Anne-Sophie Ave, a former French ambassador to Ghana, has given her thoughts on the frequent comparisons drawn between Ghanaian and Nigerian performers.
In an interview with Andy Dosty, she voiced her displeasure with such parallels and advised Ghanaian music fans to be more impartial, citing Nigeria as a forerunner in pushing Afrobeat music beyond Africa.
stated Anne-Sophie Ave
“The comparison doesn’t make sense, yes, it is Afrobeat, but let’s look at it like Nigeria is paving the way, is opening the doors for the entire African continent.”
She acknowledged Nigeria’s crucial contribution in popularizing Afrobeat music.
Furthermore, Ave stated that Nigeria’s enormous population has been critical to its development, as having 250 million individuals gives a sizable fan base and market for its music. She said that while good music may transcend numbers, having a large population surely helps in reaching a larger audience and producing revenue.
The former French diplomat also urged Ghanaian artists to promote themselves not just in Ghana, but also throughout the continent and beyond.
She stressed the need of strong promotion and media coverage, pushing musicians to go beyond their native country and win foreign markets.
In short, Anne-Sophie Ave’s viewpoint emphasizes the distinctiveness of each country’s music business while acknowledging Nigeria’s pioneering role in the Afrobeat genre and the benefits of its enormous population.
She urges Ghanaian artists to aggressively advertise themselves on a larger scale in order to reach comparable success.
