Ghana at a point was arguably one of the best tourist destinations in Africa with several foreigners trooping in to experience the rich culture. However, after a while, the tourism sector seemed to have gone on a downward spiral for obvious reasons.
Since 2017, Ghana has experienced a new dispensation in the tourism and recreation sector with events curation and a cultural narrative and identity that includes festivals, literature and music. One of the smallest countries in West Africa covering an area of 238,535 km2 has now become a massive global brand as thousands of people across Europe, the United States and the Caribbean, collectively the Diaspora, fly into the country during the December festivities to have a “Taste of Ghana”.
Reflecting on the sudden resurrection and upsurge of the Ghanaian brand across the globe, one could ask what the spark was. The igniting spark, I believe, were “The Year of Return” and subsequently “Beyond the Return” initiatives, launched by the government of the Republic of Ghana. These initiatives iconically positioned Ghana as “The Gateway to Africa” in every sense. It also ushered in several events to promote the Ghanaian agenda and among them, the one that best stood out to become a magnanimous experience and a global charter, is the highly-rated Afrochella Festival.
Going down memory lane, can you remember the first edition of Afrochella in 2017? Where, when and how it happened hitherto to the destructive reactions from Ghanaians at the time? Well, it has been five years of resilience, growth, excellence and game-changing experiences to become a worldwide cultural sensation.
The Afrochella story began its script when co-founders Kenny Agyapong and Abdul Karim Abdullah, both guys who had built a name for themselves hosting parties in New York, organised the festival’s debut in 2017. What took time to begin became a quick success, and five years down the line, Culture Management Group, the organization behind the festival, has consistently offered lifetime experiences and continues to look to the future for more.
Like most start-ups, the organizers of Afrochella had their fair share of challenging scenes. It was emotional and soulful as Ian Priceless of Y 107.9 FM sat down for a one-on-one conversation with Akosua Ayim, Gifty Boakye, Tiffany Bender and Khadijat El-Alawa who form the senior leaders of Afrochella, and Kenny Agyapong – a Cultural Management Group Executive and Co-Founder of Afrochella, as they recounted the journey thus far and the impact they have had on promoting culture and millennial talent in Ghana and across the continent.
“I remember when Abdul brought up this idea of organizing a festival in Ghana, and this was after we originally in 2014 and subsequent years had held several events here which terribly flopped. Our friends we had brought back here to have fun and organize shows for were all like, they couldn’t do this anymore and that we should rather stick to what was happening in America at the time. That was understandable. I went to Abdul and said let’s do this, when others suggested that this was also going down the drain like the others, but you know you can’t keep going further down. He was in the States in 2017 when he called me to say he had found a venue. I was so shocked. How could you be in New York and tell me, who stayed in Accra, that you finally had a venue? Well, it turned out to be the Polo Club. I went there one lunch break and realised it was good so we booked it on the spot.”
“We started the planning and procedure for the festival for the first time in December and I remember this very well. About 182 people we invited for the event told us this is ‘Nonfa’, and we had a lot of backlash on Twitter when we posted the artwork but guess what? We kept pushing and said let’s try and get at least 2,500 people in the space and we will be fine. We ended up selling 4,500 tickets for the first one. Fast forward to 2018, Polo Club said we can’t come back so we needed to find a new venue. I was driving around and saw the El-Wak Sports Stadium. Again, when we posted on Twitter, people kept bashing us and saying all sorts of things, and that nobody was going to attend this event and stuff like that. We proved them wrong – 12, 000 people pulled up. In 2019, because of the Year of Return and all that, 16,500 people came. In 2020 because of the Covid, we did the Afrochella Black Party which was a free event at the Independence Square and that was about 2,000 people coming. Last year we came back fully and recorded 10,000 people. So we always said that our fifth year activation is going to be for two days and that’s how we pulled all these off,” Kenny Agyapong recounted – teary through the process.
To execute an event of such magnitude and to be exceptionally good at it required a group of determined and committed people, so Kenny showered due praises onto the backroom staff for being up to the task and delivering masterful plans despite the numerous complexities along the work.
Having summed up the five-year journey of the group, Tiffany Bender, Director of Content described the journey as transformative. For her, it has always been about what a team of colour has been able to achieve during the 5-year period to become a global force to reckon with. She said, “I think I take pride in knowing that we’ve been able to bring up something for us and by us here in Ghana. There are so many festivals that happen in Ghana in December but Afrochella has stayed consistent since 2017. We saw a vision, had one and executed it. I think the future is just as bright as the process.”
Gifty Boakye, Head of Philanthropy also shared her bit, saying that the maiden edition of Afrochella remains her highlight of the five year period, significantly because the late Ebony, who was Ghana’s hottest artiste at the time, headlined the event and had the crowd on chokehold. She paid respect to Ebony’s memory as she said, “It was my best show ever. Especially because she was our first female headliner and she killed it 100%. I loved her so much.”
For other members of the Afrochella team, the journey has not only been about fun and challenges but also inspirational. Akosua Ayim, Director of Operations, said that seeing friends grow a vision into reality and having the privilege to be part of the Afrochella team inspires her. “The one thing that has been a huge lesson for me is, if you believe you can do something you might not get it right the first time, like Kenny shared in his submission, but you just have to recess and try to make a difference. Keep at it and you’ll get it done,” she noted.
Talking about the toughest moment throughout the period, Khadijat El Alawa – Head of Talent and Music, says 2022 comes across as the most challenging, especially because this was the first time Afrochella introduced a two-days festival.
“There are a lot of things that went on back stage that the public knows nothing of and we’re proud to have made everything look so smooth on the outside. Trust me, everyone on the team was on their toes throughout the year to make sure we pulled this off. For me I think the drive wasn’t about the social media rants and all that, No! I think the drive came from within and we all inspired everyone having come this far, it was all about killing this show for good,” she said.
The stories poured out give you a feel of how hardworking and resilient the team has been despite the recurring challenges along the way. For consistency in their growth, the Afrochella team deserve to feel proud.
Though many would describe Afrochella as connecting the diaspora to Africa. I believe 2022 goes beyond that. It was an honourary year which gave a glimpse into the future – like the theme “Afrofuturism” suggested. The impact of the Afrochella festivals have been undisputed and can be felt beyond the shores of Ghana. It has been the launching pad for some music, photography, and fashion careers worldwide since it began. Culture Management Group also hosted its first Afrochella pop-up events outside Ghana this year, in Ivory Coast and South Africa.
This year the team went beyond African music giants like Burna Boy, Stoneboy, Shatta Wale, KiDi, Ayra Starr, King Promise and Kuami Eugene and more, serving the music and performances for the festival. Afrochella went levels above the previous editions to partner with YouTube for the Future Insiders Program to “amplify the next generation of Black Voices”, partnered with Audiomack and Sony Music Africa in expanding this year’s ‘Rising Star Challenge’, partnered with TuneCore to produce and ignite talents and opportunities through the “Rising Star DJ” competition and an insightful dialogue which featured Music of Africa’s Gabriel Myers Hansen, Ghanaian music star Kwesi Arthur, Elizabeth Ntiamoah of Boomplay and Ian Priceless of Y 107.9 FM & Priceless Music Consultancy, on ‘The Future of the Ghanaian Music Industry’, geared to level the playing field for African acts, and many more collaborations with Curl Con, Black Health Connect and many others as part of the AFRO EXPO which mostly took place from 19th December 2022 to 3rd January 2023 at the Afrochella Music Museum – the first of its kind in Ghana, housing the history, originality and culture of African music and dance.
Afrochella also brought Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty to Ghana, in beautiful fashion at the festival, to introduce their Fenty Glow + Go Beauty Bar which give festival goers the chance to explore new Fenty Beauty products, grab fun giveaways, touch up their makeup looks, and more, throughout their time at festival. .The group opened its music museum,
Culture Management Group has however left patrons wondering what is next after an announcement at the end of the festival indicated that Afrochella would not be returning next year. When asked about the next move, Kenny Agyapong, the Co-founder and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) assured that the “Future is bright”, and urged patrons to stay glued.
Well, Afrochella is AfroFuture!
By: Jude Tackie
