Africa-Press – Gambia. Gambian music sensation Hussain Ceesay, popularly known as Hussain Dada, has urged the government to enact copyright legislation to safeguard the intellectual property of local artists and help position Gambian music on the global stage.
Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio, Dada lamented that the absence of a copyright framework leaves Gambian artists vulnerable and restricts their ability to benefit fully from their work.
“What the government can do is to give us a copyright law. Today I can’t register my music living here; I cannot do that. If I drop a song and I have a distribution channel that posts it, if somebody in Gambia happens to see the video that I am promoting and I actually tagged it to my Facebook and Instagram, the song will automatically go mute. Why? Because Gambia is not recognized,” he explained.
The artist emphasized the importance of international visibility, particularly on digital platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Shazam. He noted that while his concerts often attract large audiences, the majority of listeners remain Gambian, underscoring the need for broader global reach.
“All of the shows that I played, 98 to 99% of the people that came to those shows were Gambians, which shows that the people that are actually consuming the music are mostly just Gambians. So the way that we can change that is to start having our songs on playlists,” he said.
Dada described Gambian music as unique and of high quality but warned that without international exposure, constant performances at home could lead to stagnation. He praised recent appearances by Gambian artists at international festivals, such as SummerJam in Germany, as encouraging steps that could draw the attention of global music executives and investors.
However, he stressed that real progress would require structural support from the government.
“Due to the fact that our songs are not being recognized outside, because, like, they don’t see Gambia as a market that music could survive in. So if the government is pushing for it, or they get people that could actually make it work, that will help us. Because today, if somebody is distributing my songs, I will tell them not to put the Facebook and Instagram policy on it,” he said.
Dada added that the current restrictions on platforms like Facebook and Instagram also hurt promotion efforts within The Gambia itself.
“Because most of the people listening to my songs, they live in Gambia. People coming to my show, they live in Gambia. So if I’m promoting the song, they cannot hear what I’m saying. How can they go? So that’s a big problem that needs a change too as well,” he said.
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