Agya Koo Nimo is a Legend

The National Theatre of Ghana is 20 years old. As part of activities to celebrate, the theatre in collaboration with Roverman Productions and Openemma Productions have planned events to celebrate various legends in the arts in Ghana. Agya Koo Nimo was the first to be celebrated and his event took place this past weekend(Saturday and Sunday). I was at the Sunday event with a friend.

I don't know much about music but it was quite clear to me that what happened on Sunday night was some sort of musical magic. Agya Koo Nimo with his Adadam Agofomma played along the National Symphony Orchestra, the Ghana Police Band and the Tema Youth Choir. That's a fuse of palm-wine high-life, orchestral, regimental and choral music; which according to the host has never been done before. I was quite pleased to be there.

Since the very first time I watched Agya Koo Nimo and his Adadam Agofomma perform at the premiering of Akosua Adoma's Kweku Ananse short film, I've been in love. I've heard his music for years, but fell in love because of  his story telling skills and wisdom. He introduces every song he performs with an often serious life lesson filled and yet humorous story. I'm still struggling with my self to figure out which of his stories is my favorite; whether it is the one about the 1962 bad winter in London or about the 90 year old granddad planting a coconut farm or the one about Socrates and his quarrelsome wife. The ensemble performed ten songs as scheduled but did a few encores for the intrigued audience. Here's the list of songs performed on the night.
Akokɔ bɔn
Owusu Semamma
Naa Densua
Osammarima (Fiera mmone kɔ)
Aburokyire Abrabɔ 
Yare yɛ ya
Otuo Akyeampong
Akora Dua Kobe
Okomfo Anokye

I left the National Theatre with a greater appreciation and respect for Agya Koo Nimo, his band and the National Symphony Orchestra. Ghana needs to pay more attention to the arts chale.

#ChaleWote2013: I Was There Some

Accra [dot] Alt's Chale Wote  street art festival keeps getting better. In a few years, I see people actually camping in Jamestown waiting for day two of the festival. I learned so much from this year's festival about Jamestown. Brazil House was my biggest discovery. I know I'll learn more about Jamestown as the years go by. And oh, I met a few of the cool people I follow on twitter. :)

Bless The Mic; Show Me What You Got!

Last Friday by now (23:57GMT) I think I was almost home. I was returning from my very first Bless The Mic event. I'd missed several opportunities to be at many of their events. I knew I would miss the next day's Hip Hop Nation concert because I had work, so I made it a point to be at the Friday event, especially after @bread9fe mentioned to me that he would be there. At least I knew I had another hip hop fan to hang with. He was actually there shooting videos for @RapCityGH, a hip hop show that runs on GTV. And oh, @MutomboDaPoet  and @wanlov were also around watching and occasionally chit chatting with friends and fans.

I thought and still think it is/was a great show. For me, being a sports person who believes in the necessity ans importance of youth sport, a correlation wasn't difficult to arrive at. The whole  show (hosted by Pope Skinny) had act after act of unknown wannabe artistes doing their own thing their to a crowd of not more than 100 (I might be wrong) gathered in the porch of Alliance Francaise' art gallery close to the La Paillote Takpekpe stage. Some were good, and of course others were whack.

It just felt like that feeling I get when I attend youth basketball events. Raw talent and potential on display. It does something to the heart. Of course, not all who are given the opportunity on this stage make it big, just like in youth sports but the opportunity to do something you like and the emotion thereof is something every human desires. Bless the Mic is just providing that; the opportunity!, and for most people, that's all they need. Just think about the fact that, it got to a time when almost the whole crowd had dispersed and guys still wanted to take the stage to perform to the very of us there were still around.

I don't know much about who's behind the whole Bless the Mic organization. Whoever it may be, I salute you. Thanks for the great opportunity you give these guys; without you, so many of them would have remained unheard.

Note: More photos will be added to this post soon, using mobile internet now...