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Interview with founder of the Afrochella Festival: "Africa is suddenly cool"

2019-12-21T12:47:08.323Z


As a young man, Edward Asafu-Adjaye wanted to be American. Now he wants to make Africa hip - with the Afrochella. Here he explains how his festival was successful and why millennials are so important.



Global society

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It is not possible to overlook Edward Asafu-Adjaye. The founder of the Afrochella Festival welcomes Accra to his studio in the Ghanaian capital. The narrow reception room is painted pink. Hip-hop videos are shown on a TV on the wall.

Asafu-Adjaye stands in the middle and talks to a colleague. It is so big and wide that it seems to fill the entire room. "We should go out," he says after the greeting. Outside in the courtyard are some benches and tables on rolled out artificial turf. The bar behind is not open yet.

Asafu-Adjaye sits down. He is wearing a "Salt 'n' Pepa" t-shirt. "That was my favorite band when I was a teenager," he says. "And here, they wear traditional kufi hats, how great is that, please?" He points to the rimless headgear on the band photo on his stomach. During the entire conversation, his cell phone buzzes incessantly. The Afrochella festival.

Steve Morris

Afrochella Festival: Last year, among others, Ghana's well-known dance hall musician Shatta Wale (right) performed

This year's motto for the music and art festival he is organizing in Accra from December 28, 2019 to January 3, 2020 is "Diaspora Calling". It is the last event of the "Year of return" in Ghana. 2019 was the year of return. A marketing campaign by the tourism authority. It has brought the diaspora back into the country with many events - 400 years after the start of slavery.

The campaign exceeded all expectations: According to the ministry, there were already 750,000 in Ghana instead of the half million visitors that were hoped for. Many are now expected by the end of the year and will probably increase the number to one million.

SPIEGEL: Mr. Asafu-Adjaye, your music festival is the final event of the "Year of Return" in Ghana this year. How do party and memory culture go together?

Edward Asafu-Adjaye: We no longer want to be defined by slavery. So we prefer to celebrate what Africa was before slavery - and what it is now. Hence this return campaign: Ultimately, the diaspora is invited to visit Ghana, grapple with the past and experience what home is like today. To see what they're missing here and in the rest of Africa.

SPIEGEL: Slavery spread the African diaspora to various parts of the world. Do you really have to tell today's descendants how beautiful it is in Africa?

Asafu-Adjaye: There were some surprisingly emotional moments at last year's festival. Many have told us how much it opened their eyes and that they had no idea beforehand how much is actually African and therefore unique. We, too, who live here often have no idea.

SPIEGEL: From what?

Asafu-Adjaye: About our history, art and culture. We therefore always have art installations by various artists at the festival who tell you something about Africa. This year, one will deal with the history of the Asante, they are one of the great ethnic groups of the continent. Another explains the Mali Empire, which was the largest West African in history. But many are simply touched when our site and visitors look great.

SPIEGEL: Why is that?

Asafu-Adjaye: Africa has never been hip. When I was a teenager, we all wanted to be Americans. Look like this, sound like that. And surely no one wanted to come to us from the USA. With what we're doing now, Africa is suddenly cool. We celebrate that. And we carry that beyond our festival. We go to parties and wear kaftans and African prints, and everyone loves it.

Steve Morris

Afrochella participant

SPIEGEL: Are there also problems when people from all over the continent celebrate together?

Asafu-Adjaye: Nationalities don't matter. You don't come to us as a Kenyan. Or as someone from Angola, from South Africa - you come to live the entire African culture. As soon as everyone is there, we are one. A big family.

SPIEGEL: That sounds too much like a commercial.

Asafu-Adjaye: Sure, there is sometimes stress or xenophobia in Africa. But it's not the way you guys think it is.

SPIEGEL: Did you just say "you people"?

Asafu-Adjaye: Yes, you whites. Come and celebrate with us, it is at least as important as if we do it. We want to share our African culture with people from all over the world. Far from the clichés that everyone else thinks of.

SPIEGEL: What clichés are you thinking of now?

Asafu-Adjaye: The usual stop. That we Africans all live in trees or in clay huts, in any case like animals. That all of Africa is a savannah, where we eat bananas all day. It's crazy how sustainable these pictures are. But that has nothing to do with us and our rich culture.

Anne Backhaus / DER SPIEGEL

Festival founder Edward Asafu-Adjaye

SPIEGEL: Which artists did you invite to clarify this?

Asafu-Adjaye: We only reveal the line-up shortly before the festival starts. It shouldn't just be about individual artists. Our headliners are great, but we also have DJs from Kenya and Egypt, a singer from Angola or an installation artist from South Africa.

SPIEGEL: Are there problems that may arise in Ghana rather than in another part of the world?

Asafu-Adjaye: I can't judge how you deal with your young people in Germany, but they don't think much of us here.

SPIEGEL: Why not?

Asafu-Adjaye: Those who are old are respected here. So when a young guy like me arrives and plans a festival with his buddies, not everyone shouts: Hooray! Rather the opposite.

photo gallery


13 pictures

Afrochella Festival in Ghana: "Yo, we are as capable as the rest of the world"

SPIEGEL: Your company's job advertisements state that you have to be under 40 in order to work for you.

Asafu-Adjaye: Right! 40 is the magic limit. It will not be exceeded. We want to network our millennials and promote young talents who would otherwise not get such a chance. All we hire are from Africa. From the artists to the technicians - 100 percent Africa. Just to show: Yo, we are as capable as the rest of the world.

SPIEGEL: A kind of middle finger?

Asafu-Adjaye: To be politically correct: a kind emphasis! Here we are. The best. And that can also be Africans.

SPIEGEL: You're in your early thirties, what happens when you hit 40?

Asafu-Adjaye: In ten years I just want to watch a younger guy do my job. We are different from the older generation. Our continent should no longer be about enriching and installing yourself as head forever. That is why we in the festival team want as many young people as possible to move up and prove themselves. Politics could learn a lot from us.

This contribution is part of the Global Society project, for which our reporters report from four continents. The project is long-term and is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

What is the Global Society project?

Reporters from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe will report under the title Global Society - about injustices in a globalized world, sociopolitical challenges and sustainable development. The reports, analyzes, photo series, videos and podcasts appear in the SPIEGEL policy department. The project is long-term and has been supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) for over three years.

Is the journalistic content independent of the foundation?

Yes. The editorial content is created by the Gates Foundation without influence.

Do other media have similar projects?

Yes. Major European media such as "The Guardian" and "El País" have developed similar sections with "Global Development" and "Planeta Futuro" on their news pages with the support of the Gates Foundation.

Have there already been similar projects at SPIEGEL ONLINE?

In recent years, SPIEGEL ONLINE has already implemented two projects with the European Journalism Center (EJC) and the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The "Expedition Tomorrow" about global sustainability goals and the journalistic refugee project "The New Arrivals" several award-winning multimedia reports on migration and flight have emerged.

Where can I find all publications on global society?

The pieces can be found at SPIEGEL ONLINE on the topic page Global Society.

Source: spiegel

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