The African festival staged by playwright Latif Abubakar featured a re-enactment of the popular children’s educational and entertainment television programme By the Fireside, blending storytelling, music, and dance.

One of the key activities at the festival was the Den of History, an outdoor session that combined storytelling, film screenings, and African folktales presented around a fireside setting.

The re-enactment was led by the Lododo Art Foundation, an organisation focused on inspiring creativity and reviving conversations around art among students and the general public. The performance took the audience back to the era when By the Fireside was hosted by Grace Omaboe, popularly known as Maame Dokono.

The storytelling centred on the adventures of Kweku Ananse, the clever and crafty spider known for outsmarting humans and other animals in folklore.

At the Den of History, the format involved the audience sitting in a circle while the storyteller occupied the centre, narrating a Kweku Ananse tale. The story focused on how Ananse managed to deceive death by stealing an item belonging to it, triggering a chase into a village.

In the story, Ananse ran past his hut while being pursued, calling out to his wife, Okonorea, and his sons to come out and flee with him.

The chase intensified until death lost track of Ananse and his family in the forest. Unable to find them, death chose to remain in the village permanently, an explanation given for why people continue to die.

The narrative was intended to convey the message that death is inevitable, encouraging people to live meaningful lives and serve others while they can.

The storytelling session concluded with singing and dancing, aligning with the festival’s broader aim of promoting Accra as a global Pan-African cultural destination every December.

The African Festival ended on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, with a major concert at the Accra International Conference Centre, uniting music, dance, and cultural expressions from across Africa.

The concert was hosted by Multimedia broadcast journalist Doreen Avio and opened with a performance by the Adaha Band, which delivered a mix of Ghanaian highlife, Nigerian Afrobeat, and popular songs from Côte d’Ivoire.

Ghanaian musician Wiyaala later mounted the stage, using her music to call on Africans to reconnect with their heritage and play active roles in the continent’s development. Her set was complemented by a spontaneous dance display from the All Stars Dance Group that drew strong reactions from the audience.

Bessa Simons and Amandzeba Nat Brew also performed, with Nat Brew’s popular song Worgbe lifting the energy in the hall. Rocky Dawuni followed with an Afro Roots performance that underscored themes of African identity and togetherness.

The programme was brought to a close by South African music legend Yvonne Chaka-Chaka, who combined music with personal reflections while urging young Africans to help shape the future of the continent.

Several high-profile figures attended the event, including the Minister for Tourism and Arts and Culture, Dzifa Ablah Gomashie; UNESCO Ghana Country Manager, Edmond Moukala N’Gouemo; Ghana’s Ambassador to the Caribbean; and veteran actors Fred Amugi and Tony Umez.

The grand finale showcased the richness of African music and culture, as well as the continent’s enduring spirit.