In 2011, I wrote: “Chale Wote could soon be the in-thing on the GH street arts scene”. I should have written “on the non-existent Ghana street arts scene” – it was the very first edition of what would later evolve into Africa’s largest street arts festival. Then, as now, I…
Travel. Exhilarating, eye-opening, enriching. But sometimes it can be downright annoying – especially where travel in Africa is concerned. Over the past two years I’ve taken numerous trips across the continent I call home; the majority for work, some on my own dime, each unique in its own way. My…
By MOHAMMED-HANIF ABDULAI & NII APA ABBEY Pokémon. Pokémon Go. Poke Balls. Poke Stops. Gyms! You’ve probably seen these words flying around for a few weeks and wondered what they meant and what the excitement is all about. Well, if you couldn’t be bothered to find out more about the…
Congolese musician Siama Matuzungidi / Credit: Dallas Johnson In his powerful poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Langston Hughes mentions “rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins”. Prolific Congolese soukous aficionado Siama Matuzungidi borrows this theme in his latest album aptly…
When was the last time an African film struck you? Would that film fall into your top ten African Films? Are you even able to remember that list? Considering how great a role film plays in our lives today, you should definitely know more about African films. Let me help…
The Ghanaian music scene is rediscovering the appeal of thought provoking sounds that do more than make you move. The kind of rhythm and soul that is the foundation of the high life and hip life genres and gave birth to the likes of Osibisa, Obrafour, Nana Ampadu and Reggie…
It is impossible to talk art in Ghana or Africa without mentioning Chale Wote. When the official poster was released, the festival’s much desired and inevitable growth was evident. However, I found myself feeling more scared and anxious, than excited, to see if adding two more days to Chale Wote’s…
I cannot remember whom or what prompted me to read Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, but I am so glad I did. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is not an enigma. She is an intelligent and strong woman with one of life’s most uncanny stories. As my eyes turned the pages…
With her well-outlined mohawk, ripped African print gown, and pink glow-in-the-dark Chuck Taylors, unyielding Wiyaala blew away the richly diverse audience at Alliance Française Accra with the launch of her self-titled debut studio album on November 14. An afro-pop artiste from Ghana’s Upper West region, who sings in English and her…