‘I was a cleaner, taxi driver’ – Shatta Wale gets Bawumia to speak pidgin English

The Vice President and Flagbearer of the ruling NPP government, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, met with stakeholders in the creative arts sector on Wednesday, 16 October 2024.

Addressing the stakeholders, Dr Bawumia emphasised the need for a homegrown solution to enable Ghanaian musicians to achieve better financial rewards from their work.

This new platform is expected to provide a fairer revenue model for Ghanaian creatives, allowing them to better track and collect royalties while fostering sustainable growth within the industry.

One memorable moment during the meeting occurred when Shatta Wale, the self-proclaimed Dancehall King, posed a question and requested that the Vice President respond in pidgin.

“I want to know what you have for our fans out there… and that’s the street… And Your Excellency, I will please plead with you, when you want to respond to what I’m saying, for today and for the people out there on the street, just say it in pidgin small for me,” Shatta Wale asked with a touch of humour.

In characteristically engaging style, the Vice President and flagbearer of the ruling party also responded in pidgin.

Bawumia’s response

“The thing wey dey my heart, be the people wey dey suffer for the country. I be patron of 'let's lead Ghana.' I be farm labourer before, I be cleaner, taxi driver before, so I know how people dey suffer, my heart dey the streets. The thing wey I dey do all be how I for help the streets. Free SHS and digitalisation dey come help everyone, so if I come government I sabi the thing I go do to help everyone.”

Dr Bawumia’s meeting, held on Wednesday, 16 October 2024, was attended by prominent figures in the creative economy, including Shatta Wale, Samini, and Kuami Eugene.

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