AfroFuture Rocks Accra

KOFI AYIM

For two days late last month, the El Wak stadium in Accra was probably the most secured and safe arena in Ghana. It was also the most festive area for the December 28-29 celebration marathon, with activities and vending by day and music festival by night; these two days were the grand finale of a weeklong socio-cultural event organized by AfroFuture (formerly known as Afrochella).

Nightlife of the two-day high-octane music festival was more than a concert extravaganza that bustled at the seams with “meet and greet” of mostly youth from within Ghana and the diaspora and interspersed with few bald-head older folks who wanted to join in the fray to experience the exuberance and lifestyles of contemporary generation.

The eclectic set up of the multipurpose “Wells of God” grassy stadium by AfroFuture organizers transformed the 7000-seating capacity of arena – owned by the Ghana Armed Forces – into more than tens of thousands room of revelers each night. The final count was 41,050 guests across the two-day event.

The curtain was brought down with the final act on December 29, 2023 with the presence of some political, civic, and entertainment powerbrokers such as Nadia Adongo Fynn, Deputy Director for the Diaspora Affairs, Office of the President, actor Boris Kodjoe, actresses Yaya DaCosta and Deborah Oyorinde, artist Tems, and various Ministers from different areas of government.

The event had two stages, a huge 70 by 70-foot main stage complemented by a smaller one 20 by 20 foot for up-and-coming young artists who opened the show for the main artists that included Davido, Black Sherif, Samini, EFYA, Adekunle Gold, R2Bees, Camidoh, Musa Keys and more.

On the peripherals of the field were food, art & craft vendors, sponsorship activations, billboards, a VIP and VVIP areas as well as the general areas. Coconut vendors and mounted horses would not be left out.  Security inside and outside the stadium was as tight as it could be with visible presence of the military, police, fire department and a civil security company. Temporal health facilities and ambulances were strategically placed and staffed.

Entrance and exit were contingent upon ticket purchased, (general, VIP, and VVIP) with escort services for VVIP guests. All three egresses had complex maze of cranks and cogwheel metal barrier guides and guards.

Cross section of the party-filled event told Amandla that they cannot wait for an encore at the end of 2024. “For me, it’s a pilgrimage to connect to my ancestral roots through entertainment,” a young African American told this writer.

Posted by admin on Jan 12 2024. Filed under top stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry