Veteran Ghanaian musician Gyedu-Blay Ambolley says Ghana’s Highlife music gave birth to all free dancing music in the world.
Speaking at the Highlife stakeholders conference organised by the National Folklore Board in collaboration with the Ghana Cultural Forum, supported by UNESCO on Friday 4th March,2022 at the Accra Tourist Information Centre, to discuss an action plan by which Highlife can be enlisted as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s list of ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’, explained why he believes Ghana’s Highlife music gave birth to all dancing music in the world currently.
“listening to America’s funky or jazz you can hear a Highlife rythem in it and so in all the music we have in the world, Highlife gave birth to all free dancing music around the world” He said.
The multi award winner Ambolley is the first musician from Ghana and the world to formally incorporate rap forms into local highlife rhythms, he created the musical genre Simigwa.
He revealed that Highlife originated from a music genre called OSIBI and that is where Ghana’s famous music band OSIBISA got their name from.
Ambolley urged all stakeholders to let the world understand that Highlife is the mother of all music in the world hence the need to work hard to safeguard it.
The stakeholders conference was graced with some legends in the creative arts industry such as Hon. Mark Okraku Mantey, Smart Nkansah, Ackah Blay, Dr. Kwesi Owusu, Amandzeba, Bessa Simons, Ahuma Bosco Ocansey.
In the wake of UNESCO listing of Jamaica’s reggae music and the rhumba music in Congo, the Highlife music conference was to seek among other things to establish a roadmap for Highlife music to be added to UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Stakeholders discussed the need to create opportunities for further growth of Highlife music to meet current competition from Africa and Abroad.
