Peculiar rhythms that flow from ‘atenteben’ flutes and assorted
Ghanaian percussive instruments, which has become the hallmark of
Hewale Sounds, will this month delight music fans in a number of West
African countries.

Initiated by the Alliance Francaise and the French Embassy in Accra with sponsorship from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and French Cultural Centres in West Africa, Hewale Sounds is set to showcase the rich Ghanaian music and cultural dance in Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Guinea and Togo.

Led by the ‘atenteben’ virtuoso Dela Botri, Hewale Sounds has over the years developed a repertoire that has been variously described as neo-traditional, contemporary and revolutionary by critics from the United States, Europe and other parts of Africa.

Currently based at the W.E.B. Dubois Centre in Accra, Hewale Sounds has been involved in a subtle appropriation of the elements of Ghanaian traditional music to create a new synthesis by a dramatic extension of rhythms and chord progressions. It has won the hearts of African music lovers with numerous magical performances in Ghana and beyond.

In 2007, Hewale Sounds surprised and actually mesmerised a group of musicologists, diplomats and senior Ghanaian government officials when members of the group played the French national anthem, “La Marseilles”, with traditional Ghanaian instruments during the annual Bastille Day celebrations in Accra.

With two albums to its credit, the group has performed for highly enthusiastic audiences in Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Jordan, Egypt, Norway and the United States.

In Ghana, the group has enchanted audiences at the Alliance Francaise, Goethe-Institut and residencies of ambassadors to Ghana from France, Germany and the United States.

Hewale Sounds has performed alongside international artistes and ethnomusicologists such as Stevie Wonder, Sharon Katz (Peace Train), Egya Koo Nimo, Nana Danso Abiam, Rocky Dawuni, Amandzeba Nat Brew, Prof. John Collins, Prof. Willie Anku, Prof. Kwabena Nketia, and Dr. Kwasi Ampene among others.