Akwaaba is dedicated to spreading African music and pop culture. Its founder Benjamin Lebrave started Akwaaba because he had found it way too difficult to access a whole lot of music from Africa. To resolve this, Akwaaba offers online distribution, promotion and marketing. It also works with artists to get them shows, studio collaborations, build their online presence, and even license music for film and TV: in short, Akwaaba covers a lot of ground to get artists more visibility and more money. And for fans, it offers a window onto the wide diversity of music being created all over the African continent.
Born and raised in Paris, Alwaaba’s founder Benjamin graduated from ENSAE (Paris Tech) with a double master’s degree in economics and statistics. Rather than further his education with a PhD at an Ivy League school in the US, he chose to put aside his not-so-funky background to follow his passion: music. Yet his strong analytical skills and work ethics are never that far away, and come in handy on a daily basis to ensure Akwaaba’s smooth operation. Speaking fluent French and English also helps. And being able to schmooze in Spanish and Portuguese doesn’t hurt much either. Benjamin now runs Akwaaba from Accra, Ghana.
