“Highlife Music Originated in Both Nigeria and Ghana” – Yemi Alade

A recent claim by Nigerian artiste Yemi Alade that highlife music originated in both Ghana and Nigeria has sparked controversy, with many Ghanaians arguing that the genre has its roots firmly planted in Ghana.

In an interview with CNN’s Larry Madowo, Yemi Alade disputed the notion that highlife music is exclusively Ghanaian, stating, “We have to talk about that. I grew up at a time in Nigeria when highlife was a big deal. And as far as I know, Nigeria, Ghana etc we have already been connected via music and everything so I feel like it originated in both Nigeria and Ghana.”

However, Ghanaian ethnomusicologist Professor John Collins has debunked Yemi Alade’s claim, citing historical evidence that highlife music originated in Ghana in the early 1920s. “The Kru people didn’t invent highlife but they created a very important ingredient of highlife which is a specific way of playing a guitar,” Professor Collins explained.

According to Professor Collins, highlife music was introduced to Nigeria in 1937 through the diffusion of the kokomba highlife and the Nigerian tour of the Cape Coast Sugar Babies Orchestra. He also noted that famed Nigerian musician Fela Kuti spent time in Ghana learning about highlife music, which he later developed into Afrobeat.

Ghanaians have expressed concern that Nigeria’s claim of co-ownership of highlife music may be an attempt to petition UNESCO to recognize both countries as originators of the genre. This has sparked calls for the Ghana Culture Forum, the National Folklore Board, Ghana’s Commission on UNESCO, Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), and Ghana Music Alliance to take action to protect Ghana’s cultural heritage.

As one observer noted, “We can’t change history. We will not do that! Nigeria never originated highlife. Not even Liberia whose Kru sailors spread the two finger picking technique to Ghana and other West African countries.”