Nigeria and Ghana are two West African countries that always seem to be in keen competition over various issues ranging from who cooks the best jollof, whose ladies are the prettiest, whose men are most caring , among otherss. Although both countries have a lot in common, they are actually different in many ways that one can imagine.
Ghana gained independence from the British colonial master in 1958, arguably, the first African nation to actually gain independence, while Nigeria gained hers in 1960. Ghana has relatively lower population of about 25 million people compared to Nigeria’s that boasts of over 180 million people.
In the area of entertainment, it cannot be over-emphasised that the Nigerian music industry has been extremely successful in penetrating the international music scene and gaining global recognition from the streets of Lagos to various parts of the world.
A recent report has it that in Ghana alone, the number of times Nigerian music is played at parties, beaches, university hostels and clubs would surprise any one. Nigerian music videos, are also well patronised as they are usually stimulating and exciting, but the support Ghanaian music gets from Ghanaians is very admirable. As much as they love Nigerian music, they hold their own music closely to heart.
Ghanaians love their music because of how raw and unrefined they are the music is usually sang in their local languages among which are Asante, Twi, Ga and Fante and are characterised by the use of their traditional instruments and tunes to give it the African flavour they really enjoy. Such music gives them the chance to express how good their dance steps are:
Although many Nigerian artistes sing in their local languages, majority of Nigerian music is in pidgin and English languages. Also the Nigerian idea of having fun is very different from that of the average Ghanaian.
Nigerians like likes to ‘flex’ or show the good life, they are very social people who enjoy being live parties. For those in the mega cities like Lagos and Port Harcourt, clubs are a very much preferred destination to just unwind and have fun.
In contrast, Ghanaians seem to be a bit different, Ghanaians are more laid back compared to Nigerians, they love going to the beaches to enjoy the ocean view, while sipping on coconut water straight from the coconut itself as there are numerous toasted cities in Ghana. Although Ghanaians enjoy going to parties as well to groove and get down, Nigerians are believed to do this at a higher level.
Another area of entertainment where both countries compete is the area of film production. As Ghanaian film production slowed down due to poor funding, Nigerian film makers thrive based on combination of oil money and the transition from expensive and laborious celluloid to cheap are easy video cassettes.
In the past decade, the distribution of Nigerian films recorded huge success in Ghana. Producers in both countries saw an opportunity to join forces, people started watching a lot of Nigerian films as both countries went further from including actors from both countries to having crews and writers from both countries collaborating.
Some of the Ghanaian movie stars who have found their way into Nollywood include Nadia Buari, Jackie Appiah, Joselyn Dumas Yvonne Nelson, Yvonne Okoro, Juliet Ibrahim and Martha Nkoma. Others are Trank Artus, Majid Michel, Van Vicker, Chris Attoh and John Dumelo among others.
On the whole, although both countries may bicker about which is the better country, it is merely a healthy completion. Both ways, both countries remain historically interwoven and each is shinning in her own way. In the light of all these differences, they are the ‘ying’ to each others ‘yang” and compliements one another.
This is evidenced by the successful collaboration between both countries in the areas of music and films which has helped to revolutionalise entertainment in West Africa.