Protect Our Heritage
Highlife Heritage &
Cultural Policy
Highlife is Ghana's gift to the world. We are fighting for the policies and protections that ensure it is valued, preserved, and celebrated for generations to come.
Ghana's Musical Legacy
Highlife music — born in Ghana in the early 20th century from the fusion of traditional Akan rhythms with Western brass band and guitar styles — is one of Africa's greatest and most enduring musical traditions. From E.T. Mensah to Ebo Taylor, from Amakye Dede to Daddy Lumba, highlife has soundtracked generations of Ghanaian life.
Yet highlife receives little formal government protection or funding. School curricula often treat it as secondary to Western music theory. Highlife musicians rarely receive the institutional support given to athletes or visual artists. This must change.
Our Policy Asks
UNESCO nomination of highlife as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Mandatory highlife component in all school music curricula
Government Highlife Preservation Fund — GH₵10M annually
MUSIGA-managed Highlife Archive and Documentation Project
Ghana Music Export Bureau to promote highlife internationally
Highlife music emerges in coastal Ghana from a fusion of traditional rhythms and Western instruments.
Highlife becomes the sound of independence. E.T. Mensah plays for Kwame Nkrumah.
Highlife evolves and spreads across West Africa and into the diaspora.
MUSIGA launches UNESCO nomination campaign. The fight for formal recognition begins.
Support the Campaign
Join MUSIGA and become part of the movement to protect Ghana's musical heritage for future generations.
Join MUSIGA Today