‘I won’t call it retrogression’ – Stonebwoy’s PRO defends BHIM Festival venue change

Vida Adutwumwaa Boateng, a representative of dancehall artiste Stonebwoy, has rejected suggestions that moving this year’s BHIM Festival from a 40,000-capacity stadium to a smaller venue amounts to a step backwards.

Speaking during a radio interview on Hitz FM, Vida said the decision should be considered alongside the team’s broader plan to take Stonebwoy’s entertainment experience to audiences across the country through the artiste’s Torture Experience initiative.

According to her, the initiative is designed to bring live entertainment directly to people in different regions, reducing the need for fans to travel long distances to Accra to experience Stonebwoy’s performances.

She cited the Volta Region, which hosted the Torture Experience this year, as an example of the team’s effort to extend its reach beyond the capital. She added that the plan is to take the experience to other regions from next year.

“I wouldn’t call it retrogression because, as of now, we have two things running. We have the Torture Experience running, which we are giving every region,” she said.

Vida explained that, traditionally, fans from across Ghana, including the Northern Region and Kumasi, often travel to Accra to participate in the BHIM Festival because similar large-scale shows are not regularly held across the regions.

She said Stonebwoy’s approach is changing that pattern by bringing the experience closer to fans in their respective communities, while maintaining the December festival in Accra as a major celebration.

“Stonebwoy says that I’m coming to you across the regions. I’m giving you an experience that will live with you for a year and over,” she added.

The comments come amid debate over the decision to stage this year’s BHIM Festival at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium rather than the Accra Sports Stadium, which hosted last year’s edition.

While some have questioned whether the move to a smaller-capacity venue signals a reduction in the festival’s scale, Vida maintained that the regional events should also be considered when assessing the team’s overall direction.

She suggested that fans in regions already visited by the Torture Experience could reasonably choose not to travel to Accra for the December event, having already enjoyed a Stonebwoy-led entertainment experience in their own region.

“If you are in the Volta Region right now and you are unable to make it this December at the UG Sports Stadium, it’s understandable because we’ve given you an experience through the Torture Experience that can live with you for a very long time before the train stops again in your region,” she said.

Her remarks frame the venue change not as a retreat from the BHIM Festival’s ambitions, but as part of a wider strategy to broaden access to Stonebwoy’s live performances while retaining the Accra event as a central fixture on his entertainment calendar.

Clarify the venue-capacity comparisonCorrect Vida’s professional description