Sakawa is a symphonic ballet in nine scenes, performed attacca. The title refers to the Ghanaian subculture of internet scammers, dubbed Sakawa Boys, who seek to increase their fortune through supernatural means. The story is a Faustian tale of a young Ghanaian man whose ambitions of becoming a high-rolling internet scammer cause him to strike a bargain with a mallam, or conjurer, who offers him increased power and wealth…but at an increasingly dire cost. The audio sample includes Scenes I-IV.

Scene Synopses:

• Scene I: The curtain opens on our protagonist, a young man. He is walking home after a long day of searching for work. He encounters an elderly woman, whom he helps cross the busy road, bustling with traffic. A soccer ball is kicked his way, which he briefly kicks around before tossing it back to some of the neighborhood kids. Once home, he is greeted by his ailing mother. He lies down to rest for the night as the scene suddenly changes. The sounds of a marketplace can be heard as the young man ventures out to search for work once more. The music in this scene is derived from the Ghanaian drum rhythm, Adowa, which is used in funeral services. One of the motifs featured throughout, a sort of mangled dies irae, is meant to evoke death and mystery, and is a herald of what is to come.

• Scene II: After having been turned away by everyone, down on his luck, the young man wanders into a mallam’s dwelling. It is an unassuming building in the slums of Accra which conceals a surprisingly lavish interior. Various servants tend to the home with an unnervingly dazed demeanor, as if possessed. The mallam appears as a hulking figure, covered in dusky robes and adorned with various magical objects. Seemingly telepathically, the mallam immediately knows the young man’s plight. He encourages the young man to start running scams online. After all, he argues, plenty of unemployed folks in Ghana make a decent living doing so. Additionally, the mallam tells the young man that if he prepares an animal sacrifice in the manner he prescribes, the young man will see great wealth and prosperity come his way. The young man is skeptical, but he agrees to the request, desperate to support his mother.

• Scene III: We see the young man slaughter a chicken and burn it, along with various arcane reagents. As he sits at his computer, he types with a newfound determination. Spirits begin to appear around him. This music was based on the Akom drum rhythm, which is used in possession rituals and is also related to death.

• Scene IV: The young man starts gaining money and popularity. He goes around town, buying medicine for his mother, and later buying new clothes, as he has a party to attend. We see him partying with two best friends as well as many women, who are hanging all over them. When he returns home, he is embraced by his mother when he hands her the medicine, as well as a beautiful necklace. He is redeemed in her eyes. What they don't yet know is that the worst is yet to come...

This movement is a loving tribute to trap music—the genre of rap originating in the American South which is currently dominating the pop charts the world over.