Open Letter to SHATTA WALE
•Season of Fun, Inspiration and Hope Not Destruction
Dear Shatta Wale,
We trust this letter finds you amidst the boundless energy and creativity that define your remarkable work as an artist. The reason you are one of our favourite artists not only in Ghana but globally. Your music is loved and inspires many, especially the youth in ways you cannot imagine. Your influence is profound, and that is not lost on you, because of the huge fan base you command through the Shatta Movement. You bring Freedom and help the teeming youth find their Level in an age challenged by economic downturns, with resultant high unemployment rates in many African countries. As though that is not enough, the global polycrisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental destruction is making coping strategies even more difficult, with youth in Africa doing whatever it takes to travel abroad to find greener pastures, if indeed there is something like that.
Your upcoming and much-anticipated end-of-year explosive month-long concert is the talk of town. We are particularly in admiration but concerned knowing how far and wide your impact can reach. Coming on the 8th of December, you are scheduled to give a mega concert that will also see the launch of Ellembele Community Mining. While the prospect of new ventures is always exciting, the potential environmental and societal consequences associated with unsustainable mining cannot be overlooked, particularly when many of our rivers and food systems are being destroyed.
The mining activities being endorsed are widely acknowledged for their detrimental impact on community farms, water bodies, and biodiversity habitats. The repercussions of such practices include polluted water bodies, destroyed farmlands, and the loss of biodiversity, creating a grim reality for both the present and future inhabitants of the affected areas. You certainly have witnessed the devastating impacts of the environmental and societal consequences associated with mining activities all over the country. We are therefore worried that, by supporting this, you will be contributing to the destruction of rivers and farms lands while depriving communities of investments to pursue green and sustainable job opportunities that do not leave negative consequences for the health of the youth, the environment and a healthy environment for future generations. While I understand the importance of supporting various causes, it is crucial to consider the long-lasting effects that such activities can have on our communities, ecosystems, and future generations. Everyone is feeling the impact of what the last decade of unsustainable mining has done to us. Everyone is now calling for a change and not more mining.
In light of these concerns, we implore you to consider the potential harm that could be inflicted on communities and the environment through the endorsement of such destructive practices. Instead, we encourage you to leverage your influence to advocate for more sustainable alternatives, such as the creation of green jobs for youth.