Joshua, one half of the Keche music group
Joshua, a member of the Keche music group, has shared his frustration on social media over the perceived cold reception given to Ghanaian performers at the recently held All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) held in Lagos, Nigeria.
His remarks were in reaction to viral videos from the 9th edition of the event, which was held on January 11, 2026, which showed Ghanaian stars Stonebwoy and Wendy Shay delivering energetic performances to a largely unresponsive audience.
In a social media post on January 13, Keche Joshua argued that the lukewarm reaction was not accidental but a deliberate act by the Nigerian audience.
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He asserted that despite the artistes’ continental fame, the crowd withheld itself intentionally.
“Is there any rapper in Africa bigger than Sarkodie? Are there any dancehall artistes in Africa bigger than Shatta Wale and Stonebwoy?
“They know Stonebwoy’s songs, they know Wendy Shay’s songs, but they will not get up to hail you. They know what they were doing,” he stated.
He contrasted this with the energetic reception given to Nigerian legend P Square, who performed at the same event.
Joshua blamed this on the Ghanaian attitude towards its own artistes within the Ghanaian music industry itself.
He argued that the lack of respect for local talents in Ghana is responsible for their reception abroad.
“But do you know why we are not respected out there? We do not see ourselves as such.
“Until we in Ghana start respecting our own. The people out there will not respect them,” he concluded.
The post was met with reactions online, with many Ghanaians agreeing with his call for greater internal support for homegrown talent.
ID/EB
