Entertainment
I will miss Ghana – Anne-Sophie Avé
The outgoing French Ambassador to Ghana, Anne-Sophie Avé whose tenure came to a close at the end of August has said she will miss Ghana.
The woman who played a crucial role in uplifting the image of the country’s creative arts said the reception given to her in Ghana was something she could never forget.
Anne-Sophie Avé told The Spectator she would miss everything about Ghana: food, events, serenity and friends she had made.
“I am hopeful of coming back once a while in a private capacity to visit the good people of this lovely nation,” she said.
The outgoing ambassador was optimistic that her successor would carry on with what she started to improve the bilateral relationship, since members of her team were still around.
According to her, she grew up on music because her family loved and played a lot of music at home, where she derived her passion for the arts.
This, she said, moved her from seeing music as enjoyment and expressing emotions to business, a reason which made her dedicate time to help improve the business side of Ghana’s creative arts to ensure stakeholders benefited from their toil.
There are composers of lyrics, producers, marketers, publishers among other music executives who are all involved in the business side of it.She believed that going forward the various authorities and stakeholders in Ghana music would ensure right policies be put in place for the creatives to live meaningful lives through their hardwork.
“Thankfully, even though there are works to do, a lot of things are already in place in Ghana, and with time, Ghana will get there,” she said.
Anne-Sophie Avé was French Ambassador to Ghana from September 2018,to August 2022, and was the hostessof TV talk show ‘Touch of France’ on GHone.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Entertainment
Sparqlyn reminisces as he congratulates Shatta Wale for winning two awards at 43rd IRAWMA
Ghanaian musician and former member of musicial gorup, Dunsin, Ahmmed Kanneh Larweh, popularly known as Sparqlyn, has congratulated Ghanaian music heavyweight, Shatta Wale following his impressive double victory at the International Reggae and World Music Awards.
Shatta Wale recently made headlines after winning two major awards at the prestigious event held in Florida, USA, securing Best African Dancehall Entertainer and Concert of the Year for ShattaFest.
Reacting to the achievement, Sparqlyn could not hide his excitement after sighting news of the awards on Monday, May 18, 2025.
According to him, the one thing that caught his attention was the plaque presented to Shatta Wale. He noted that the design looked strikingly similar to the one Dunsin received when they won at the MUSA Awards over a decade ago.
The resemblance, especially the upper part of the plaque, instantly brought back memories of his former group’s historic moment on the African stage 13 years ago when the group represented Ghana proudly in South Africa.
It will be recalled that back in 2013, Dunsin achieved international recognition after winning Most Exciting Group in Africa and Most African Video at the MUSA Awards held in Pretoria, South Africa. The awards came on the back of their global hit project “Ɔyɛadeɛyie,” a song that helped elevate the group’s profile beyond Ghana.
At the time, Sparqlyn, then known by many as Kele within the group, was the one who represented Dunsin at the event to pick up the award.
Ghanaian dancehall artiste Charles Nii Armah Mensah, known as Shatta Wale, has won two awards at the 43rd International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA) held in Florida over the weekend.
He picked up the Best African Dancehall Entertainer award as well as Concert of the Year for ShattaFest.
In a statement, Shatta Wale’s management expressed appreciation to the organisers and supporters of the awards.
“Management would like to sincerely appreciate the organisers of the IRAWMA awards for the recognition and continuous support for African music on the global stage.
“We also extend our deepest gratitude to fans across the world, especially the Shatta Movement fraternity, for their unwavering support, votes, and dedication throughout the years,” the statement said.
The statement added that the latest wins reaffirm the artiste’s position as one of Africa’s leading musical exports and a prominent figure in global dancehall culture.
The awards bring Shatta Wale’s total haul at the IRAWMA to 11, highlighting his continued presence on the international reggae and dancehall scene.
At last year’s edition, he won three awards: Best African Dancehall Entertainer, Best Music Video for “Killa Ji Mi”, and Best Crossover Song for “Commando” featuring Bounty Killer. -GNA
