In late September (2008) Afropop chanced upon an unusual concert at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.  A popular local reggae band, Buru Style, was backing up Shasha Marley, Ghana’s top reggae singer.  Marley is a huge star back home, and in his travels he performed with the late, great Isaac Hayes.  His fall 2008 American tour was more of a mission for his country than an act of self promotion.  Marley is part of a consort of Ghanaian artists who are promoting national unity in the run-up to Ghana’s presidential election in December, 2008.  All proceeds from the American gigs will help support an ambitious tour of Ghana aimed at bringing people together and pre-empting feared pre-election violence. 

Moments before Marley went on stage, he spoke briefly with Afropop’s Banning Eyre and shared a bit of his history, his vision for the coming Ghanaian tour, and an unexpected surprise about his new CD, Lost and Found.  Here’s their conversation.

B.E.:  To start, why don’t you introduce yourself?

S.M.:  Well, my name is Shasha Marley, coming all the way from Ghana, West Africa, as a matter of fact Ghana’s number one reggae artist at the moment because I just won the Best Reggae Artist award at the Ghana Music Awards.

B.E.: Congratulations.  That's terrific.

S.M.:  Thank you.

B.E.:  Shasha, tell me a little bit about your life before that?

S.M.:  Well, my musical career started when I was a little child and my mother was singing for the women's ministry of the church.  My father was a choir conductor, also in the church.  That's how I developed an interest in music.  I went to high school in the western region of Ghana, a city called Sekondi, at a school called St. John's School.  And we had a school band called the Matthew Chapter 5 Band.  That's how my interest in music grew.  Because when I got to high school, I was playing in the high school band.

B.E.:  How long ago was this?

S.M.:  A couple of decades, man.  I was in high school in the late 70s and early 80s.

B.E.:  So you have made a lot of music over the years.  When did you win this award?

S.M.:  Just this year.  April, 2008.  Best Male Vocal performance of the year, and Best Reggae Artist of the year, at the Ghana Music Awards.  And also, I've been nominated for the Kora Awards, like the Grammy Awards of Africa.  I've been nominated for Best West African Artist, and Best Reggae Artist.  Those awards are coming up in December in Nigeria.  It used to be a South Africa, and it's now going to Nigeria.

B.E.:  Tell me about this tour, and how it happened.  I understand this is only your fourth US show.

S.M.:  Yeah.  We are here for a very great purpose, because as you know, Ghana this year is having our presidential election, and there have been some kind of threats from some political parties.  So we are concerned citizens of our country and united Ghanaian artists for peace and development in Ghana, because we believe that without peace there can be no development, so we formed an initiative called the Ghana First Peace Train.  It includes a lot of Ghanaian artists who have won in the Ghana Music Awards, and we’re being supported by the World Bank, and the United Nations, and the Ministry of Culture in Ghana.  We're going to tour the whole country from the north to the south and east to the west.  We have 16 shows starting from October 10 to November 29.  And the election is going to be held on December 7.  So the last concert which is in November 29 is going be held in Accra, the nation's capital.  And exactly 1 week afterward, there will be elections.

Our friend Isaac Hirt-Mannheimer is establishing a school in Ghana, and he helped bring us here to raise funds to help support the Peace Train concerts.  Because he also believes that without peace there can't be any development.  So that's why were here, to play a few concerts and support the cause back home in Ghana.  I'm not here alone.  I'm here with Isaac, and I'm also here with a member of the management team of the Ghana First Peace Train.

B.E.:  Well, good luck.  That's a great project.  Why don’t you say a few words about your latest record, Lost and Found?

S.M.:  This CD has been reviewed by Taxi in Los Angeles, and they called it one of the best reggae CD’s coming out of Africa right now.

B.E.:  Tell me that a couple of songs.

S.M.:  Well, there's “Twin City Mafia,” which talks about my childhood days growing up in the slums, the shanty towns of Ghana.  And the hit on this CD is called “Maata Family.”  The song talks about three friends of mine from Papua New Guinea who helped me so much back in the days, and I'm trying to locate them and I can't locate them.  So that's what that song is about.  Then I have “Lost and Found,” “Promised Land,” “State of Mind,” “I’m Not Afraid of the Gospel of Jah.”  Great, great songs.  And the album features a great guitarist, Junior Marvin, who used to play with Bob Marley and the Wailers.

B.E.:  Where did you record this?

S.M.:  At Lion and Fox Studio in Washington, DC.

B.E.:  You’re kidding!  That's where our host Georges Collinet records for Afropop Worldwide.  What a small world.

S.M.:  Lion and Fox.  Great sound.  Great music.  You can't beat this CD, lost and found.  Go get it, from CD baby, or you can download from iTunes. 

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