Helen


 * Ghana traditional music and dance**


 * Traditional Music**

Ghana is usually described as a place full of festivals, music, and traditional dances. There are very view communities, clans or tribes who lack an occasion to celebrate every year. In Ghana there are three types of music; - Ethnic or traditional music (usually played at festivals and funerals) -"highlife" music (which is a mix of both traditional and imported music) - choral music (performed in churches, schools, concert halls and at colleges)

There are many different type of instruments used to perform music as well as dancing, these instruments are all very unique to Ghana culture. Musical Instruments

AxatseThe name of a type of rattle or idiophone. This is made by hollowing out a gourd (a large furit that cannot be eaten) or a calabash ( a hard covered fruit from a tropical plant used for containers). Beads are then attatched to this hollow hard covered fruit shell with string which is woven around in a somewhat fishnet style.

GankoguiThe name of this double bell or gong. It is constructed from iron. In general Ewe music as well as during Atsiã in especially, the gankogui keeps the time. This is vital to any performance as it serves as a common reference point for everyone in the group.

Kaganu is a narrow drum. It is about two feet tall, its head is about three inches in diameter and it is open at the bottom. The main function of kaganu is to give some flavor to the music.

Kidi is a drum which is about two feet tall, its head is about nine inches in diameter and has a closed bottom. Kidi is a drum which responds to calls from the lead drummer.

Sogo is the largest of the supporting drums used to play Atsiã. In some other pieces it is used as a lead drum. It is about two and a half feet tall, its head is about ten inches in diameter and it is closed at the bottom.

Atsimevu is the lead drum. It is a narrow drum approximately four feet tall and its head is about eleven inches in diameter. The person who plays atsimevu provides a variety of strokes to produce a tonal and rhythmic language which imitates speech.

Childs Drum Carved fro a single piece of wood, covered in skin to create the drum head. It belongs to the percussion family.


 * Traditional Ghana Dance**



Bamaya (a dance to make the rain come)

Bamaya is a dance performed on the way to the shrine. The men become silent, dress in women clothes, wear headbands and lipstick and parade around the village when they perform this dance. It is often performed and created into a series of dances that are done at harvest time. The story about this dance Bamaya is that a village that was very dry did the dance to bring rain. It began to rain and rained so much that the villagers were left to perform a mud dance. This cultural dance has a valuable lesson that you must be careful what you ask for, you may get it. Bamaya is always danced with a belt that defines the movement of the waist with tassels and ornaments. Ankle bells are also worn.

Damba/Takai

In the past this dance, Damba, was danced at a religious festival. Now it is a non religious ceremony that is celebrated by the whole community and has been put to work into a harvest festival. The chief sits in state at his palace. The festival is headed by a paramount chief of the area. This is a series of dances that celebrate the birth of the prophet Mohammed. The first two rhythms are Damba and the rest is Takai. The Damba dance can be separated into two types. The naming of the prophet Mohammed is So Damba and the birthday of the prophet Mohammed is Na Damba. Damba is the defined dance of the Damba Festival which celebrates the birth of the Holy Prophet Mohammed. Damba is almost an edance that is obligatory for Dagomba chiefs, and it is one of the Dagomba dances well known to foreginers and outsiders. The dance is now associated with a festival celebrating a large harvest on the farm. Most festivals are centered around food and of course traditional dance.

Takai

Takai is a Dagomba area war dance. This war dance is performed for two reasons: -To train warriors - To show what occured on the field when they come back from war (almost as if the dance is a war story or movie)

The dance is traditionally performed by men. The sticks they carry were swords in the old days. In modern time the theater has put together Damba with Takai which is why you see women dancing it. The first rhythm is the tradition rhythm, the other rhythms were created in the 1960’s after the Arts Council of Ghana was created and they were trying to put traditional dances on stage. At that time people were trying to create around traditional dances.