In the wake of the looming legacy crisis faced by Ghana's iconic highlife, Santrofi band has admonished young people to develop interest in the genre.

In an exclusive interview with Andy Dosty on Daybreak Hitz, the Santrofi band intimated that for highlife to live on after generations, younger musicians and music lovers must be introduced to what used to be Ghana's foremost enriched genre since the 1920s.

"Highlife is one thing that we need to really find a way to get into the kinds of our youth," they stressed.

They emphasised Highlife's significance to Ghana's culture and heritage and bemoaned how most musicians and music enthusiasts have gradually fallen in love with foreign music genres such as afrobeat, amapiano, R 'n' B, hip hop, neglecting our originality.

"Highlife is a big part of Ghana. Unfortunately, the lineage is not being continued," the band stated by the band leader, Emmanuel Ofori.

They expressed concern about the genre's decline, fearing its loss with the passing of older generations.

“What happens if the old people die? It means this indigenous section [style] is totally lost,” he said.

Highlife is one of the music genres that makes Ghana unique and outstanding in the international field of music.

Discovered in the 1920s by early proponents like the Kumasi Trio, highlife has evolved into many other genres over the years. There have been various forms of highlife music borne out of fusions.

However, some critics have spoken against the over experimentation of the genre with too much foreign influence. There are others who also believe that music evolves and that highlife can still be performed in modern forms.

In the meantime, UNESCO is considering listing highlife as Ghana’s intangible heritage by 2025.  

About Santrofi

Santrofi is a dynamic collective of talented musicians from Ghana led by bassist and vocalist, Emmanuel Ofori, known for his work with Ebo Taylor and Pat Thomas’ Kwashibu Area Band.

Other members of the band are Bernard Gyamfi (trombone), Dominic Quarchie (guitar, vocals), Prince Larbi (drums, vocals), Robert Koomson (lead vocals, talking drum, guitar), Emmanuel Boakye Agyeman (keyboard, vocals), Nobert Wonkyi Arthur (trumpet, shekere), Victor Nii Amoo (percussion, cowbell).

They have embarked on a lot of international tours and performed at festivals including Roskilde, WOMAD, Sines and Amsterdam Roots. Others are Paléo Festival Nyon in Switzerland, Festival Rio Loco in France, and Hiesige & Dosige Festival in Austria, the Jova Beach Festival in Italy, among others.