Ghana's Highlife finds its rhythm on UNESCO world stage

Under soft lights, the four young men of the Kwan Pa band strike layered guitar lines and lilting rhythms, their live performance pulling cheers and applause from a crowd visibly elated, white handkerchiefs twirling above heads as revellers dance, sing along and clink glasses between bites of food.

"It's like therapy," one patron said, laughing as couples glide across the floor and strangers dance together, united by a sound that has shaped Ghanaian life for generations.

That charged ambience has taken on new meaning after Ghana's famed Highlife music was inscribed this month on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, a major international recognition of one of West Africa's most influential musical traditions.

UNESCO announced the decision on December 10, describing Highlife as a "monumental expression of Ghana's musical genius, culture, and global influence", honouring generations who have preserved and adapted the genre since the early 20th century.

For Asah Nkansah, leader of the Kwan Pa band -- whose name means "the right path" -- the timing is symbolic.

"This news is just great," Nkansah told AFP. "If you trace the origin of Highlife music, we can trace it to September 1925. And so, this year, 2025, we are celebrating 100 years of Ghanaian Highlife music."

At Zen Garden, that century-old tradition feels anything but distant. The band's palm-wine-infused Highlife sets prompt spontaneous dancing, with patrons singing lyrics from memory and cheering solos deep into the night.

"Highlife talks about almost everything, passion, love, social and everything," Nkansah said.

"Highlife Music naturally has what we call content... it is not music for music's sake."
Highlife influenced Afrobeats, hiplife
UNESCO's listing places Highlife among the world's protected cultural treasures, a move expected to boost Ghana's cultural standing and encourage investment in music preservation, tourism and the creative arts.

Highlife's layered guitars, horn sections and storytelling have shaped national identity for more than a century, popularised by legends such as E.T. Mensah, Nana Ampadu, Paapa Yankson, A.B. Crentsil, Osibisa, Amakye Dede and Kojo Antwi, and influencing later movements including hiplife and Afrobeats.

For fans like Selina Doade, the appeal is deeply personal.

"Highlife music, for me as a Ghanaian, it tells our story. It touches on every aspect of our society," she told AFP.

"When you are down, when you are happy, when you need inspiration, Highlife music talks to you."

Band leader Nkansah believes younger audiences can be won over through creativity.

"We need to make a conscious effort to make them love our sound," he said.

"We will pick the songs the young ones love... then we bring the same melody onto our palm-wine rhythms... by so doing, we are giving them the taste of Highlife."

He rejects claims the genre is fading. "Highlife is not dying, in my opinion," Nkansah said.

"There will be some highs and lows... I think we are rising."

At a national level, UNESCO officials see Highlife as a living heritage rather than a relic.

"It's a reflection of the way of life of we Ghanaians," said professor Osman Damba Tahidu, Secretary-General of the Ghana Commission for UNESCO.

"It is not just a museum relic, but a living product."

"When it comes to sports, it goes with Highlife. When it comes to funerals, it goes with Highlife... even food and festivals, it goes with Highlife," said Tahidu.

Back at Zen Garden, as midnight approaches, the crowd shows no sign of leaving.

Handkerchiefs wave again, laughter rises, and Highlife carries on -- rooted in the past, dancing confidently into the future.