The Dean of Students at the University of Ghana, Professor Rosina Kyeremanteng, has commented on the controversy surrounding Shatta Wale’s cancelled performance, at the Reunion Rave Artistes Night event, hosted by Wave Africa and TF Hostel.
Speaking in an interview with Radio Univers, the Dean said she only gave an approval for a Karaoke night, not an artiste night, based on the letter she received.
“What happens is that if any event is going to be organized in any hall a request for approval is sent to my Office (Dean’s Office) with an outline of the program they intend to organise. What they said they were going to do on Saturday was Karaoke Night and so we gave approval. As far as I am concerned there is a big difference between a Karaoke Night and Artiste Night,” she noted.
The Dean denied rumors that Shatta Wale’s performance was cancelled due to the University’s issues with the dancehall artiste, stating that the University has no problems with Shatta Wale.
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“The University has no issues with Shatta Wale. The University doesn’t have anything to do with Shatta Wale. Limann Hall sent a letter requesting approval for their programs including Artist Night and I forwarded it to PRO VC because of the ban on public gatherings and the final approval comes from him,” said.
According to the professeor, she had no idea of the artistes billed to perform on the night of the event until she chanced on fliers of Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale.
“I didn’t even know who was on the bill to perform until I later saw their flyers. so I called the President (of the Hall) to assure me of the security. Their letter had to go to the Legon Police District Command and I also asked them to get extra security,” Professor Rosina said.
She stated that artiste nights usually come with lots of issues and require heavy security to ensure the safety of students.
“When you are having an artiste night, it comes with a lot of implications. So we need to ensure there is enough security and that is why you need approval from the University Authority,” she added.
Addressing the ban of hall week celebrations in the institution, she said, “Mind you, there is still a ban on students gathering, so you cannot just get up and bring an artiste like Shatta Wale without the adequate and necessary arrangements being made.”
Wave Africa, the organizers of the Reunion Rave Artistes Night, released a statement explaining the circumstances surrounding Shatta Wale’s cancelled performance. According to Wave africa, they were contacted two months ago by executives of James Topp Nelson Yankah Hall to provide an artiste and organise the event on their behalf.
Despite months of planning and a formal contract signed on June 5, 2024, the Dean of Students’ Office unexpectedly cancelled the event on via a communique on June 7, 2024.
The organisers were disrupted when the Legon campus security, citing an “order from above”, interrupted the sound check routine on June 8. A meeting with the Dean of Students followed, resulting in the event proceeding without Shatta Wale’s performance, as instructed.
Wave Africa said they had secured Shatta Wale’s participation and made necessary arrangements, but were forced to comply with the “order from above” leading to the cancellation of his highly anticipated performance.
