Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Highlife deconstructed
Kirsty Osei-Bempong looks at the work of the Highlife Music Deconstructed Series, a new platform seeking to preserve and promote this iconic Ghanaian sound
Abena Serwaa and Bernard Johnson-Tackie
Inspired by the richness of Ghana’s musical heritage, three highlife music lovers have got together to establish the Highlife Music Deconstructed (HMD) Series, a platform designed to amplify the global contributions of African music, commencing with highlife.
Since September 2020, co-hosts Bernard Johnson-Tackie and Abena Serwaa, along with technical producer Patrick Ofosu, have been creating this interactive live-stream series, providing a forum for discussion about highlife’s musical evolution, the impact of social and political change on the genre and the music's wider global significance.
Watch Season 1 of HMD (five episodes) below:
Episode 1: The First Generation (1920s to mid-1950s)
Episode 2: Post-Independence (1940s to 1960s)
Episode 3: Exodus (late 1960s to 1980s)
Episode 4: Borga (early 1980s to mid-1990s)
Episode 5: Hip To Now (mid-1990s to the present day)
