On December 24, 2022, the Jamaican-themed event known as “PinexGinja”, will make its return to Accra, Ghana, and Kingston, Jamaica. The event represents a merging of Ghanaian and Jamaican cultures and was first held in December of 2018 as the first party in Ghana to include a Jamaican deejay playing with the best selectors in Ghana. The success of that first party resulted in demand for similar events worldwide, and for an encore appearance in Accra in 2019 to mark the “Year of Return.” The 2022 staging will be the first since 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic and is designed to celebrate the things the two nations have in common: in particular, love and unity.
The fourth staging of PinexGinja in Accra will highlight its origin in dancehall culture. It is will be held at the Rehab Beach Club, the venue that hosted Kendrick Lamar when he was in Accra earlier in 2022 with his album-listening party. The theme for PinexGinja 2022 is “Chale Wi Tallawah,” a phrase that combines Ghanaian and Jamaican words: “chale” means “friend” in Ghana, while “tallawah” means “strong” in Jamaica.
The goal of the MCBS Group, the organizers of PinexGinja, want to build on the experience of connecting individuals in the African Diaspora and bringing the same kind of authentic experience of Jamaica to people in Ghana. According to Mark Beckford, founder of PinexGinja, the event is meant to use Jamaican dancehall and musical culture as a way to connect the Diaspora.
The December 24, 2022, event will feature DJ Quenchie of Jamaica, DJ Khalid and Nyah de Selecta from the United States, Maleek DJ of Ghana, and Lissa Monet of Canada. Beckford believes that Jamaican culture travels well, as evidenced by the Verzuz online battle between Beenie Man and Bounty Killer and the appearance of Usain Bolt in Stormzy’s music video. PinexGinja expanded to West Africa in 2022, with Nykeeba Brown, who lives in Lagos and is known professionally as DJ Quenchie, who believes Jamaican culture “has a place” in the city, which has 15 million residents.
