OneBeat Ghana launches multinational music initiative for young musicians

OneBeat, the U.S. Department of State’s premier multinational music exchange program, opens its first OneBeat Abroad program dedicated to creative entrepreneurship with OneBeat Ghana.

OneBeat Ghana supports the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative announced by the Department of State in September which recognizes the power of music in diplomacy to build bridges, support inclusive economic growth, and build resilient societies.

“Ghana’s creative artists are making a global name for themselves – but today’s artists also need to be wise businesspeople as well. This exchange program will help Ghana’s young artists develop their entrepreneurial talents, alongside their musical skills with mentoring from U.S.-based artists and professionals,” says Emily Fertik, Public Affairs Counselor, U.S. Embassy Ghana.

The two-week program brings together 11 young leading musician entrepreneurs from Ghana, Nigeria, and the United States to build strategies for stronger local artist communities and creative economies in the region. OneBeat Ghana is led in collaboration with Accra-based Black Girls Glow founder, author and OneBeat alumna Poetra Asantewa.

“Leading Black Girls Glow for the last seven years has taught me that there is and there's always going to be a wealth of talent in Ghana,” says Poetra. “What we are severely lacking are solutions for both artists and their communities to thrive. My hope is for OneBeat Ghana to be a way to imagine tailor-made and better futures for artists of today and tomorrow.”

OneBeat Ghana Fellows are leading the charge to build stronger creative economies. They will gather at Stone Lodge in Asutsuare, outside of Accra, for a 1 ½ week intensive residency focused on creative exercises and professional development workshops to incubate and develop their independent artist projects through peer-to-peer exchange and guest artist mentorship.

Fellows then travel to Accra to present their work to fellow artists, community leaders, industry experts and funders at Impact Hub, an Accra-based organization centered around fostering social innovation, on Saturday, November 18 from 4-8 PM. The event, open to the public and a group of curated guests, includes performances, discussions and presentations from OneBeat Ghana Fellows.

To learn more about the OneBeat Ghana Fellows and information about the program, click here: https://1beat.org/program/onebeat-ghana/.

OneBeat Ghana is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), & produced by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation with additional support from U.S. Embassy Ghana and the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria.

More about OneBeat

OneBeat convenes musical leaders from the U.S. and every region of the world to develop collaborative music initiatives that build resilient civil societies and contribute to cross-cultural dialogue.

Over the years, OneBeat has grown into a global community of musicians who link their artistic processes with the betterment of their communities, and has, to date, expanded to include OneBeat Abroad, a program in collaboration with U.S. embassies and based in countries with strong OneBeat alumni networks, the OneBeat Podcast, a monthly series featuring interviews and stories from the world of OneBeat and its fellows, and the OneBeat Accelerator, a program which supports the initiative’s growing artist network by providing seed grants to alumni who are developing and implementing socially-engaged projects in their home communities.

About FSN

Found Sound Nation (FSN) is a collective of artists who use music-making to connect people across cultural divides. FSN believes that collaborative music creation is a deeply effective way to become aware of the beauty, trauma, and hidden potential in communities. Their process gives voice to the underrepresented, unlocks the creative potential of youth, and supports movements for social justice.

Founded by Christopher Marianetti and Jeremy Thal in 2010, Found Sound Nation began its work as part of the groundbreaking new music organization Bang on a Can, created in 1987 by composers Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julia Wolfe.

About Bang on a Can

Since its first Marathon concert in 1987, Bang on a Can has been creating an international community dedicated to innovative music, wherever it is found. With adventurous programs, it commissions, performs, presents, and records new works, develops new audiences, and educates the musicians of the future. Bang on a Can is building a world in which powerful new musical ideas flow freely across all genres and borders.

About ECA

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' (ECA) mission is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange that assist in the development of peaceful relations.