Ben Brako initiates annual highlife and culture festival
The initiative which will begin in September this year with the Fetu Afahye, is expected to promote indigenous culture and the highlife genre
Ghanaian highlife legend Ben Brako has announced plans to hold a highlife and culture festival across the country annually.
The initiative which will begin in September this year with the Fetu Afahye, is expected to promote indigenous culture and also promote the highlife genre.
“You cannot compare highlife to any kind of genre of music, it is so special,” he told the Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday (3 January).”
“The important thing for me now, which I’m trying to do and I have started is to create a highlife and culture festival,” he told host Benjamin Offei-Addo.
“We are going to do this once a year and we are going to base it on the traditional festivals; you know at the traditional festivals you have the depth and beauty of our tradition and then you marry it with highlife.”
“We are going to kick off with Fetu Afahye in Cape Coast this September, and next we may do Hogbetsotso, Aboakyire, Odwira or Homowo, every year we expose different cultures,” Brako added.
Listen to Ben Brako in the attached audio clip below:
Watch the full interview in the attached video clip below:
About Ben Brako
Ben Brako has had a career spanning over 20 years. Born in Accra on 20th May, 1952 Ben took an active interest in the music and entertainment world at a very young age, and yet he is one of the few musicians who took his education very seriously.
He holds a BA in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ghana, and BA in Media Communication Studies from East London University.
His love for singing took a serious turn when he was invited to be the lead singer in a new music group, The Flames in his secondary school, St. Augustine’s College. The group became the first group in Ghana to use a melodica.
They became so successful that they were instantly accepted by the public at large when they decided to play for money during the holidays. When he got into the University Of Ghana he formed another group called Agromba Gudureba to test out his own music.
After graduating from the University of Ghana Ben become a teacher at Achimota School. From there he worked with Alpha (W.A.) Lines ltd In Tema, as their Commercial Manager.
He also worked with Kwaw Ansah in Film Africa Ltd. He later formed his own consultancy dealing with the booking of cargo for ships, international money recovery and import and export trade, international money recovery, and import and export trade.
His debut album Baya in 1887 brought his talents to the attention of the nation and African music lovers worldwide. The album went on to win The Leisure Foundation Album of The Year 1987, and Musician of the year 1987, and also received Gold status in 1988. He was rewarded further for his musical talent by winning the ECRAG Mahogany award for consistency in highlife music in 1989.
He has since released several albums and toured cities around the world including London, Nottingham, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Toronto, New York, Washington DC, and Connecticut, to mention a few. He continues to perform to this very day.
He will always be regarded as one of the pioneers of modern highlife. He recently received a new album and he is a guest on a new reality series, Gang Stars on TV3.
Reporting by Fred Dzakpata
Asaase Radio 99.5 broadcasts on radio via 99.5 in Accra, 98.5 in Kumasi, 99.7 in Tamale, 100.3 in Cape Coast and on our affiliates Bawku FM 101.5 in Bawku, Beats FM 99.9 in Bimbilla, Somua FM 89.9 in Gushegu, Stone City 90.7 in Ho, Mining City 89.5 in Tarkwa and Wale FM 106.9 in Walewale
Tune in to broadcasts online: asaaseradio.com, Sound Garden and TuneIn
Follow us on Twitter: @asaaseradio995
Live streaming on facebook.com/asaase99.5. Also on YouTube: AsaaseXtra.
Join the conversation. Call: 020 000 9951 or 059 415 7777. Or WhatsApp: 020 000 0995.
#Asaase321
#TheVoiceofOurLand
#WeAreHere
#WeLoveOurLand
#SafeMotorway4All
