Review: Berima Amo’s Africa Was Born in Me

8 Mar 2021 - 15:20

Ghanaian trumpeter Berima Amo may be accused of many things, but never for ignoring his heroes.

Berima Amo.

On his new single, released on 6 March to coincide with the 64th anniversary of Independence Day in Ghana, the musician draws from an enduring sentiment by Kwame Nkrumah, the leading architect of the country’s liberation, for both its title and theme: “I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me.”

To the Netherlands-based highlife artist who clinched an endorsement deal with Austrian trumpet maker Schagerl last year, the Nkrumah quote should serve as both a motivating force and the “glue between all blacks in the diaspora. We are one people. Because a lot of blacks and non-blacks call Africa home even though they weren’t born in Africa or haven’t been to Africa before.”

‘Africa Was Born In Me’, sung in English and Amo’s native Twi, is taken off Back In Ghana, Amo’s new collection with the Nkabom AfroBand. It journeys on the traditional and festive adowa rhythm, bejewelled with traditional percussion instruments and choral harmony. Though etched in a marked Ghanaian-ness, the song also retains an all-embracing ethos for Africa and its diaspora.

Lyrically, the track honours Nkrumah, the renowned pan-Africanist, while basking in the fruitage of his now-famous statement. Additionally, the record is a rallying call to Africa’s sons and daughters scattered across the world to return home. In the past few of years, this call has been especially heeded. In 2019, for example, some 1.5 million tourists visited Ghana under the Year of Return campaign. The call clearly went down well and Amo's new track hopes to provide consolidation.

The entire song unfolds in a plain sailing one-and-a-half minutes, and, yes, it feels too short. However, it’s duration is justifiable for two key reasons: Amo’s thesis statement is straightforward (celebrate our homeland, come home), and, in the streaming era where the average length of songs has reduced, ‘Africa Was Born in Me’ ticks an important box.