I am a Toofan fan too: Got to go to Togo!

By -
This wasn't quite a Togolese weekend, but then again Togo's independence day was April 27. While browsing my Gabonese friend's Facebook page, I discovered that one of Africa's top music groups, Toofan, were going to be performing in Accra at a concert. Cool Catch eh? We were going to have a dose of Togolese music in Accra. Blog post material be that. But first, I said

After getting to the concert, it struck me. I was going to hear a lot of French (that I didn't understand). Was a good opportunity to learn a few more French phrases et al. There were so many Francophone Africans at Alliance Francaise, all assembled to see Toofan and other groups perform. Joining Toofan were Sir Okoss (Gabon), Abou Mala (Congo), S. K Blinkz of Aha ye de fame as well. I absolutely love Aha ye de and how S K Blinz has brought a serving of Coupe Decale to the Ghanaian music scene. My mate from Presec, EL, was probably the only Ghanaian to perform there. After his performance, I told him I liked how he was being smart and using this opportunity to expand his fanbase into Francophone Africa. Smart guy! Odadee for real :-)





After a night of various performances (some of which were not that great), there was a pretty fun dance-off. An endowed lady showed off some great Azonto moves on stage while another gentleman showcased what cool catché was about. Toofan finally appeared on stage and because I had renewed my fandom too and been fed other Toofan videos by my friends Francis, Sarah and Tatiana, I was prepared to sing and dance along to all their songs. 




Toofan started out miming a lot but quickly moved into "performance" mode. They danced. They performed. For more than an hour. I was having too much fun to realise midnight was approaching. That was appropriate because midnight signalled the arrival of April 27, which coincidentally was the day of Togo's independence. Toofan led the Togolese present to sing the Togolese national anthem. C'est bon!


I almost went to Togo last year for Barcamp Lome. Looking to attend a similar event there this year. I also need to get a Togolese name. Any suggestions? :-)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Official Pick-up lines to try out for fun

By -
A friend and I were discussing pick up lines the other day and if they do work, etc. They've been a few that I've wanted to use but I haven't mustered enough courage to try them. I'm still collecting my thoughts for that blog entry on women too. Earlier today, I realised my cousin had tagged me in some note full of pick-up lines and that list was hilarious. I have now run out of excuses to try some pick-up lines. After all, what do I have to lose? Don't I want to actually see what will happen? Won't I have some juicy stories to tell? I would, that's why I will be picking out of these pick-up lines next time I am inna di club or some other appropriate or unappropriate location. So here goes - I can't find my puppy, can you help me find him? I think he went into this cheap motel room. Let's do breakfast tomorrow. Should I call you or nudge you? Yo Baby, you be my Dairy Queen, I'll be your Burger King, you treat me right, and I'll do it yo
Read more

Learnt how to say "Thank You" in 23 African languages

By -
Today, I learnt how to say "Thank You" in yet another African language. So let me take a stab at seeing if I can say "Merci" in 23 African languages. And let's share some small attendant info. :-) Akan: Medaase . What you thought I wouldn't add my mother tongue? Some folks can't say what "thank you" is in their lingua francas. Such a fracas. Don't belittle this at all at all. Ga: Oyiwaladonn . I don't remember when I learnt this but I do know I learnt to say "Nnuu Ga" (I can't speak Ga) during the time I came to Accra to represent KNUST JSS in Kiddie Quiz and me and my Kumasi-living mates were testing our Ga knowledge. Ewe: Akpe . I love saying "Akpe kakaa" and I am not sure why. Dagbani: Ti pagi da . Yeap, Jemila Abdulai taught me this one. Thrice. You can also say Mpagya . Hausa: Na gode . I should have known this a long time ago but thanks to Manre Chirtau, I will not forget this one. Ever. Alafia lo! S
Read more

Learnt how to say "What is your name" & "My name is" in 23 African languages

By -
Depending on which country I am in and who I am speaking to, I can have 1 out of about 7 names. You probably know my real one, but you do know my Ugandan , Kenyan , Nigerian , Ethiopian , Tanzanian and South African ones? Or my real other name which I use to call myself when I meet some lucky lady I feel like saying it to? Just in case, you happen to be in certain place or country and you feel you have to pull one of these out, let's learn how to say " What is your name " and " My name is " in 23 African languages. :-) Thanks to my friends who helped me pull this list together recently as I had missed writing blog posts such as these. Akan: Wo din de s ɛ n?   Me din de .. Yeah, name in Twi is "din". It might be more popular to hear people say  Y ɛ fr ɛ  wo s ɛ n? &  Y ɛ fr ɛ me ... which directly translates to "What do we call you? & We call me...  Ga: Te ats ɛ ɔ  kbo t ɛ ŋ ŋ ? Ats ɛ ɔ  mi..  I learnt this once but I don't rem
Read more