Fred Nii Kpakpo Addo is the brain behind Mala Majo Festival
This year’s edition of the annual cultural musical event dubbed “Mala Majo Music Festival” being organised to promote Ghanaian culture and tradition to the outside world will take place in September, the organisers have announced.
It will be formally launched at the Goethe Institut in Accra in August. The launch is expected to unveil all the activities and goodies lined up for the festival.
It promises a day packed with activities ranging from fashion, cultural musical performances, among others.
The brain behind the festival is Australia-based master drummer, multi-instrumentalist, choreographer and singer, Fred NiiKpakpo Addo.
He leads the One Spirit Africa cultural organisation in Melbourne and says he admires the enthusiasm with which his colleagues on the traditional music front have embraced the day-long festival to be held at Nungua in Accra.
The two previous editions of the Mala MajoFestival were held in 2016 and 2019. One Spirit Africa has over the last decade, exposed vibrant African culture to people across Australia, Europe and the Americas.
“Whether based at home or abroad, we are all in the same boat of propagating our cherished rhythms and dances. Supporting each other means creating a stronger voice for ourselves now and those coming after us,” Nii Addo stated.
Meanwhile, One Spirit Africa has announced its Mala Majo Tour 2023. The tour, slated for September 19 to 30, will coincide with the Mala Majo Music and Cultural Festival which is on the theme: “Empowering, uplifting and preserving our traditions.”
The tour is an invitation to drummers, dancers, instrumentalists, students and culture enthusiasts from around the world to come to Ghana for a refreshing and enlightening two-week experience of the nation’s cultural landscape.
To be hosted by Nii Addo and other renowned drummers, dancers and music teachers from Ghana, the tour package embraces accommodation, breakfast and dinner, excursions and tuition.
There will be daily dance and drum sessions, familiarisation with local cuisine and trips to local markets and some of Ghana’s most fascinating beaches, historic sites, waterfalls and parks.
Partnering One Spirit Africa for the Mala Majo Festival are Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Goethe Institut, Top Floor Productions,MenscourtEntertainmentz, IDS Consult, TAG, E+2A’s Filmworks and EmmaddoTvlive.
By George Clifford Owusu