The Republic of Ghana, is a unitary presidential constitutional democracy, located along the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean, in the subregion of West Africa. Ghana means "Warrior King" in the Soninke language.
The territory of present-day Ghana has been inhabited for a millennium, with the first permanent state dating back to the 11th century. Numerous kingdoms and empires emerged over the centuries, of which the most powerful was the Kingdom of Ashanti. Following over a century of native resistance, Ghana's current borders were established by the 1900s as the British Gold Coast. On 6 March 1957, it became the first sub-Saharan African nation to become independent of European colonization.
A multicultural
nation, Ghana
has a population of approximately 27 million, spanning a variety of ethnic,
linguistic and religious groups. The largest population is of the Akan people, with the Akan language being predominately spoken. The Akan people are also the largest group in the Ivory Coast as well.
The traditional musicology of Ghana may be divided geographically between the open and vast savanna country of northern Ghana, inhabited by Ghanaians of Gur and Mande speaking groups, and the fertile, forested southern coastal areas, inhabited by Ghanaians speaking Kwa languages such as Akan.
The northern musical traditions belong to the wider Sahelian musical traditions, and feature a mix of melodic composition on stringed instruments such as the kologo lute and the gonjey fiddle, wind instruments such as flutes and horns, and voice; with polyrhythms clapped or played on the talking drum, gourd drums or brekete bass drums. The tradition of gyil music (balafon) is also common, especially in northwestern Ghana around Wa and Lawra. Music in the northern styles is mostly set to a minor pentatonic or chromatic scale and melisma plays an important part in melodic and vocal styles. There is a long history of either griot or praise-singing traditions.
The music of the coast, associated with social functions, relies on complex polyrhythmic patterns played by drums and bells as well as harmonized song. Drums and dance are often linked, and the tradition of royal talking drums fontomfrom (distinct from the northern talking drum) means music is widely used for communication of both tangible and esoteric topics. The most well-known of southern Ghanaian drum traditions is the kete and adowa drum and bell ensembles.
Music can also be
linked to traditional religions. An exception to this rule is the Akan
tradition of singing with the Seperewa harp-lute, which had its origins in the
stringed harps of the north and west.
One of the richest percussion cultures in Africa can be found in the Asante People.
Ghana is home to an incredible array of drums and percussion instruments.
Zaabia
Asante Drums: Aburukuwa, Kwadum & Apentemma
Lo-Gyil
Gyil
The Manhyia Palace Museum is a historical museum located in Kumasi, Ashanti, Ghana and situated within the Manhyia Palace. First established in 1925 as a private residence for Asantehene Agyeman Prempeh I (who had been returning from almost three decades of exile), the Museum currently provides fair insight into the culture of Ashantiland and Ghana's cultural legacy from before its colonization by Great Britain.
Aslatua are a pair of dried swawa gourds filled with pebbles that form round rattles attached by a single string. They are most common in Ghana.
The zaabia is a vessel-rattle used by the Dagbamba people of northern Ghana, and is played alongside the spike fiddle gondze. The zaabia is most frequently played by female members of families that traditionally play gondze, but is not exclusively a female instrument.
Gahu (Gah-HOO), a recreational style of music of the Ewe (EH-way) people of Ghana, Togo and Benin that is popular around the world.
According to Ewe Master Drummer Emmanuel Agbeli of Kopeyia, Ghana, Gahu is an adaptation of Kokosawa, an older African drum-and-dance style that originated with the Yoruba people of Nigeria. In his telling, the Ewe took Kokosawa and increased the tempo to more than double its original value, resulting in the much livelier Gahu. Because Gahu is social music, it has no inherent religious or spirituals connotations, nor is it reserved for a specific time of year or specific people in the community.
A traditional Gahu ensemble is comprised of six different instrument types (pictured below), each with a distinct construction, sound, and rhythmic character:
3 - Boba drum (pronounced boh-BAH): lead/master drum. By playing specific rhythmic cues, the boba player guides the entire ensemble, including the dancers, through the various sections that comprise the form of Gahu.
4 - Sogo drum (pronounced SOH-goh): low-pitched accompaniment drum. One of two “response” drums, the sogo’s pattern can change in response to rhythmic cues played on the boba. Traditionally, there is one sogo in a Gahu ensemble.
5 - Kidi drum (pronounced KEE-dee): medium-pitched accompaniment drum. One of two response drums, the kidi’s pattern can change in response to rhythmic cues played on the boba. Traditionally, there is one kidi in a Gahu ensemble.
6 - Kagan drum (pronounced kah-GAHN): high-pitched accompaniment drum. Third timekeeper part. Traditionally, there is one kagan in a Gahu ensemble.
Form of Gahu
Because Gahu belongs to a folk tradition, varying renditions and interpretations abound. The overall structure of the present-day arrangement of Gahu in Kopeyia, Ghana, begins with a short introduction of the much slower Kokosawa (a nod to Gahu’s roots) followed by the up-tempo main section that is, broadly speaking, what we might think of as a sort of rondo:
ABA—ABCABC—ABDABD—ABEABE—ABFBABFB—ABGBABGB—ABH
The main A section of Gahu — referred to in Ghana as “free movement” on account of the breezy, economical style that characterizes the dancers’ movements during this section — is almost always followed by a contrasting B section, known as “serious movement” due to the increased intensity of the dancers’ movements. Serious movement is almost always placed directly between free movement and one of the variation sections: C, D, E, F, G and H, respectively.
* Ewe drumming is very diverse and is played in many slightly different ways. For example, a Ewe musician from Togo may play a piece or instrument slightly differently from the way a Ewe from Ghana does. The Fon people of Benin are a great example of this. The Fon people construct their villages, towns, and cities on water, and because of this, they do not play the same upright drums other Ewe play. Instead, they place large gourds on water as drums.
This drum is incredibly cool, sounds like a leopard growling. Used to startle enemies while hiding in the bush.
Dagbe Cultural Institute & Arts Centre in Kopeyia
Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, Ghana - Honors the rich traditions of the Asante People
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