Culture Forward: building creative economy ties between Ghana and UK
- Written byAnnam Ahmed
- Published date 19 September 2023
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Culture Forward was a collaborative project between UAL and Impact Hub Accra, a social innovation organisation based in Ghana. The aim of the project was to strengthen creative ties between Ghana and the UK in the field of music. The project was funded by the British Council, led by UAL who worked closely with Impact Hub Accra and Ghanaian musician M.anifest. The project ran from 7 December 2021 to 30 April 2022.
The UAL collaboration was led by Marcus O’Dair, Associate Dean of Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise, Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Colleges of Arts. The collaboration from Impact Hub Accra was led by its CEO, Will Senyo, and participants included musicians, songwriters, producers, DJs, sound engineers and other industry contacts.
Programme for aspiring musicians
Culture Forward aimed to help aspiring music creatives in Ghana and other West African nations to gain UK music industry networks.
The project began with a 2-week bootcamp with 60 participants, of whom 30 stayed on for a subsequent 2-month incubation programme. Ten participants were ultimately given a grant of £3,000 each and received professional resources such as high-resolution photographs.
The selection criteria for the final 10 participants were based on 4 main areas:
- Engagement
- Marketability
- Talent potential
- Representation
The 10 chosen candidates showed strong levels of attendance, participation and training session engagement. Their work was also assessed on how it was received during events and its potential to reach a wider audience. Mentors also used their professional judgement to check the quality of work based on industry standards. Lastly, diversity in gender, background and representation in the music industry was considered.
The collaborative programme included 3 events – 2 ‘creative hustle’ sessions and a showcase featuring the work of the final 10 participants. The showcase was held both online and in-person in Accra with the help of guest speakers and participant mentors.
The speakers were:
- Chikodi Onyemerela (Deputy Acting Country Director of British Council Ghana)
- Mark Okraku-Mantey (Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture)
- David Martin (CEO of the Featured Artists Coalition)
- Nick Eziefula (partner at Simkins LLP)
There were also participant mentors, including:
- Dilys Uwagboe (an artist known as Eckoes)
- Kwame Kwaten (Director of Ferocious Talent)
- Chris Lutterodt-Quarcoo (Senior Lecturer in Illustration, Camberwell and Chelsea Colleges of Arts, UAL).
Project achievements
The collaboration reached a wide audience:
- The initial call out for participants on social media had more than 116,000 impressions on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
- 180 people applied to attend the two-week bootcamp
- The first creative hustle event received 46,000 views on Facebook
- The second creative hustle event received 33,000 views on Facebook
Notable outcomes of the collaboration included an individual creating 4 songs with a Grammy-nominated producer, while the youngest attendee of the programme launched their own podcast. Another participant moved from a different part of Ghana to Accra to create industry networks with the help of her mentor.
This project was able to open doors for creatives and potentially lead to further projects. Potential future benefits include a further partnership with the British Council and a collaboration in Rwanda with the Mastercard Foundation.
The ultimate aim of Culture Forward was to tackle the barriers that young people face when trying to lead sustainable lives in the creative sector. The issues behind these barriers are complex and cannot be solved quickly, but the collaborators behind Culture Forward hope that the project can contribute to musicians and industry figures in Ghana thriving both now and in the future.