The Real 'Woyaya'

The cream of Ghanaian Afro-Rock group Osibisa, is in town for yet another thriller six years after the group had staged what it termed as its final home-coming in Accra.

Osibisa discarded that ?final? notion when it regrouped for a mega concert in Accra last year.

And as a testament to its immortality, the group returns to the African stage tomorrow to celebrate its 37th anniversary at the International Conference Centre in Accra.

Under the banner of Music of Ghanaian Origin (MOGO), the core membership of Teddy Osei, Mac Tontoh and Sol Amarfio, will rally mainstream players including Kari Bannerman, Emmanuel Rentzos, Herman Asafo-Agyei, Bessa Simmons and Greg Brown to unleash more than 15 hits from their awesome repertoire.

As a prelude to that, indigenous Ghanaian music was served the audience who thronged the Centre for National Culture in Kumasi last Saturday to watch the launch of the MOGO.

The audience, who were drawn mainly from second-cycle institutions and teacher training colleges in Kumasi, were treated to sumptuous local rhythms.

The Ammamereso Agofomma and the Twereduampong cultural troupes performed adowa, kete, and fontomfrom from the south and takai and bamaya dances from the north.

The choreography was good and it was evident at the end of the show that the audience had enjoyed themselves tremendously.

MOGO is an initiative of Citi FM, an Accra-based radio station and is intended to showcase the different strands of Ghanaian music.

The Director of the Centre for National Culture in Kumasi, Mr S.T Agyei, said at the launch that the media in Ghana must redirect its attention and focus on the Ghanaian to ensure that the nation develops to its fullest potential.
??It is as if the Ghanaian is not important in the scheme of things of the Ghanaian media,??he said.

Mr Agyei pointed out that if Ghanaians wear and eat what they produce, use local environmentally-friendly materials in the construction industry and also patronise products by traditional medical practitioners, the country can make a big leap .

He commended Citi FM for promoting indigenous Ghanaian music. The main MOGO event comes off at the Accra International Conference Centre tomorrow.

On the bill in addition to Osibisa are Koo Nimo, Ben Brako, George Darko, Paapa Yankson, Pauline Oduro and Thomas Frimpong.

The Adadem Agofomma and an accoustic guitar have been Koo Nimo?s companions on stage for decades. The man has never tired of couching delectable tales about his people through his music.

Tomorrow will be another occasion for him to show mastery of his brand of guitar band music.

Ben Brako is best known for his very successful debut album, Baya, which was released in England around 1987. He is expected to bring on some tracks from that collection as well as some of the new things he?s been up to recently at tomorrow?s show.

Guitarist George Darko cut a slice of Ghanaian music history for himself in the early 1980s with his blend of funk and highlife music which became known as ?Burgher Highlife.?

He?s been fairly consistent over the years, releasing evergreens like Money Palaver and Odo Colour.
Paapa Yankson is a veteran singer and composer.

He fronted the Carousel 7 and Western Diamonds bands in the past but it is works under his own name that have kept him in the public?s mind in recent years.

Frimpong is a drummer/singer. He came into prominence with bassist Ralph Karikari, guitarist Eric Agyeman and others as members of K. Gyasi?s Noble Kings band which put a shine on ?sikyi? highlife sometime ago.

He lived and worked in England for a while where he recorded some solo albums, the most popular being Ayeyi. It will be a wonderful throwback to his good old days if he delivers his melodious ?sikyi? medleys behind the drums tomorrow.

Osibisa leader, Teddy Osei told Graphic Showbiz on arrival in Accra last Tuesday that ?tomorrow?s show is going to be a party to kick off the Christmas season.?