And given that 48% of Togo’s population is under the age of 18, that’s a hell of a lot of people and a hell of a lot of potential to celebrate. It was going to be a big party.
Our team was from all corners; Dom, our creative director, and I had flown out with the video director Matt from London to Ghana. We were going to link up with our photographer Neil Massey who was flying in from Vietnam – you’ll see; he really is that good – and JP, Matt’s cousin who owns a creative agency in Accra. From there we’d drive to Lomé – buy a bling coffin from the roadside stalls on the way – and arrive in time to catch Wizkid arriving at the airport.
The articulated bus was soon followed by several 4x4s. But the Lomé–Tokoin Airport is no Heathrow. The stars calmly walked straight out of the main exit. Lola Rae and her sister came out first with Wizkid’s manager Sunday. But it was when Wizkid and his girlfriend drove out via a side entrance in Ade’s Hummer, that the screaming really hit decibel levels that would make a dog flinch.
In a Togo top and a du-rag cap, Ade welcomed us all. Togolese hospitality is renowned and he never lets the side down.In a scene that became familiar over the weekend, the eager hordes descended on the vehicle. Wizkid acknowledged the attention with grace but he’s obviously well used to it. The Hummer drove off, convoy following, towards Ade’s house. In a Togo top and a du-rag cap, Ade welcomed us all. Togolese hospitality is renowned and Ade never lets the side down.
Models were milling. The music was nuts.The SEA Festival that evening was a feat of ingenuity. About 30 young people in the SEA network had been helping organise it and everyone was pulling their weight. It had been raining all day; it had been delayed; it had been hectic since we had arrived so we all felt strangely relaxed and a bit high thanks to the local energy drink everyone was drinking. We were backstage ready to start filming. Models were milling. The music was nuts. There was Afrobeat but some of the tunes had an old-school UK rave feel to them. Dancing girls shook their asses.
He immediately invited them in his low-key drawl to come right up to the stage. There was a semi-stampede though the VIP area right in front of the barriers. He played all his major hits, Ojuelegba, In My Bed and Jaiye Jaiye – which was crazy. There were at least 10 stage invasions as different artists came on to sing with him. Halfway through Show You The Money, Ade sauntered on stage. Again, we witnessed another semi-stampede.
The night wound up at about three am. The crowd dispersed, satiated. The SEA guys were still buzzing and ended up at Ade’s. He has a nightclub in his basement. Why not?
The festival captured the spirit that’s buzzing on the west coast of Africa right now. It captured the energy of the young people there: their aspiration, their style, their sometimes difficult circumstances and their desperate longing for people they can look up to. That’s why Adebayor and Wizkid are heroes. Those two guys represent a generation of the talented, the ambitious, and the brave. They’re both masters in their field. And they both came together to put on this festival to celebrate inspiration and peace.
Photography by Neil Massey
