Wendy Shay, a Ghanaian singer, has spoken out against the unequal exploitation and objectification of women in the music business.
In a recent interview on TV3’s Berla Mundi’s Day Show, the self-proclaimed dancehall queen highlighted her dissatisfaction with the labelling of female artists as ‘female artistes,’ while their male counterparts are simply referred to as ‘artistes.’
Wendy Shay was an outspoken campaigner for equal treatment, claiming that women in the music industry work just as hard, if not harder, than males and ought to be recognised as musicians without regard to gender.
“It is not fair. First of all, I don’t even like the fact that people go like ‘female artistes’ because you don’t see our male counterparts being labeled as ‘male artistes’. They are seen as artistes so we should be seen as such. We are artistes,” she suggested.
She highlighted the efforts and dedication of female musicians like herself and Sister Efya, emphasizing that they put in a lot of hard work and sweat, deserving of acknowledgment and credit.
“Putting that aside, I think it’s not fair because there are so many women who are really working hard; like me, Wendy Shay. We have artistes like Sister Efya working hard. It’s about time Ghanaians or this part of our world acknowledge the hard work, effort and sweat we put in,” she mentioned.
Wendy Shay noted that there is still a cultural attitude in this region of the world that links women largely with home responsibilities when discussing the hurdles women face in attaining attention and leadership roles.
She did, however, express optimism that as time passes and society evolves, it would accept women in leadership roles and recognise their achievements in numerous sectors, including music.
