The campaign follows Highlife’s inscription on UNESCO’s Representative List and will form part of Ghana’s 70th-independence-anniversary programme.
Ghana is preparing to launch a global campaign aimed at promoting and preserving Highlife music and dance following the genre’s recognition by UNESCO.
The initiative, titled Highlife to the World – Black Star Experience 2027, will be formally announced through a concert in Barcelona, Spain, on August 2, 2026.
The Barcelona event will serve as the campaign’s first major international activation ahead of a wider rollout expected to begin in March 2027 as part of activities marking Ghana’s 70th independence anniversary.
Stonebwoy, Bessa Simons, Amandzeba Nat Brew, Obrafour and Jupitar are among the Ghanaian musicians scheduled to perform at the SeaSeaClub concert. Ghanaian DJs based in Europe, including DJ Logs, DJ Demo, DJ Enoch and DJ King Solo, are also expected to appear.
The campaign is intended to introduce Highlife to wider international audiences while strengthening efforts to preserve the genre and pass its traditions on to future generations.
It follows UNESCO’s December 2025 inscription of Highlife music and dance on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The recognition formally acknowledged Highlife as an important cultural practice associated with Ghana and its communities.
Bessa Simons, President of the Musicians Union of Ghana, said the campaign was particularly timely following the UNESCO inscription. He also highlighted Highlife’s influence on several other musical forms and the need to communicate that significance internationally.
The Barcelona concert is being organised by the Ghana Embassy in Madrid, the Musicians Union of Ghana, Showbiz Africa and the Black Star Experience.
Benayacon Entertainment, the National Folklore Board, Ghana Tourism Authority and Creative Arts Agency are listed as partners, with support from the Spanish Embassy in Ghana and UNESCO’s Ghana office.
The Ghanaian delegation is expected to include Simons; Ghana Tourism Authority Chief Executive Maame Efua Houadjeto; Black Star Experience Coordinator Rex Omar; Creative Arts Agency Executive Secretary Gideon Nee Aryeequaye; Showbiz Africa Chief Executive Verus Nartey; and Benayacon Entertainment Chief Executive Eric Acquah.
The Barcelona launch represents Ghana’s first major attempt to translate Highlife’s UNESCO recognition into a coordinated international promotional campaign.
However, details of the wider 2027 programme remain limited. Organisers have not yet announced the countries and cities the campaign will visit, its financing structure, participating international partners or the specific outcomes by which its success will be measured.
Those details will determine whether Highlife to the World develops beyond a series of commemorative performances into a sustained platform capable of expanding international audiences and opportunities for Ghanaian musicians.
For now, the August concert marks the beginning of Ghana’s effort to build a global campaign around one of its most influential cultural exports.
Ghana is preparing to launch a global campaign aimed at promoting and preserving Highlife music and dance following the genre’s recognition by UNESCO.
The initiative, titled Highlife to the World – Black Star Experience 2027, will be formally announced through a concert in Barcelona, Spain, on August 2, 2026.
The Barcelona event will serve as the campaign’s first major international activation ahead of a wider rollout expected to begin in March 2027 as part of activities marking Ghana’s 70th independence anniversary.
Stonebwoy, Bessa Simons, Amandzeba Nat Brew, Obrafour and Jupitar are among the Ghanaian musicians scheduled to perform at the SeaSeaClub concert. Ghanaian DJs based in Europe, including DJ Logs, DJ Demo, DJ Enoch and DJ King Solo, are also expected to appear.
The campaign is intended to introduce Highlife to wider international audiences while strengthening efforts to preserve the genre and pass its traditions on to future generations.
It follows UNESCO’s December 2025 inscription of Highlife music and dance on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The recognition formally acknowledged Highlife as an important cultural practice associated with Ghana and its communities.
Bessa Simons, President of the Musicians Union of Ghana, said the campaign was particularly timely following the UNESCO inscription. He also highlighted Highlife’s influence on several other musical forms and the need to communicate that significance internationally.
The Barcelona concert is being organised by the Ghana Embassy in Madrid, the Musicians Union of Ghana, Showbiz Africa and the Black Star Experience.
Benayacon Entertainment, the National Folklore Board, Ghana Tourism Authority and Creative Arts Agency are listed as partners, with support from the Spanish Embassy in Ghana and UNESCO’s Ghana office.
The Ghanaian delegation is expected to include Simons; Ghana Tourism Authority Chief Executive Maame Efua Houadjeto; Black Star Experience Coordinator Rex Omar; Creative Arts Agency Executive Secretary Gideon Nee Aryeequaye; Showbiz Africa Chief Executive Verus Nartey; and Benayacon Entertainment Chief Executive Eric Acquah.
The Barcelona launch represents Ghana’s first major attempt to translate Highlife’s UNESCO recognition into a coordinated international promotional campaign.
However, details of the wider 2027 programme remain limited. Organisers have not yet announced the countries and cities the campaign will visit, its financing structure, participating international partners or the specific outcomes by which its success will be measured.
Those details will determine whether Highlife to the World develops beyond a series of commemorative performances into a sustained platform capable of expanding international audiences and opportunities for Ghanaian musicians.
For now, the August concert marks the beginning of Ghana’s effort to build a global campaign around one of its most influential cultural exports.
Sources: Graphic Showbiz, Citi Newsroom/GNA
