Pappoe Thompson festival chalks 30

The 30th edition of the Pappoe Thompson Choral Festival has been held at the Centre for National Culture (CNC) in Accra. The festival honours the memory of the late Emmanuel Pappoe Thompson, an illustrious Ghanaian Ga composer and educationist, who contributed a lot to the development and promotion of patriotic choral music in this country.

He is also said to have contributed to the lyrics of the national anthem.

Participating choirs are obliged to sing some of Pappoe Thompson’s compositions as well as works by other Ghanaian composers.

Some of Pappoe Thompson’s best-known songs include ‘Miye Naanyo Ko’, ‘Ghana Aflangai ‘ and ‘Afrika Su Ke Eban.’

Groups that took part in this year’s festival included Fire Vibration, Treasury Choir, GHAPOHA Choir and the Freeman Memorial Methodist Church Choir.

In attendance at the programme was a large delegation from Pappoe Thompson’s family led by his son, Mr Ernest Thompson, a former Director-General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT). 

Also present were the director and management of CNC Accra, choral music lovers and the media.