No artiste has monopoly over a category—Kofi Donkor

KOFI Donkor, the manager of Gospel artiste Celestine Donkor, is challenging the board of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) to reconsider its position on the nominees in the Songwriter of the Year category.

According to him, no artiste has monopoly over any category so the habit of event organisers nominating some artistes for particular categories should be done away with.

Kofi Donkor’s call follows the inability of the Agbebolo hitmaker to secure a nomination in the Songwriter of the Year category.

Speaking with Graphic Showbiz recently, he noted that Celestine’s Only You song put her in a stronger position for a nomination than some of the others who were selected in that category.

“The team’s concern is that Celestine is a prolific writer but that side of her craft has been overlooked by the VGMA and other music award schemes and I believe it is about time we brought that to attention.

“Any critic will attest to her songwriting abilities from her songs like Adom Ne Ahumobro, Adekyee Mu Nsem and Agbebolo but she has never secured a spot in the Songwriter of the Year category.

“We were confident that Only You will earn her a spot there but that didn’t happen and that is why I’m challenging the board to review it and compare the songs nominated to know the truth.

"I can confidently say that Only You will beat about three songs there since its message is deep,” he said.

This year’s Songwriter of the Year category has Minister OJ, Fameye, Abiana, Kofi Kinaata, Akwaboah and reigning Artiste of the Year, Diana Hamilton vying for the award.

The likes of Minister OJ, Akwaboah and Kofi Kinaata have probably emerged champions in the category, winning the prize at least once. For instance, Kofi Kinaata has won the Songwriter of the Year four times in a row from 2018.

Kofi Donkor mentioned that such happenings give rise to genuine concerns that the category has been reserved for some artistes who irrespective of the quality of their songs find themselves there every year.

“It seems the board has given that particular category to some group of people so they think that once Kofi Kinaata, Akwaboah, or Minister OJ comes out with a song, automatically and without proper scrutiny, they have to be in Songwriter of the Year category.

“Years ago, that was what was happened with the Best Female Vocalist of the Year which always had Efya and Becca and it is time to draw attention to some of these things that no artiste has right over any category.

"You have to earn it; it is not your right just because you’ve won it before or you’ve been nominated twice,” he added.

Undoubtedly, Celestine Donkor performed well in the year under review with her song Only You earning her three nominations in the categories of Best Gospel Song, Gospel Artiste of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year.

She, however, didn’t make the cut for Artiste of the Year.

The outcome has generated mixed reactions on social media and in a subtle response on her Facebook wall on Monday, March 21, Celestine posted: “The way I'm looking at music awards right now, confusion aye basaaa. Afi biara ni emu nsem!

“Let me assure you all, awards are cool, but my focus is to position myself in that realm where I can receive more songs that will bless the world”.

Responding to this, Kofi Donkor mentioned that Celestine’s post was not out of place.

“When you know you have worked over the years and harder in the year under review and then you get three nominations out of a possible six, many things run through your mind.

"But we want to think that the board members know what they are doing and in their wisdom, she doesn’t qualify for some of the categories,” he said.