Children's Play Songs a Means of Education in Akan Culture Ama Terra Pearson

SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad DigitalCollections@SIT African Diaspora ISPs African Diaspora Collection 4-1-1994 Children's Play Songs A Means Of Education In Akan Culture Ama Terra Pearson Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/african_diaspora_isp Recommended Citation Pearson, Ama Terra, "Children's Play Songs A Means Of Education In Akan Culture" (1994). African Diaspora ISPs. Paper 75. http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/african_diaspora_isp/75 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the African Diaspora Collection at DigitalCollections@SIT. It has been accepted for inclusion in African Diaspora ISPs by an authorized administrator of DigitalCollections@SIT. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CHILDREN’S PLAY SONGS A MEANS OF EDUCATION IN AKAN CULTURE AMA TERRA PEARSON COLLEGE SEMESTER ABROAD, GHANA SPRING 1994 DR. DANIEL AMPONSAH (KO NIMO) UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, KUMASI AND KORDZO WILLIE MOZANO SCHOOL OF MUSIC, MOZANO TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements … … ii Abstract … … iii Methodology … … iv Introduction … … 1 Physical Activities of the Play … … 2 Song Texts … … 7 Conclusion … … 19 Appendix I: Photographs .. … 20 Appendix II: Song Texts and Movements … 28 Appendix III: Musical Notation of Songs … 47 Bibliography … … 56 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to extend my sincere thanks to my two advisors, Kordzo Willie and Dr. Daniel Amponsah (Ko Nimo), for their tremendous help throughout my project. My gratitude goes out to the organizers of the children’s activities, Madam Abena Tanoa of Adonkrono, Margaret Acquah, Rebecca Acquah, and Hannah Mensah of Ashim. I wish to thank of of the children of Adankrono, Ashim, and Mozano who so enthusiastically shared their songs and plays with me, and Joana Afful, Adwoa Edua, Janet Annoful, Adzo Atta Aidoo, Doris Aidoo, and Nana Jeesa-Maica Forson for so patiently helping me learn and translate the songs. I also extend my gratitude to Kwabena Omane Agyekum for his devoted assistance, Daniel Kodwo Okai and his wife Abena Julie for so generously taking me into their homes. I also wish to thank Opanin Kwabena Anane and Kwame Wisdom Agbetsiafa and to all the people of Adankrono, Ashim, and Mozano for their warm receptions. ABSTACT In this study I examine the play songs of children in several Akan communities. I have collected and transcribed songs from Adonkrono in the East region and Ashim/Mozano from the Central region and described the actions which accompany the songs. In the text of this paper, I discuss the movements and the texts of the songs. I discuss the ways in which they reflect the culture and their educational value to the children who take part in these activities. Through this analysis I hope to show some of the ways in which the play songs both reflect the culture and educate the children in this culture. Thus, I hope to convince my readers that these songs play an important role in the Akan culture are essential for this community. METHODOLOGY The two sides in which I chose to conduct my research were chosen in part as a result of personal contacts. I was first introduced to Mozano through our academic program. I chose to return to this site after making several connections there with students from the music school as well as a teacher at the music school who became one of my advisors, Kodzo Willie. Mozano seemed to be an appropriate site given that there was both a music school where I could observe formal instruction of music as well as a rural setting in which to observe and take part in spontaneous music in its natural setting. I chose to split my research between two sites so that I would have variety of contexts and thus acquire a better idea of what aspect of the songs and their setting were specific to that area and which were common to other villages. When I discussed my intentions with Kordzo Willie he suggested that I spend time at Adankrono as my second site. One of his friends, Kodwo Okai, was both form Adankrono and had just last year studied children’s songs there. Thus, Adankrono could offer me both personal connections that would allow me more access to the culture, and the assurance that there would be children ready to share their play songs with me. To collect and record may data I took photographs, recorded on cassette, participated in the activities, and transcribed, translated and learned the songs with help form some of the children and members of the community. I have also supplemented these activities with formal and informal interviews to give me a more solid foundation to direct and hold up my own analysis. Due to my lack of a video recorder, photographs and audio cassette recordings were the next closest forms of representation to allow me to share my experiences with others. I wanted to take part in the activities so that I could experience them for myself as best I could, while also realizing that my experiences of them was inherently different from that of the children who had grown up with them and among the culture of which they were a part. I wanted to avoid the tendency to observe these activities from afar and without actually experiencing them. I also wanted to be able to actively take my experiences with me into the rest of my life so that I am able to share my experiences with others. While I was able to learn some songs by heart, it was different to remember the words given my lack of fluency in both Twi and Fanti. Another difficulty was the lack of time which I was allotted, especially after the already short time I had planned was reduced even more due to my sickness. I would have liked to have time to go back to the sites for follow-up questions which arose as I experienced and faced new issues later in my research. For my analysis of the data I referred in part to the pieces of analysis which I picked up from people at the sites, both in formal and informal interviews. I also spent several days after my site experiences talking with and searching for more clues of analysis from Ko Nimo, my other advisor. I also used observations and knowledge I had gained through the semester in Ghana as well as several books and articles. INTRODUCTION Every culture has some form of education for its youth. Through this educational process the children acquire skills which will help them function in their society. In many societies, especially those with a strong oral tradition, music plays an important role in this process. It is an effective vehicle through which to impart knowledge on the children and help in their overall development. A common form that this takes is that of song and especially songs of play and games. The traditional culture of the Akan people is one which is abundant with children’s play songs. In many Akan villages where these songs are still plentiful they serve an important role in the educational process of the children. However, many of these communities are drifting from these traditional activities with the arrival of western influences. Some of the strongest distractions away from these traditional activities come from the installation of electricity and with it television, films, and music from cassettes. As children are lured by these attractions, the traditional play songs are placed in jeopardy. My interest in these songs comes from my desire to lean, first-hand, the role that they play in the educational process of the children. I hope that as a result of my research is not only satisfy my own desires to learn, but also encourage the continuity of this wonderful tradition of play and thus of the culture of which they are a part. PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES OF THE PLAY The lessons of the physical activities which accompany these children’s songs play an important role in the child’s development. They teach the children skills which are useful in their successful functioning in society. Given that so much of their work throughout their life involves physical exercise and labor, a fit body is an essential aspect of their overall development. Through the activities of these play songs the children exercise their bodies in such a way that stimulates growth both physically and mentally. They learn skills of coordination, physical endurance, flexibility and skills which directly prepare them for specific activities in their lives. Some of the activities are not physically strenuous, but still play an important role in the children’s training. The following games involve activities which tech the child skills of coordination. One such game is that of rock passing (fig fig.1 in Appendix I, and songs 1 and 2 in Appendix II). The passing of the rock is a steady rhythm teaches the children both hand-eye coordination and tests their flexes and grabbing skills. As the pace quick end, the reflexes must be especially alert so as not to disrupt the rhythm and end in a crushed hand. Both “Kuturuku” (song 11) and “Atatratui” (song 13) and test the children’s coordination skills and alertness. These are both games of piling hands on top of each other. In “Kuturuku” the hand must be properly folded into a fist with the thumb under the fingers. The children must not be too hasty to put their fist on the pile or they might forget to properly fold their hand. During “Atatratui” the hand must match palm to palm and back to back. The participants must pay close attention to the pile of hands and to the people around them who may also be rushing to place their hand in the pile at the same time, thus causing the other child to place his/her hand in the wrong position.

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