For a country with a very promising music industry facing many challenges, we seem to have an insane obsession with the O₂ Arena, and that worries me. At what point do we move away from this conversation?
Anyone who has been following conversations in the Ghanaian music industry is already aware of the continuous rants and bants when it comes to the O₂ Arena. Earlier this year, it was a conversation that felt important to the industry’s progression, especially since we had some artists like Shatta Wale, Sarkodie, and R2Bees playing shows at the O₂ Indigo. So far as progress goes, it was expected that the next step would be the O₂ Arena, but that has not happened.
Over time, people kept asking whether any of those artists could or whether there could be a collective event where all these artists would fill the venue. However, over the years, with new knowledge and easy access to information, some people, like this writer, were no longer enthusiastic about filling the arena but rather other pressing matters that affected the industry right here at home. The most recent event to stir up such conversations is the ShattaFest.
For the most part, the Shatta event, organized in collaboration with MTN, has shown how huge the Shatta Wale brand currency is. While the event itself boasts a historic turnout, the news circulating regarding the attendance of the concert is nothing great to write home about. If anything at all, it stands to make a mockery of the event that took place last weekend. Surprisingly, this comes at a time when we have a serious case of fraudulent and misleading statistics regarding concert attendance. This is something we have covered in a recent piece on Ghana Music.
One question this event has opened my eyes to is how the industry and artists like Shatta Wale can best maximize the numbers that show up at events for further progress of the industry and their careers? Instead, what we have seen is another silly run at the O₂ Arena conversations. At what point in time can we call the conversation just a silly obsession that we need to move away from?
While we wait for accurate attendance numbers, the conversations that should be had are about how best the creative industry can use this event as a case study to draw the attention of government and private investors to the opportunities available. It will be more impressive to build on our strengths and challenges back home, which positions our collective industry in a better light, rather than fuel this obsession.
Case in point: I have yet to see a national cry from the South African music industry about needing to fill the O₂ Arena to prove a point. The only reason that is so is that their industry back home is so well-structured. An industry that has a proper structure in its home base does not make outside validation its whole personality.
The conversation about filling O₂ is one I personally believe is not as crucial to the industry’s overall progress. Instead, it is a milestone and career highlight for whichever Ghanaian artist(s) do that. As such, seeing mainstream media and industry folks continue to fuel such conversations positioned as an industry concern is laughable. In 2025, we still have issues with royalty collection, which is of greater concern to the industry and requires the attention of these identical media houses and industry gatekeepers. When the previous government promised amphitheatres across the country and was voted out, we have barely heard any updates on those theatres, yet industry folks are pushing other things instead.
It is worrying that, as an industry with artists who have very loyal fan bases, we have not seen significant investment in building more event centres that can accommodate these fans in their numbers. Even the ones we currently have are not in the best shape. For an industry with a major streaming problem, why aren’t we looking to bolster our events sector? Why are you not pushing for local industry growth rather than foreign validation? At the end of the day, no matter the validation you seek outside, your home being in disarray will expose you.
This article is not saying that artists who want to fill the O₂ should not strive to do so. By all means, you should do it. The UK, and venues like the O₂ Arena and Indigo, have played a significant role in positioning Afrobeats music and artists. However, that is not a yardstick by which we should measure an industry’s overall progress. As an artist, that is different because that may be part of your goals to attain global recognition. But there are more pressing matters that, if solved, will do the industry as a whole more good than our obsession with filling a venue in another man’s land.
