The Politics Ownership And Control Of African Music And Culture For Profit

Music Recording Companies in America and Europe operate like Banks, making their profits by delaying payment as a rule rather than an exception. This leads to the loss of ownership by Artists over their Master-Tapes and loss of their copyright royalty payments. The business of African Commercial- Cultural Products makes African Artists very susceptible to losing their life’s creation compositions and general autonomy over their work and the future direction of their careers. Inadvertently placing full ownership into the hands of foreigners to control their music in foreign capitals around the world with the exclusion of Africa.

The African Music Brand for African Artists is kin to the human zoo depicting them as caricatures of fake looking exotic black puppets, or clowns dressed up in Eurocentric Americanised
clothes as second class want-to- be stars. Who they are of course doing a great favour from the bottom of their hearts.

Often African Artists have to conform to a dress code that forbids them to wear urban or modern clothes on stage. To fulfill the stereotype of the local tribesmen, herdsmen and mourners in ritual service banging their noisy drums. Instead of reflecting Africans Urban day fashions that they are more accustomed to wearing having the right to choose what they want to wear for themselves be it African or Western.

Now, with the internet revolution despite and all its side effects, the positive upswing is African Artists have greater freedom to do it themselves. With numerous advantages consisting of directly reaching their fans, protecting ideas, inventions, aspirations, creativity and marketing online. Just like any other company, boutique or record store.

There are many similarities between African Presidents asking Europe and America for Cultural Musical Independence, and African Music Producers, Publicist and Concert Organizers asking their elected Governments for Art and Culture to be prioritized, and
included in their Gross National Product(GNP). Thereby investing public funds into one of the richest components of their economies. Too often African Governments are so preoccupied with imposing European values onto their Citizenry than harnessing the talent of wealth builders for their countries socio-economic benefit to increase much needed employment opportunities and economic growth. It seems as though African Governments would rather build Banks, Religious Praying Grounds; whilst embracing Sports and Fashion on TV. Investing their resources in any other distraction other than teaching and showing African History and Cultural practices in Africa before the European invasion.

There has been a systematic attack on African Culture impacting every facet of African life.

What we believed before has been changed by Foreigners. How we prayed, which Gods we believed in. Who told us to throw our Gods away, and said they were bad? Why did we decide to choose the religion of those who enslaved us? Beat us, enslaved us and put us into colonization with the myth that they should rule and have full rights! With no respect deserved by Africans) to own African Music. This has all happened because we throw away our Culture, Religions, Languages and adapted to the ones of the invaders.

African Musicians are like slaves employed by Europeans and scattered banking system inside Africa. African music and African sports is one way to take money from the poorest Africans by means of movies, entertainment, music and European baiting festivals. Our Leaders miseducation of white Supremacy Racism the role of its media has brainwashed and duped them opening up their creative industries to mass exploitation leakaging away the income streams that should be reinvested into African Governments to support their Artists, and boost economies.

The current situations have led African Musicians to be in a similar situation to their fellow Africans who are sinking in boats on the Mediterranean. They do whatever it takes to go to Europe to sell their rights (completely unaware they are begging for Slavery) of what they compose and invent.

Therefore, it is important for contemporary African Artists to understand it is far better to stay
in Africa than to sign their rights away because when thi happens, the Record Companies will have the right to own you.

This means Artists are used to advertise their music without being recompensed without getting one cent or penny for doing it. Usually, once an Artist signs the contract they giveaway all of rights to the Record Company for selling their music, using their image, and photos. Controlling appearances in interviews, and projecting the record releases for all of your concerts”. Another deceptive method is the use of human billboard wearing a T- shirt with Artists’ picture on it. The process of Cultural Appropriation that steals both the Artistsn personal and National identity is completed by cutting the music off from its creative roots is completed by a European company with intent to make money.

European Agents keep control over African Culture by choosing gullible African Artists by enticing them into the record contract trap aimed at maximising their profits by keeping the money machine system going. These European Agents select the Promoters they want and they also decide for the world what is genuine African Music.

They are quangos who finance and subsidies African Governments and Cultural Festivals in Africa. Some African Artists are paid to do their Dirty work sometimes engaging in money laundering and human trafficking, democracy advocates, promoters of World Bank, UNESCO and the United Nations.

Those African Artists are equivalent to Governments in their countries making it possible for their countries to get funding and recognition as the European vulture-representative corrupting their Governments. By accepting foreign companies’ kickbacks to have a stake in the natural resources of the country. In return for these favours their Government support them in projecting on to their population the illusion of African artists’ reality TV full of sex money and a wealthy lifestyle. Bringing African media to its knees because they owned the local media (through a subsidiary) using the colonial tool of divide and rule amongst the people. Creating sports and sex addiction, encouraging division and hostility among youth groups through television engaging them in matters irrelevant matter of no use.

When you control the media you also have the power to destroy the practices of faith elders, turning our women into catwalk strippers, preaching democracy and practicing ruthlessness,extravagant spending like Father Christmas. Breaking down the connection of old values
and our historical legends and icons. This is the heavy burden carried by anyone who want to liberate African music.

The Unconscious African Artists Mostly Artists in the Francophone (French speaking countries) are unfortunately victims of a pro-European African Government and are assimilated into French culture. These African Artists are worldly known (no need to mention names) as the friend smiling artists of no political songs, no conscious lyrics, big timedancers and Body Art to satisfy and meet the stereotyping of Africa and Africans.

Most African artists came to music, not for money but for with a sense of belonging and with a Community purpose. Some decided to mistrust Africans and mingled with the money lenders instead.

The first contact African Musician have with European Agents are when they arrive in Europe to visit family and friends. Record Companies do not send for these Artists they scout them when they perform at Weddings, Naming Ceremonies or Independence Day Celebrations etcin Europe and America. . This is how initially linked up with Artists directly from Africa.

From initial contact the process of Cultural Appropriation. For example, if an Artist has a big hit with one of his songs, they would encourage the Artist to work with European Musicians for budgetary reasons. Resulting in cutting off the Artist from their original support network of musicians.

Often life-long friends who they grew up with and their relatives who made the initial sacrifices, and raised the money for the airline tickets for the band to go to Europe. These original founders of the music are not included in the contracts when they sign an artist who is a member of a band. Resulting in rifts between the original band members living them outraged, betrayed, disillusioned leaving collaborators with western identity laughing off the misery of others as a sign of success. Most of the musicians signed up by European Agents end up living dangerously and giving out their music beats and melodies to European music factories.

Who churn out these beats using them very differently without African voices, singing and any other link to copyright infringement.They have cunningly created a loophole for themselves to legitimise Cultural Appropriation regarding copyright infringement claiming that music from villages and towns are not eligible for copyright. Demeaning its owners as creators of wild music, like wild animals calls. Catch them and own them, then form them for profit.

European entrepreneurs and music business personalities have the modern day status of European Explorers like Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus and Cecil Rhodes. The get funded by Kings, Queens, Government and Merchants. They have a government who studied the renaissance, financial strength, psychology of Art, and Music.

These Europeans music explorers are financed by Governments, who also are financed by Bankers to make profit for the government and government makes money for the banks.Just like the way Oil and Gold are controlled, and commercialized. African Music is also controlled and colonized.

When I started African Music promotion in 1980, he recalls” I did not know about this at all. I was not doing it for money, it was the extension of my youth and later my interest. I was a Rock & Roll Hippy and a Soul Freak. I started to know the ways and means of bringing African music and musician based on knowledge to Europe and the Media liked me. I was like Jesus (same story and ended in crucifixion). They made me famous because I was now showing the tricks of the trade I brought from Africa, in no time I was financed to stage some of the most wonderful concerts in Europe and America on African Music. I was
Holy, I was the focal point of information from the villages, tribes, the hinterlands, and the sounds of lips and fingers. I came out with all thisIt was paid for by European Governments and not record companies. They were limited to Ballet groups, open breasted dancing girls, and one two or three famous names like Manu
Dibango, Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba, not more. These are artist made famous by European cooperation as a teaser to other African Artists to jump in the river and swim with crocodiles.

When they knew the ins and outs of African music, the names and the tribes of the artists, They decided to own it. They started to register the artists and give them number and labels. Exactly, like in the Slave Trade. A record company called Decca records, once rejected The Beatles but recorded the Super Eagles of Gambia. Then Decca records opened a branch in Nigeria controlling the music of English West Africa of Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia
and Nigeria. This was the final move to take over African Music 100% from the hands of the Africans. They need individuals but not cultures. The cultural part is for Africa but the talented African will be transformed to demonize his own people by expanding the
propaganda myth that what’s made in Europe and owed by Europeans can give you income and can keep you in the machine of promoting Europeans values to the hearts and minds of African people.

Now a days African cannot play music, they are actors. This is a combination of a cap, hair, the jacket, the shoes, pants and a song to make this human billboard a Holy Ghost, must- believe and must follow for Africans to be recognized and adored for the purpose of profit making in the communities of poor African Villages. Africans did not know that taking part in this Financial Sector, which is like making weapons of Mass Destruction. Any African who has to do anything in Europe with African music, festivals, filming, actors, drummers, Dance and all forms of Art and Cultural manifestation was forbidden. This is what I came for and I fought many Battles from 1983 to 2013. Everyday was a battle and after each festival, the press will write all over that, this was the last
festival. From 1984 until I reached my destiny was a 12 months’ yearly fight.

The Radio DJ’s were the Newspaper Journalists who wanted to dictate what got played on European Radio and TV. They were also Programmers for Major Pop Festivals that want to
take the small money of African and Minority Groups. By inviting one Reggae or one African artists to suck the blood of the Africans of their last Penny or cent. They used African Collaborators to scandalize your name in the community and among African Artists (some of who are so weak and hungry for recognition) to sabotage your shows. With their media they once wrote; “Why should Mory Kante wear a white suite in an African Festival.” They also applauded A Mbira playing artist called Stella Chewhesi from Zimbabwe when power went out because they played only drums and clapping as better than Franco & TPOK Jazz, and then they started to attack any African band who wanted to do it themselves.

This is a bloody network of Record shops, Club Owners, Festival Programmers, Radio DJ, TV and Booking agents, now are called the European Association of African Music. They come to Africa to attract and discredit Africans, like they did to our good Political Leaders,spoiled their names, their program of Action and the de-colonization of the African Mind. And made it easy for their own people to distrust and dislike them and then you will be killed.

When Fela Ransom Kuti came by, he says Hell no. In the beginning they owed his products but when he had the support of the Nigerian population (not the Government) he then became the spokesman for the freedom and liberation of African Music from the clutches of exploitation, and the capitalization of African music and culture; by a few Europeans at the expense of many Africans. The music as years passed by was control by European Women.

They fell in false love with our Artists who thought of them like Djembe drumming, and Mandingo Ballet dance. Suddenly, these Women became Professors of Arts holding Degrees, whilst the African Artist did not get a look in. He doesn’t even understand what PHD in African mean to his European wife. These Djembe-Playing- European women penetrated the Music industry, and the media introduced their music as African Music to mainstream European media.

How come African artists are not professors and Doctors of Music? Because if they promote you, Europeans Audiences will like you more than their fake copycat and music stealing artists. The ones that usually collaborate with lout top stars and also owed the 100% rights of the collaboration rights. This is why African Artists don’t make money and are POOR.

From here on, it African Music becomes another delicatessen on the dining table. Now African Music can be heard in the supermarkets, cars, airplanes, computers, and cross continental business taking the sweat and aspiration of Africans as collateral to the banks. catalogue of loyal, Non-political Musicians encourage Europeans to travel to Africa, and marry in Africa. Mesmerize Africans into believing that whatever Europeans like about Africa should be sold to Europe from Footballers, plants, seaweed, animals, and music. With the objective to encourage songs of friendship, and peace based on Supremacy Racism for a continued association based on inferiority complex, Cultural oppression and racial sabotage making Young Africans to lose interest in their history, their legends and icons. Resulting Re-Colonizing African Culture and history to fill the banks of India, Egypt Africa and the middle East can form a sound that Europe with considerable size of wealth for the old colonial banks to suck additional money from these vulture- sucked nations and left with nothing to survive except the smile on their faces from their culture. Now the Culture must be taken away.

Africans need to defend African culture, by preserving it and promoting it like African Kingdoms. It has nothing to do with promoting European wealth in African Culture. To me a prominent promoter of African Music is like forming a resistance army against invaders. Your country music understanding the cultural war for domination and continued exploitation.

The Europeans have a committees and organizations to decide what is good about African Music. It I They who decide each year, which African artists are fit to entertain Europeans. Reminiscent to their Colonial past. They also decide who should be their Representative, if they do not have a French Cultural Center/ Alliance Franco, or German Goethe Institute, the British Council. These Agencies are financed by your Governments, and have organization in Europe who run the African Music Media including the BBC, RFI, etc. They have European Foundation for World Music, the have the meeting of European Brains including Women.

European Agents are like big fishing ships dragging all of the fish from out of the Ocean with their drag nets. Monopolizing all of African music revenue stealing small African Music festivals expanding the with European Art institutes funding in Africa. Who pick and choose from each African country the who is who in African Music. Without Consultation with local musicians on the ground or experienced musicians in the genres. White Amateurs are put in control as promoters in Africa. With their white privilege they select Musicians based on simple criteria. For example, Malian Music and the girls, Congo Music and the girls, they only love Dance music and they have African Wives.African music is not only about Dance. African have music and songs for almost everything from the prayers to mourning to ceremony.

Their African Socialite women suggest the tribal choice of artists who are gullible to think they will become rich and famous overnight. Recruiting them for second Class Hip Hop after trying to wipe out African Music and Culture in the process of deterring the Youth from establishing their careers in Africa through get rich schemes. That ultimately lead to the Americanization of the eyes and minds of Africans as CNN and BBC has had a detrimental effect in the minds of Africans for continued oppression. These European Agents epitomize a spy network marry African women to have instant access to the secrets of African culture.

These European Agents speak the language know spin webs of lies and deception by giving false information for the love African people, culture and the land. They are just another Macro Polo.

Any African who want to promote African Music, be ready for crucifixion. Africans have so much sun (free Energy) until they are laid back lazy and unable to protect Africa. The Media war has handed Africa back into slavery and any liberator is an Enemy.

When Miriam Makeba married Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Toure), the leader of the Black Panther Party. Her music was banned, kicked out of her country in exile for over 30 years, her daughter died while she was looking for refuge. The record companies droppen and all sponsore and backers. Senegal did not want to accept her and she ended in Guinea together with the deposed President of Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Together they were on a crusade to free African music and Artists from European and American corporations. Africans your music is your identity, your gold and diamonds. Use it or Loose it.

oko Drammeh