24 Hours At OkayAfrica's Culture Cafe with Hennessy

On September 26, OkayAfrica opened its doors to the second edition of Culture Cafe, an experience where culture and culture shapers are brought together in a room and given their due. This edition, in partnership with Jambo Spaces and supported by Hennessy, had award-winning singer Gyakie as its featured guest. The programme featured an interactive listening session, a meet-and-greet, a live performance by Kaesa and an unforgettable after-party. The evening glided thanks to specially made cocktails by Hennessy and a stunning backdrop that quickly became a highlight of the red carpet.

OkayAfrica invites you to experience how Culture Cafe came together alongside our brand partner, Hennessy.

8:00 AM

Culture Cafe planning starts many weeks, sometimes months, before the day of the event.  The featured guest, the moderator, the programme, the space set-up — everything is considered in advance to bring to life a memorable evening of music and culture. But official set-up for the space typically begins the day before, and this edition was no different. On the day of the event, lights, draping, sound, and lighting began to be set up from 8 in the morning.

11:00 AM

With the drapes, red carpet, sound and seating catered to, Hennessy began their activation in the space. For this edition, the brand showed up with a bar and a custom menu named after two of Gyakie’s projects: After Midnight, her debut album and “Treasure,” her latest single. The Hennessy team began their set-up by installing a 12-foot photo backdrop, co-branded with both Hennessy and OkayAfrica logos. Next was the Hennessy bar, the menu display and the anticipation for what was to come later that day.

3:00 PM

With two hours to the event, setup was done, and one of the evening's most anticipated elements had arrived: a custom XO Hennessy bottle engraved with Gyakie’s name. This bottle, which would be presented to Gyakie later in the evening, was designed to honor Gyakie’s incredible artistry and commitment to putting Ghanaian music and culture on the map. Like Hennessy, Gyakie has always stood at the nexus of culture and the best of contemporary African music 

4:00 PM

The Culture Cafe team regroup for a brief check-in before showtime. This session involved going over the programmes, making sure the content team are ready and equipped, and attending to the layout of the seating, double-checking the red carpet set-up, and making sure the front of house is ready to receive our Culture Cafe community.

5:00 PM

Doors open and people are getting checked in. Guests are handed custom Culture Cafe hand fans to cool themselves. This edition of Culture Cafe saw over 120 people in attendance. The space played host to the best of Accra’s creative community, with notable faces in attendance including dance artist Lisa Quama, singers Lali x Lola, and many others. For much of the evening, the Culture Cafe community spent time on the Hennessy red carpet, capturing the moments while waiting for the show to start.

6:00 PM

At 6, the guests made their way to the Hennessy bar, which served specially crafted cocktails all night. The cocktails were a much-needed accompaniment to what was already shaping up to be an exciting evening. With the bar open, DJ Addo 7 was on deck, spinning a groovy mix of Afropop music from Gyakie to Tems.

7:00 PM

Gyakie made a grand arrival, making her way to the red carpet. Dressed in a strapless blue gown, the songbird looked radiant while conducting interviews with a group of press, including OkayAfrica. This portion of the red carpet ended swiftly while pop-culture journalist Olele Salvador was on stage introducing her. 

7:34 PM

Showtime. The evening began in full swing with the interactive listening session led by Olele Salvador. This session was guided by a breakdown of eight songs, all handpicked by Gyakie to be dissected one after the other. The session began with “Is it worth it?” before moving to “no one”, then “Sankofa”, followed by “Hallelujah”, all off her debut album After Midnight. Other songs dissected during this session included “Sor Mi Su”, “Nana Nyame”, “Vacation” and “Rent Free.” In between discussing the process behind making these songs and sharing her emotional connections with it, Gyakie also went into her ideas around mortality, her often experimental approach to making music and her relationship with time.

8:50

After a riveting listening session, rounded off by audience Q&A, Gyakie introduced a performance by Kaesa, an emerging artist she handpicked to perform at Culture Cafe. With each edition of Culture Cafe, we encourage the featured artist to select an emerging artist who will share the stage with them and perform. While introducing Kaesa, Gyakie described her as a “bold” artist who isn’t afraid to try. Kaesa’s performance took the room to another level, brimming with energy and heart. 

9:20 PM

At the end of the listening session and performance, Gyakie announced that her forthcoming EP and single were coming soon. It was her first public announcement for these projects. She also announced that a December concert was underway.

9:30 PM

The meet-and-greet session with Gyakie kicked off on the Hennessy red carpet. Fans posed with the star for pictures; Gyakie was presented with her custom, engraved Hennessy XO bottle, more interviews were conducted, and the session wrapped with a warm video moment between Gyakie and Lali x Lola.

10 PM

Afterparty time! The Hennessy bar stayed open for a little longer as the night turned into a mini block party.