The Mfantsipim Old Boys Association (MOBA) has launched a 14-track musical anthology to celebrate 150 years of Mfantsipim School, chronicling the school's history through hymns, anthems, highlife classics and new anniversary compositions.
The launch, which took place at the Mfantsipim Secretariat in Accra yesterday, also saw the signing of a partnership deal with Caveman Watch, a Ghanaian-owned watch-producing company, for the production of commemorative timepieces and merchandise for the anniversary.
It is dubbed “the Mfantsipim Sesquicentennial Anthology,” recorded and produced by lawyer and old boy, Ace Anan Ankomah (MOBA'84).
It is intended to preserve and reimagine the school's most cherished musical works.
The year-long celebration, which will be climaxed in November this year, is on the theme: "A legacy of excellence, leadership and service to inspire the future."
About the project
Mr Ankomah said the anthology started unexpectedly with a text message from Alfred Prince Gyan, MOBA'13, about a competition for a “jama” song to mark the anniversary.
He said they collaborated on a song, refined it into a medley and assembled old boys from Joyful Way Incorporated to record a demo, which went on to win the competition.
The single track soon expanded into a full album.
Mr Ankomah presented 1,000 pen drives containing the anthology with booklets detailing lyrics and historical background, and 100 copies of a limited-edition red vinyl record to be sold to raise funds for the school.
The project is dedicated to the MOBA'84 year group and the memory of MOBA'57.
He further explained that momentum grew when the anniversary planning committee, through Ato Bonful, MOBA'85, submitted a winning choral composition by Flora Adokoh, which was later orchestrated with sound engineer Herbert Crassie into the official Sesquicentennial Anthem.
A suggestion by Dr Ernest Addison, MOBA'79, to recreate the Mfantsipim Ode, adopted as the school's Centenary Anthem in 1976, opened the way for recovery of other historic pieces.
These included the “Mfantsipim Mfeha Ndwom”, reconstructed with the help of historical texts preserved by Kakra Essamuah, MOBA'77, and recollections by Timothy Andoh, MOBA'77.
The anthology features “For All the Saints, Dwin Hwɛ Kan, the Mfantsipim Centenary Highlife and Kwabotwe Highlife, as well as Ahotsewfo, the Fante version of For All the Saints”, following a suggestion by Emmanuel Dadson, MOBA'84.
Mr Ankomah said the team made two visits to Cape Coast to record the School Choir and Regimental Band live.
He added that University of Ghana Professor of Musicology, Alfred Patrick Addaquay, MOBA'04, contributed a piano rendition of For All the Saints, while videographer Jonas Anterkyi, MOBA'16, documented the project with music videos now available on MOBA's YouTube channels.
Significance
Mr Ankomah said the album carried deep historical significance. For All the Saints, composed by William Walsham How in 1864 and set to Ralph Vaughan Williams' tune Sine Nomine in 1906, became Mfantsipim's official hymn in 1910 in honour of Rev. Alfred Thomas Robert Bartrop, who was instrumental in the school's early survival.
Dwin Hwɛ Kan, composed by Rev. Gaddiel Robert Acquaah and Charles Emmanuel Graves around 1910, was adopted as the official anthem in 1963, while the two highlife compositions by the late Kwadwo Donkoh were adopted as Centenary Highlife Songs in 1976.
The anthology was arranged and produced by Mr Ankomah and Mr Crassie, with executive production by Mr Ankomah in memory of his father, James Kwabena Ankomah, MOBA'57, and the sleeve was designed by George Pabi.
Partnership
The Head of Sales and Marketing, Bernard Barnor, said Caveman was delighted to have partnered the oldest school in the country to be part of the anniversary to preserve its legacy.
He said the watches would feature a limited 150 classic watches that would be produced on a pre-order basis on an online portal, after which none would ever be produced.
Mr Barnor said that the partnership between the two institutions had come to stay, but Caveman would be producing the watches for sale to interested persons.
