RECALLING INDIE FUSE 2013: DAY 1

Story by BILLIE MCTERNAN | Photography by SELORM JAY

For those that are unfamiliar with IND!E FUSE, you should know that it is the country’s largest concert of independent artists that falls slap-bang in the middle of Ghana’s December party season.

Mensa of FOKN BOIS with the crowd.

When I came to Ghana in December 2012 it had been four years since I’d last visited the country. Up until that time I had been under the guardianship of family, shuttling from one family house to another, missing out on the vibrancy the city had to offer. I was looking forward to discovering an alternative experience. 

IND!E FUSE 2013: Dec. 13 + 14 Lineup

See DRUNK BEGGAR THIEF live tonight at The Republic #IND!FUSE2013 #SabolaiRadioStreetParty

The LABS went down yesterday and it was so massive. More than 200 people flowed in throughout the day catching sessions and filling the vibe of a music community taking real shape.

Shout out to our Chemists who kept the crowds hanging onto every word:

IND!E FUSE 2013: Meet Meche KORRECT

Meche Korrect strikes a pose in Accra central

We are so excited to introduce you aliens to MECHE KORRECT. This golden girl comes with rambunctious verve, sick pipes and personality for days. The singer + songwriter hails from the U.S. capital city of Washington, DC. And her sound is infectious. If you’re lucky to see her perform live, you will immediately fall for her quick wit, improv style and funky flow.

#theLABS are in Session this Thursday DEC.12th

KYEKYEKU chills in Accra central |Catch him live at IND!E FUSE on Dec 13                              photo by Mantse Aryeequaye

We are so AMPED about this new edition to IND!E FUSE. For the fourth time round, our team thought it necessary to include what we call The LABS – interactive and creative sessions with artists, industry personnel and audiences on how to grow your music game way up.

We’ll provide critical information for musicians on how to build your brand and develop an artistic sound. Learn how to maximize digital networking and expand your fan base internationally.

See the full schedule for The LABS here. The free event kicks off the start of the 3-day IND!E FUSE party on Thursday, December 12th from 8am – 4pm, Alliance Francaise Exhibition Hall.

Sankwas BOIS = Simpol Tinz x Mutombo da Poet. The duo will return as hosts for the final show, Sat. Dec 14 | photo by Mantse Aryeequaye

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2013: THE GIRL WHO BROUGHT YOU KWAKU ANANSE

words by NANA OSEI KWADWO | images by MANTSE ARYEEQUAYE

The Kwaku Ananse premier in July was everything a film loving crowd would hope for ; great turn out, a participatory crowd and fierce music. The 26 minute short immortalizes the mythical spider by constructing a fresh narrative that retells this famous Ananse tale with multilayered, moody, elliptical shots of a wandering Jojo Abot, who plays Ananse’s daughter. The film suggests that stories normally seen through the lens of post-colonialism could just as easily be seen in existential or mythic terms.

For the record this film had the biggest turn out for an experimental Ghanaian picture, which is a refreshing start. Ghana isn’t known for experimental artsy movies and over the years John Akomfrah has been the only reference when such conversations came up. Our lame claim to his notoriety can stop now.

Adoma at the numbers station.

Akosua Adoma Owusu represents a new wave of filmmakers making bold attempts at disrupting the Ghanaian narrative in order to create new forms of story telling that involve risk taking. Hopefully these risks will explore new audiences and markets that would in turn create Ghanaian cinema the world looks forward to. This Kwaku Ananse story feeds our curiosities and creative interpretations made by the audacious individuals it features.

Grace Omaboe who plays Ananse’s wife has not been in a Ghanaian movie for years. At the height of her career, she was in a very popular TV drama series ‘OBRA’. Then through the mid to late 90’s she had a TV show “By The Fire Side” where she told Ananse stories to children. For the people old enough to remember, this film is like a time machine that travels into that past but tells the story in a sequence far removed from what a Ghanaian audience might be used to.

Another character worth mentioning in the movie is Highlife living legend Agya Koo Nimo who played Kweku Ananse. Koo Nimo brought such character volume to the 26 minute picture, it begged further exploration. That was four months ago, Adoma has since gone on to start new projects, but this is certainly worth the reminder.

We caught up with Akosua Adoma Owusu recently during our STROLLING GOATS episode and talked about film and her new projects.

AKOSUA ADOMA OWUSU hangs low on James Town Beach

What first interested you in film?

Well, my background was in the fine arts, specifically, printmaking and sculpture. I discovered my interest in filmmaking after studying 16mm Cinematography at the University of Virginia with an African American filmmaker, Kevin Jerome Everson. Kevin came from a working-class background – I identified with this in Virginia – and his work in experimental short films and traveling to film festivals really inspired me. So I decided to pursue a Master’s degree in Film/Video and Art at CalArts against my parents’ wishes. They wanted me to be more practical and pursue a career in medicine like basically all Ghanaian parents. But creating art through a cinematic medium really spoke to me and impassioned me far more than any “practical” choice could have.

TAWIAH on LOVE: The Cab Confessional

by Sionne Neely | photos by Mantse Aryeequaye + Abass Ismail for REDD Kat Pictures

TAWIAH on James Town Pier, Accra | photo by REDD Kat Pictures [Dec. 2012]

According to Ghanaian singer/songwriter TAWIAH, love is a beautiful complicated thing. Like music, love is made up of vibrational frequencies that wield magic into real life.

TAWIAH: When FREEdom Drops [April 30th!]

Interview with Sionne Neely |  photos by Mantse Aryeequaye + Abass Ismail for REDD Kat Pictures

TAWIAH releases FREEdom Drop on April 30th | photo by REDD Kat Pictures [Dec 2012]

ADA: During your set at IND!E FUSE 2012 you talked a bit about love. We can’t assume everyone defines it the same way. What are your thoughts on love?

T: You have encounters with love everyday – with friends, family, lovers. Love is one of the most important things. . I think I’m a bit of a hopeless romantic. I love love. It’s an extremely complex thing but do we make it complex with our mortal thoughts and ways? Is love an act or is it a feeling? Surely love is ever present – it’s there before we manifested into our physical bodies. It’s always there, innit? It definitely should feel good and not judge or discriminate. But we put our own thing on what love is and what it should be.

IND!E FUSE 2012: DAY 1 [PHOTO SELECTA]

HANDS UP.

If you were at IND!E FUSE 2012 this past weekend, then you know we had an INSANELY good time. Wow! Thanks Accra for coming out last Friday + Saturday and showing your support for independent African music.

We got photos from DAY 1 at The Republic Bar + Grill in Osu. We jam-packed the joint out with 500 people and more spilling onto the street. Our mashup boutique featured the Afro-electric sounds of supa dope DJs – Jason Kleatsh, Kweku Ananse, SanSe and DJ Kev with live performances by Rumor, Looney the TKR, Oga Chux, Steloo, Eli and Fatau Keita.

Our MASTA MC – Mawuli Fudoglo – kept everyone in stitches with his silly swag and funky boogie.

FUDOGLO + DJ KEV WARM IT UP

Like any good block party, the drinks keep pouring and bodies go on shaking. The sound system was a beast so folks couldn’t help but shake a leg. Thanks to the massive mojo of our DJs and live artists – the party kept climbing until 4am in the morning – leaving loads of people in sweaty honeysuckle bliss.

What a blast! Take a journey through our photo selecta of IND!E FUSE 2012: Day 1 right here. All photos taken by ACCRA [dot] ALT.

RED LIGHT SPECIAL

HALF OF A YELLOW SUN