SABALA, the third chapter of Okaidja Afroso’s Africa trilogy, will be the concluding project of the series, fulfilling his most important artistic goal: to tap into the sacred music from the shrines and traditional healing centers in Ghana, Togo, and Benin. Over 2000 years ago the Ga, Dangme, and Ewe people migrated from ancient Kemet Nubia/Sudan. They traveled along the Nile river all the way to present day West Africa. These three sister tribes settled in countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

As an integral part of the final chapter Afroso will have studied the role Gadangme Wulormei (High Priests) played during this remarkable migration as the spiritual guardians of the Gadangme people, by visiting with traditional healers in various communities and gaining a deeper knowledge of the sacred songs and chants. Together with his writing team he will carefully adapt the raw material/melodies to include western instruments such as cello and violins to explore and expand his pallet for new musical ideas, while maintaining the authenticity of the original material.

The music on the SABALA album will be rooted in spiritual wisdom, with songs that evoke the power within the melodic chants, and rhythms that seek to offer the listener a sense of calmness.

Because of their spiritual nature, these songs have never been performed on stage, or recorded commercially. While Afroso seeks to showcase the healing power buried within the sacred music at shrines, he will respect the privacy of the traditional practitioners by excluding some sensitive material from the final work.

This program will include musical compositions/arrangements, still photography and raw video footage of these spiritual practitioners in their native environment to be projected during live performances.  There are opportunities for co-commissioners for this project.

Biography:

• Okaidja Afroso biography

EPK:

• Okaidja Afroso Official EPK