Sarkodie supports Kirani Ayat over copyright accusation against gov't

Yesterday, the Ghanaian artiste took to social media to register his displeasure over what is also described as intellectual theft.

In a Visit Ghana campaign to mark World Tourism Day, the official social media accounts of the President shared a compilation of some tourist sites in Ghana with other videos that showcase Ghana's culture.

Kirani Ayat Kirani Ayat Pulse Ghana

In the post by the President, an excerpt of Kirani Ayat's 'Guda' music video was used. According to the Ghanaian artiste, no one reached out to him, hence, he feels cheated and disrespected.

"The president of Ghana has used my video “GUDA” in this ad to promote Ghana. I was actively reaching out to the Ministry of Tourism in 2018/19 to use this video to push tourism in the North and got NO reply, yet today it’s in an ad and no one reached out to me for permission," he said in a Tweet that has gone viral.

The report made it to BBC, attracting Sarkodie to share his opinion. Reacting to a publication by the British media outlet, the rapper said "we ( creatives ) do a lot to put our country out there , attracting a lot of tourists x investors that translates to money to help nation building yet that’s one sector with no support… I feel my brother and support him especially if he actually reached out and didn’t get help".

The President used the video to invite the world to visit Ghana. In his post, he said "beneath the deep blue sky, the Black Star is calling. Follow the stars and let them take you on a journey of our people. I invite everyone to the country at the centre of the world".

Replying the President's post on Twitter, Kirani said "the president of Ghana has used my video “GUDA” in this ad to promote Ghana," adding that "I was actively reaching out to the Ministry of Tourism in 2018/19 to use this video to push tourism in the North and got NO reply, yet today it’s in an ad and no one reached out to me for permission".

Demanding to be paid for his work, he added that "whoever worked on this video should’ve reached out to the rightful content owners before proceeding. I spent my all in making GUDA possible, I’m sure you were paid for this job, where is my cut?"

According to Kirani, he worked as a security officer to be able to save money to create the video, therefore, he deserves credit and remuneration. "I worked 7 days a week from 7PM to 7AM for 3 months straight as a security guard just to save up to make this “GUDA” video possible".

He concluded that "various awards shows snubbed it, the ministry ignored it, I reached out a couple time to no avail. I was depressed throughout that period". The Ministry of Tourism is yet to respond to Kirani's post which has sparked a wild conversation online.

Check it out below.