No concert has yet been scheduled at the Accra Sports Stadium, according to Prof. Peter Twumasi, Director-General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), in an exclusive interview.
He claims that although both artists are still working on signing the deal to utilize the stadium for a concert, the question of who would receive the contract has not yet been resolved.
His remarks follow Shatta Wale’s assertion that he was informed Stonebwoy will perform this year and that he would have to perform his event next year as a result of the conflicting dates for the same location.
Prof. Peter Twumasi, who spoke exclusively on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, rejected Shatta Wale’s assertions and reaffirmed that the National Sports Authority has not yet signed a contract with any of the performers for a performance to be held at the Accra Sports Stadium.
“If the sports authority is helping them and they are creating problems for me? The two of them, none of them has a contract with us [National Sports Authority]. We are just helping to support their industry. We are yet to sign a contract, so don’t bother too much. For now, they are going through the process of getting the contract with the NSA, it’s not even done yet,” he said.
“If you write a letter and request for a space then we will look at it and see whether we can offer you or not but we don’t have authority over what we can offer and what we cannot. We are thinking that stadium is a multi-purpose in use and over the years we have been accommodating them [artistes] bit by bit so it shouldn’t create any controversies unless they are just using it to promote their shows,” he said.
- Background
The Dancehall musician claimed that the National Sports Authority’s purported decision to permit Stonebwoy to host a concert at the Accra Sports Stadium on the same day that he (Shatta Wale) is scheduled to hold an event there was made without a careful consideration of the potential consequences, which could include violence.
The leader of the Shatta Movement criticised the authorities for behaving improperly in a 40-minute Facebook live video on Tuesday that showed his rage as he related his side of the tale.
Earlier this year, Shatta Wale and Medikal made arrangements for their annual Freedom Wave Festival, which is set to take place from December 20 to 25.
According to a flyer published on September 7, 2023, the festival’s events included the arrival of regional fan bases on December 20, a display of SM merchandise on December 21, a pre-concert featuring new artists on December 22, industry prayers on December 23, artist dress rehearsals on December 24, and the festival’s culmination on December 25.
On September 16, however, Stonebwoy also made available the flyer for his Bhim Concert, which will take place at the Accra Sports Stadium on December 22.
This sparked discussion as many people pondered how the two performers could hold their individual events at the same location on the same day.
Shatta Wale charged the daughter of President Akufo-Addo with planning this incident on Tuesday. The president’s daughter was criticized for acting “foolishly” when he insulted his colleague Stonebwoy with some unprintable comments.
