Ernest Borlabi Borketey was born in the town of Nungua in Ghana, West Africa. He grew up immersed in the culture of drum and dance. He has come to the United States with the dream of sharing his culture through performing and teaching traditional drum and dance. He trained for years under a Master Drummer which prepared him to perform all over the world. Ernest has performed in Australia, Korea, England, Canada and the US. The performances were in schools, festivals, parades and ceremonies.
Now living in New York he continues to perform and teach drumming of all types, including djembe, gome, kpanlogo, and the talking drum. He also teaches the traditional African dance in both individual and group lessons. Ernest arrived in the United States in 2005 with the Kusun Ensemble. He traveled throughout the US performing. In 2006, he returned to Ghana. Through the workshops Ernest inspired many to drum and people would travel from Europe, Australia, other parts of Africa and the United States to learn from him. In 2007, Aloha-Africa brought him to Hawaii to train their drummers. He spent two years there performing in festivals, schools and teaching workshops.
Ernest Start working with The Akwaaba Ensemble in 2010.