BAPMAF: CONTINUOUS SEQUENCE OF EVENTS FROM 1990
1988 -1990 John Collins begins planning the establishment of BAPMAF with the active. encouragement and./or written support of the following :- King Bruce and E.T. Mensah highlife dance-band musicians, Mr. Bampoe or 'Opia' of the Jaguar Jokers concert party, the musicologist Professor Attanah Mensah, the highlife guitarists Koo Nimo and Kwaa Mensah, the media-man and highlife historian Beattie Caseley-Hayford (who sadly died before the official establishment of BAPMAF), E.F. Collins of the Univ. of Ghana Philosophy Dept from 1952 (and mandolin player and guitarist), Robert Sprigge of the History Dept of the Univ. of Ghana (1950’s pianist for the Red Spots highlife band).
1990 BAPMAF FOUNDED by John Collins in 1990. Ghana Voluntary Organisation Certificate no. 402 (16th April 1991) and a Ghana Certificate of Incorporation no 41,108 (20th November 1990. An Executive is set up of John Collins as Acting Chairman, Ghassan Kalmoni as Acting Secretary and Joseph Aduoko as Acting Treasurer
SEPTEMBER 1990 BAPMAF gave a tape of a lecture on Yaa Amponsah by the late Beattie Casely-Hayford to Koo Nimo and Professor A.M Opoku – the latter, in return, giving BAPMAF a recording made in the early 1960’s of the Wawiase Silver Stars Konkoma group. BAPMAF equipment used to do a free transfer from reel-to-reel tapes to cassettes for Kofi Ghanaba (Guy Warren) of the African Heritage Library, of radio reminiscences of his work with great jazz giants such as Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk.
NOVEMBER 1990 Press release on BAPMAF and a lecture on 200 years of West African Music given by John Collins at PAFAM (Pan African Fair for Arts and Music organised by Rex Images/Rex Danquah) held at the Trade Fair Sight, Accra. Certificate of Incorporation and Company Codes name BAPMAF (No 41,108) obtained on 20th November.
FEBRUARY 22nd 1991 The folk-highlife guitarist Kwaa Mensah died in Cape Coast after a short illness. He was a founding member and Executive of BAPMAF and donated substantial materials to the archives.
MAY 1991 Edmund Collins of the University of Ghana Philosophy Department, member of the 1950’s- 1960’s African Music Society and patron of BAPMAF died on May 9th in London. BAPMAF meeting and Koo Nimo receives copy of Beattie Casely-Hayford’s IASPM 1987 lecture on Yaa Amponsah and copy of Mr. Strong playing Yaa Amponsah.
JUNE 1991 Two members of BAPMAF, namely John Collins and Koo Nimo (Daniel Amponsah) invited onto the newly formed Ghana National Folklore Board of Trustees. BAPMAF obtains Certificate or Registration as a Ghanaian voluntary body (Registration no. 402) on April 16th. Professor A.M. Opoku donates BAPMAF a recording made by him in in the early 1960’s in Wiawase of a reconstructed pre-war Konkoma group, the Silver Stars.
JULY 1991 BAPMAF donates recorded old highlife materials to the Dubois Memorial Centre in Accra. This consisted of 14 cds (total length 21 hours), mainly of early highlifes 1930-‘s-1960’s, recorded from shellac 78 rpm records collected by John Collins in the 1970’s and later deposited with BAPMAF.
AUGUST 1992 BAPMAF donated books on African popular music to the National Commission on Culture Library, the Padmore Library, The United States Information Service Library, the Goethe Institute, the British High Commission Library and the Institute of African Studies Library at the Univ. of Ghana, Legon. John Collins gave a paper on the importance of the concert party for educational purposes and also advertised the work of BAPMAF at the Colloquium of NAFAC 92 (National Festival of Arts and Culture) held in in Kumasi from 7-15 August. Koo Nimo receives and Honorary Doctorate from the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi.
SEPTEMBER 1992 BAPMAF donated books to Achimota School and Saint John’s Grammar School. Several visits of school-children from Saint John’s School to the Bokoor Recording Studio and BAPMAF Centre with their music teacher, Mr Nyarko.
DECEMBER 14-16th 1992 John Collins gave a presentation at the Round Table Seminars of PANAFEST at Cape Coast on African and African-American popular entertainment. Particular interest in the goombay story (Jamaican frame-drum dance taken to West Africa in 1800) and the suggestion of a BAPMAF supported ‘Goombay 200’ festival to link both sides of this black trans-Atlantic performance genre. BAPMAF donated recently acquired materials on the black nationalist George Padmore to the Padmore Library in Accra. This relates to Padmore’s journalistic report in Ghana in the early 1950’s for the Sekondi Morning Telegraph on 20,000 copies of the pro-independence ‘Freedom for Ghana’ calypso recorded by a group of West Indians and Africans in London and commissioned by Nkrumah’s Convention Peoples Party. BAPMAF gives the Ghana National Folklore Board of Trustees 14 cassettes of old highlifes and some folk-songs on shellac to act as the nucleus for its registration of folkloric works.
JANUARY 1993 Donation of one slide projector to BAPMAF by the Rhythmic Music Conservatory of Copenhagen, Denmark: and support for BAPMAF from its Director Dr Erik Moseholm. Evaluation Report on BAPMAF sent to Mr S.O.Komeiter, Assistant Director, Dept of Social Welfare, BOX M230, Accra (Ref. no. 4249/41).
NEW ASSOCIATE BAPMAF MEMBERS Master drummer Okyerema Asante wrote from the US to support BAPMAF. Osei Ntiamoah, a bass and conga player joins BAPMAF and donates 28 old shellac 78rpm highlife records and is invited to join the Executive. The London based Jeremy Smith (nephew of Beattie Casely Hayford) joins BAPMAF in October 1992. Thierry Secretan a photographer from France joins. Julian Hynes, Vida Oparebea and Todd Fraracci, organisers of the annual Toronto Afrofest join - as does Jimmy Beckley of Jimmy’s Jazz Combo.
FEBRUARY 6th 1993 Ashes of Edmund Collins (BAPMAF patron and lecturer at Univ. off Ghana Philosophy Dept from 1952 to1980) who died in London were returned to Ghana and buried at his house/farm (now Bokoor House) at Ofankor
MARCH 12th 1993 Klaus Frederking of Germany sends a catalogue and cassetted musical examples to BAPMAF.
1994 Edinam Ansah of Tisto, leader of the Super Canons military band and President of the Volta Region Branch of the Ghana Musicians Union (MUSIGA) joins BAPMAF
JUNE 1994 Donation by BAPMAF to the Ghana National Folkore Board of Trustess of three highlife recordings on cassette. 1) The Gold Coast Quintet recorded in 1927. 2) The Roots of Highlife recorded in the 1920’s. 3) Jacob Sam (Kwame Asare) and the Kumasi Trio recording for Zonophone in 1928 which included the original versions of the highlife song Yaa Amponsah. (letter of thanks from Board to BAPMAF on 15 July 1995 for this donation). After negotiations with the company holding the rights on the Kumasi Trio recording, the Ghana National Folklore Board brought out a cassette version for the local market. Letter of support from the Ghanaian musicologist Professor Atta Annh Menah a patron of BAPMAF, now resident in Canada.
AUGUST 9th 1994 Donation to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC, via Minister of Information Kojo Yankah, of the Kumasi Trio cassette and a cassette of 1960’s highlife music by the late Ignace de Souza of the Benin Republic
AUGUST 18th 1994 Talk on the indigenisation process in Ghanaian popular music by John Collins for the National Folklore Board of Trustees seminar at Tamale.
NOVEMBER 1994 Oscarmore Ofori, the highlife composer and folklorist joins BAPMAF.
NOVEMBER 4th 1994 Talk on the impact of African-American music on highlife by John Collins at the W.E.B. DuBois Memorial Centre in Accra. 200 schoolchildren attend.
DECEMBER 13th 1994 Talk on the major trends in Ghanaian highlife by John Collins at the School of Performing Arts at the University of Ghana, Legon, for a seminar of the International Centre for African Music and Dance (ICAMB) a research centre just established by Professor J.H.K. Nketia.
DECEMBER 14th 1994 Talk by John Collins on the Cape Coast contribution to highlife at a PANAFEST function organised by the Ghana National Folklore Board of Trustees at the Cape Coast Town Hall.
JANUARY 1995 Links and exchanges of materials between BAPMAF and Mr. Kwesi Sarpong’s Gramophone Museum at the Centre for National Culture in Cape Coast. Donation by Mr Sarpong to BAPMAF of original 1928 Zonophone recording on shellac 78rpm record of Yaa Amponsah by the Kumasi Trio.
JANUARY 19TH 1995. Launch of Dr Collins book ‘Highlife Time’ at the DuBois centre by the National Folklore Board of Trustees and the books publishing company Anansesem Press.
JULY 25th 1995 Exchange of archival materials between BAPMAF and Cathy Cole and husband Kwame Braun were doing archival research into the Ghanaian concert party.
AUGUST 1995 Supply of old Jacob Sam (Kwame Asare) songs in BAPMAF collection to Koo Nimo.
FEBRUARY 1996 BAPMAF and the German Goethe Institute in Accra (under its then Director Sabine Hentzch) organised a Highlife Month from 2-29th Feburary that included seminars and films on highlife, performances (Ankobra, Grassroots, Mau Mau Musiki and drummer Kofi Ghanaba) - with the central focus being the Golden Years of Highlife Music Photographic Exhibition supplied by BAPMAF. Organizations who were involved or supported the very successful Highlife Month included the Dubois Centre (Ebo Hawkson, Director), the National Theatre (Dr. Komla Amuoko, Director), the Musicians Union of Ghana MUSIGA (Joe Mensah, President), the University of Ghana (Professors Kofi Agovi and Kwesi Yankah), the Ghana Copyright Administration (Betty Mould-Iddrisu, Director), the Ghana National Folklore Boards (Colonel Amuzu, Chairman), the Ghana Concert Party Union ( Mr. S.K. Oppong and Mr. Mensah Executives), the Ghana Record Producers Union (Dick Essilfie-Bondzie and Kojo Donkoh Executives) and the African Heritage Library (Kofi Ghanaba, Director). The Padmore Library also supplied some materials from its archives for the photo exhibition.
MARCH 1996 After the BAPMAF/Goethe Highlife Month the BAPMAF Highlife Photo Exhibition was moved to Bokoor House, Ofankor, where it was temporarily housed and opened to the general public. Later, in May 1997, a 40 foot long building (costing the cedi equivalent of 1,720$) was built to permanently display the exhibition. The BAPMAF Highlife Centre then hosted many local and foreign visitors and was televised twice; once for Ghana Broadcasting in 1996 (producer Cynthia Jikpani) and again in 2000 by the London Shai Shai company (producer Martine Stone).
JULY 1996 BAPMAF sent out 135 appeal letters for funds/support/collaboration. BAPMAF fills forms for GAPVOD (Ghana Assoc. of Private Voluntary Organisations in Development) ‘Directory on Ghanaian Non Governmental Organisations’ sponsored by the World Bank, UNICEF, Save The Children Fund, Danida, the British Council and the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) . The death of the famous Ghanaian highlife musicians (leader of the Tempos Dance Band) E.T. Mensah. He was a founding patron of BAPMAF. His wake keeping was at State House on the 13 July and funeral at Osu Cemetary the next day.
JULY-AUGUST 1996 Correspondence between John Collins and Alan Jabbour Director of the American Folklife Centre of the Library of Congress in Washington DC: to identify highlife and traditional music recordings made in Ghana between 1942-52 by Arthur S Alberts.. Tapes were sent to BAPMAF and some of the material was identified.
AUGUST 1996 Establishment of a relationship between BAPMAF and Dr. Bayo Martins director of the Music Foundation Archives of Nigeria.
NOVEMBER 1996 Launch of book on E.T. Mensah called E.T. The King of Highlife, written in the early 1970’s by John Collins, by Anansesem Press at the DuBois Memorial Centre.
SEPTEMBER 1997 King Bruce one of founding members of BAPMAF died on 14 September. Wake at Arts Council Accra on 18th October. Many bands play including John Collins and his university based Local Dimension highlife band.
1997 John Collins provided a once weekly series of talks on the history of highlife for the Accra FM Radio Gold. John Collins worked on a project of using local popular songs to educate children on the dangers of water-borne diseases – for the Lower Volta Basin Research Project. John Collins presents a paper entitled ‘Gospel Highlife: Ghana’s New Answer to Urban Anxiety ’at a Conference on Music and Healing in Africa and the Black Diaspora organised by the ICAMD at Legon 3-5, September 1997.
1998 Veteran highlife guitarist T.O. Jazz (Ampoumah) joins BAPMAF. John Collins became PRO for the Ghana Music Pioneers Association. Later became involved with its sister organisation the Ghana Old Musicians and Artists Welfare Association (GOMAWA). John Collins was given the Ghana National ACRAG Arts Award for thirty years pioneering research into highlife music and sixteen years of running the low-budget Bokoor recording studio. African-American percussionist Juma Santos (James Riley) guest at Bokoor House and assists (later joins) BAPMAF with making a (unsuccessful) funding appeal for his US contacts.
DECEMBER 1998 John Collins and Prof J.H.K. Nketia attend the Afromusique/Africania Colloquium, Grand Bassam, Cote d’Ivoire, 2-5 December and Collins reads a paper ‘Goombay: The Impact of Freed Slaves on African Popular and Neo-Traditional Music’.
JANUARY 1999 John Collins presents a paper entitled ‘Ghana’s Folk Tax: A Cultural Conundrum’ at the Regional, Seminar on the Application of the UNESCO 1989 Recommendations on Safeguarding Traditional Culture in African Countries, held at the University of Ghana, Legon,
JUNE 2000 Performance/lecture tour by John Collins and Koo Nimo of American New England Universities (Yale , Harvard, Wesley, Boston, Trinity, etc)
OCTOBER 2000 BAPMAF arranges the transfer of classical and jazz records from the late Jimmy Moxon’s collection (First Minister of Information under Nkrumah) to the Music Dept of the University of Ghana.
MAY 2001 T.O. Jazz (Thomas Ampoumah) BAPMAF member died on May 4th. Many guitar bands play at his wake-keeping in Dansoman on the 9th. John Collins and Aaron Bebe Sukura also played at his wake-keeping. T.O.’s singer Kojo Menu and Aaron Bebe join BAPMAF
MAY-JUNE 2001 Joint BAPMAF/Alliance Francais/Harmattan Productions organise a two week ‘Highlife Story’ event (23rd May - 6th June) that included a photographic exhibition (100 pictures from the BAPMAF photographic collection + some from Mr Vanderpuie), lectures, workshops and panel discussion on Highlife – plus three nights of Highlife concerts. Bands/artists that played were City Boys, Vision Band, Eddie Ntreh, Avalon Allotey, Takashi, Bawasaba, African Pot, Wulomei.
MAY 2001 Bokoor House, Bokoor Studios and the BAPMAF Library and Photo Exhibition room were flooded by someone building an un-authorised house downstream. 3000 dollars worth of audio-recording equipment was damaged but fortunately all the BAPMAF books, music tapes, photos and other materials were saved. These materials were then temporarily lodged at the University house of John Collins.
AUGUST 2001 John Collins assists Catherine Fellows of the BBC Art Beat program with five programs on African Music and Dance.
SEPTEMBER 2001 BAPMAF support for the Ghana Museum and Monuments Board proposed ‘Gome On The Way’ project being organised by Mr. F.B. Duah of the Museum and Senegalese gome/gombe expert and maker Mr Magueye Hane.
2002 BAPMAF become a member of the UNESCO Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity (www.unesco.org/culture/alliance), ID no. GHA/AG/185
JANUARY 2002 Launch of the Ghana Popular Music 1931-1957 cd at the Dubois Centre, Accra organised by BAPMAF and the Swizz Embassy. Bands that played included F. Kenya, Kwabena Nyama, Local Dimension and the GBC Orchestra, The cd was from the Basel Mission Archives collected and collated by Veit Arlt and Serena Dankwa – sleeve notes by John Collins. At the launch monies s were given to the late Ephraim Amu (via his daughter Missonu) and King Bruce (via his son Eddie) whose music appears on the cd. Full collections of 10 cds of all the Basel Mission Archives digitalised by Arlt and Dankwa were presented to Prof J.H.K. Nketia of the International Centre of African Music and Dance, Dr. S. Asiama of the Institute of African Studies Music Archives, Dr Willie Anku of the Music Dept of the University of Ghana, John Collins of BAPMAF and percussionist Kofi Ghanaba (Guy Warren) of the African Heritage Library.
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2002 BAPMAF and the US Embassy Public Affairs Section (John Dysson ) organise a two month program for Black History Month called ‘Jazz Returns to Africa’ This involved seven programs (between 8th Feb.-22nd March) of lectures by John Collins and performances by the following groups: African Pot Gome Group, Music Department Brass Band, Aaron Bebe Sukura and Atongo Zimba on local seprewa harp-lute and molo lute, Jimmy Beckley’s Afro-Jazz Combo, Takashi, the university based Local Dimension Palmwine Highlife Band, the neo-traditional Hewale Sounds.
MARCH-APRIL 2002 Meetings between John Collins and Giovanni Razzu of UNESCO, Accra, concerning the establishment of a Music Youth Centre – Highlife Institute in the Ussher Town and James Town parts of old Accra, designated a UNESCO preservation area.
SEPTEMBER 2002 The local city GDA authority promises to remove the obstacles to the water flow by the unauthorised building downstream of the BAPMAF Centre at Ofankor - and an appeal was made by BAPMAF for funding to help rebuild the Bokoor/BAPMAF premises on a high foundation. By July 2003 almost 4000$ had been collected (some of the contributors are mentioned below in italics) and a foundation, and walls of the new premises were built. Contributers include Prof. Merrick Posnansky, African Studies Dept UCLA; Prof. Kenichi Tsukada, Music Dept Miyazaki University, Japan; Petra Raimond, Director of the Goethe Institut, ,Accra; Prof. Phillip Peek, Anthropology Dept Drew University, Madison, USA; Pascal Ott, French Embassy, Accra; Didier Martin, Director of Alliance Francaise, Accra; Serious Music magazine, London; Bob George, Curator of the Archives of Contmporary Music, New York; The Museum der Kulturen in Basel, Switzerland; Wolfgang Koenig Berlin Multi-Kulti radio; Dr. Jean Allman, Ghana Studies Council, USA; Steve Salm University of Texas; Dr. Simon Harrison Anthropology Dept Univ. of Coleraine, Ireland; Patrick Collins; Sean Kutzor; Stuart Sutton-Jones; Peter Drury; Niek Lemmens; Jan Ole Traasdahl; Ruti Talmor; Dr. John L. Harrison.
OCTOBER 2002 Correspondence between BAPMAF and Thomas Miessgang Curator of the Artspace Centre in Vienna, Austria on assistance for a planned exhibition entitled ‘The Art of the Guitar’ which will include a section on African guitarists.
DECEMBER 2002 One week research by John Collins into the African photographic collection of the Basel Mission Archives at the Basel Mission House in Switzerland. Some photos had a musical content (colonial brass bands, mission bands, traditional groups etc) forty of which were collected on CD for the BAPMAF music archives.
FEBRUARY-MAY 2003 John Collins became short term consultant for the World Bank to prepare a report on the World Bank project to assist the African Music Industry. This was done in collaboration with MUSIGA (the Ghana Musicians Union), GOMAWA (the Ghana Old Musicians and Artists Welfare Association) the GCPU (Ghana Concert Parties Union) and the Ghana Actors Guild.
APRIL 2003 Anthony Scorpion Entsie joins BAPMAF.
MAY 2003 Donation to John Collins in his capacity as Acting Chairman of the BAPMAF of books on Africa by the Ethno Museum of Basel, Switzerland. These (21 books) in turn were, with shipping assistance from the German Goethe Institute in Accra, then donated by BAPMAF to Professor Alemna and the Balme Library, University of Ghana, Africana Section .
JULY 2003 Correspondence between BAPMAF and Dr Stephen Stuempfle, Chief Curator of the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, concerning the ‘Calypso: A World Music’ project, that will include research into calypso influences in Africa.
SEPTEMBER 21-5. Paper presented by John Collins entitled ‘Showcasing Archives in Africa: The BAPMAF Highlife Centre’ read at the ‘Audiovisual Archives: Memory and Society’ Conference of the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA), held at the University of Pretoria, South Africa,
DECEMBER 15-16 John Collins invited to sit on a nine-person panel of UNESCO on ‘Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: Traditional Music and Dance’, held at the UNESCO Headquarters, Paris. At same time a visit to the UNESCO Global Alliance for Cultural Diversity Section to which BAPMAF belongs (ID no. GHA/AG/185)
JANUARY 2004 Ethnomusicologist Dr. Kongo Zabana and music producer Panji Anoff join BAPMAF
FEBRUARY 2004 Proposed collaboration on an Afro-fusion music project and digital documentation with the SIGN-TIFICS NGO Ghana (Director Nana Osei K. Mainoo)
MARCH 2004 Supply of three photos (Tempos, Black Beat and J.J.’s poster) for the Calypso. Exhibition being organised by the Historical Museum of Southern Florida (Chief Curator Stephen Stuempfle) . Email: history@historical-museum.org.
APRIL 16th 2004 Prof. Collins gives the keynote talk on the importance of music education for youth at ‘The Recital’ (of pianists 9-17 years old) organised by Ben’s Initiative NGO at the British Council Accra.
FEB-JUNE 2004 Involved (with University of Ghana Music Dept.) in local work with Paul Biscoff and the Presence music talent-scout organisation for Ghanaian youth,
OCTOBER 2004 Collaboration with Seth Adams and the Pan African Arts Program NGO for a highlife photo exhibition at the British Council, Accra 6-8th October.
SEPTEMBER 2004 to Feb 2005 BAPMAF organises pre-production phase of the US Embassy Public Affairs ‘African Heritage Month’ program for February 2005 . Theme is ‘Uniting Africa’s Past, Present and Future through Celebrating its Performing, Visual and Literary Arts’
OCTOBER 2004 Peter Arthur of KNUST joins BAPMAF (lecturer and writes in newspapers on highlife)
NOVEMBER Donation of eleven CD’s of 1950-‘s70’s Nigerian/Congolese music from Dr Rob Lokin, Director of the Dutch annual Afrikafestival at Hertme
NOVEMBER 26TH- 27TH 2004 Involvement (supply of mobile Highlife photo exhibition) for symposium at the National Theatre, Accra entitled ‘Celebrating Highlife Music: Its Impact and Relevance’, organised by New York University and Heritage Development. John Collins gave the keynote speech.
SEPTEMBER 2004 to Feb 2005 BAPMAF as co-Director with the US Embassy Public Affairs (David Queen and Sally Hodgson) of ‘African American Heritage Month’(formerly called Black History Month) 19 event program for February 21st-26th 2005. Theme is ‘Uniting Africa’s Past, Present and Future through Celebrating its Performing, Visual and Literary Arts’. Others on the organizing committee included, Nana Dansowa and Panji Anoff, Juma Santos, Janet Butler and Papaya. This is the second time BAPMAF has organised this American event – the first being when the US Public Affairs asked John Collins/BAPMAF to put on seven programs at the National Theatre in 2002.
JANUARY Donation of some Photos of Jerry Hansen and Ramblers highlife dance band 1960-80’s from current band leader, Peter Marfo
FEBRUARY 2005. Told by Ben Ahorlu Ajokpa of the sad death of Robert Sprigge occurred in London He was 81 and had taught in the History Dept at Legon from 1953 to early 1980’s. He leaves behind his wife Doris and four children. In the 1950’s hew played and recorded with the Red Spots dance Band and in the 1970’s donated materials to John Collins that is now in the BAPMAF archival holdings. Mr. Ajokpa (an actor) and Panji Anoff (music producer) join BAPMAF.
MARCH - JULY 2005 TWO DONATIONS. FromDr Robin Lokin of Holland 12 cds of Ghanaian/Nigerian/Congolese music. From American Julian Parker-Burns 24 45rpm single vinyle records of Ghanaian music
AUGUST 2005 BAPMAF co-organiser (with James Gibbs, Awo Asiedu and John Djisenu) of the RESEARCHING GHANAIAN THEATRE workshop held at the Nketia Conference Room, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, 27th August 2005.
SEPTEMBER 2005 John Collins gave an illustrated talk at the opening of Kofi Ghanaba’s (Guy Warens’s) African Heritage Library at Medie, organised by New York University in Ghana, 28th September
OCTOBER 2005 Exchange of Photographic materials between BAPMAF and US highlife venue researcher Nate Plageman. Includes first known reference to ‘highlife’ & ‘blues’ in the Sept. 1925 Grand Soiree program of Cape Coast Literary and Social Club (includes Hon, Casely-Hayford and T. Hutton-Mills) with msic by the Rag-a-Jassbo Orchestra
OCTOBER 2005 Donation by American Julian Parker-Jones of about 10 hours (compressed MP3 files) of Ghanaian (+ some Nigerian) highlifes, gospel, neo-traditional, etc music from 45 rpm records (x44) and LP albums (x11) Plus includes jpeg photos of some record covers
OCTOBER 25th Death of BAPMAF associate Oscarmore Ofori. Funeral Odumase 19th November. John Collins attended and donated family 250,000 cedis
NOVEMBER 30th 2005 Some cassette items being digitised by Kristopher Rios a US/Puerto Rican Student of Hamilton College N York State
FEBRUARY 15th. 2006 The signaturees for the BAPMAF account of the Legon Branch of the Standard Chartered Bank are now John Collins, Joseph Aduoku and Dr Kongo Zabana
FEBRUARY 24th. The death of Prof Atta Annan Mensah in Canada
MARCH 3rd. BAPMAF provided some of its pre-mounted HIGHLIFE photo exhibition boards for the Rocky Dawuni/Africa Live ‘Independence Splash: Ghana Music Revival Explosion’ at the Accra International Conference Centre,
MAY 3rd. Letter from TV Africa (Kwesi Ahiagbo, Supervising Producer) for old recorded highlife materials. BAPMAF Provided songs by E.T. Mensah’s Tempos.
SEPT 4TH Professor Collin became consultant on the highlife program for the Ghana@50 Secretariat
NOV. Death of Chris Luhn German leader of Native Spirit local regaae Afro-beat band
DEC 19th. 2006 John Collins does first Joy FM Radio One Touch Highlife Memory Lane program with host Kwesi Anim-Adjei
FEB 24th. 2007 Opening to public of BAPMAF Highlife-Music Institute at South Ofankor Accra. Immediate visits by Dutch journalist Yasha Arion, Charterhouse film crew, German journalist Wolfgang Konig, Markus Coester German highlife historian and Eli Cane and Hugo Berkeley of the US based Normal Life Films
MAY 7th Received Donation of 200 CD’s and slim covers from Kris Bediako in the UK via Pastor Osei.
MAY organised c. x 8 lectures/workshops at BAPMAF premises throughout May with small group of Texas Univ. students led by Micheal Varner and Sierra Leone history prof Alusine Jalloh, Director of The Africa Program, University of Texas at : jalloh@uta.edu www.uta.edu/africaprogram. Involved lectures by myself and Prof. Addo-Fenning of history dept. (020-2012371 Cell and 021-502394) and seprewa/drum workshops by Aaron Bebe Sukura, Johnson Kemeh and Francis Akotuwafoh (Gavins Webb’s SPA drummer friend)
JULY –AUGUST. JC in London for 2 weeks as curator for preparations of African Image Alliance Ghana Music Exhibition (Jennifer Kumi and Shaheera Asante ) held at the Greenwich Hertitage Centre London from Oct 6-31, 2007, to celebrate Ghana’s Golden Independence. Jubilee Celebration
SEPT Beginning of collaboration with Kwadwo Donkoh’s Adinkraway organisation (BOX GP 3093) for possible collaboration between Ghanaians and African American jazz artists and western art musicians.
SEPT 10th Death of Juma Santos in Chicago of malaria
SEPT-NOV beginning research work for ‘Changing Representation of Women in Popular Culture’ for the Univ. of Ghana IAS/CEGENSA (Centre for Gender Studies & Advocacy) project (directors; Takywia Manu/Akosua Adomako)
NOV 2007 cataloguing of BAPMAF archives by Seth Paris (+ Mickey, Rich,Ben and Sam etc) and New York Univ. in Ghana (Prof. Awam Ankpa) begins. 1800 audio items catalogued by mid January 2008
JAN 18th 2008. John Collins obtains Ghanaian citizenship
FEB 9th to13th 2008 Visit to BAPMAF by Austin Emielu doing a Ph.D on Nigerian Highlife for the SPA of Ilorin University, Nigeria. Exchange of materials and Photostat copies of materials given to Austin
MARCH 8th. 2008 The New York University team has completed it preliminary spread-sheet list of the audio holdings as of January 2008 (circa 1,500 hours 1,862 items) final version done by Richie. The New York team is now beginning to move on to cataloguing the BAPMAF photo/slide/negative holdings .
MARCH 13th Visit from Martijn Padding contemporary composer from Dutch Royal Conservatory in Den Haag and Prof Nketia as well as his secretary Judith and Bertha Adom and Ajoa from the Music dept ( US New York students took a break wand worked with Ghanaba for last 2/.3 weeks whilst I was recovering from typhoid)
MARCH 22ND Visit by ethnomusicologist Steve Feld and also by highlife fan and lawyer Kakra Essamuah
The Alliance Francais, one of the venues of a BAPMAF project.
