The Ballanta Academy of Music and Performing Arts at 27 Liverpool Street in Freetown, together with its Groovy Colours Band, on Friday May 31, 2024 will hold a Jazz Evening in celebration of International Jazz Day. The event will be held at the Bintumani Hotel in Aberdeen in the west of Freetown, and it will attract different prominent artists.

International Jazz Day was declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2011 “to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe.” It is celebrated annually on April 30. The idea came from renowned jazz pianist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock. Nearly 200 countries participate in International Jazz Day