On 15 October every year, HKW celebrates the life and work of one of the most important musicians of the twentieth century, Fela Kuti. The initiative’s title, A Felasophical Gathering, alludes to the fact that Fela was not only a musician, but also an activist, political being, and philosopher. The annual gathering brings together musicians, scholars, activists, storytellers, and other co-voyagers of Fela Kuti to unpack the Fela curriculum.

19:00 The Berlin Afrobeat Company
As in 2024 and 2025, the concert programme is opened by the Berlin Afrobeat Company (BAC), founded in West Berlin in 1978 following a legendary performance by Fela Kuti & Africa 70 at the Berlin Jazz Days. After that concert, many of the ensemble’s most important members decided to stay in Berlin. Today, the BAC consists of a group of international musicians based in Berlin who are dedicated to preserving and developing Fela Kuti’s music through live shows and various initiatives. 

20:30 Santrofi
The main act of the evening is Santrofi, a supergroup from Accra who combine their passion for classic highlife grooves with the energy of hip hop. Santrofi was founded in 2019 by a group of enthusiastic young musicians with a shared love of classic highlife, the music of their parents and their childhood, fed by vintage vinyls and radio hits that live on in their memories. They honed their craft playing in the bands of famous Ghanaian musicians such as Ebo Taylor, Ambolley, Pat Thomas or the highlife star AB Crentsil, with whom they were in the studio shortly before his death. They have also played with popular contemporary stars such as Kidi Yaw Tog, Arathe Jay, Black Sheriff, and many others.
Their debut album Alewa (2020) was already hailed internationally, with many critics suggesting the group were reviving the Golden Age of Highlife. In 2023, Santrofi teamed up with Berlin’s Omniversal Earkestra for a spectacular concert that was also released as a live album. In 2025, their latest studio album, Making Moves, was released on the Outhere Records label. The record celebrates the tradition of highlife whilst carrying it into the future: perfectly orchestrated, thanks to an Afrobeat horn section and highlife claves, it lends a funky dancefloor vibe to thought-provoking songs about everyday themes.