Many Ghanaians retired to bed with the sad news of the demise of famous African-American musician Tina Turner on Tuesday, May 24.
At age 83, the Queen of Rock’n’Roll had seen it all and returned to her maker, but her legacy will live on forever.
She may be dead, but her music and impact resonate in the United States, Ghana, and elsewhere.
Her accolades are unending, but for many Ghanaians, especially the older folks who witnessed post-independence Ghana during the first and second republics, Tina symbolizes Pan-Africanism.
She readily embraced African culture, and her adventurous trips to Africa felt shorter.
The ‘Year of Return” and “Beyond the Return’ are common on the lips of many African-Americans who now recognize a need for a pilgrimage back to their ancestral origins in Ghana.
The two campaigns heightened in 2019, targeting the African – Americans and the rest of the diaspora to mark 400 years of the first enslaved African arriving in Jamestown, Virginia.
Model Naomi Campbell, actor Idris Elba, comedian Steve Harvey and American rapper Cardi B touched down in Ghana for a warmth, soul fulfillment, and spectacular experience.
But 48 years prior, Tina Turner boldly followed in the footsteps of a few people like Loius Armstrong and Maya Angelou from the showbiz sector to embrace Ghana.
On March 6, 1971, Wilson Picket, Tina, and Ike Turner showed up and performed at an epic 15-hour independence day concert dubbed the ‘Soul to Soul Concert’ in Ghana to mark 14 years of Ghana’s liberation from Britain.
Most significantly, reports suggest that James Brown, at the height of his career, toured Africa but snubbed Ghana.
So were Fela Kuti and Aretha Franklin, who reportedly declined invitations to perform at the ‘Soul to Soul Concert’ held in Accra.
Hundreds of Ghanaians besieged the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to catch a glimpse of “America’s most soulful performers”.
The talking drums of fontomfrom and atumpan sounded loud as a Wulɔmɔ (high priest) poured libations.
Dressed in white calico, he drank a little and poured the rest of the Schnapp on the tarmac amidst incantations to seek blessings and protection for Tina and the others.
The bubbly Tina was seen interacting with one of the women singers from a cultural troupe gathered to welcome them to the ‘Soul to Soul Concert’.
Image: Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Tina was full of glee and excitement as she was treated to Ghanaian cultural dance and music.
Occasionally, she was seen singing along to the chorus of some songs as she punched her fist in the air.
She just could not sit still as some of the energetic dances got her tapping her feet to the rhythm of the drums, pipes, and flutes by the performers.
Overwhelmed by emotions and joy, Tina got up on one of the occasions and joined a young dancer to boogie.
She was all smiles as she swung her hips from East to West, hands up in the sky and feet turning in and out.
It wasn’t a rock ‘n’ roll or soul track but a traditional song culled from a folktale in the Krobo language, dubbed ‘Mo ba ko nɛ wa fiɛ’, to wit ‘come and play’.
On the night of the widely-publicized ‘Soul to Soul Concert’, a sea of people numbering over 100,000 grabbed tickets and trooped to the Black Star Square several hours before the show, which eventually started at 5 pm.
From Kumasi, Takoradi, and Cape Coast, people came in droves to witness a spectacular live performance.
“I parked my car, with most of my family in it, near the Square, at the High Street end. The spot I picked was extremely good: a very faithful loudspeaker had been attached to a lamp-post,” Ghanaian journalist Cameron Duodu recounts the one-in-a-lifetime experience.
At 2 am, it was Tina’s turn as she dazzled the crowd with hit songs like ‘Proud Mary,’ ‘Honky Tonk Woman’ and ‘River Deep.’
At the time, the Daily Graphic described Tina’s session as the “surprise package” of the entire concert.
The American-born and naturalized Swiss singer, actress, and author will be remembered for many things, but surely this will be engraved in the hearts of Ghanaians forever.