VINX

At the beginning of February I had an exquisite trip to Ghana with a group of wonderful friends, culture vultures and music fans, where we were able to take time to truly experience the beautiful people, history and surroundings of this diverse and fascinating country.

From the moment we arrived in Accra, we experienced the famous Ghanaian “Akwaaba” hospitality from some truly wonderful people. Everyone we met was excited to hear about our plans for the tour and the International Serenade Festival on February 3 at +233 Jazz Club. It was pure joy to share in their excitement at our visit.

Among our wonderful group of adventurers were many who were returning to Africa for the first time and who were eager to hear about their ancestors.  

We explored Accra, seeing Jamestown, The Black Star Monument, Independence Square, The Arts Center, the President Nkrumah Memorial & Museum. We jumped rope with village children who have never seen the ocean or an airplane. We conquered swinging bridges 400 meters above the jungle at Kakum National Park and saw the largest bamboo plants I've ever seen!

We laughed with baboons, swam under a waterfall, took a boat trip at beautiful Lake Volta and Stood at the Door of No Return at Elmina Castle taking in hundreds of years of pain and anguish.

The skies were pink with dust from the Sahara - a lens that colored our daily views and mellowed the sunsets to pastel hues.
We faced traffic worse than LA with dirt roads and open sewers as boundaries NOT to be tested but couldn't stop the vendors balancing everything from cold water and fresh Ghanaian donuts to bathroom scales and car parts on their heads. 

It was, at times, a joy ride that rivalled any theme park roller coaster!

We met local artists and artisans of all styles - from traditional craftsmen, each doing their part to create the most beautiful instruments, to cutting edge fashion designers with textiles and colors and movement that mixes traditional with high fashion and would make any Paris fashion house weep. 
 

We learned about Ghanaian life as told through traditional beads - don't miss @suntradebeads on Instagram

We learned a traditional call and respond with our Ghanaian tour guide…
Agoo - listen up!
Ameeee - we hear you!

We ate spicy Ghanaian cuisine and the freshest of ripe mangoes, pineapples, and sweet coconuts that dwarf any store bought candy. We went from bush meat at the roadside to spicy local Ghanaian high cuisine and the tastiest Ethiopian food. We enjoyed outdoor dining courtesy of our tour guide and chef team who cooked up several feasts of Ghanaian dishes. Delicious. 

I hosted my first International Serenade Festival in Africa at +233 Jazz Club in Accra. We were serenaded by beautiful and inspiring songs from American artists Purple Haze, Shelley Nicole and Loretta E, as well as Ghanaian artist DeGate Zion, all accompanied by the superb Ghana Jazz Collective. Loretta took to the stage for her first ever live performance and De Gate had never performed with a live band before, yet they all managed to light up the stage with great performances.

I ended the show with a selection of classic Vinx songs:
The Kiss That Wakes You
I Should Have Told Her
I Shot The Sheriff / Don't you Talk To Me Like That / Summertime (mash-up)
Can't Stop

The crowd were a riot and I look forward to returning to Ghana very soon. Our group of travellers were fabulous people who are now all part of the Vinx family. Lifelong friendships were made on this trip. 

Make sure you're following my Instagram and Facebook pages for more photos and videos of this exquisite trip and look out for information on upcoming music, as well as future chicken bucket-list vacations with me.

Thank you for supporting my creativity.