Fatau Keita
Ghanaian artiste Fatau Keita and his Naawuni Bie Band won three awards at this year’s edition of The Best Instrumentalists of Africa Festival (MIA), held in Benin from November 29 to December 2.
Fatau Keita and his band won the best wind instrumentalist of the year award, third best vocalist and second best performing band at the festival.
Fatau Keita, who uses traditional instruments in composing his lyrics, represented Ghana at the festival. He was among some selected Africa artistes who rocked the stage during the festival.
The artiste performed with his Naawuni Bie Band, and their combination on stage was superb as they delighted fans with an electrifying performance.
He performed several of his hit songs at the festival and enjoyed a good response from the audience.
The Best Instrumentalists of Africa Festival is held annually to recognise outstanding instrumentalists on the continent.
The participants from Togo, Benin, Congo, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Madagascar, Swaziland, Kenya, Morocco, Tanzania and a host of others attended the event with their own bands.
In an interview on his arrival, Fatau Keita expressed concern about government’s inability to sponsor Ghanaian artistes who travel to various countries to represent the country at music and cultural festivals.
He thanked Socrates Sarfo, Director of Creative Arts, Programmes & Projects at the National Commission on Culture (NCC), for supporting him in his musical career.
Fatau Keita, however, dedicated the awards to the hardworking members of Naawuni Bie Band for their dedication and team work.
Fatau Keita is currently under Speech Productions, a record label known for building talented music icons into international brands.
By George Clifford Owusu