The 2023 Black Star Line Festival, hosted by Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa made its historic, inaugural debut in Accra, Ghana on Friday, January 6. The all star concert featured celebrities such as Erykah Badu, Dave Chappelle, T-Pain, Jeremih, Sarkodie, Tobe Nwigwe, Asakaa Boys, M.anifest and more.
More than 52,000 fans united at Black Star Square in Accra to enjoy an outstanding concert combining music, art, and culture. Prior to the performance, there was a week of events and panels at cultural centers throughout Accra. The free gatherings provided opportunities for education, enrichment and cultural diffusion.
The festival aims to improve the connection between Black people, artists of the Diaspora and the globe with the continent. The Black Star Square is a remembrance of the political freedom that was fought for and won by Ghanaians in 1957. Ghana was the first Sub-Saharan African country to fight for independence from colonialism. Under the leadership of its first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, several continents followed in the footsteps of Ghana. Dr. Nkrumah was inspired by the Jamaican-Born activist Marcus Garvey. The revolutionary believed in a free Africa and a global connection between the people of the continent and Black people globally.
The Black Star Line Festival is more than just a celebration of Black culture and music, it’s a chance for the Diaspora to come together as a community and remind ourselves of the power that lies within us. It’s an opportunity to honor the legacy of those who came before us, and to inspire and uplift each other. It’s a historic event and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Black Star Line Festival.
Chance the Rapper
In 1919, Garvey founded the Black Star Line. It was a line that generated economic opportunities for Black people from North America, the Caribbean and Africa. The Black Star Line was a symbol of pride for Black people in all ports of call. Dr. Nkrumah insisted that these principles were cardinal to the forward mobility of its people. After almost 40 years, the Ghanaian government inaugurated their fleet with the same name, in homage to Garvey, and even added a black star to the country’s new flag.
Through groundbreaking installations and collaborating with artists from The Continent and The Diaspora, Chance spent 2022 welding the worlds of art and cinematography. His new works include “Child of God” (collab with Gabonese artist and painter Naïla Opiangah), “A Bar About A Bar” (collab with Chicago-based painter Nikko Washington and filmmaker Troy Gueno), “The Highs & The Lows” feat. Joey Bada$$ (collab with Gabonese photographer Yannis Davy Guibingua), all of which celebrate Black artists. Chance’s newly released “YAH Know” features prominent Ghanaian artist King Promise.
Chance the Rapper’s highly anticipated new project, Star Line Gallery is due out later this year
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