Saturday night was special. I ventured to a very new spot called Sand Box and it was so in the cut that my taxi driver had to ask about 10 different people for directions. At one point he even gave my phone to a local to try to figure out directions from M.anifest's cousin, who I was communicating with to help get me there.
Tree barks were carved as mini tables and held Club, "the truly Ghanaian beer." A huge projector captivated the room and displayed a football (soccer) game, in which I had no idea what was going on, but everyone was very in to. Big L spun incredible tunes, hits from the 90s and early 00s, by DMX, Nelly, Missy Elliott, Jay Z, 2Pac, Lauryn Hill, Pharrell, Busta Rhymes. I was getting my life! All American music, though. People would literally go from rapping along to Biggie, to screaming at the screen, and back to rapping again. The vibes were so good.
Close to 8pm, M.anifest walked in, running late from a wedding. The professional lights turned on and the camera got in position. He enlisted a South African director and a Lebanese videographer to shoot his video. I ended up making several cameos! The first scene was of us dancing to his song. At first, people were being very shy, so I encouraged a cypher and had us all take turns dancing in the middle. Then people started sweating and smiling. I ended up bonding very much with about 5 women or so, who are in university in Ghana. Patrina, who I talked to the most, ended up living very close to the NYU dorms and we shared a cab home.
Sunday, was such a long day. I watched and photographed another music video shoot from start to finish. I finally had a chance to meet up with Wanlov the Kubolor, who is both famous and controversial in Ghana. He performs as a solo artist and is 1/2 of the FOKN Bois (pronounced just like it looks: fuckin' boys.) Wanlov also shoots, directs and edits artists' videos. Yesterday he was handling the video for up and coming rapper, Joey B. The FOKN Bois are known for their satirical music. They've created musicals, and they have records addressing government corruption, homophobia in Africa, double standards for women in Islam, all with a satirical twist.
I took a cab to Wanlov's house and he met me on the street wearing just a towel. We then shared a local Ghanaian dish for lunch called Banku, which his daughter's mother prepared for us. He previewed an incredible video he was editing, as well as featured on, addressing the plastic ware issue in Ghana. Ghana currently has no recycling system and a very poor trash system. Garbage is essentially dumped into the ocean. People often go to beaches just to use the bathroom. One the sides of roads, there are drains, meant to send excess water into the ocean. Last year, plastic bags clogged the systems and 150 people died from flooding. Wanlov made an appearance in the video completely naked, with Ghanaian President Mahama's face censoring his genitals.
We went off to North Kaneshie, a neighborhood in Accra where Joey B grew up and lived for 18 years. The first scene took place right in front of his house. I took some amazing photos, which I need better internet access to edit and upload, so stand by.
It took quite long to set up initially. Power is a major problem in Ghana, and there are often blackouts. Wanlov, barefoot and with just a wrap around his waist, kept asking shop owners for extension cords. "I got power for you," one person yelled. Wanlov also wears an electrical construction hat, meant to be symbolic for the blackouts Ghana experiences.
The second scene was in a huge complex with a basketball court and 2 soccer fields. It was Sunday and everyone was outside playing. Wanlov used a drone camera to shoot Joey in front of the basketball court, yet in an aerial position. Finally, Joey rode his bike throughout his neighborhood, while we all piled into a pickup truck. Wanlov lay flat and filmed Joey riding slowly behind us.
We drove into a populated residential area, where children played and their parents watched on from porches. Everyone stared at us as we were driving, I assumed because we were a caravan of cameras and people with Joey's single blasting. A group of very young girls jumped and clapped in unison, with beautiful smiles. They all shouted "obruni! obruni! They were so cute, I almost cried. I smiled and turned towards the woman next to me and asked what they were yelling: white woman. I felt so embarrassed.
We made a quick pitstop for kelewele, fried plantains seasoned with spices, which is my favorite thing in Ghana. Finally people stopped yelling for me and began yelling at Wanlov, shouting his name, and confirming his celebrity status. All throughout the shoot I was discussing with the guys about the hip-hop scene here. They said a couple different things: Ghana is experiencing their Golden Age of hip-hop, very similar to ours in the 1990s. Rap is lyrically-driven, with hard-hitting production and based on reality. I also heard that there is very little political or conscious rap and most people are trying to be commercially and financially successful. Finally, that Ghana is very influenced by reggae and dancehall and that is one of the most popular musical styles. The parallels between Jamaica and Ghana are extraordinary.
Enough for now, I'll try to upload photos when I can.
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