Nana Yaa Is Keeping Highlife Alive

At 28, Nana Yaa Asantewaa Boateng is one of Accra's most respected highlife musicians — and she's on a mission to ensure the genre survives. 'Everyone wants to make Afrobeats now,' she says. 'I love Afrobeats. But highlife is the root. Without the root, the tree dies.' She performs weekly at Alliance Française in Accra and has released two albums that blend traditional highlife with contemporary production. GhanaRoots Cultural Immersion Week includes a live performance from Nana Yaa, giving travelers a taste of Ghana's musical heritage.