Too many fights in the creative industry, no cause for alarm?

There’s no society that does not experience disagreements, bickering, and all that but in the last week, it has seemed as though everybody is fighting in the entertainment industry in Ghana.
In the week, a number of feuds have ensued in the industry; there is the one involving singer, Sista Afia and actors, Fella Makafui and Efia Odo and that of comedians DKB and David Foster and amazingly, maybe not – Gospel stars, Brother Sammy and Cecilia Marfo.

Disagreements among entertainers are normal but observers, critics and other stakeholders are expressing worry over them and are concerned about a seeming implosion of the creative industry.

Rest easy, guys!

Entertainers Are Human

Sometimes, people forget that celebrities or entertainers are mortals who eat, sleep, walk, bath, watch television and die – just like the rest of us.

They go through all the emotions life presents and are not spared from the harsh realities of life too.

Constantly seeing them on billboards, TV screens, and social media makes people believe they are from another planet.

Because of their seeming invincibility, it also creates the impression that they can never die, and, when they do, it seems like it’s the end of the world.

This strange concept of a celebrity can also make them seem like aliens from another universe. Butthat’s just not true.

Celebrities are people too. They have emotions and they can feel pain, just like everyone else, so, they are likely to hate, disagree, bicker and fight.

Just because they are in the spotlight doesn’t mean they have turned into demi-gods; they are just in a different career path that calls for a public audience. While this may be difficult to comprehend, it’s a reality that the public must respect.

The Competition Is Real

Most often, people forget that the entertainment industry is such a competitive arena.

Show business s thrives on fierce competition and it is prevalent in all sectors of the industry.

In music, there’s a perpetual race by the musicians to top the charts with their music.

With all the mouths to feed, there’s contention for who’s selling most and who’s at the top of the charts.

In movies, there’s competition for roles, competition for whose movie is taking the number 1 slot and there’s competition o n which director is getting the nod for productions – same with comedy and with everybody who is jostling for acceptance, dominance and relevance in the sector.

Competition breeds contempt and wherever there’s rivalry, there’s bound to be disdain, angst, disagreement and squabbles.

In the tussle to garner prominence, celebrities are bound to step on each other’s toes and like animals in the wild, they fight for control over their territories.

It Happens Everywhere

The phenomenon of bickering is widespread, and is in every country where show business blossoms.

The international markets experience this too and even more serious sometimes, yet their industries are intact.

The incessant disputes within the US music industry are inestimable; fights between labels and artistes, band mates and brothers.

In comedy, there are documented disputes between Jay Leno and David Letterman, Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy, Mike Epps and Kevin Hart and many more.

Yes, high-profile comedians are involved in high-profile fights in Hollywood, fret not over a little wrangle between DKB and David Oscar!

In Nigeria, there are cases of Gordons, Helen Paul and other stand up comedians entangled in all sorts of altercations, yet, the Nigerian comedy industry remains one of, if not the best in Africa.

You think Ghanaian gospel acts are the only ones who get into ungodly ‘beefs’? Not really.

Kenya records some of the fiercest competition and squabbles among gospel artistes, notable among them are Willy Paul and Kevin Bahati, two young apostles of the word and Ministers of the gospel, who have so much disdain for each other.

These Fights Make The News

Some observers and followers of the arts have questioned the media, especially the various entertainment platforms for discussing such issues.

What these people fail to realise is that, humans love negative news than they do positivity and this is backed by scientific research.

In essence, negative news sells!

Most often than not, these critics of the media always accuse journalists and bloggers of always propagating negative news, however, they fail to recognise that the general public has an insatiable desire for gossip, and the perceived negative stories.

The release of singles and albums, awards, box office gross and the other industry news are considered mundane and do not elicit any following and scrutiny, but the disputes, marital problems, love relationships and others attract the most clicks and eyeballs.

Most importantly, in show business, any news that is not crime related is no bad news.

No Cause For Alarm

Disputes among entertainers have persisted since Adam; they won’t stop now and won’t stop tomorrow.

In fact,as stated, we can’t command a fledgling industry without clashes, the hate, the disdain for one another and the competition to be the best.

Competition thrives in every industry and yes; it makes sense to say that Ghanaian entertainers should rather focus on competing with other nationals, however, it also makes somuch sense fo r them to compete among themselves first, before taking it outside.

It is also important to note that, though these squabbles can be contained, the unity of the industry to build better structures and systems cannot be compromised.

The Efia Odos and the Fella Makafuis can bicker but that should not make anybody think that, such engagements are the reasons the movie industry has a poor marketing and distribution system or Brother Sammy and Cecilia Marfo’s disagreement is the cause of the unstable royalty system in the country.

The folks in Hollywood fight every day, yet, their industry is the most resolute, resilient and pays the best!