48 Hours at AfroFuture with Abdul Karim Abdullah and Martell

Sponsored: In partnership with Martell.

For Abdul Karim Abdullah, the first day of AfroFuture Festival plunges him into the groove of things very quickly. There are sound checks to oversee, safety checks to look over, health and infrastructure checks, to name a few. The 2-day festival he founded alongside businessman Kenny Agyapong Jr. has grown into one of Africa’s biggest cultural events. Attracting over 31,000 guests every December, AfroFuture (formerly known as Afrochella) is a dynamic experience that brings together culture, food, entertainment, music, art, and community. Many of the continent’s biggest artists have performed on its music stage, with Asake and Rema headlining 2025’s edition.

Putting together an experience this massive can be demanding, Abdullah admits. “I don't necessarily know that it gets easier. I just think that we're able to stomach it a lot better,” he tells OkayAfrica.

To bring some of these experiences to life, AfroFuture has maintained a strong collaborative relationship with culture-facing brands like Martell, which, at the 2025 edition, created a world of experiences that blended art, music, fashion, and immersive installations. 

“Martell has believed in [the] vision from the very beginning,” Abdullah explains. “Their continued support allows us to keep building spaces rooted in community, creativity, and shared experience - and to grow AfroFuture in a way that feels authentic to who we are.”

“AfroFuture represents the same audacious spirit that defines Martell, a willingness to push boundaries, honor heritage, and create experiences that resonate deeply with people,” says Lanre Odutola, Head of Culture and Global Partnerships at Martell. “Seeing how the Maison Martell Experience was embraced in Accra, reinforcing the importance of supporting platforms like AfroFuture, where culture is celebrated and actively shaped through community and creativity.”

For the 2025 AfroFuture, OkayAfrica spent 48 hours with Abdullah, who walked us through the experience, setup, and the technicalities that go into bringing AfroFuture to life.

Day 1. December 28, 2025

Start of day:

Every year, I have a different focus. This year, I was focused on the bar setup across the different spaces. We used a bank integration system to be able to assess how much revenue was made across the field. I also wanted to make sure that the bathrooms were well-positioned so people could access them effectively. Those were the two main things outside of everything that I wanted to hyper-focus on to make sure that they didn’t go unnoticed within the team. Overall, I was also looking at everything, finalizing and approving everything that needed to be done across the field.

2 pm:

Around 2:00 p.m all loading is complete, all the stations manned, and the bar set up. The culture stage is starting to prepare to run, and the doors are set to open in 30 or 40 minutes. At this point, I leave the field.

4 pm:

At 4 pm, I am taking my first nap. By this time, I know that the field and the culture stage are running. Different years function differently. There were some years when we came in around 3:00 in the morning just to see the setup. And we come again around 8 am and stay until the doors open and people are starting to engage with the experiences, go to the bars, and all of that. At this point, we can just go and rest until you know the show starts. 

The Maison Martell Experience:

There were different experiences for different groups and different sections of the field. In general admission, there was a big Martell platform where people could come in and engage with different experiences, like spin and win, customized t-shirts, etc. We had artwork on the field by various artists, and people were able to purchase directly from the artist. It was a pretty engaging Martell experience, and then it was just photo moments for you to be able to take pictures and engage with props in that space.

Also, we had an immersive experience where people could actually learn about the different Martell expressions. They got an opportunity to go through an immersive experience, capturing the essence of taking a trip to Cognac and understanding how the Blue Swift is made, how the XO is made. For the VIP section, people had the option of working with a bartender to create their own cocktail. I thought that was fun and engaging for the audience. And then for VVIPs, they were greeted with a welcome drink from Martell, there were giveaways on the tables, featuring various Ghanaian brands, and also guests were able to have an exclusive bottle package experience.

5 pm:

I'm back on the field depending on the need. I come in through a different exit just to assess what that exit is like. Normally, I come through the back just to make sure that the artists' rooms are set up and prepared for them to arrive. Then I walk the field to assess how people are interacting with the installations, what it's looking like, food areas, what each bar looks like, what the entry and exit looks like, and then, you know, it's pretty much just engaging with people and engaging with the experiences myself.

Showtime:

During this time, I am making sure that the back of house has all of the different graphics that are needed on stage. Making sure we're prepared for our VIP service, VVIP service. It’s really just plugging holes where needed across the team. Making sure we're prepared to capture content and moments behind the scenes.

Day 2, December 29, 2025

3 am:

The first day gives you a lot of information. So right after the show, we try to regroup as soon as possible to identify any gaps or things that we may not have caught on the first day. This happens all the way up to 6:00 a.m. There's a team on the ground making sure that they clean up. The installation team is making sure that they're repairing any damage that may have happened the day before. 

Noon:

Last year, there were a lot of performances that ran later than they should have, so that pushed back our ability to be as prepared as we would have liked to be on day two. So at 12:00, we were still repairing things and making sure that the space was safe for people to be able to get into the field.

Lunchtime:

The adrenaline is so high, you're not really even thinking about a meal. So I think the first thing I ate was a kebab. I had them in my hand because I knew I had to eat at some point, so that was my lunch. Normally, what happens is my favorite time to eat is when everybody's walking out of the fields. I head back to the vendors and try a little bit of everybody's food.

5 pm:

Around five is when people are starting to come in. People were starting to get settled in their sections and prepare for the show. This year, Day two was more performance-heavy, so people were able to engage with the talents as they came in, going to the bars, networking, and getting to know the people in the space.

Showtime:

Day two, I'm just a spectator [during showtime]. I'm not moving around much. I'm entertaining my guests, interacting with the VIPs, and just taking it all in and ensuring everybody's enjoying themselves. I'm just a spectator for sure.

After showtime:

I had some promises to keep. We had Chef Abby, who was one of the influencers we worked with last year. She's an amazing chef in Ghana. She wanted to meet Rema. A few others wanted to meet Rema as well, so we were able to go backstage and meet with and talk to him and interact with him. And after that is really just kind of engaging backstage until everybody leaves the field.