The #MabankeseChallenge has exploded. Women film themselves walking away from toxic situations (bad jobs, bad partners, bad friendships) with the chorus playing. It has become the official "walk away" anthem.
If you want, I can also provide a for Mabankese or compare it to other Ghanaian “food-as-love” songs like “Yɛn Ara Asaase Ni” or “Odo Adada” .
It is a song for:
The official music video for “Mabankese” (which has clocked millions of views on YouTube) deserves its own analysis. Directed by a notable figure in Asante visual storytelling, the video contrasts two worlds:
A great song requires great architects. Mabankese was produced by (real name: Kojo Apya), a producer known for reviving vintage highlife sounds. He revealed in an interview that the instrumental was recorded live in one take using a 10-piece band—no computers were used for the rhythm section. Akua Serwaa Bonsu - Mabankese
The song uses food imagery to discuss . The singer asks a loved one or suitor for “bankese” – not just as food but as a symbol of care, reliability, and shared life.
The climax of the video shows the man kneeling, offering a full ram and bottles of gin (traditional Akan apology rituals), but Bonsu walks past him without a glance. The final shot is her smiling at her own reflection—a powerful symbol of self-love. The #MabankeseChallenge has exploded
Before understanding the song, one must understand the woman behind the voice. Akua Serwaa Bonsu is not a newcomer to the Ghanaian music scene, though Mabankese has certainly catapulted her into a new stratosphere of fame. Hailing from the Ashanti Region, Bonsu grew up immersed in the traditions of Asanteman highlife and Adowa rhythms.
Akua Serwaa Bonsu’s "Mabankese": A Reggae Gospel Masterpiece If you want, I can also provide a
Her response earned her a standing ovation in the studio and further fueled the song's sales.