July 12

                On my way to the market today, when people said “asang” to me, I was very proud to be able to answer. Amazing how I am walking alone and speaking to locals, which would have terrified me a week ago.

Tonight Michael invited us out for dinner with Aaron, Kofi and Senyo, three of our teachers. Taylor and I were the only two who are not feeling the homework noose beginning to tighten. (I’m so glad a did most of the readings back home) Chez Afrique is quite fancy and has the prices to match, but the food was delicious and the live band was very good. Guitar, bass, synth, trumpet, and drums, they played an upbeat African fusion that seems very common for live bands here. We’ve been told by several sources now that live music is hard to come by in Ghana.  Military rule in the 1980’s put a stop to the night scene and when the curfews were lifted, electronic music filled the void before musicians had a chance to return. It is a real shame considering how much music there is here.

Kofi, our flute teacher, asked me to dance and took his flute on stage to jam with the band.

July 13

                This morning we went to see a dance performance in a Zongo, which is the Ghanaian word for slum. It is usually associated with Muslim immigrant neighborhoods.  We were having some trouble getting ahold of our host, so we spent a good deal of time driving around the side streets and observing the people. Our conversation kept returning to the topic of poor sanitation. The condition of the houses we can get out heads around, but the amount of garbage in the streets and the disgusting condition of the open gutters really strikes us. Ghana has enough resources and stability that it could have a sanitation program in place, but they don’t.

We were finally met by a man on a side street who led us down twisting turning back alleys which reminded me of a scene from Oliver Twist. We were led into a compound and offered plastic lawn chairs to sit on. We were then given a brief lecture on the history of the dances we were about to see. It does add an extra level of appreciation to the dances when you know something about their meaning and where they came from.

We interview Kofi, the group leader about his favorite dances and he said he likes latin salsa. I am reminded of the article on Congolese Rumba, which tries to explain how latin music caught on so fast in West Africa. The author thought it was the similarities in the complex rhythms. Kofi says it’s the fluid way the dancers move.

One young man, a tall dancer named Kefas, talked about how great it was that he moved here from the Volta region and brought his dances with him, but here in greater Accra he is learning dances from all over Ghana and Africa. This improves him as a dancer and a person, but by keeping the connection with his own dances he is maintaining his identity as an Ewe. I am reminded of the article on Ewe Rural urban interchange, and I wonder how many regional traditions will be identifiable to his children, or will the dances all blend together into a new cosmopolitan culture for the next generation? Kofi says that it is good to learn dances from other cultures, but that when you go abroad to perform you must show your own culture. People want to see where you come from and you need to stay connected to who you are. He talks about the coming of the djembe to Ghana and how it is changing the way young people play Panlogo, and so changing the very sound of Ghanaian music.

Kofi is an incredible character for many reasons. 20 years ago he started this dance troop as a livelihood for street kids. He says many of them have gone on to dance in international troops. We found out the reason that we had trouble getting a hold of his was that his wife had just dies and he was busy making funeral preparations.  Someone pointed out the poster advertising her funeral. Nelly died in childbirth at the age of 31. It was her sixth baby. This thought is hitting me very hard. I know that my life choice would be thrown into harsh light compared to the lives of Africa women. I am terrifies of becoming a mother at all, little own dying in childbirth and leaving behind a husband and 4 children!

The most amazing part of this was the reaction of her family. They view death very differently here. Not only was Kofi willing to go with the presentation, but he drummed and sang and danced with more energy than anyone. Even his two little girls (about ages 9 and 5) Rachel and Ramla, or Momy and Mimi as  they were nicknamed, were running  happily across the dance floor, darting out of the way of the dancers. It was only when he introduced them and they affectionately climbed into his lap that I caught a glimpse of a family in mourning. I want to badly to understand how Rachel feels about loosing her mother. I am in awe at the emotional fortitude of these people. They show a strength and a desperate love for life and family that I probably will never know.

Tonight we attended a gospel concert, or at least the Ghanaian version of Gospel. I noticed almost right away that it was a bit different from the Gospel of the American South, although you can still see some of the influences. There is always a soloist, all 4 performers were female and amazing stylistic singers, a backup choir of about 20 voices, and a western rock backup band of guitar drums and bass. As we sat down I wondered how the exchange of modern vs traditional would pan out here and I guessed that this concert would be almost exclusively western.

The first performer was an amazing singer but sang exclusively in English and I found myself wondering what was African about all this. It  seems like a really hyped up version of Christian Rock from back home. The music and vocal styles might even be considered a little out of date back home.  But then the second singer started a piece in Twi and the crowd sprang to its feet and started jumping and waving with total reckless abandon. Then my attitude began to change. African Music, over the last 100 years, has done an amazing job of holding onto its roots and displaying them with pride, while still rolling with the times and evolving with new musical elements and instruments.

According to what we learned about the recording industry, 60% of Ghana’s music production is in Gospel Music and the industry is dominated by women. One of our source videos explains this by saying that Gospel does not have the sleezy reputation that Jazz does, so girls pursuing vocal careers are much more likely to go into gospel.

What I want to know is how much of this industry is influenced by American spiritual choirs and why has it branched into pop music rather than choral based music? Also, what is it about Gospel that makes it so popular in Ghana?