Entertainment of 2026-10-15
Ace Ankomah preserves 150 years of Mfantsipim music in anniversary album
Lawyer and Mfantsipim old boy Ace Anan Ankomah has documented 150 years of the school’s musical heritage in a special anthology featuring historic hymns, anthems, highlife classics and contemporary compositions.
The project, launched as part of activities marking Mfantsipim School’s 150th anniversary, seeks to preserve the songs that have accompanied generations of students and kept the school’s musical history alive for future generations.
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Speaking to the media on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, Ankomah explained that the project was intended to complement the school’s anniversary celebrations by creating a permanent record of its musical traditions.
“Whilst we document and tell our story in the events, we also thought that we should leave an everlasting memory of the school songs in the recordings.
“That is what informed my project. So it is telling Mfantsipim's story through music,” he said.
The anthology contains 14 tracks, covering different periods in the school’s history.
These include the Methodist hymn All the Saints, the school anthem Jane Shackand, compositions from 1976 and songs produced for the current anniversary celebrations.
Ankomah explained that some of the songs have several versions, including vocal, orchestral and Fante renditions.
The school hymn, for instance, has about five versions in the collection, while Jane Shacked, written in 1910 and adopted as the school anthem in 1936, features both vocal and orchestral renditions.
The album also brings back works by past composers, including the Mfantsipim Ode and Mfehanum, alongside two highlife songs recorded by Kodjoe Donkor in 1976. Ankomah said the project was an opportunity to honour the musicians who contributed to the school’s history.
He worked on the recordings with sound engineer Herbert Ebenezer Crassie.
The collection also includes the sesquicentennial anthem written by Flores Adoko and a jama composition Ankomah produced with Alfred Jam and the Joyful Wee Crew.
The project will be made available to the public through digital music platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, while music videos of some of the songs are already available on YouTube. Ankomah said he had handed over 1,000 limited-edition pendrives and 100 red vinyl records to the anniversary planning committee for distribution and sale.
Beyond preserving the songs, Ankomah urged current students to uphold the discipline and values associated with the school, saying the lessons learnt at Mfantsipim could shape their character long after they leave the classroom.
He cited the school’s culture of discipline, including the strict inspection routine that required students to carry two neatly folded handkerchiefs, as an example of habits that stayed with him throughout his life.
“I believe that if the school goes through them, it will build a character of excellence, and they will go through it and also live lives of excellence,” he said.
ANAS/EB
Ace Ankomah Preserves 150 Years of Mfantsipim Music in 14-Track Album
