Ahuma Bosco Ocansey, known as Daddy Bosco and Director of Special Projects and Communications for the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), has asserted that the late Nigerian music icon Fela Kuti began developing the Afrobeat genre in Adabraka, Accra.
Fela Kuti, widely acknowledged as the pioneer of Afrobeat, has left a significant mark on global music.
However, the genre faced recent criticism from Jamaican Dancehall legend Buju Banton, who dismissed Afrobeat as “uninspiring” and questioned its cultural impact despite its international success.
In a recent interview, Buju Banton criticized the genre, suggesting it lacks reggae’s depth and cultural significance.
“A lot of culture vultures out there have focused on our music and stolen our culture,” Buju said. “Our music [reggae] is a time marker, capturing personal milestones and emotions.
Conversely, Afrobeat will come and go because it doesn’t have the same soul or energy.”
Addressing this controversy on Channel One TV’s ‘The Chat,‘ Daddy Bosco provided a different perspective. He argued that Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat origins traced back to Accra, specifically Adabraka.
“According to Professor John Collings, while African drums were brought to the West, the technology for making drums was retained and evolved into new musical forms,“ Daddy Bosco explained.
He continued, “Ebo Taylor, a contemporary of Fela Kuti, was instrumental in spreading Highlife music.
Fela, who was familiar with Highlife before his time in London, met Taylor and other Highlife musicians during his stay in Ghana in the late 1960s.
In Adabraka, Fela honed his craft, blending Highlife with jazz influences to create Afrobeat.”
Daddy Bosco emphasized that this period in Ghana was crucial for Fela’s development of Afrobeat, asserting that his time in Adabraka played a significant role in shaping the genre.
“The Chat,“ hosted by Ekow Koomson, airs every Saturday on Channel One TV from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This weekend’s episode features Lyrical Joe.
