The Chief Executive Officer of Big Ideaz Consult, Kojo Poku has revealed that none of the artists who were billed to perform at the recently held Global Citizen Festival in Accra were paid a performance fee.
According to Kojo Poku, in an interview with Giovani Caleb on 3FM, the artists performed out of the benevolence of their hearts because the organization (Global Citizen) is a non-profit.
“I have to say that no artist was paid a performance fee for this. Everyone who mounted the stage did so out of the benevolence of their heart and the Global Citizen cause is bigger than how much you’ll make out of a performance on that stage,” he stated.
Read also: Global Citizen Festival Accra in 10 photos!!!
Explaining how the selection of artists for the big stage was arrived at, he stated;
“In terms of choice of acts, we gave our recommendation on who we think fits what they were looking for but the final decision as to who will mount the stage was up to the Global Citizen talent team to decide and choose. A lot of names were mentioned. A lot of artists were sent to them and they made their choice based on several criteria.
“What we must understand is that Global Citizen is an NGO and so an NGO, they look out for certain things. Your energy must match their energy. Your outlook out there must be very positive and must reflect what they stand for. If it’s an NGO that supports a certain kind of course and you the artist are against such a cause, it would be improper for them to put you on their stage” he explained.
Read also: Gyakie Delivers an Outstanding Live Performance at Global Citizen Festival
Kojo Poku, whose team partnered with Global Citizen further revealed that they had been in consultation for the past two years to bring the festival to Accra, however, it only came to fruition this year.
“Its been about 2 years now since we’ve been in touch with Global Citizen. For the last two years we’ve been working with them back and forth. This event should have happened last year but it didn’t When we had the call again to begin preparations for this year, we didn’t think it was going to happen,” he stated.
For the first time since its existence, the Global Citizen Festival made a stop in the capital of Ghana to mark the 65th anniversary of Ghana’s independence and the 20th anniversary of the African Union.
The Black Star Square came alive on Saturday, September 24 with electrifying performances from Ghana’s Sarkodie, Gyakie, and Stonebwoy with appearances by Yawtog and Kwesi Arthur. International acts including Usher, SZA and Stormzy also brought their A-game and had patrons screaming at the top of their voices.
Watch the full interview below.