Ghana and features scenic views and showcases the local culture.
“The President of Ghana has used my video ‘Guda’ in this ad to promote Ghana. I was actively reaching out to the Ministry of Tourism in 2018/19 to use this video to push tourism in the North and got no reply, yet today it’s in an ad and no one reached out to me for permission,” he wrote.
Scenes in the musician’s video featuring women posing on top of a giant tree and others dancing have been featured in the tourism advert.
Kirani said he worked a 12-hour shift as a security guard for seven days over a three-month period to save money for the video production costs.
“I reached out a couple of times to no avail. I was depressed throughout that period,” the musician wrote.
The government is yet to respond to the copyright allegations.
Ghanaians on social media have encouraged the musician to sue the government for copyright infringement.
Ghana has previously marketed the country for tourism with the famous year of return initiative launched in 2019 termed a great success by the government.
Several international celebrities visited the country that year.
Whoever worked on this video should’ve reached out to the rightful content owners before proceeding. I spent my all in making GUDA possible, I’m sure you were paid for this job, where is my cut ?
— Kirani Ayat 🌍 (@KiraniAYAT) September 27, 2022
Kirani Ayat - GUDA (Official Video) Directed. David Nicol-seyhttps://t.co/viPnVDrbco
— Kirani Ayat 🌍 (@KiraniAYAT) September 27, 2022
FYI After spending thousands of dollars to shoot the video for #GUDA I needed money for promo, with no support from anywhere, I had to sell my SUV to promote the video worldwide, even today I still owe YouTube ads cause of it.
— Kirani Ayat 🌍 (@KiraniAYAT) September 28, 2022
After Rejecting My Proposal, You Still Used My Video Without My Consent — Kirani Ayat blasts Tourism Ministry
Ghanaian musician Kirani Ayat and his video producer, David Nicol-Sey are unhappy with President Akufo-Addo's government over intellectual theft.
The musician claimed he sent a proposal to the Ministry of Tourism to feature his video in the Year of Return tourism documentary in 2018, which, according to the artist, was treated with a deaf ear.
But to his surprise, the same rejected video was featured in a documentary shared by the President on his official Twitter handle without his or his producer’s consent.
“The president of Ghana has used my video “GUDA” in this ad to promote Ghana. I was actively reaching out to the Ministry of Tourism in 2018/19 to use this video to push tourism in the North and got NO reply, yet today it’s in an ad and no one reached out to me for permission,” he reacted.
The musician again stated that his efforts in putting up the said song shouldn't be dismantled and, as such, he should have been consulted before using his property for something he offered but never got any response.
He is demanding to be paid some compensation for his hard work.
“Whoever worked on this video should’ve reached out to the rightful content owners before proceeding. I spent my all in making GUDA possible, I’m sure you were paid for this job, where is my cut?
“I worked 7 days a week from 7PM to 7AM for 3 months straight as a security guard just to save up to make this “GUDA” video possible. Various awards shows snubbed it, the ministry ignored it, I reached out a couple of times to no avail. I was depressed throughout that period,” he recounts.
The president of Ghana has used my video “GUDA” in this ad to promote Ghana. I was actively reaching out to the Ministry of Tourism in 2018/19 to use this video to push tourism in the North and got NO reply, yet today it’s in an ad and no one reached out to me for permission. 🤦♂️ https://t.co/vLnAP0bRqf
— Kirani Ayat 🌍 (@KiraniAYAT) September 27, 2022
