On Tour in Accra

Available for over a year

The Arts Hour on Tour is in the Ghanaian capital Accra as the country marks The Year of Return - four hundred years since the first documented enslaved Africans were taken to the American colony of Virginia. It’s a time when Ghana is encouraging people of African descent to visit the country and even settle there. To discuss how The Year of Return is impacting on the burgeoning arts and culture of Accra, Nikki Bedi is joined on stage, at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences by some of the city’s top talent. Star of film and television Lydia Forson explains why there needs to be more conversations between Africans on the continent and those in the diaspora, the issues surrounding film making in Ghana and why she explored the darker side of life in Accra for her latest series. Top comedian DKB tells us why he wants an audience with the President to put forward the case for the developing comedy scene. Artist Kwame Akoto Bamfo addresses the horror and legacy of slavery in his work and discusses the continuing impact of slavery and colonisation on the arts. There are live performances from the multi-award winning rapper M.anifest and singer Cina Soul, who’s on a mission to bring her Ga culture to the world. (Photo shows M.anifest (c) BBC)