Afro-Spiritual artiste, Enam
Ghanaian Afro-Spiritual artiste Enam Keteku Angela, widely known as Enam, has called on her fellow musicians to prioritise their cultural heritage over imitating foreign styles in their music.
In an interview with Graphic Showbiz, Enam expressed concern about the growing trend of Ghanaian artists, especially emerging ones, replicating Western influences rather than crafting original Ghanaian sounds.
“As a nation, we can only thrive and surpass existing standards by promoting authenticity in our creative industry. We must represent Ghana with genuinely Ghanaian creations. We can never be more American than Americans. While we can mimic them, we can never truly become them,” she said.
As a passionate advocate for Afro-Spiritual music, Enam also called for greater recognition and support for the genre.
According to her, it carries a profound spiritual force that connects people to their ancestors and has the potential to resonate with global audiences.
“I founded Afro-Spiritual, a music style inspired by an ancient genre from the Hadzivodushis of the Yahweh Shrine,” she explained.
She described spiritual and ancestral music as an art form deeply rooted in history and human experience, with the power to evoke the struggles and resilience of the past.
“The spirits behind pure Ghanaian sounds are magical. These are the wailing souls of those who endured slavery, torment, and abuse. They sang through tears and sweat as their blood filled the oceans and rivers they crossed. They imprinted these sounds in the realms, making them eternal,” she said.
“When we invoke them through their sounds, they hear us and respond. The atumpan, fontomfrom, gongon, konga, bells, horns, shakers, and chachas—we don’t realize what we’re missing,” she added.
Enam described spiritual and ancestral music as a divine calling that cannot be ignored. “It’s a purpose that must be fulfilled, and nothing can stop it, not even me. I’ve tried. Imagine being guided by the spirits of sound, losing the desire to compete or imitate what’s considered normal. You find yourself transcending the ordinary, bringing depth to what seems shallow.”
“It’s more than just creating spiritual music; it’s about receiving cosmic sounds and messages from sacred realms. These are gifts from spirit guides that make life more meaningful and purposeful,” she shared.
Beyond her studio work, Enam has gained a reputation for her electrifying live performances, earning spots on prestigious stages across Ghana.
She highlighted some of her notable performances, including the opening and grand finals of 2024 Ghana’s Most Beautiful, the 2024 3Music Awards, Detty Rave 2024 with Smallgod, and Black Sherif’s Zama Disco show.
ID/MA
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