Asa Baako - One Dance 2015 review View this email in your browser

Asa Baako 2015 Review!!!!What went down this year at one of Ghana'sbrightest and best international events"Beach by Day - Jungle by Night"

This year saw the biggest crowd yet, double that

of previous years. 3,500 people flocked in from

UK, US, Switzerland, Spain, Ireland, Germany,

France, Benin, Ivory Coast and even dedicated

festival goers made the 15 hour bus journey from

Lagos, Nigeria! But for us our biggest draw were

the scores of people who travelled in from Accra

and across the Western Region. The party was

rocking from the beach to the bush with the likes

of festival regular Wanlov the Kubolor gracing

the Main Stage and rising London-based DJ,

Mina, mixing Jungle Party tunes.

Without a doubt, this year's line-up was the best

ever, once again breaking down barriers in

eclecticism.

With special thanks to our sponsors for making

this year possible; Market Direct Limited (a

Finatrade company), Tullow Oil and Sign

Language.

Old friends returned for the fifth time in a row and

new artists from all over the world were added to

our growing music schedule. Friday featured

some of the region’s most exciting young talent,

including Kojo Lion, Lawmaker and Pesewas,

before climaxing with a hypnotizing performance

from El Foukr R'Assembly, on tour from

Algeria. Saturday featured some of West Africa’s

most exciting musicians, with storming

performances from Villy & Xtreme Volumes,

Kyekyeku and a show-stopping finale by

headliner Wiyaala (pictured) to mark

International Women's Day.

The festival reached its height on Saturday night with the legendary Jungle Party that took us from

Saturday night right through to Sunday morning; featuring local and international DJs Don Pascal, Vim

Tinz, Mina, DJ Shocka, Afronick, Just Ice and Kwame Nico bringing us the best in Afropop, Drum 'n'

Bass, Afro House and Reggae.

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Teamwork makes the Dream workVolunteering response this year was incredible, without which the program would not have been possible.

Volunteers came in from across the globe; Accra (Ghana), Takoradi (Ghana), Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Paris

(France), Atlanta (US) and across the UK, as well as the familiar cohort of local volunteers from Busua;

2015 saw the biggest ever production team for Asa Baako. The overwhelming support from those on the

ground and overseas made the festival a pleasure to deliver. Everyone who worked on the event has our

many thanks for their unfailing positivity and great festival attitude - this year was a party behind the

scenes as well as on stage.

Proud OwnershipThis year, we proudly announced our first ever

festival Chairperson, The Omanhene of Essikado

Nana Kobina Nketsia V; a respected visionary,

academic and champion of youth development

and environmental causes. Speaking at the

festival, he shared the strong message that; “We

all have a role to play in the maintenance of our

rich culture”. Many people in Busua now see Asa

Baako as the most important event after Easter

Monday, with calls for the regional parade to be

programmed as part of Asa Baako - One Dance.

Making an Impact!Esteemed and highly respected Dr. Amos

Anyimadu, Columnist and Political Scientist wrote

in his review; "In years to come, Ghana’s only

international music festival (Asa Baako - One

Dance) is predicted to grow into a dollar earning

phenomenon for the local economy rivaling other

big music festivals on the African continent". We

felt a great sense of achievement that this

year, the festival drew in over half a million

Ghana Cedis (£100,000) in tourism spend, which

helped offset the financial losses the tourist

village of Busua suffered due to the Ebola

hysteria.

Party with a Purpose!

Wonders of MoringaProviding Eco-Solutions is a key part of the

festival, and with huge thanks to Tullow Oil fortheir funding, we have been able to runthe "Wonders of Moringa" programme for the

past two years, which promotes the benefits, use

and growth of the Moringa tree for

health, enterprise and environmental solutions.

Lead by Motherland International Relations we

hosted workshops in January with the women

and young people of Busua, on how to produce

and package Moringa soap, which were

displayed and sampled at the festival. We also

ran the "Wonders of Moringa" workshops during

the festival, with a focus on Moringa tree planting,

learning about the benefits and uses of moringa

which included water purification and the making

of moringa based drinks and powder.

Beach ConservationMore than just a music festival, Asa Baako is

dedicated to raising awareness of conservation

and environmental issues through art and

creativity. As part of this year's children's

programme we ran Beach clean-up and

arts workshops to inform and inspire the young

people of Busua about beach conservation. So, it

was with great excitement that when three

endangered turtles arrived on our shores during

the festival, two Olive Ridleys and one

Leatherback, we were able to safely return them

back to the ocean.

Huge thanks to everyone who made Asa Baako 2015 possible, especially all thevolunteers!!! With a team based in Ghana and the UK, we’re passionate about using Asa Baakoto bring the world to Africa and Africa to the world, through music, arts and culture.And Asa Baako 2015 was no exception giving festival goers a unique experiencethrough the location, music and diversity of people.

www.asabaako.com

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