Tony Allen, drums High Vibes Festival to a close in Accra

Legendary Afrobeat drummer, Tony Allen and his band brought the well patronized second edition of the High Vibes Festival to a befitting ending last Friday at the Alliance Francaise, Accra. Guinean hiphop group, Degg J Force 3 set the pace for the exciting finale, with energetic live music that captivated the multi-cultural and diverse group of audience.

The Tony Allen performance was a culmination of exciting and diverse musical and cultural activities from Ghana and the rest of Africa, over a period of 6 days. The High Vibes Festival opened on Wednesday, November 10 with ‘Hip & Movie Vibe’ at the Rocktsone’s Office. The free show was a showcase of some of Ghana’s freshest and most innovative rappers, as well as a playback of the journey of rap music in Ghana.  There were performances from the likes of Yaa Pono, Kay Ara, Trigmatic, Scizo, and M.anifest. There was also the screening of excerpts from ‘Coz ov Moni’ and ‘Singing 4 Freedom’.

The festival continued the following day with the ‘Frenchy Vibe’ at the Boomerang Nite Club with performances from Degg J Force 3 and the best of francophone music courtesy, Omar I, Ghana’s most celebrated Francophone DJ.

The infamous +233 Club hosted the ‘Jazzy Vibe’ on Friday, November 12. It was a celebration of Ghana’s growing jazz music featuring Kae Sun, a Ghanaian born Canadian music star, and Agorsor with their infectious rhythms.  Also on the bill were Kwame Yeboah and Dankwa with the new ‘Dzidudu’ sounds, and the indefatigable Gyedu Blay Ambolley.

The Holy Gardens, near Kwame Nkrumah Circle saw the ‘High Vibes Explosion’ on Saturday, November 13. It was an explosion of great music from Ghana and West Africa featuring the likes of Sarkodie, Wulomei, Warriors, King Mensah, Degg J Force 3, Awa Sissao, Kezita, Ambolley and others.

The High Vibes Festival was produced by Pidgen Music and Creative storm with sponsorship the French Embassy, Alliance Francaise Accra, African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), and the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture. According to the organizers, they hope that the festival would become the music and culture festival for Ghana that would draw attention and participation from the rest of Africa, the Diaspora and the world at large.