From 150,000 visitors a year to over a million. How Afrofuture has turned Ghana into a cultural mecca

Ghana has become a chief destination for diasporans. (Supplied: Afrofuture festival)

Arriving in Dubai on my way home to Sydney from Ghana’s capital Accra, the scene was a stark contrast to where I’d just been.

Everyone flying to Australia and New Zealand was gathered at one gate, and the vast majority were white.

Just a few days earlier, I’d been at Accra’s Afrofuture festival and I’d blended right in.

Locals and diasporans from all around the world gathered in one spot to watch live performances by headlining artists like Nigerian Afrobeats star Davido and the winner of the Best International Flow award at BET’s 2023 Hip Hop Awards Ghanaian star Black Sherif.

There were 41,050 attendees over two days, the vast majority, black.

Some people were dressed in all white, others had clothing awash with colour, while the hairstyles included Goddess braids, cornrows, Bantu knots, twist outs and fades.

Rows of vendors selling woven bags, African jewellery and colourful clothing unique to the continent lined the perimeter, while the waft of burgers and kebabs filled the air before it filled the bellies of revellers.

With the UN estimating that one in four people will be African by 2050, the annual festival is providing a glimpse into African music, fashion and culture and its influence on the world.

Soaking it all up, I felt a keen sense of community — and gained a greater understanding of who I am. According to the people behind Afrofuture, it’s that feeling that sets the festival apart.

“Growing up being African was not cool,” Afrofuture’s director of operations Akosua Ayim told ABC News during a panel-style interview in Accra.

“Now, everybody has remembered that they’re from the continent.”

To Ayim, that’s the impact of Afrofuture – fostering a sense of pride, self-love and self-respect amongst those who go, which directly impacts how they move in the world.

“People in Africa have the opportunity to wake up and see themselves in other people all the time,” CEO and Co-founder Abdul Karim Abdullah said.

“Whereas if you’re from Australia, from America or Europe or anywhere like that, you’re living in somebody else’s world most of the time, right, because your blackness is visible to you out there.”

What is Afrofuture?

Afrofuture isn’t a new initiative. It just has a new name. It’s been going since 2017 and was then called Afrochella.

This name caused some issues, with Coachella Music Festival filing a federal lawsuit in the United States District Court for trademark and service mark infringement; false designation of origin; cybersquatting; and unfair competition.

Rebranded in 2023 as Afrofuture, its organisers wouldn’t comment on the lawsuit from Coachella and its impact.

“The future is bright,” is all CFO and Co-founder Kenny Agyapong would say when questioned about it by ABC News.

The past has been bright for the festival also. In 2019, the festival partnered with the Ghana Ministry of Tourism for the Year of Return where members of the African diaspora were invited back to Africa.

The year-long program commemorated the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first recorded enslaved Africans to reach the State of Virginia in the United States.

A second edition called Beyond the Return was planned for 2020, but then the pandemic happened.

With the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions around the world, Ghana has again become a key destination for diasporans and celebrities. Idris Elba, Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar and Boris Kodjoe are among them.

Chance the Rapper has even joined with Vic Mensa to create his own festival experience in Ghana attracting tens of thousands of people.

‘I wish everyone could have this experience’

Attiyah is originally from Trinidad and Tobago and lives in Washington DC but told ABC News she felt right at home.

“There’s nothing better than being home,” she said.

“The vibes, the people, the music, the food and just to feel the energy of my ancestors.”

Danielle who hails from Texas was in Ghana for the first time, had no sleep and was busily plotting a return trip in June.

It was Ghanaian accounting student and business owner Sandra’s first time at Afrofuture. She bought VIP tickets to the event which cost her 2000 Ghana cedis ($250).

“This is a very nice experience,” Sandra told ABC News.

“I wish everyone could have this experience.”

The experience she was referring to was one Bright, who was born and bred in Ghana and at the festival in general admission says he’d come back for “anytime, any day”.

“Everybody should come to Ghana in December. Nowhere else,” he said.

The entire trip cost Hamilton about $US8,000 ($12,000) and he’s been doing it every year since 2018.

He’s originally from Ghana but was born and raised in New York City, where he lives.

“It’s like a snowball effect,” he told ABC News.

“Every year you come to this event Afrofuture and it gets bigger and bigger and bigger, more people from different places.

“To see them consistently pack out El Wak stadium with new acts, new artists … it’s just a unique, amazing experience.”

The stadium, which seats 7,000 people during sporting events packs in tens of thousands of people during Afrofuture, with the festival being held outdoors on the field.

Why Ghana?

Ghana played a starring role in a Super Bowl advertisement this week in which some NFL superstars are seen dashing through Accra’s lively streets.

Ghana has long been referred to as a Gateway to Africa. It’s known as a beacon of democracy. Africans have always been trendsetters. And Ghana is shaping up to play a key role in a changing perception of the continent.

But an anti-LGBTQ+ bill would create a “a system of state-sponsored discrimination and violence” against sexual minorities, the United Nations warned.

A tale of two cities 

Part of my experience was staying with family in the Greater Accra region and going without running water, and occasionally, electricity.

Meanwhile, many tourists stayed in five-star hotels and Airbnb’s and got a very different feel for the country.

“The reality you just described, there’s no difference between the Bronx and Harlem, or Brixton, or Stonebridge and Halston in central London, Accra or eastern region, these disparities do exist,” Abdullah said.

“What people enjoy is not the luxury hotels and the food and the restaurants.

“They enjoy seeing themselves in other black people that are successful.

“They enjoy seeing themselves in a place where they feel safe.

“They enjoy seeing themselves in a place where they can respect themselves and feel respected and not have to worry about any of the problems that we face in the Western world.

“Is there a need for us to be able to improve the opportunities and the fortunes of people here who are living in poverty and sometimes below poverty? 100 per cent.

“That is the goal of the festival to be able to shed light on opportunities that exist here, create new jobs, create new opportunities, connect people here who are doing some amazing things with some opportunities that we brought in.

“That’s the job that we’re trying to do.”

And part of what Afrofuture does is host an annual community service day, providing packaged meals to various communities across Ghana.

There’s also a two-week expo featuring wellness sessions, screenings and panel discussions centred around culture, technology, health, film, music and art.

The organisers say Afrofuture has had a massive impact on tourism in Ghana throughout the year, with the average person who goes there estimated to spend a minimum of $US2,000 ($3,080).

“Ghana had an average of about 150,000 people visiting and that changed from 2019 to about a million throughout the year tourism increase,” Abdullah said.

Afrofuture will continue in December 2024 with events throughout the continent during the year.