"Mixing the Western opera repertoire with African percussion and beats? For that, you need a delightfully unorthodox composer like Gorges Ocloo. In The Golden Stool, or the Story of Nana Yaa Asantewaa, he strikes out on unexpected musical paths."

"the opera is a celebration of a remarkable woman who led other women, as well as men, to resist the British Empire at its height, underlining the strong position that women have traditionally held in Ashanti culture. Ocloo and his vibrant cast tell this remarkable story with vitality, wit, magnificent singing and extraordinary dancing."

"The voices (truly the defining element of the performance) of soprano Nobulumko Mngxekeza-Nziramasanga and mezzo-soprano Nonkululeko Nkwinti dominate the stage."

"Ocloo has filled every centimetre of the stage with dance and every cubic meter of the year with sound. As Asantewaa/Mngxekeza-Nziramasanga declared while pointing to the audience: ‘They always told us silence is golden.’ But silent it will no longer be. All the stops are pulled out in this rousing and charming performance that brings to mind what Puerto Rican rapper Residente once said: With Ocloo ‘…you eat, even if you’re not hungry.’"

"The Golden Stool, or the story of Nana Yaa Asantewaa, est une déclaration extraordinairement puissante qui se sert du répertoire de l’opéra pour enfin raconter des histoires différentes, tellement plus nécessaires et d’orientation non occidentale. "

"That new hybridity of theatre, in interweaving performance styles and diverse cultural source material can be very enriching, especially today in the resilience of women of colour. With great care, Ocloo gives a voice to the forgotten strong women who have resisted and also paid an expensive price for it."

"Gorges Ocloo and Saar-Niragire De Groof are guests on Heleen Debruyne's show. They talk about Gorges' journey to Ghana, forgotten stories, and musical choices. Listen to the interview."

"Gorges Ocloo is making 'Afropera' for Opera Ballet Vlaanderen. Listen to the interview with Gorges Ocloo."

"A bold and provocative production, with a powerful symbolic message"

"Innovative and full of wonderful moments"

"I just love opera. The melodies are beautiful. But often the orchestration revolves around embellishments that are nothing but repetitions. You might as well leave them out. So, I started turning arias into new compositions. Carmen for instance, but also a piece from Rinaldo by Georg Friedrich Händel. And further away from opera, Ode an die Freude from Symphony No. 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven, plus the famous waltz An der schönen blauen Donau by Johan Strauss and on the other side of the spectrum, Respect by Aretha Franklin."