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Music of Ghana and Tanzania
MUSIC OF GHANA AND TANZANIA: A BRIEF COMPARISON AND DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS AFRICAN MUSIC SCHOOLS Heather Bergseth A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTERDecember OF 2011MUSIC Committee: David Harnish, Advisor Kara Attrep © 2011 Heather Bergseth All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT David Harnish, Advisor This thesis is based on my engagement and observations of various music schools in Ghana, West Africa, and Tanzania, East Africa. I spent the last three summers learning traditional dance- drumming in Ghana, West Africa. I focus primarily on two schools that I have significant recent experience with: the Dagbe Arts Centre in Kopeyia and the Dagara Music and Arts Center in Medie. While at Dagbe, I studied the music and dance of the Anlo-Ewe ethnic group, a people who live primarily in the Volta region of South-eastern Ghana, but who also inhabit neighboring countries as far as Togo and Benin. I took classes and lessons with the staff as well as with the director of Dagbe, Emmanuel Agbeli, a teacher and performer of Ewe dance-drumming. His father, Godwin Agbeli, founded the Dagbe Arts Centre in order to teach others, including foreigners, the musical styles, dances, and diverse artistic cultures of the Ewe people. The Dagara Music and Arts Center was founded by Bernard Woma, a master drummer and gyil (xylophone) player. The DMC or Dagara Music Center is situated in the town of Medie just outside of Accra. Mr. Woma hosts primarily international students at his compound, focusing on various musical styles, including his own culture, the Dagara, in addition music and dance of the Dagbamba, Ewe, and Ga ethnic groups. -
1 the Impact of African Traditional Religious
The Impact of African Traditional Religious Beliefs and Cultural Values on Christian- Muslim Relations in Ghana from 1920 through the Present: A Case Study of Nkusukum-Ekumfi-Enyan area of the Central Region. Submitted by Francis Acquah to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology in December 2011 This thesis is available for library use on the understanding that it is copy right material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any university. Signature………………………………………………………. 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT My first and foremost gratitude goes to my academic advisors Prof. Emeritus Mahmoud Ayoub (Hartford Seminary, US) and Prof. Robert Gleave (IAIS, University of Exeter) for their untiring efforts and patience that guided me through this study. In this respect I, also, wish to thank my brother and friend, Prof. John D. K. Ekem, who as a Ghanaian and someone familiar with the background of this study, read through the work and offered helpful suggestions. Studying as a foreign student in the US and the UK could not have been possible without the generous financial support from the Scholarship Office of the Global Ministries, United Methodist Church, USA and some churches in the US, notably, the First Presbyterian Church, Geneseo, NY and the First Presbyterian Church, Fairfield, CT. In this regard, Lisa Katzenstein, the administrator of the Scholarship Office of the Global Ministries (UMC) and Prof. -
Title Al-Hajj Afa Sulemana Senior Lecturer of Religious Studies at University of Ghana and Head of the Alliance of Muslim Associations
Title Al-Hajj Afa Sulemana Senior Lecturer of Religious Studies at University of Ghana and Head of the Alliance of Muslim Associations Creator Owusu-Ansah, David Sulemana, Al-Hajj Afa Mumuni Description This was a general conversation about the Muslim community in Ghana and its internal structures; the nature of traditional leadership and how it is evaluated by the western educated Muslims. We also touched on the issue of inter-religious tolerance in Ghana and the reasons for such a high degree of accommodation. Recorder ID: 001-A-002-OADavid.....2005-07-20. Length of interview 55:12 July 20 2005 University of Ghana, Mr. Mumuni Sulimana, Senior Lecturer of Religious Studies--teaching courses Quran, Hadith, Contemporary Islam in Ghana and Africa. His research interests are in Islam and Politics, Islamic education, and Muslim Non- Governmental organization (NGOs) Topic: Islam and Tolerance in Ghana. Interview following the introduction of the interviewee. Q. Do you perceive the Muslims and the Muslim Community of Ghana as tolerable (Muslim-Muslim relations and Muslim-non-Muslim relations)? A. Generally our followers share the view that Muslims are not tolerant among themselves. What I mean is that we have different doctrinal groups as far as Islamic in Ghana is concerned. In more cases we realize that each group takes its views to be absolute and finds it difficult to listen to the other side and this manifested in intra- Islamic conflict as it was the case in the late 1990s --the case of conflict between the Ahl- Sunni (radical vs. conservative Sufi oriented Tijanniya) on minor issues that could have been resolved. -
Review and Reflections:Music and Dance Traditions of Ghana
Review and Reflections: Music and Dance Traditions of Ghana by Doris Green, M.A. Retired Fulbright Scholar/US Department Cultural Specialist President of Pan African Performing Arts Preservation Association Doris Green is an ethnomusicologist, musician, dancer, certified teacher of Labanotation, and creator of Greenotation, a system for notating the percussion instruments of African ensembles that enables one to notate the music, and align it with the dance movements, creating an integrated score with a conterminous relationship just as it is in Africa. Born in Brooklyn, did her undergraduate and graduate studies at Brooklyn College and New York University respectively. She was a faculty member at Brooklyn College, Teachers College, New York University, New School for Social Research, and Adelphi University. She has received three CUNY Faculty Research Awards, enabling her to teach and conduct research in more than 25 nations in Africa. As the recipient of the Fulbright Award she spent a year teaching her system of notation in Ivory Coast and the Gambia. She is a former US State Department cultural specialist to Ghana where she taught members of the Ghana National Dance Ensemble and students/members of the Noyam Dance Group from the Ghana State Theater how to write dance on the computer (she and her students appeared on national Ghana television demonstrating dance performance). Samples of her work can be found at: http://www.dorisgreen.org/, http://web.me.com/dorisgreen/African_traditions/Welcome.html Introduction The music of Africa is an oral tradition that has existed since the beginning of time. Any society that is totally dependent upon oral communication for the transmission of its culture between generations is doomed to failure because of outside interpretation and the breakdown of the human memory over the course of time. -
Symbolisms of Hair and Dreadlocks in the Boboshanti Order of Rastafari
…The Hairs of Your Head Are All Numbered: Symbolisms of Hair and Dreadlocks in the Boboshanti Order of Rastafari De-Valera N.Y.M. Botchway (PhD) [email protected] Department of History University of Cape Coast Ghana Abstract This article’s readings of Rastafari philosophy and culture through the optic of the Boboshanti (a Rastafari group) in relation to their hair – dreadlocks – tease out the symbolic representations of dreadlocks as connecting social communication, identity, subliminal protest and general resistance to oppression and racial discrimination, particularly among the Black race. By exploring hair symbolisms in connection with dreadlocks and how they shape an Afrocentric philosophical thought and movement for the Boboshanti, the article argues that hair can be historicised and theorised to elucidate the link between the physical and social bodies within the contexts of ideology and identity. Biodata De-Valera N.Y.M. Botchway, Associate Professor of History (Africa and the African Diaspora) at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, is interested in Black Religious and Cultural Nationalism(s), West Africa, Africans in Dispersion, African Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Sports (Boxing) in Ghana, Children in Popular Culture, World Civilizations, and Regionalism and Integration in Africa. He belongs to the Historical Society of Ghana. His publications include “Fela ‘The Black President’ as Grist to the Mill of the Black Power Movement in Africa” (Black Diaspora Review 2014), “Was it a Nine Days Wonder?: A Note on the Proselytisation Efforts of the Nation of Islam in Ghana, c. 1980s–2010,” in New Perspectives on the Nation of Islam (Routledge, 2017), Africa and the First World War: Remembrance, Memories and Representations after 100 Years (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018), and New Perspectives on African Childhood (Vernon Press 2019). -
They're Ghana Love It!: Experiences with Ghanaian Music for Middle
They’re Ghana Love It!: Experiences with Ghanaian Music for Middle School General Music Students A Smithsonian Folkways Lesson Designed by: James B. Morford Puyallup School District - Puyallup, WA Summary: This lesson is intended to develop knowledge regarding Ghanaian music. Students will experience the musical cultures of Ghana through listening, movement, game play, and percussion performance. Lesson segments are designed to stand alone, but sequential presentation may yield greater success as the experiences progress toward more rigorous performance requirements for both the students and instructor. Suggested Grade Levels: 6-8 Country: Ghana Region: West Africa Culture Group: Akan, Dagomba, Ewe, Ga Genre: World Instruments: Voice, Body Percussion, Gankogui, Axatse, Kidi, Kagan (or substitutes as suggested) Language: N/A Co-Curricular Areas: Geography, Social Studies National Standards: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9 Prerequisites: Experience playing and reading music in 6/8 time Objectives: Listening to and viewing musical expressions Identifying cultural and musical traits of Ghanaian music Understanding the role of a common fundamental bell pattern Identifying aurally presented rhythms using written notation Playing a Ghanaian children’s game Performing traditional/folkloric polyrhythmic structures Materials: Fontomfrom, SFW40463_106 http://www.folkways.si.edu/rhythms-of-life-songs-of-wisdom-akan- music-from-ghana/world/album/smithsonian Gondze Praise Music (2), FW04324_103 http://www.folkways.si.edu/music-of-the-dagomba-from- ghana/world/album/smithsonian Music of the Dagomba from Ghana, FW04324 (liner notes) http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/folkways/FW04324.p df Brass Band: Yesu ye medze/Nyame ye osahen, SFW40463_109 http://www.folkways.si.edu/rhythms-of-life-songs-of-wisdom-akan- music-from-ghana/world/album/smithsonian Rhythms of Life, Songs of Wisdom, SFW40463 (liner notes) http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/smithsonian_folkway s/SFW40463.pdf M. -
THE DECLINE of S{U<FISM in WEST AFRICA: SOME FACTORS CONTRIBUTING to the POLITICAL and SOCIAL ASCENDANCY of WAHHA<BIST
THE DECLINE OF S{U<FISM IN WEST AFRICA: SOME FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ASCENDANCY OF WAHHA<BIST ISLAM IN NORTHERN GHANA by MOHAMMAD SAANI IBRAHIM A dissertation submitted to faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Institute of Islamic Studies McGill University Montreal Submitted: October, 2011 c. Mohammad Saani Ibrahim, 2011 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I have had the unique honor of benefitting from the advice of three directors of the Institute of Islamic Studies as my supervisors, each of whom provided expert guidance in spite of their weighty responsibilities. They were Professor Uner Turgay, Professor Eric Ormsby and Professor Robert Wisnovsky. Each made an indelible mark on my scholarly achievements, to the extent that their contributions cannot be recounted in this small space. To each of them I express my immeasurable gratitude. As is often said to scholars and educationists -- ‚your reward is in the heavens.‛ To my current supervisor, Professor Mustafa Khalid Medani, who is another ‚heaven- sent‛ individual delegated to lead me along this scholarly path and who was always ready to assist me in diverse ways, I offer my deepest thanks. He has patiently and painstakingly guided me through the progress of my work with advice and materials, extending from the preparations for my comprehensive examination through to the writing of my research proposal and its defense up to this momentous stage of submitting the thesis itself. To the rest of the academic staff of the Institute, all of whom provided precious advice, whether personally or in the classroom, such as Professor Issa J. -
Understanding the Folk Islam of the Dagbani-Speaking People: a Prerequisite to Evangelism in North Ghana
Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertation Projects DMin Graduate Research 1996 Understanding the Folk Islam of the Dagbani-Speaking People: a Prerequisite to Evangelism in North Ghana Sampson Kenneth Twumasi Andrews University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin Part of the Missions and World Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Twumasi, Sampson Kenneth, "Understanding the Folk Islam of the Dagbani-Speaking People: a Prerequisite to Evangelism in North Ghana" (1996). Dissertation Projects DMin. 136. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dmin/136 This Project Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertation Projects DMin by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in the Andrews University Digital Library of Dissertations and Theses. Please honor the copyright of this document by not duplicating or distributing additional copies in any form without the author’s express written permission. Thanks for your cooperation. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. -
Ghana: Changing Values/ Changing Technologies
CULTURAL HERITAGE AND CONTEMPORARY CHANGE SERIES II, AFRICA, VOLUME 5 GHANA: CHANGING VALUES/ CHANGING TECHNOLOGIES Ghanian Philosophical Studies, II Edited by Helen Lauer The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy Copyright © 2000 by The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy Gibbons Hall B-20 620 Michigan Avenue, NE Washington, D.C. 20064 All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Ghana: changing values/changing technology: Ghanaian philosophical studies / edited by Helen Lauer. p.cm. – (Cultural heritage and contemporary change. Series II, Africa; vol. 5) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Technology—Ghana. 2. Technology—Philosophy. I. Lauer, Helen. II. Title: Ghanaian Philosophical Studies, II. III. Title: Ghanaian Philosophical Studies, two. IV. Title: Ghanaian Philosophical Studies, 2. V. Series. T28.G4C37 1999 99-37506 338.966706—dc21 CIP ISBN 1-56518-144-1 (pbk.) TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements iii Preface George F. McLean xiii Introduction Helen Lauer 1 PART I. CULTURE AND CHANGE Chapter I. Culture: the Human Factor in African Development Kofi Anyidoho 19 Chapter II. Modern Technology, Traditional Mysticism and Ethics in Akan Culture George P. Hagan 31 Chapter III. Traditional Ga and Dangme Attitudes towards Change and Modernization Joshua N. Kudadjie 53 PART II. SOCIETY AND CHANGES OF VALUES Chapter IV. Counterproductive Socioeconomic Management in Ghana A.O. Abudu 79 Chapter V. Informalization and Ghanaian Politics Kwame A. Ninsin 113 Chapter VI. Manipulation of the Mass Media in Ghana’s Recent Political Experience Joseph Osei 139 PART III. TECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN CHANGE Chapter VII. Plant Biodiversity, Herbal Medicine, Intellectual Property Rights and Industrially Developing Countries: Socio-economic, Ethical and Legal Implications Ivan Addae-Mensah 165 Chapter VIII. -
SYLLABUS MUH 3530: POPULAR and TRADITIONAL MUSIC of AFRICA (Taught in Fall 2011 at the 2000 Level; MWF 4Rd Period; Music Building 144)
SYLLABUS MUH 3530: POPULAR AND TRADITIONAL MUSIC OF AFRICA (Taught in Fall 2011 at the 2000 level; MWF 4rd Period; Music Building 144) Instructor: Larry Crook Phone and email: 273-3171/[email protected] Office and Hours: University Auditorium 301; MW—5th period and by appointment GENERAL DESCRIPTION This course examines selected topics in African music history. Class periods include lectures, discussions, music listening, video viewing, live presentations, and interactive participatory sessions involving music making. The course begins by introducing broad issues involving the representation of African music, the role of music in African social life, and the ways in which African musical traditions have impacted and been impacted by colonialism and globalization. The course then focuses on selected musical traditions linked (geographically and historically) to Africa. Several themes run through the course: interconnections of traditional and popular forms of music, the effects of colonial and post- colonial enterprises, internationalization, mass media, and music’s role in shaping identity. We will spend time listening to the sounds created by a wide variety of African musicians and in discussing contemporary topics. Pre-requirements: MUH 2501 or permission by the instructor. OBJECTIVES Increase students’ knowledge and enjoyment of African music Introduce students to diverse of African musical traditions Improve students’ ability to discuss and describe musical styles, structures, and concepts Enhance students’ knowledge of African musical history REQUIREMENTS Each student must attend class, complete required reading, listening, and viewing assignments, participate in class discussions, take three in-class exams, participate in discussion groups, participate in and present a group project be respectful of yourself, other students, and the instructor. -
ISRL 2020 WHITE PAPER Muslims Interrelationships with Christians & Traditionalists in Ho, VR, Ghana
College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Ohio State ATI Dr. D. R. Elder, [email protected] ISRL 2020 WHITE PAPER Muslims Interrelationships with Christians & Traditionalists in Ho, VR, Ghana THE PROJECT UNFOLDS This Center for Global Studies ISRL-supported white paper originates in a series of experiences while traveling to Ghana and building relationships with Ghanaians in Ho, the capital of the Volta Region of Ghana, West Africa. For 15 years, Ms. Linda Houston and I led month-long residencies, Ohio State ATI’s Ghana Research and Education Abroad (GREA). During each, students spent an afternoon discussing Islam in Ghana with the imam of the Central Mosque. We also scheduled afternoon programs with two Muslim women, Christian women leaders, and traditional religionists. The warmth and openness of all the participants led to many eye-opening interactions and exchanges. During each residency, we also spent an evening with traditional storytellers, who shared riddles and moral tales. In 2015, our Ghanaian program coordinator, Dickson Asase, scheduled a storyteller, Awudu Kwami Osumanu, whose mother grew up as a Christian and whose father was a Muslim. Osumanu, who works as the chief butcher of Ho, was a great storyteller. However, what really engaged us were his memories of his youthful experiences trying to live “with a foot in each world”—Muslim and Christian. Osumanu opined, “A child raised in two houses will not grow.” When Awudu’s mother died, he moved to his father’s house and chose Islam. (15 May 2017) The GREA program also had a habit of planning and executing a student-faculty research project each year. -
ECFG-Ghana-2020R.Pdf
About this Guide This guide is designed to prepare you to deploy to culturally complex environments and achieve mission objectives. The fundamental information contained within will help you understand the cultural dimension of your assigned location and gain skills necessary for success. The guide consists of 2 parts: ECFG Part 1 introduces “Culture General,” the foundational knowledge you need to operate effectively in any global environment. Ghana Part 2 presents “Culture Specific” Ghana, focusing on unique cultural features of Ghanaian society and is designed to complement other pre- deployment training. It applies culture-general concepts to help increase your knowledge of your assigned deployment location. For further information, visit the Air Force Culture and Language Center (AFCLC) website at www.airuniversity.af.edu/AFCLC/ or contact AFCLC’s Region Team at [email protected]. Disclaimer: All text is the property of the AFCLC and may not be modified by a change in title, content, or labeling. It may be reproduced in its current format with the expressed permission of the AFCLC. All photography is provided as a courtesy of the US government, Wikimedia, and other sources as indicated. GENERAL CULTURE CULTURE PART 1 – CULTURE GENERAL What is Culture? Fundamental to all aspects of human existence, culture shapes the way humans view life and functions as a tool we use to adapt to our social and physical environments. A culture is the sum of all of the beliefs, values, behaviors, and symbols that have meaning for a society. All human beings have culture, and individuals within a culture share a general set of beliefs and values.