Many people round the world have had their life enriched by being taught by, seeing a performance by, or just spending time with the great Ghanaian master drummer Okoe Ardyfio. Okoe very sadly died a few weeks ago at the terribly young age of 56, after being ill for several years.

He leaves behind a family of five children - Laureen 20, Katherine 16, Patricia 13, Pistis 9 and Cyrus aged 3 - all cared for by his wife Anita.

He also leaves the amazing Akrowa group of drummers and dancers, most of whom he personally trained, and in whom lies the legacy of Okoe's knowledge of Ghanaian traditional drumming and dance. These drummers and dancers depend on their work in Akrowa to support their families, and we all depend on them surviving as a group for Okoe's work to live on.

In Ghana the death of someone like Okoe brings with it significant costs for the funeral which must be born by the family. Especially if you had any experience of him and his music, and if you are able, we would ask if you can donate some money to honour Okoe and his memory.

Any money raised through this page will be split equally between :-

Supporting Okoe's children and wife.

Supporting Akrowa to re-establish themselves following Okoe's long illness.

Contributing towards Okoe's funeral costs.

You can also help by sharing this appeal through your social media networks. Okoe came into our lives 10 years ago, but we know he has travelled for many more years and made connections all over the world - we’d like to reach out to as many people as possible. In addition if you feel you might be able to contribute towards supporting Okoe's children’s education on an ongoing basis please email Tom at tom@interrupto.com.

Tom Bancroft and Amy Geddes, Pathhead, Scotland

19th March 2021