‘Ashaiman to the World’ is a charity concert; I don’t profit – Stonebwoy

Multiple award-winning reggae/dancehall artiste, Stonebwoy, has stated his annual ‘Ashaiman to the World’ concert is not for personal gain but rather a charity event.

He said this on ‘Ayekoo Ayekoo,’ the mid-morning show on Accra100.5 FM, hosted by Nana Romeo today Thursday, 1 September, 2022.

“This show is free. It’s a charity show put together by myself when we first started. We did up to the fourth edition and realised we could carry on. It’s my brainchild,” he said.

“I have support from the chief of the town, senior brothers, not biological, and the fans and this created the idea of Ashaiman to the World,” he acknowledged.

The Ghanaian serial hitmaker was, however, emphatic when he said no well-to-do person in the township he calls home, Ashaiman, has ever financially supported the concert.

On the inspiration for the concert that attracts large crowds, he shared it was a necessity to start with.

“I knew there should be an event that will open the way because Ashaiman is big but we weren’t often getting such events, on that standard, because those times, if we’d go to such events, it’d be FM stations organising them in Tema.”

He explained how the concert has unraveled the bad perception people long held about the town, which has resulted in the establishment of numerous branches of major bank brands there.

According to the five-time Vodafone Ghana Music Awards Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year, his concert also “brings market to people because people will rent things, some people manage the traffic and parking for tips, it brings business value also, so it’s a thing that trickles down to a lot of people to gain some stuff.”

On what he profits from the concert, he added, “What I get is to sit and watch and be happy and know that I’m representing for a community which is part of the legacy that I have to leave.”

He also had a word for anyone who thinks he’s profiting from the event.

“Financially, if someone sitting somewhere says he’s seen [a brand like] Tecno and others on it and so I’ve gone to take money and spent it, then that person, if he’s prominent and he’s important to we the organisers, we’ll take him backdoor and show him the details of the business but if it’s just a talker, talk is just air; they’re only sharing an opinion.”

“Sincerely, we can’t stop [organising the concert] because if we’ve been able, by God’s grace, to do it to this extent, we must fight every obstacle that will threaten it. One thing I’m keen about is, this is a show, I do for people to feel included: the ghetto youth, the rich, the poor. Everyone can come. There are VIP stands also,” he stated.

He drew attention to the big brands associated to the concert to buttress this and to also show the confidence sponsors have continously expressed in it.

On security at the concert, Stonebwoy thanked, “the police, the military, the fire service” for coming along as it officially becomes a festival this year starting on Monday, 3 September, 2022.

The ‘Ashaiman to the World’ music festival, which seeks to “bridge the gap between the rich and poor,” this year involves sporting activities, health screening, a cleanup exercise, musical performances, among others.