Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Life: Music at the Mall

Has anyone else noticed how you are more likely to hear Coldplay at the Mall than you are Kojo Antwi?

While it is refreshing to hear other forms of music - especially in public spaces (and especially artists as foreign to Ghanaian airwaves as Coldplay) - isn't it a little disrespectful that no Ghanaian music is played. I can understand why they might not play Okyeame Kwame - got to keep it smooooth, right? - but can't they throw on some Kojo Antwi or Becca once in a while?

Maybe I missed the rule in the Universal Shopping Mall Manual that says that only Western music can play in Western-style malls...

4 comments:

  1. Makes me a little sad to think that Coldplay has invaded all the malls of the world. I'm now tempted to bring some Kojo Antwi CDs to the local mall, set up a boom box hidden behind a planter and bring some Ghana to American commerce.

    ReplyDelete
  2. lol. Not a bad idea actually: sounds very Fight Club (one of my favourite films). We don't do subversion so much here in Ghana, do we?!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Not another coldplay-hating posting! The funniest quote i heard was from 'Tricky' [ formerly with Massive Attack] who was also quoting another guy,'Coldpay's music is for bed-wetters'

    I like some of the songs they make, at least the ones i hear some lyrics. The rest are a mash up of rythm and melody and someone snoring in the background.

    ...Here is an idea
    Hire one of those guerilla marketers with speakers-to-level-skyscrappers on their pickup trucks and tell them to do two rounds around the premises every 2 hours playing some kojo antwi and some juju music as well for that matter [ that should keep our naija brethren entertained ] that should do it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your idea for the guerilla boomboxing is pretty cool... except I can imagine the Mall management closing the doors to seal out the sound. What you need to do is get all those teenagers who are always loitering about doing what teenagers do in malls the world over (ie. absolutely nothing/window shopping) to run around with old-school style boomboxes blaring Mr. Music Man & Sunny Ade while security chase them around the place.

    ReplyDelete