African music compiled by Stan Rijven. Episode : Sankofa
After two broadcasts with African pop from a distant past, we now give attention to recent releases stressing Ghanaian music. ‘Sankofa’ is both the title of Akwasi’s latest album (2020) as of one the first Ghanaian/Dutch fusion groups (1989). The expression ‘Sankofa’ comes from Twi, one of the many languages spoken in Ghana. It means something like: “Return and go and get it”. Akwasi travelled from Amsterdam to Accra to find his roots again, but bandleader Sloopy Mike Gyamfi went the other way. Mid-80s, he settled in the Netherlands, together with many compatriots. Gyamfi developed his own ‘Bright Life’ with the highlife band Kumbi Saleh and next with Sankofa. The Ghanaians in Hamburg called their music ‘Burger High Life’. In London, yet another variant of pop was developed by bands such as Jazira. In retrospective, they all were part of a broad African wave which engulfed the West European stages in those years. Today, that African spirit is back, and there seems to be a new wave: take the new releases of Akwasi, Dandana and Santrofi. And, don’t forget the summer hits ‘boom nama gan gan’ and ‘Jerusalema’. Indeed: return and go and get it.
Playlist:
- Blue Flamingo ft Racheal Botha/ Boom nama gan gan
Single: Boom nama gan gan (Excelsior Recordings) – 2020
- Dandana/ Mon Afrique
CD: Free the system (Rebel Records)- 2020
- Dandana/ Ever living
CD: Free the system (Rebel Records)- 2020
- Akwasi/ Sankofa
CD: Sankofa (Neerlands Dope) – 2020
- Santrofi/ Adwuma
CD: Alewa (Outhere Records)- 2020
- Akwasi/ We komen eraan
CD: Sankofa (Neerlands Dope) – 2020
- Alhaji K.Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas/ Kyenkyen Bi Adi M’Awu
CD: Afro-Rock Vol. 1 (Kona Records)- 2001, orig. 1976
- Kumbi Saleh/ Te ona
LP: Be a good Samaritan (Torso)- 1988
- Sloopy Mike Gyamafi & Sankofa/ Sukom ade me
LP: Welcome to Brightlife (African Ideas Productions)- 1989
- Mohammed Malcolm Ben & His African Feeling Organisation/ Preservation of humanity
LP: African Feeling (Stern’s)- 1983
- Master KG, ft Nomcebo Zikode/ Jerusalema
CD: Jerusalema (Elektra France)- 2020
