Culture

Ghanaian music producer wins $250k in copyright damages against CAF

Published

4 months ago

July 17, 2024

A Ghanaian music producer, Kwabena Ofei-Kwadey Nkrumah, also known as Spiky, has won $250,000 and legal costs of GH¢40,000 against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after he sued the football governing body for intellectual property rights violations.

Nkrumah had dragged CAF to the Commercial Court 7 in Accra for not seeking permission from him before using the beat of his music titled, ‘Okomfo Anokye,’ as part of promotional materials for the 2018 CAF awards.

While delivering judgement in the case on Wednesday, Justice Emmanuel Loddoh who presided over the case found CAF guilty of failing to obtain legal permission before using Nkrumah’s music.

Nkrumah who spoke after the verdict went in his favour, said CAF’s act of using his song without permission was a total disrespect for his intellectual property rights, causing him to lose money from any licensing of his music for commercial use.

Before instituting the lawsuit, Spiky had called out CAF in 2029 for copyright infringement in a series of tweets.

He had noted that even though CAF had sent an email admitting to using his work without his consent and had apologised, they did not reply to him when he made a demand for compensation.

“This is a win for the creative industry: CAF vs Spiky’s,” he wrote on social media.

While admitting to the offence, CAF said the musical work was “available online for free download without any restrictions or conditions, to use for the artwork posted on CAF’s social media platforms.”

They however, denied using the soundtrack for commercial purposes, citing that the CAF Awards was not a profit-making venture.

They further explained that they had deleted the work from their social media accounts and apologised to Spiky.

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Culture

South African DJ Black Coffee bags World’s Best DJ 2024

Published

23 hours ago

November 23, 2024

Isaac Dachen

South African disc jockey, DJ Black Coffee, has been named the World’s Best DJ 2024 at the Golden Moon Awards.

Reporting on the award, prominent South African tabloid, IOL, wrote:

“All hail Black Coffee from South Africa, winner of the Golden Moon award for the World’s Best DJ 2024! Black Coffee has taken the global stage by storm, blending his unique Afro-house sound with deep, soulful grooves that resonate with audiences worldwide.

“A pioneer, a visionary, and a cultural ambassador, Black Coffee continues to inspire millions, pushing boundaries and connecting the world through his music. A truly deserving icon of this prestigious honour!”

DJ Black Coffee whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo, was not the only local South African entertainer who was recognised at the awards as rising star, Palesa Desiree Shilabje, popularly known as DESIREE, was also named the World’s Breakthrough Artist 2024.

On DESIREE, the tabloid said:

“DESIREE’s rise to prominence comes from her ability to craft electrifying DJ sets that seamlessly blend genres—African-inspired house, deep house, techno, and soulful rhythms.

“Her passion for diverse sounds has landed her on some of the world’s most respected stages, like DC-10, fabric, and Hï Ibiza, bringing her deep African influences to a global audience.

“Beyond her music, DESIREE proudly represents the intersex community, using her platform to inspire and educate about her experience. A truly groundbreaking artist, DESIREE is already leaving an unforgettable legacy.”

The Golden Moon Awards are held every year to select the best 100 clubs in the world and to award prizes in different categories to the major players in nightlife, individuals, clubs and associations.

Culture

DRC authorities arrest six over break-in at Lumumba’s Mausoleum

Published

3 days ago

November 21, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) say six people have been arrested over a break-in and vandalism at the mausoleum of the country’s assassinated independence leader, Patrice Lumumba, in Kinshasa, the country’s capital.

The police had announced the six arrests late Wednesday and said they were still looking for two more suspects.

Interior Minister, Jacquemin Shabani, said in a statement that during the break-in which occurred on Monday, a case containing a single gold-capped tooth, the only part of the former leader that remained after his assassination, was broken by the vandals.

“We assure that the relic is secure and it is protected,” the minister said, without offering more information.

The return of Lumumba’s tooth from former colonizer Belgium in 2022 had been celebrated around Congo, with the tooth taken around the vast country so people could pay their respects.

Lumumba is widely hailed as the nationalist activist who helped end colonial rule in the DRC and went on to become the country’s first prime minister and was seen as one of Africa’s most promising new leaders, but he was assassinated within a year in 1961.

His body was dismembered and dissolved with acid in an apparent effort to keep any grave from becoming a pilgrimage site.

For many in Congo, Lumumba is a symbol of the positive developments the country could have achieved after its independence but instead, it became mired in decades of dictatorship that drained its vast mineral riches.

A military coup toppled Lumumba, who was arrested, jailed and later killed. His assassination, blamed on separatists, cleared the way for the rise of Mobutu Sese Seko, who ruled the country he later renamed Zaire for decades with support from Western powers until his death in 1997.

His one remaining tooth was kept by the Belgian police commissioner who oversaw the destruction of his body.

The tooth was returned to Congo after the visit of Belgium’s King Philippe, who expressed regrets for his nation’s abuses in Congo when it was a Belgian colony.