OneBeat Ghana will bring together a cohort of leading young musician entrepreneurs from Ghana, Nigeria and the U.S. for an intensive 2-week residency in Ghana to exchange and build strategies for stronger artist communities and creative economies in the region.

Fellows will participate in skill shares and discussions, creative exercises, workshops led by guest artists while working to develop project proposals. In today’s rapidly shifting music industry, musicians need to function not simply as artists, but as creative entrepreneurs to succeed. Musicians in these areas require systems of support in order to build stronger artistic communities. OneBeat Ghana will bring together a cohort of musician leaders who are leading the charge to build stronger creative economies in their region and support the development of innovative artist-led ventures and socially informed projects. Musicians are asked to apply with specific project ideas to work on during the program. At the end of the residency, Fellows will be asked to develop a pitch or plan for the next steps of their projects, which will be presented in Accra.

OneBeat Ghana’s Artistic Director is OneBeat alumnus Poetra Asantewa, a poet, organizer and founder of arts collective Black Girls Glow, based in Accra, Ghana. OneBeat Ghana serves as the pilot version of a new model of OneBeat Abroad exchange, focused on creative entrepreneurship and strategies to address issues faced by global musicians.

OneBeat Ghana is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, & produced by Bang on a Can’s Found Sound Nation with additional support from the U.S. Embassy in Ghana and the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria.