The maiden Hogbe Music Jam organized by the Onua Sankofa Festival Train will light up the Volta Region coastline Saturday evening as part of festivities honoring the historic Hogbetsotso festival celebrated by the Anlo people.
The concert takes place at Eli Boutique & Beach Resort in Tegbi near Keta, with doors opening at 8pm for what organizers describe as an evening blending contemporary entertainment with traditional cultural celebration. The event coincides with the grand durbar of chiefs and people at Hogbe Park in Anloga earlier Saturday, creating a day-long celebration of Anlo heritage.
Media General’s Onua Sankofa Festival Train initiative has built a reputation for connecting with cultural celebrations across Ghana’s regions, bringing entertainment programming that highlights traditional festivals while introducing contemporary musical performances. The Hogbe Music Jam represents the initiative’s first major event tied to the Hogbetsotso festival.
The 2025 Hogbetsotso celebrations, running under the theme “Building Bridges: From a Common History to a Common Destiny,” encompass a week-long series of cultural, social and developmental events organized by the Anlo Dukor Council in collaboration with Ghana Exim Bank. Saturday’s activities include the grand durbar featuring Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, the Akwamuhene, as guest of honour, followed by the Mama Hogbe Beauty Pageant at Jubilee Radio Premises in Keta.
The Hogbe Music Jam adds an entertainment dimension to the festival calendar, providing a platform for musical performances celebrating Anlo culture while attracting younger audiences who may not attend traditional ceremonies but want to participate in broader festivities. Beach resort venues have become popular locations for such events, offering relaxed atmospheres and scenic coastal settings.
Tegbi’s proximity to both Keta and Anloga positions Eli Boutique & Beach Resort as an accessible location for festival attendees throughout the day who wish to continue celebrations into the evening. The coastal setting aligns with the maritime heritage central to Anlo identity, with the Atlantic Ocean playing significant roles in both the community’s history and contemporary economy.
The Hogbetsotso festival commemorates the Anlo people’s exodus from Notsie in present-day Togo and is celebrated annually on the first Saturday in November at Anloga, the customary and ritual capital of the Anlo state. The festival name translates as “festival of exodus” or “coming from Hogbe,” referencing the ancestral homeland the Anlo people fled under tyrannical rule.
Entertainment events tied to traditional festivals represent growing trends in Ghana’s cultural landscape, where organizers seek to maintain festival relevance for younger generations while preserving core traditional elements. Music concerts, fashion shows, beauty pageants and sports competitions now regularly accompany durbars, traditional dances and ritual ceremonies during major festivals.
The Onua platforms, including Onua FM and Onua TV operated by Media General, have established strong connections with audiences across Ghana’s regions through programming emphasizing local languages, cultural content and community engagement. The Sankofa Festival Train initiative extends this approach by physically bringing entertainment to communities during their major celebrations.
Friday’s festivities included the Glimetoto, a historical exodus reenactment in Anloga that reminds citizens of the ancestral journey from Notsie to their present homeland, along with the Volta Economic Forum at Reddington Hotel in Whuti and various other cultural activities. Saturday’s grand durbar represents the ceremonial climax of the festival week before evening entertainment takes over.
The Anlo people are spread across several constituencies including Keta, Anloga, Ketu North, Ketu South, Akatsi North, Akatsi South and parts of the Tongu areas, making the Hogbetsotso festival a significant gathering that draws Anlos from across Ghana and the diaspora. Saturday’s dual celebrations at Hogbe Park and later at the beach resort accommodate different preferences while maintaining the festival’s unifying purpose.
Beach party culture has flourished along Ghana’s Volta Region coastline, with venues in Keta, Anloga and surrounding communities hosting events that blend music, food and social gatherings against Atlantic Ocean backdrops. Eli Boutique & Beach Resort joins established venues offering such experiences to both residents and visitors.
Music remains central to Anlo cultural expression, with the Agbadza dance originally developed as a war dance performed vigorously during festival celebrations. Contemporary festivals now feature both traditional performances and modern musical genres, creating programming that appeals across generational divides while maintaining cultural continuity.
The timing of the Hogbe Music Jam following the grand durbar allows traditional authorities, festival attendees and younger participants to experience both ceremonial solemnity earlier in the day and celebratory entertainment in the evening. This sequencing has become standard practice at major Ghanaian festivals seeking to accommodate diverse audience preferences.
Sunday will feature a beach party at Emancipation Beach in Keta, continuing the weekend’s coastal celebrations before festivities conclude with inter-faith thanksgiving and post-festival activities across various towns from November 3 through 9. The extended celebration schedule reflects the festival’s importance to Anlo identity and community cohesion.
Media General’s coverage of the Hogbe Music Jam through its Onua platforms will likely introduce the event to audiences beyond the Volta Region, promoting both the concert and the broader Hogbetsotso festival to viewers and listeners across Ghana. Such coverage helps maintain awareness of regional festivals among urban populations and diaspora communities.
The concert represents commercial opportunities for local businesses, vendors and service providers who benefit from influxes of visitors during major festivals. Hotels, restaurants, transportation services and artisans typically experience increased demand during festival periods, with entertainment events extending economic benefits beyond traditional ceremony hours.
Festival organizers across Ghana have increasingly recognized that diverse programming attracts broader participation while generating revenues that support traditional authorities and community development initiatives. Music concerts with ticket sales or sponsorships provide funding streams that complement customary festival financing from levies and donations.
The maiden designation for the Hogbe Music Jam suggests organizers envision it becoming an annual fixture on the Hogbetsotso festival calendar, joining other established entertainment components like the Mama Hogbe Beauty Pageant and various sports competitions. Success of inaugural events often determines whether they continue in subsequent years.
Saturday evening’s attendance figures, audience reception and social media engagement will likely influence decisions about future editions. Event organizers typically assess both immediate success metrics and longer-term cultural impact when evaluating whether to institutionalize new festival components.
The Anlo people’s emphasis on unity and shared heritage, reflected in this year’s festival theme, extends to entertainment events designed to bring community members together in celebration. Whether through traditional ceremonies at Hogbe Park or contemporary concerts at beach resorts, the festival creates spaces for collective identity affirmation and cultural transmission.
As Saturday approaches, anticipation builds across the Volta Region for a day encompassing traditional grandeur, cultural pride and evening entertainment that will extend Hogbetsotso celebrations into the night along Ghana’s southeastern coastline.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
