My First Coup d'Etat Quotes

“In 1971, there was the concert of all concerts, the Soul to Soul Music Festival, which was staged on March 6 as a celebration of Ghana’s fourteenth anniversary of independence. It was held in Accra, at Black Star Square, which is now called Independence Square, and it was fourteen hours long, ending at dawn. A number of Americans came to perform, like Wilson Pickett, Ike and Tina Turner, the Staple Singers, Santana, and Roberta Flack. For months before and for months afterward, Soul to Soul was the talk of the nation. Every town attempted their own mini replica, inviting multiple bands, trying to pack the venues and keep the show going until the crowd was knackered.”
― John Dramani Mahama, My First Coup d'Etat: And Other True Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa

“Simpa took place the entire time the moon was full and visible, which meant it was sometimes held for as many as three consecutive nights. Once the moon started to wane, it ended. It was the only entertainment people looked forward to from month to month. But it has pretty much died out now. It went out of fashion once electricity became widespread in the villages. Now people sit in front of their televisions and watch the flirtations of foreigners on the telenovelas and soap operas that are imported.”
― John Dramani Mahama, My First Coup d'Etat: And Other True Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa