Gully goes to Ghana

Already boasting a long list of achievements in his career, the Gully Gad Mavado reached a personal milestone last weekend when he performed in Africa for the first time. Mavado performed for a 10,000-strong crowd at the Accra Sports Stadium in Ghana.

"Long time mi suppose to reach Africa fi sing fi di people," said Mavado. "But nothing before time. It was a great experience and I felt so at home there. Ghana reminded me so much of Jamaica. I loved it."

From the moment Mavado arrived in Ghana, it was pandemonium as crowds followed him everywhere he went, whether on foot, by bike or car, as he did the promotional rounds and hung out at various spots in Accra. Mavado had to remain in the car he was in for nearly 20 minutes when he arrived at the stadium for his performance, because of the excitement surrounding the motorcade. When Mavado finally emerged to enter the stadium's field, he was surrounded by fans who formed a massive circle around him as he walked.

The Fantasy Entertainment promotion reportedly pulled one of the largest crowds ever seen for a reggae event in Ghana. A slew of Ghanaian performers put on strong performances, from reggae to dancehall, rap, drumming and traditional genres. Samini, the Ghanian headliner, put on a great show with his band before making way for Gully Gad, backed by Anger Management band.

The large crowd erupted as Mavado ran out with So Special and he had the audience captivated for over an hour and a half, singing song after song with him. It seemed the Ghanaian people identified most with Messiah 'No Food, No Water', words from the song, were emblazoned across T-shirts for sale at the venue. Hope and Pray also got a massive response, Mavado having to sing the song several times to satisfy the crowd.

"I had to give them almost everything," said a sweat-soaked Mavado after the performance. "The people showed me crazy love and made me so welcome since I came here, so I had to give them a special performance. I can't wait to return and I look forward to performing in other African countries in the near future."