Magic System, Yemi Alade and Mohamed Ramadan sign a catchy anthem, the clip of which was unveiled a few days ago, to assure the participants of the African Cup of Nations that a great celebration awaits them in Ivory Coast, host of the sporting event.
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In “three days”the music video for the song Akwaba, anthem for the next African Cup of Nations (CAN) which will be held from January 13 to February 11, 2024 in Ivory Coast, has reached one million views, rejoiced A’Salfo on X (ex-Twitter), the leader of Magic System. The title, the video of which has been available for a few days, is performed by the Ivorian group, the Nigerian Yemi Alade and the Egyptian rapper Mohamed Ramadan.
“Akwaba”, which means “welcome” in several ethnic groups of the Akan group found notably in Ivory Coast and Ghana, in West Africa, has become a generic term used by Ivorians to express their hospitality .
The music video for “Akwaba”, which starts with a view of the stadium Olympic Games Alassane Ouattara d’Ebimpé built for CAN 2024, is a postcard from Ivory Coast. In an airfield, the members of the group Magic System, dressed in various traditional outfits of the country, sing while waiting to welcome Yemi Alade and Mohamed Ramada.
The celebration of football and all Africans
The lyrics of their song recall the diversity of a continent and are aimed at all Africans, whether French-speaking, English-speaking, Arabic-speaking or Portuguese-speaking. They also evoke its values such as “Ubuntu”, a term in the Bantu language, which refers to “our common humanity”. Images of the Ivorian capital, Abidjan, and the city’s first cable-stayed bridge (fifth and last bridge built) scroll throughout the video. We discover, among other things, the famous Goli sacred dancer mask, alongside the CAN 2024 mascot “Akwaba”. Just like the famous Attiéké-Poisson, one of the essential dishes that you can taste in Ivory Coast.
In French, English and Arabic, Magic System, Yemi Alade and Mohamed Ramada promise CAN 2024 participants that they will “get excited”, (to party) in Babi, nickname of the Ivorian capital, but also in Bouaké (large city in the center), the political capital Yamoussokro (in the center), the seaside town of San-Pédro (West) and Korhogo, the largest city in the north of the Ivory Coast. All these cities will host the matches of the biggest sporting event on the continent. “Welcome to Babi, we are ready for you”we assure in Akwaba. Football lovers will judge next year on their own.