On March 22, 2025, the High Commission of Barbados to Ghana celebrated ‘We Gatherin’ with Wode Maya’ at the Oasis Lounge at Accra’s Alisa Hotel. Barbados’ ‘We Gatherin’’ is an initiative by the government of Barbados to galvanize Barbadians and the rest of the world to visit Barbados in 2025. The event brought together government officials, diplomats, captains of industry, creative artists, academics and heritage to pay tribute to storyteller extraordinaire Wode Maya’s achievements in promoting African excellence, and his impactful outreach to Barbados, the Caribbean and the diaspora.
Notable attendees joining the Barbados High Commission on this occasion were the Kofi Okyere Darko (Director of Diaspora Relations), Edward Annan (CEO, Passion Air), Dr. James Orleans-Linsay, (CEO of JL Properties) Andrew Takyi-Appiah (Co-founder & Director, Zeepay), Hon. Kofi Yankah of the African Heritage Museum and legendary Ghanaian artist Rocky Dawuni, to name a few.
The special event included recognition of Wode Maya’s impact by the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, a tribute song was adapted and sung by leading Barbadian artist Edwin Yearwood and featured a short biographical documentary produced for the occasion on the evolution of Wode Maya, his brand, his motivations, charitable work and his growth to over 2 million followers. The outpouring of sentiment touched all present including Wode maya and his wife Ms Trudy. In her feature address, H.E Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland recognized that Wode Maya’s journey to showcase African excellence brought him to Barbados, but it has been his authenticity and sharing of Ghanaian culture that endeared him to all encountered. Kofi Okyere Darko , Director of Diaspora Affairs praised the Barbados High Commission’s commitment to making concrete links between tourism, culture and trade by citing the showcase of “Rhythm On Da Runway” fashion show and designers on Barbados national television. Dr. Erica Smith, CEO of COSCAP (Copyright Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers Inc) in Barbados announced Wode Maya commitment to sharing his industry knowledge with others and jointly conducting a workshop for Barbadian creatives on monetizing social media scheduled for June this year.
On receiving a gift from the Barbadian High Commission, Wode Maya delivered an inspiring appreciation speech and urged the audience to “start believing in dreams, and not just success.”
‘We Gatherin’ with Wode Maya’ was a testament to the enduring ancestral bond between Ghana and Barbados. The opportunity to showcase Barbados tourism products, through our engagement and appreciation of Wode Maya provided an innovative and creative backdrop to launch planned tourism initiatives such as Trade missions, tours, participation in Guba Awards 2025, and facilitating cultural exchanges. For more information on Barbados, please contact the Barbados High Commission at [email protected]
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