The leadership of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) dismissed claims of donating GH₵100 at the funeral of gospel singer Maame Tiwaa, known for her association with Asomafo, a few weeks prior.
Speaking in an interview, the Union’s President, Bessa Simons, together with Second Vice President, Abena Ruthy, clarified that MUSIGA did not have representation at the funeral.
They indicated that Maame Tiwaa, similar to her musical partner Yaw Sarpong, was not a member of MUSIGA in good standing.
They emphasised that the donation made at the funeral was not sourced from MUSIGA but rather from another group that included one of MUSIGA’s prominent leaders.
“The representation that did the donation wasn’t MUSIGA. The thing is, a lot of us in the industry play multiple roles. For example, I am Second Vice President for MUSIGA, I am President for Women in Gospel Music. If I stand somewhere and someone is introducing me, the person might introduce me with both titles. So that is exactly what happened in this case.
“The Chairperson for Ashanti Region MUSIGA, Augustina Addison, serves as the financial secretary or similar for Legendary Musicians. Maame Tiwaa was part of that group, so they went to provide that assistance for their member. Now the MC, upon seeing Madam Addison from MUSIGA, chose to introduce her as such and proceeded to state that the donation was from Legendary Musicians,” Abena Ruthy explained in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on Joy FM.
She observed that certain individuals based their conclusions solely on a segment of a video that became popular on the internet.
At the same time, they mentioned that MUSIGA assists in various forms to musicians who may not be members or who are not in good standing, on humanitarian grounds.
They clarified that, as musicians, they occasionally participate in such funerals to demonstrate solidarity, even if they are not necessarily obligated by the union’s welfare and insurance responsibilities.
“We get people coming to us. The last one that happened, a young man came to us and said his dad was dead and that he wanted MUSIGA to play a role in the funeral,” she said.
Bessa Simons stated that, although the deceased was not listed in their records as a registered member, MUSIGA helped in arranging a state-assisted funeral.
They further noted that when a MUSIGA member passes away, the union contributes no less than GH₵5,000.
Also, MUSIGA has established pension and insurance programs to assist members during times of need, death, or incapacitation.
