University of Education Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA STYLE AND LITERARY DEVICES IN DANGME KLAMA SONGS ELIAS NOMO TETTEH SEPTEMBER, 2016 University of Education Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA STYLE AND LITERARY DEVICES IN DANGME KLAMA SONGS ELIAS NOMO TETTEH A Thesis in the Department of Ga- Dangme, Faculty of Ghanaian Languages, submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, University of Education, Winneba in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Master of Philosophy (Ghanaian Language Studies- Dangme) degree. SEPTEMBER, 2016 University of Education Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh DECLARATION STUDENT’S DECLARATION I, ELIAS NOMO TETTEH, declare that this thesis, with the exception of quotations and references contained in published works which have all been identified and duly acknowledged, is entirely my own original work, and it has not been submitted, either in part or whole, for another degree elsewhere. SIGNATURE: ……………………………………………. DATE: ……………………………………………………. SUPERVISOR’S DECLARATION I hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of this work was supervised in accordance with the guidelines for the supervision of Thesis as laid down by the University of Education, Winneba. NAME OF SUPERVISOR: …DR. J. A. N. SAANCHI SIGNATURE: ………………………………………………… DATE: ………………………………………………………… ii University of Education Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am profoundly grateful to Dr. J. A. N. Saanchi, Head of the Linguistics Department of University of Ghana, for being my supervisor in this work. I am greatly indebted to him for making time out of his heavy schedule to correct my mistakes and making suggestions on this work. My profound gratitude and sincere appreciation goes to all the lecturers at the Faculty of Ghanaian Languages, University of Education, Ajumako campus, for their hardworking and dedication to work which enable me achieve this feat. I would also like to express my thanks to my dear wife, Esther Dansowa Okanta and my children whose never-failing support and cooperation made it possible for me to complete my course. My sincere thanks also go to my year mates at the M.Phil. level for the diverse ways by which they also helped me during my course, especially Miss Rosemary Tamakloe, Miss Cecilia Ofosua Odame, Messrs Gabriel Agbemehia, Gordon Bayor and Robert Bonsu. I cannot complete the list without mentioning Nɛnɛ Dadebom Anim II, chief of Salom, Ada, for the assistance he gave me. Nɛnɛ, May God richly bless you. Finally, I wish to thank all and sundry who contributed knowingly or unknowingly to the success of this work. iii University of Education Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh DEDICATION I dedicate this work to my wife and my family and to all the descendants of Nɛnɛ Kwadjo Nomo, alias Amanortser Scholar. iv University of Education Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh TABLE OF CONTENT CONTENT PAGE Declaration ii Acknowledgement iii Dedication iv Table of content v Abstract CHAPTER ONE 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background to the Study 1 1.1.1.The Klama Dance and Songs 2 1.1.2. Origin and Position of the Dangme People 4 1.2 Statement of the Problem 9 1.3 Purpose of the Study 10 1.4 Significance of the Study 10 1.5 Objectives of the Study 10 1.6 Research Questions 11 1.7 Delimitation 11 1.8 Limitation 11 1.9 Organisation of the Study 12 CHAPTER TWO 13 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 13 2.0 Introduction 13 2.1 Definition of Song 13 v University of Education Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh 2.2 Origin of Song 14 2.3 Why music Began 17 2.4 Music and Language 18 2.5 Music and Man 19 2.6 Western songs 21 2.7 African songs 22 2.8 Music in Ghana 23 2.9 Importance of music 25 2.10 Demerits of songs 29 2.11 What is style? 29 CHAPTER THREE 33 METHODOLOGY 33 3.0 Introduction 33 3.1 Research Methodology 33 3.2 Research Design 34 3.3 Population 36 3.4 Sampling 36 3.5 Data Collection Procedures 38 3.6 Data Analysis Procedures 41 CHAPTER FOUR 43 DISCUSSION, ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 43 4,0 Introduction 43 4.1 Analysis of the Songs 43 4.2 Themes 85 vi University of Education Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh CHAPTER FIVE 90 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECCOMMENDATIONS 90 5.1 Summary 90 5.2 Findings 92 5.3 Conclusion 94 5.4 Recommendation 95 REFERENCES 96 APPENDIX 98 vii University of Education Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh ABSTRACT The work aims at a qualitative study of Dangme klama songs. The study looked at the style, literary devices, meanings and moral lessons the songs convey to its audience. The study reveals that the songs have many literary devices such as metaphors, parallelisms, repetition and so on. It was found out that there are a lot of respectable literature worthy of consideration that cannot be pushed or glossed over. In translating the songs from Dangme into English, a conscious effort has been made in order to maintain the actual meanings of the songs. In so doing, the richness of the language of the song text has been maintained. The study has also revealed various and varied embedded messages in the songs that point or at least make reference to the history, religion, culture as well as the harmonies and tensions within the society from which these songs were drawn. Some of the song texts were found to contain words whose meanings are not intelligible. However, the meanings of the words are implied to make the songs meaningful. Finally, klama songs serves as check and balance on the behaviour and general lives of its singers. viii University of Education Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Background to the Study Man is ontologically an expressive being, and both actions and reactions consequently permeate our mode of life and living. The song mode is one of the many ways through which our supressed emotions are released. Music and dance, and for that matter song, like language, is an indispensable element in human life. It is a basic characteristic of the human species. The two stem from the need for human beings to communicate. Music therefore plays a social role similar to that of language. Sanortey (2012) says songs are very important form of communication. Through them one would be able to identify some important people and the legacy they leave behind in society as well as why and how certain things are done among some group of people. Citing Geraldo (2001:22), he states that the art is simply the communication of emotions and that sentiments experienced a thousand years before us could still affect us today because of the way they are evoked. Through the aesthetic values of song, one is able to link the past and the present and identifies where he or she belongs to. This is common with places of origin or origin of settlement, clans and traditional occupations. Song also serves as a source of entertainment. It also sometimes teaches moral. Song can be used to admonish bad behaviour and make people to be patriotic. Again song is also used to encourage good behaviour. In Ghana in general and among the Dangme in particular, music is one of the main connections between men and their God and serves as their constant companion. 1 University of Education Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh There are songs that tell stories, explain mysteries and express feeling and insights. There are songs that pay tribute to or request the help of the gods and goddesses of rivers, the wind, the rain, the thunder, the sky and all the other objects of the universe. There are songs to accompany the things one does from birth to death; songs older men sing to adolescent boys in preparation into manhood, songs of courtship, wedding songs, songs of fetish priests, warrior songs, children songs, lullabies, songs to guide the spirits of the dead to the world beyond this one. There are songs also that go with the movement of works; sowing songs, grinding songs, hunting songs, fishing songs and others. Music or singing is therefore a social and religious activity which should not be ignored in society. Klama songs, the main topic for this essay is no exception. It plays a major role in the lives of our elders who saw the need to embrace and preserve the songs. 1.1.1 The Klama Dance and Songs Huber (1963) says klama is the traditional play of all Adangme tribes and a great number of its texts refer to god and medicine. Puplampu (1953) says Klama is the great repertoire of songs and poems in which Dangme history, proverbs, wise saying, medicine, tradition and romance are preserved. It is in the Klama songs that we find the basic language from which all forms of modern Dangme have developed. It has the same character and is cherished with the same fondness in all Dangme land. At all the dipo puberty rites, feasts, stool festivals and seasonal gathering of the priest of the great national deities, enthusiastic drumming and singing of klama ren ds the air from the evening till the small hours of the morning and often till dawn and later. It 2 University of Education Winneba http://ir.uew.edu.gh must have something in it to have been able to survive throughout the years of Dangme history. Klama is by far the most important and oldest dance among the Dangme. Its origin is not known unlike other dances like Kpatsa, Ohuεsabe, Obonu, Lolo and many others.