14/08/2019
EBO TAYLOR MUSIC FESTIVAL
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PRE-RELEASE PALAVER ALBUM
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Music festivals have in recent been growing not only in quantity but also in terms of quality and features worldwide. Not surprising and even in this time of economic crisis, music festivals are seen as something of an opportunity for cities. We can talk about the economic, social and cultural impact they generate through their very nature and characteristics.
However, these festivals are not only a form of entertainment and economic development. They are potentially powerful motivators for travel, providers of collective self-esteem and community development and, above all, a source of authentic leisure experiences which nurture the social and personal development of individuals.
Background
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Until recently, there was a dramatic decline in live bands playing in the country. A vacuum was created which was as a result of conditions in the early 80s which saw many Ghanaian bands disbanding and the members leaving the shores of Ghana for opportunities elsewhere. Ebo Taylor and few of his contemporaries who decided to stay had to work hard for survival. Through his six decades in the music industry spent most of his time at Saltpond, which is the capital of Mfantseman Municipal Assembly and the birthplace of both the CPP and the UGCC, two parties that readily relate to the freedom is Ghana is enjoying today.
With the discovery of Ebo and his music in the early 2000s and the release globally of his 2010 ‘Love & Death’ album, Ebo became a household name in the world music circles and has since toured the world over. For the love of the people of Saltpond, has continued to experiment with institutionalizing music as a corner of the socio-cultural development of Saltpond. Through, this drive, he formed groups such as the Saltpond Barkers Choir, Ogidzigidzi Band, Asaasase Band, and more recently the Bonzi Konkoma band and the Saltpond City Band. All these were done with the view to promoting his town globally and also to afford the young and talented citizens of the town the opportunity of being relevant in the worldarena.
It had been Ebo’s wish to start a Music Academy and organize a music festival at Saltpond for years. This dream, having been nurtured by the Legend, got planted on our minds. So we here are now actualizing Ebo himself had purposed to do all his life.
Goal
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The aim is to bring our hometown a live music experience that they would not normally be able to experience. A music festival at Saltpond with Ebo Taylor’s name means that it will help put the name of Saltpond on the world cultural map, because of his international exploits and recognition as a global export. Locally, the Nkusukum Odambea Festival is seen to be a big festival but it is agreeably not yet on the big charts of top festivals in Ghana. This phenomenon even makes it somehow very difficult for organisers to secure the necessary sponsorship and also to get the highest authorities of realm to patronize it. Instituting an Ebo Taylor Music Festival to coincide with the celebrations in our opinion will serve as a catalyst to promoting the Odambea Festival to the world because of Ebo’s worldwide acclaim and fan base.
The Festival is to honour the life of the Legend Ebo Taylor and also to establish that the development of ‘Highlife’ was had cradle at Saltpond. Jacob Sam and his friends, the Kumasi Trio, who recorded the Yaa Amponsah Song in 1928, are said to hail from Saltpond. It’s not therefore surprising that Ebo, a native of Saltpond and indeed other top musicians in Ghana who come from Saltpond, such as A. B.Crentsil and Kofi ‘Electric’ Addison, have phenomenally excelled. It is anticipated that, with the launch of the Ebo Taylor Music Festival, which is to become an annual festival, will not only bring in the natives of the traditional area but also afford the opportunity for music lovers the world over to come and converge at Saltpond Central Region in Ghana