Accra's Afrochella - Where Afropunk Meets Coachella

Ever wondered what it takes to start a cultural revolution? Afrochella organizers Abdul Karim Abdullah (@Theruler02), Kenneth Agyemang (@Kennyagy), Edward Asafo Adjaye (@Deezydothis), Emmanuel Ansah (@Johndoee) and Vernell Acheampong (@Mr_Kwvku), have invested in creating this avenue to explore, exhibit and promote Africa’s diverse cultures, art, music and entrepreneurs. We talk to the team about their creative insights.

The first Afrochella festival in 2017 obviously made an impact and has got many people following closely. When is the next one?

December 29, 2018.

With respect to the ingenuity and available creative services in Africa, how does the theme and realization come together?

Afrochella is a celebration of Ghana’s diverse culture and the vibrant work of Ghanaian creatives, as well as entrepreneurs. The rising appeal of African art, cuisine, Afrobeats music and business acumen to patrons outside of Africa has been trendy in the past few years. Afrochella will crystallize these exciting moving parts as Africa’s number one cultural festival.

Tell us more about the impact. To what extent did the conceptual model achieve success?

The event boasts around 3,000+ attendees from all over the world, and garnered some 30,000 tweets among 5,000 individual users within a three-month time span. The event has trended on every platform (Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat) without any paid advertising.

Social media awareness, marketing and engagement have been imperative in your production. Who were some of the artists on the bill?

The music came from artists including Ebony (may her soul rest in peace), King Promise, Kwesi Authur, B4Bonah, Darkovibes, DJ Neptizzle, Mic Smith, Vision DJ, DopeNation, Kofie Carter, City Boy, Kojo Cue & Shaker, A.I. and Magnom.

Afrochella must have been brainstormed and pushed by an efficient team. Can you tell us more?

We are the Culture Management Group. CMG introduces a new and diverse perspective to African event spaces. Our prime focus is to highlight locally grown talent via media marketing, branding management, artist showcases, art showcases, documentaries and job creation. CMG also produces ‘The Sign Off‘, a storytelling visual podcast telling the stories of young creatives in all industries from music, art, fashion and photography.

Which celebrities attended the 2017 Afrochella?

Kwame Boateng, John Dumelo, Kofi Siriboe, Efya, Sandra Lambeck, PJKev, Vanessa Vanderpuye, Joycelyn Dumas, and Vanessa Gyan.

Afrochella’s rise to becoming an influential brand is remarkable. What was the international and regional reach?

Afrochella has attracted an audience from all over the world. In 2017, we had attendees from United States, Canada, Europe (United Kingdom, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Russia and Spain), Australia as well as other neighboring African countries including Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Guinea, South Africa and Kenya.

Anything you’d like to add?

The focus of our energies and investment is primarily on telling the story from a native’s perspective. Afrochella hopes to be the premier African cultural festival throughout Africa. We look forward to sharing this experience as a footstep into a new tradition bringing people together in Africa for tourism. In the years to come, attendees can expect to see Afrochella in other countries throughout Africa.