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Celestine Donkor, the renowned Ghanaian gospel singer, has voiced her belief that Nathaniel Bassey’s recent advice to Ghanaian gospel musicians was driven by a sense of guilt rather than genuine concern. Bassey, a popular Nigerian gospel singer, had urged Ghanaian artists to create more songs in English to expand their global reach during his performance at the Jesus Encounter Concert held at Accra Sports Stadium on December 2, 2023.
While acknowledging the talents of Ghanaian gospel musicians, Bassey expressed concern about their preference for local dialects, which, he claimed, limited their international visibility.
However, Donkor shared a different perspective during an interview with Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM’s Twitter Space. She asserted that Bassey’s advice stemmed from a guilty conscience, suggesting that Nigerian artists often received more recognition and opportunities in Ghana than their Ghanaian counterparts did in Nigeria.
According to the ‘Only You’ singer, it’s a common scenario where Nigerian artists are generously compensated for events in Ghana, while Ghanaian artists struggle to secure similar opportunities in Nigeria. She remarked, “You receive a call for an event, there are about five Nigerian artistes on it and you know that they have paid them huge sums of money but the moment you put your cards on the table, that is the end of the conversation. It is so sad.”
Donkor speculated that Bassey’s advice might have been prompted by a sense of guilt arising from such disparities in treatment between Nigerian and Ghanaian artists. She expressed her respect for Bassey but urged him to utilize his influential platforms, such as the Experience concert, to advocate for increased support and reception for Ghanaian musicians within the Nigerian music industry.
“I respect Nathaniel Bassey so much but I pray that he will also use the same platform like that, when he gets on the stage of Experience, when he gets on big platforms. He is a global icon. We honor and celebrate him. He should also speak to give your brothers and sisters in Ghana a chance,” she emphasized.
