Yvonne Chaka Chaka headlines ‘The African Festival’

The national capital, Accra, is set to come alive this December as it hosts this year's edition of "The African Festival," a celebration that harnesses the transformative power of culture, arts and music to promote awareness of climate change.

The three-day event, which will begin with a grand opening on Saturday, December 28, this year at the Accra International Conference Centre, will feature celebrated African musician, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, as the headline artiste.

With the aim of creating the biggest annual Pan African Pilgrimage in the world to educate and contribute to the development of Africa, the festival will also provide a unique platform where African cultural heritage becomes a force for change.

On the theme: "Kinako! Feel Africa, Be the Change," the festival is expected to inspire collective action towards addressing environmental sustainability across the continent, raise awareness of the urgent need to combat climate change while celebrating Africa’s rich artistic diversity through an extraordinary blend of theatre, music, contemporary arts, history and African traditions.

Organised by Globe Productions Limited, the festival is also designed to be an immersive experience that will take patrons on a journey of discovering African history and embracing its adventures.

Overview

Giving an overview of the festival, the Founder of The African Festival and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Globe Productions Limited, Latif Abubakar, said besides re-igniting the spirit of Pan Africanism for the sustainable development of the African continent, the festival would also promote climate action by using art and cultural narratives to raise awareness of the environmental challenges Africa faced.

He said TAF would inspire change by drawing from Africa’s rich heritage and traditional ecological knowledge as a solution to modern climate issues while uniting communities through a shared cultural experience that celebrated resilience and innovation in response to climate change.

"It is a celebration that will take patrons through a captivating journey of the rich tapestry of African history," Mr Abubakar said.

Plays

The major highlights of the festival, dubbed the “Climate Change” Edition, would be the staging of two spectacular plays by the celebrated playwright, Mr Abubakar, titled "Don Quixote Africa, an African retelling of the first ever European classic novel, and "Ghana Must Go," a comedy that tells the story of Ghana’s rich cultural heritage, tourism, investment opportunities, as well as an Afro Night Music Concert which would be frontlined by Yvonne Chaka Chaka.

The concert,  will feature performances from three-time Grammy Awards nominee, Rocky Dawuni; Musiga President, Bisa Simons; rapper Okyeame Kwame and other top artistes whose music advocates climate awareness and sustainable living.

“It is a concert that is positioned to promote change and bring together Pan African musicians that sing traditional authentic Africa songs,” Mr Abubakar said. 

Attractions

Other attractions include "The Den of History" and "The African Food Festival" where African stories will be told through outdoor film festivals as well as by the fireside storytelling, and the exhibition of sustainable African cuisines that would focus on plant-based and eco-friendly dishes respectively.

There would also be iconic model structures such as the Pyramid of Giza, the Seven Wonders of Africa, the Larabanga Mosque, the Kwame Nkrumah Museum, the Nelson Mandela Capture Site, and Ghanaian artist, Ibrahim Mahama’s Contemporary Art Installation as well as Camel Ride on a model desert.

Family, children

The Playwright said the festival would include engaging climate-themed activities for children and families that were aimed at helping to foster environmental consciousness in the younger generation.

Tickets for the festival are on sale at GH¢250 per day and GH¢600 for all three days.

He advised patrons to purchase tickets by dialing *714*70# or visit www.theafricanfestival.com

Partnership

The African Festival, is powered by Globe Productions Limited, is in partnership with the African Women and Children's Conference (AFRIWOCC), PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PWC) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), with support from the Graphic Communications Group Ltd, the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and the Media General Group.