In the tradition of "The Harder They Come", "Saturday Night Fever" and “Once” – unique in contemporary music and story, a vehicle for a specific genre of music, and the ability to reach beyond the genre to attract a global audience – Akwaaba is a platform for African music and culture.

Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote about the many recent films portraying Africa as a place of corruption, violence, and disease: “It is exhausting having your conscience pricked so regularly.” Yet, Africa possesses enormous diversity and cultural richness that rarely is depicted by the media. What better way to represent a new, emerging Africa than through a romantic comedy featuring contemporary music and culture – a positive rendering of Africa, with no violence, disease, corruption or elephants!

An urban romantic comedy based on a true story, Akwaaba follows Gwen, a young American white woman who travels to Ghana because Ghanaian music touched her heart when she was young. Just fired from her job as an assistant at a record company in NYC, Gwen decides to visit Ghana, where she gets involved in the music business, working with a band that wants to establish a presence outside of West Africa.

Going through the usual ups and downs of a romantic comedy, with the added dynamic of Gwen being in very different cultural surroundings, she is able to obtain showcases in New York and Los Angeles, and a world tour. (When the movie is released, the band(s) actually will be on tour). Most importantly, Gwen finds what she is seeking in Ghana, inspiration in the people and in the music that will change her life.