Veteran Ghanaian broadcaster, comedian cum actor Mikki Osei-Berko has expressed his worry about the growth of Highlife music in Ghana, which he hopes the genre doesn’t die.
According to him, highlife music is a part of Ghana’s culture, and should not be renamed Afrobeats by other people.
Speaking to Joy FM’s entertainment journalist Kwame Dadzie, Mikki argued that highlife music genre is entrenched in Ghanaian culture and e must be jealously protected.
“There is not culture without music and Ghana we have been so blessed with our kind of genre of music. Are we letting it die? Or are we letting people to re-christen it and call it Afrobeats and lose it just like that?” he said.
He cited the case of Jamaica and reggae music and called for the genre to be protected.
“I don’t think Jamaica will do that to reggae music. Ghana should stand firm with highlife music, improve it, and grow it,” he stated.
He said this during a creative arts meeting organised by the Inspector General of Police Dr. George Akuffo Dampare on October 24, 2023, at the Police Headquarters in Accra.
Highlife music is a type of music that started in Ghana in the 19th century. It has changed over time and influenced other types of music.
The emergence of new music types has reduced the prominence of the hitherto darling genre of Ghana and other parts of Africa.
However, some people who love culture think that highlife music should not be forgotten or replaced by new music.
