By WILFRED CLARKE
NOW
Unity Link did well to support a cross section of the Ghanaian community who came to participate in their raffle draw in the year 2014, at Ghana Party in the Park.
Ghana Party in the Park 2024 moves to Oak Hill Park, Parkside Gardens in Barnet. The annual Ghanaian themed celebration has had its fair share of location moves, from Modern Park, Trent Park and now, to its latest location in Barnet.
This year's celebration, according to AkwaabaUK, will see the performances of acts such as Kidi, King Paluta, BeezTrap-KOTM, OliveTheBoy, Tulenkey and the songstress Wendy Shay on Saturday 13 th July 2024. The essence of this story is to cast back in time, to revisit and recount retrospectively what
Unity Link as a company lavished upon some of the people that attended Ghana Party in the Park 2014.
THEN
That year's Ghana themed annual crowd gathering ’PARTY IN THE PARK, came to pass with its usual ups and downs on Saturday second of August 2014.
People, some Ghanaian and other nationals, came from afar to embrace the culture and traditional values of family and friendship. Mr Dennis Tawiah who is the presiding event coordinator of the AkwaabaUK entertainment group, did his best to tighten security at the venue to avoid the mishaps that come with
organising events.
The time the event started was very late and appalling to the standard and image of kwaabaUK Promotions. Apart from the youths' stage which was ready around one clock, the rest of the stages were not ready at the time of entry. The various food stalls were beaming with sweet condiments that exude the aroma of national
and international tastes and pride.
Although music sounded lovely to many ears, depending on which stage, age or passion one shares in music, there was more to happen elsewhere on the park. King K. and the Messiah Band were perched and settled just close to the Gold Coast catering arena, blasting life into the party, from their music repertoire. But the Messiah Band's party was cut short as and when K.Nyame and his Davidson Band erupted from the Unity Link stage, which was mounted in the opposite direction.
MC Clarke Pentoa, formerly of Rainbow radio, was at hand to steer affairs on the Unity-Link stage, bringing verve, pace, pump and disco to the feet of the dancing crowd. Kwaku Owusu Frimpong, a presenter from Rainbow radio and Vox Africa TV, furnished revellers with information while respecting and keeping all protocols under the Ghana High Commission canopy.
While the party was alive and highly kicking, Mr Alphonso 'The Photographer, made sure all the scenic and picturesque moments were captured as far as light, camera and action is concerned. Unity-Link: the money-sending giants did well to lavish upon some patrons with gifts during their raffle draw, ranging from Plasma TVs to Computer-Tablets.
A lady who won the first TV said," I can't believe this, oh my God" and as to how she is going to take it home, I don't even have a clue ; she affirmed. Mr Ato Brown and his Abn TV crew were present to televise all the interesting titbits of the party, and the provision of quality sounds from Fikodarl-Sounds made every live instrument
sounded arguably, perfect.
If anything, AkwaabaUK will have to employ better professional Master of Ceremonies to mount their various stages. To juxtapose the 2014 event to that of recent times, in an interview with Lady Abena who has been frequenting the event for some time, recounts: “My very first one was at the age of three.
“And to be honest, I cannot remember anything about that experience, but I believe, that paved the way for my subsequent followships.
“Even though I have been going to Ghana Party in The Park for some time, the most joyous moment out of them all, was in July 2022. “Apart from the artistes who performed, it was rather Ramz, Darkoo, Gyakie and some other names that floated my boat. “Although some people my age were not so happy with some of the new or up and coming artistes, I like the fact that AkwaabaUK have that platform for the new acts to come out of their shells and prove their potential talents to the world.
“Again, personally that was the year I did enjoy the most. Talk of the various sets from the DJs like Kwamz Original, O.V, Y-M, I feel like they all knew exactly how to move the
crowd, and even if one is not from Ghana, they still gave one a reason to vibe to the party. “I think the DJ sets play a major factor in the event given the breaks in-between the various performances.
“I think Ghana Party in The Park is a great experience for all ages. Speaking of that, there are other facilities for children to embark on. “The food stalls, African market style merchandise and so on. And I recommend you check the line-up of the artistes before you buy your tickets. “Because there have been times where acts won’t turn up but have been advertised or billed to perform. “A typical one, was that of Shatta Wale. I feel like that discourages people but again it should ot be a stumbling block, because it is more than just musical performances. There are other ways of making your party while having fun.”
