Osibisa Arrives For MOGO Concert

Osibisa the godfathers of world music, arrived in Ghana on Tuesday night for the Music of Ghanaian Origin Festival (MOGO). The group was met by Mac Tontoh a member of the group and Nii-Amah Dagadu, programmes manger of citi fm and some of the organizers of the concert.

Teddy Osei, the leader of Osibisa expressed great feelings for the festival and was happy they were home more especially to be featuring at MOGO for the second time.

In an interview with Ghananewstoday at the airport, Teddy said "we feel very privileged to be part of MOGO once again and they are very much prepared for this concert; it will be a surprise for you to know, but we started rehearsals towards this concert about a month ago, and we are fully charged and much prepared fir this concert."

As to what the fans should expect this time around? Alfred Kari Bannerman a Guitarist of the group has this to say "MOGO is not just an ordinary festival but is a festival of a life time. I wish everybody will be there to witness this wonderful music festival because believe you me we are going to give the best of Osibisa that the world have not yet seen" he concluded.

Emmanuel Rentos, Greg Brown and Sol Amarfio were other members of the group that made the trip to the Motherland for MOGO. Many of Osibisa?s works are highly danceable; a fair comparison would be to Earth, Wind, & Fire from the USA only with"world" flair.

Both groups feature highly complicated and sophisticated dance music with Afro-Caribbean bass-drum grooves and dynamic horn charts. (Example: Ojah Awake)

Both groups could be criticized as "insipid disco" on titles which seek a more commercial appeal. (Example: Dance the Body Music). Their music can be described as a fusion of African, Caribbean, jazz, rock, Latin and R&B. One of the important reasons for OSIBISA?s enduring success has been their highly energetic and extravagant stage shows.

For many years they?ve toured tirelessly, headlining numerous festivals and performing in every far flung corner of the globe.

Highlights have included a major tour of India, which resulted in a No. 1 Gold album, an unprecedented achievement for a Western band. The mid 90?s have seen a re-emergence of OSIBISA in North America where African and Reggae music are gaining popularity.

Don?t forget to attend the climaxing concert on the 1st of December at the Accra International Conference Centre. Supporting acts include Agya Koo Nimo, George Darko, Ben Brako, Thomas Frimpong, Paapa Yankson and Paullina Oduro.