“Women in Salone Music Limited“ (WISLM) have launched their organization to the chagrin of an existing organization aimed at empowering female musicians in Sierra Leone and of Sierra Leonean origin.
In March 2021, WISLM Ltd announced at their launch that they had acquired an office space and a recording studio for use predominantly by women in Sierra Leone music.
"The studio will provide an opportunity for female musicians to record their albums and enable them to give voice to various gender-related issues they may face and to reach their full artistic and professional potential", stated their media release.
The leading women of the WISLM company describe themselves as, "a group of female musicians, each with over ten years of experience with members living in Sierra Leone and the diaspora".
Their goal is to help the female artists find their voice relating to issues they may face by fostering their creativity and giving them the visibility they need to become leaders in Sierra Leone's music industry.️
"We are better together", they proclaim in their latest media release, but the reality is, their formation has irked the Sierra Leone Female Musicians Association ( SLFMA); who vehemently challenge the need for WISLM, painting a picture that they are working in seemingly splintered groups at the moment.
The grounds on which SLFMA feel aggrieved may be gleaned from the published comments of Fantacee Wiz.
According to recollections by Fantacee Wiz, an organization called the Sierra Leone Female Musicians Association was launched in November 2014 under the auspices of the President of Sierra Leone at the time, Dr Ernest Bai Koroma who had officially instructed his Gender Adviser, Madam Naasu Fofanah, to work with female musicians to foster the enabling environment for their professional progress.
The Sierra Leone Female Musicians Association was launched with an administrative body which consisted of:
President: Sister Cordelia (Gospel)
Vice President: Willie Jay (Secular)
Secretary General: Fantacee Wiz (Secular)
Treasurer: Lady Mackie (Gospel)
PRO: Millicent Rhodes (Late) (Gospel)
Organizing Secretary: Regina Moore (Gospel)
The official launch of SLFMA took place in September 2015 with the support of a leading mobile telecoms company, Airtel, which now operates as Orange.
The launch was grand and the board and members launched an all female magazine with the editorial policy of celebrating women of Sierra Leone.
Since their inception in November 2014 their correspondence confirm that they have partnered with governmental and non-governmental organizations, including but not limited to; Ministry of Gender, UN Women, British Council, UNFPA, and Airtel. They also state that they have conducted, mostly pro bono national concerts and related events in celebration of International Women's Day thereby making good on one of their core objectives; advocating for women's empowerment.
"Our goal is to work together as women in Sierra Leone music empowering each other as we've always done", says Fantacee Wiz.
Both parties; Women in Sierra Leone Music Limited and the Sierra Leone Female Musicians Association - claim to want to work together for the benefit of female musicians, but how should they structure their working relationship?
The more recently launched WISLM said that they invited members of SLFMA to work with them and also to attend their launch, but their invitation was not honored. There's bad blood in the female sector and it should not be allowed to continue because it will hinder the achievements of both SLFMA and WISLM.
Fantacee Wiz claims that, she and others like Empress P and Rozzy, who are now amongst the leading active female musicians in the country, feel marginalized by the newly formed entity.
"There's strength in unity and why do we have to spend ten years in the music industry for us to be in the same space as those that have come before us?"
She goes on to enquire. "Why do we have to get two organizations of the same nature?", coming across as exasperated with the situation as it is right now.
"Is this the example we want to set as women for young girls who are aspiring to be musicians", asks Fantacee? "I'm sadden by this", she concludes.
This saga is likely to continue until the impasse is resolved, but it need not take long. The two entities share the same space, in that they focus on women only, but they are not of the same nature and their co-existence may set a bright example for young girls who are aspiring to be recording artists, one day.
THE SOLUTION
The following information is the view of the supremeINC CONSULTANCY.
SLFMA and WISLM do not have the same outlook, and that can be concluded from the motivation for their establishment and the legal corporate identity that each one took.
For starters, SLFMA is an association, with a leadership structure reflecting that. Its President and board members were voted for by the members; whereas WISLM is a limited company, presumably owned by the shareholders and any investors, suggesting a business with profit motives.
Is WISLM better than or more needed than SLFMA, or vice versa? Female musicians do not operate in a vacuum as they want to make money from show business, so having a business oriented entity in the women's music space should be welcomed and encouraged to flourish. However, the Association is just as important as it has a role to safeguard the welfare of their members, so their ideal role is creating the rules and regulations under which female musicians and recording artists get treated and paid by people who hire them. That's what Associations are meant to do, along with all the other related activities they take on.
Do not expect or allow WIMSL to control female musicians' protection and collective bargaining rights, as they have an organization that is a Limited company looking to hire female musicians and recording artists for work.
Together, WIMSL and SLFMA can help the female musicians achieve their professional goals that start with making music AND getting paid right when it is marketed.
WISLM state that they have acquired a recording studio for use my female musicians, particularly the upcoming ones, which should be seen as a good move for the industry.
Any initiative that creates more access to tools that can help a woman generate an income has to be applauded.
.So, we see that the for-
profit limited WIMSL company has been set up as an investment vehicle into the female music sector, which is sorely lacking, whereas, the SLFMA entity was set up because it was demanded by the President as a pre cursor to doing anything to support female musicians and recording artists.
This distinction is important and can be seen in the types of projects both parties have executed and the way those have been funded.
SLFMA has a clear track record of working with government, NGOs and private corporate entities such as Airtel, whereas the WIMSL group have self-financed their operations to date through personal contributions deemed as investment, making the original investors shareholders in the latter entity. SLFMA is an Association created for the benefit of its members and WIMSL is a privately owned company founded by women who have at least ten years experience in the music industry.
Given that WIMSL is demanding at least 10 years participation in the music industry as a pre requisite for membership, or is it shareholder-ship; then that makes them no different to ALL STARS UNION, which restricted membership to bonafide Salone A LIST Stars only. Nobody batted an eyelid at that, so both of the Women led organizations can definitely put their egos aside and co-exist in harmony for the good of their individual objectives and the good of Salone as a whole.
As Fantacee asks, "Is this the example we want to set..?" The answer should be a resounding, NO!, making it imperative that the existing impasse is broken and these two formidable groups of women can come together in pure harmony and make a positive difference in the lives of the women of Sierra Leone.
SO HOW SHOULD THEY WORK TOGETHER?
SLFMA and WIMSL can definitely work in harmony, and it can be achieved if they follow the framework we recommend below;
Recognize that you are different in nature
There is clear room for both to operate successfully
Officially recognize each other's entities by exchange of letters
Go about your individual work - you are bound to interact at some point
Join forces to ask the President of Sierra Leone to select female investment and entertainment ambassadors
A unified voice will get better results, so if you don't want to do it for any other reason, be greedy, and come together for the success of your individual organizations; the rest of womanhood will benefit, no matter how you succeed in your two separate corporate objectives, just as long as you succeed. Putting up barriers for each other using your spheres of influence would not yield the positive returns hoped for by all.
Think of the Italian Mafia, where several powerful families come together to form a formidable network and recognize that such is the opportunity that you have as women leaders and members in SLFMA and WIMSL.
My final words would be, "Remember though, that finding a Godfather is never easy, likewise, I'd expect there to be a real battle to be Godmother, but once she is crowned, the entire pack must follow her leadership".
It's gonna be about who has the most money and who has the most loyal support; it will soon be time for national elections, so now is the time to put all entertainment houses in order.
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