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Kwadwo Donkor: Highlife diplomat

Kwadwo Donkor was born in Ashanti in 1934 and attended Cape Coast’s prestigious Mfantsipim schools where, incidentally, he was Kofi Annan’s house-prefect. Between 1956-59 he studied history at the University of Ghana and was encouraged to use his piano skills for highIife by a group of university lecturers, which had formed the Achimota African Music Society (J.H.K. Nketia, Robert Sprigge, Ephraim Amu, and E.F. Collins).
As a pianist and highIife composer, Kwadwo Donkor, produced 20 albums 48 and numerous singles since 1958 with his APEMCO recording label and J\BJBIRAM publishing company.
From 1958 Kwadwo branched out into producing singles by guitar bands, such as E.K Nyame, Kwabina Okai, the Kumasi Youngsters and Kofi Djan, and by swing-jazz and calypso-influenced big bands ofE. T.Mensah’s Tempos and King Bruce’s Black Beats, – and Uhuru, with whom he later released a full album of his own compositions entitled ‘Big Sounds of Africa’.
Kwadwo produced and composed music as well as maintained a full-time career in the Ghanaian diplomatic service.
In the 1970s Kwadwo produced a live album of the 1972 National Brass Band Competition, released albums for the Ogyataana Band (including Obra Mu M’Asem) and a piano medley called ‘Ray Ellis Plays Highlife’.
During this period, Kwadwo also produced’ Ga Cultural Groups’ that played Ga folk tunes and local Accra street highlife. One was Wulomei, which he helped discover (with Saka Acquaye) and released its album ‘Walatu Walasa’; another was Dzadzeloi and its ‘Two Paddy Follow One Girl’ hit. He also used Uhuru to back flautist Oscar Sulley Braima with singer Eddie Ntreli in an Afro-beat/rock album entitled Oscar Sulley and the
N’zele Afrikana.
By the mid 1980s, Kwadwo set up his Abokyi Parts highlife dance band, which has made three albums. In 2000 Kwadwo became a Trustee of the newly-established Ghana Association of Phonographic Industries.

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Rex Omar and Amandzeba Nat Brew

Rex Omar  and Amandzeba Nat Brew belong to a younger generation
of highlife musicians, who utilize indigenous resources to create
highlife music, using state-of-art techniques.
Rex, Nat and Akosua Agyepong are the founding members of the NAKOREX band of the 1990s.
Rex had a big hit with his risque highlife song ‘Abiba’ (y.f adonkotuo Ye Me
De – Abiba’s Gyrations Are Sweet to Me). He has been on many international
tours, has had numerous collaborations with international artists and recently collected a Kora award in southafrica.
Amandzeba Nat Brew has also gone solo and has had a nyumber of recent
successful releases that are based on indigenous Ga ‘Kpanlogo’ and ‘La
Kpa’ rhythms like his ‘Kpanlogo Ye De’ and ‘Demara’ COs. These albums
have been popular in Ghana, Togo and Benin, where Amandzeba has
toured.
The third member of NAKOREX, Akosua, also has her own solo singing
career, and is married to Nat Brew
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John Collins

John Collins came to Ghana in 1952 and since 1969 has been involved in
the Ghanaian music scene as musician, bandleader, recording engineer, producer,
journalist and writer. He is a founding member ofBAPMAF (formed
in 1990) and is currently Head of the Music Department of the University
of Ghana-Legon. He is also a consultant for several music unions in Ghana
(including MUSIGA) and eo-leader ofthe Local Dimension acoustic highlife
band. John Collins supplied the Ghana entries/biographies and photos for
this brochure.
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Hewale Sounds

Hewale Sounds is a neo-traditional group, formed by Dela Botri in 1996,
and originally based at Professor J.H.K. Nketia’s International Centre for
African Music and Dance (ICAMD) at the School of Performing Arts,
University of Ghana. The instruments of the 12-person ensemble include
antenteben bamboo flutes, the Akan seprewa harp-lute, the goje one-stringed
Dagbani fiddle, two northern xylophones, the giant Ga gome frame-drum
and assorted local percussion instruments. The group also includes two
female singers/dancers.
The repertoire of Hewale Sounds consists of Ghanaian and other African
traditional music, their own compositions, and some contemporary music,
including their own rendition of high life, Afrobeat, Afrorock and American
jazz songs. The group has played extensively in Ghana and has toured in the
United States, Europe, West Africa and South Africa. In 2004 they played
alongside Stevie Wonder at the International Conference Centre in Accra.
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Kasena Nankeni: Dances

Nagla:

A dance performed by the Kasena Nankeni people of Paga and Navrongo in the Upper East Region of Ghana. In the olden days, it was performed at funerals but today, even though it still maintains this function, it can also be seen on most social occasions excluding marriage ceremonies. Movements in Nagla reflect the spirit of togetherness.

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Kasena Nankeni: Culture

The Bolga Basket:

Bolga_BasketsTEA (spoken Te – A ) basket with handle is produced in Bolgatanga.

Two types of weaving are done (and most weavers only know one of them): It is double weaving (two uprights and thin straw) and single weaving (one upright and thicker straw). If the basket has reached its size a mouth has to be done. Here uprights are combined and bundled round. The handle is woven inside that mouth, is combined in the middle and bundled round with straw. The end of the straws on the baskets are cut with a blade. The TEA is ready.

Now there is till the leatherwork to be one on the basket: The handle is sawn around with goatleather, which increases the comfort of carrying a basket and also increases its stability and durability.

The Bolga Basket Weaver:

Mobile_1st_may_09_029In north-east of Ghana, near to the border to Burkina Faso, Bolgatanga is situated, where the Frafra are the original settlers. (Scientifically spoken the Frafra are a larger ethical group, and the weavers belong to the smaller tribe of the Gurunsi. In Ghana however the weavers call themselves Frafras.) In this area about 120.000 people are living and not in every house or compound families or villages weaving is a predominant vocation.

Whilst agriculture – despite the poor soils of the Sahel zone – is the major occupation (millet, guinea corn, maize, groundnuts, beans, cattle and animal rearing) about 4000 people do weaving as a part time or even full-time occupation.
Most of them however see weaving as a side or additional occupation, as agriculture for self-sufficiency is their major profession. During the main farming season, weaving is neglected a little to give enough time for the harvest.

Out of the 4000 weaver we from Fairtrade Producer Society (FPS) co-operate and work together with 980 (survey and group registration 2002). They are from three villages: Gambigo, Nyarga and Sumbrungu.

In the individual compounds the weaver groups are organised like a family is together. To the outside, meaning towards the market and also our man Abu Sadik or Accraboy they are represented by their leaders. The Leaders – different for men and women – are the link to the market and are selected from the groups (families, between 5 and 30 people) themselves. Theirs is a service function: negotiate price, collect straw, collect money, transport baskets and straw, serve as communication link, such as orders, quantities, colours, style.  In case of discrepancies the leader is sacked.

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Dagaare: Musical Instruments

The Gyil:

The gyil, also known as xylophone, bala or balafone are tunned to the pentatonic scale. In Ghana there are three different The gyil is the primary instrument of three differnt tribe in Ghana; the Dagaare, the Lobi and the Sasaala. The instrument is traditionally made with 14 or 18 wooden keys of an African hardwood, called liga, or the Shea Butter Tree attached to a wooden frame, below which hang resonaters made fronm calabash and gourd. On the resonators spider web silk covers small holes in the gourds to produce a buzzing sound, nowadays that spiders silk web is replaced by rizzala paper, plastic bags or commonly now a delicatesant paper bag or airmail envelope which containes both paper and plastic. Antelope sinew and leather, or nylon rope are used to hold the notes together, while cow skin is bound around the frame to secure its sturdyness.The instrument is played by striking the keys with wooden beaters with rubber heads, the rubber heads are traditionally from the rubber tree, but now more commonly from truck tyres.
The gyil is usually played in pairs, accompanied by a drum.  It can also be played by one  person with the drum and the stick part as accompaniment, or by a soloist.

 

The Xylophone (Gyil) in Ghana is mostly played in the Northern Region by the Dagaare, Sisaala and the Lobi people, whose territory also extends into Burkina Faso.In certain areas the instrument is considered to be scared and played only for funerals, but generally xylophones are used for all kind of musical occasions. (weddings, funerals, religious ceremonies, popular events and any large gatherings). The Dagaara still play it today as a symbol of unity during gatherings to entertain the public.Xylophone making is considered sacred and for generations had been known to some very few families only. The knowledge has been passed from father to son by way of initiation. The Dagaars believe in the concept of One Allmighty God far away somewhere, who is in charge of all living things and beings on Earth and responsible for their actions. Therefore in ritual ceremonies tunes are played that are not to be used for ordinary occassions.

The Lobi Gyile.

Kakraba Lobi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z73DP1i1_KM

The Sasaala Gyile

The Dagare Gyile

 

Aaron Sukra Bebe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAqmo9ovaSQ

The Modern Xylophone:

The modern xylophone, is a complex assemble of various natural and industrious materials: Redwood is used in constructing the frame.  Cowhide and other skins  are cut into stripes and used in tying the frame or wooden structure together. Gourds are selected for size and then tuned to the exact pitch of the not they are hung under the key to resonate the sound producing a more fuller note. Hardwood (dead Shea Butter trees or Mahogany) is used for the keys. It is kilndried or seasoned and then cut to sizes of the bars. After Suspending it  over an open pit, which serves as a resonator for tuning  the back of the ends. The axe is used to cut out from the centre  to lower the pitch and cut from the end of the keys to raise the pitch. The scale is traditionaly pentatonic, in the modern xylophone the penatonic scale is kept but it is tunned towards  G – A – C – D – E.
The xylophone tuning is a rather relative one ( not getting the perfect C or other key) but rather it equalises the intervals.The keys are assembled on the frame with the gourds by a rope from  twisted antelope skin. Or more commonly now nylon rope.The wood for the keys is rare and can only been found in the Savannah and grassland zones of Northern Ghana and some areas that extend to Burkina Faso. For a tree to be used it must have died roughly five years previously, say in a bush fire. It will then be cut down cut into planks and the placed in a home made kilm for 5 days untill the moisture and all from the wood is gone.
The beaters or mallets had traditionally heads from thin stripes of rubber from the rubber tree, wound round the ends of a moulded piece of rounded wood, which is 30 cm long and 2-3 cm diameter thick to have a strong hold in the hand.  The modern version has a circle cut from a truck tyre.

Music by xylophone:

Xylophone is most commonly played in pairs, but can be a solo instrument or as part of a larger group., The two people sit facing eachother, a short distance apart. One playing a lead part the other a more rythmicly and harmonically repetative support part. People learn through hearing the music at a young age, so when they start to actually play they know the music in there head and body before they begin to play. They would play the support parts for many years befor beginning to playing the lead.

Christopher Doozie, the xylophone maker, player and teacher:

Hailing from Jirapa in the Upper West Region of Ghana, Christopher developed interest in playing xylophone already at the age of 6. His father then taught him how to make xylophone when he was 12. By copying his father Christopher mastered and his father initiated him at the age of 15. But also his father stressed on education, so Christopher became a professional and then came to Accra after his Secondary school education when he was 20 years. He then studied and  performed as an instructor at the Institute of African Studies at the University of Legon, Ghana. So he came into the contact of „Modern Xylophone and Music“. He had several appointments, including the National Symphony Orchestra. In 1990 he left the academic field and built up his workshop to construct xylophones.
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Dagaare: Dances

Bewa:

One of the oldest traditional dances of the Dagaare speaking people of the Upper west Region of Ghana. Bawaa is a ritual and ceremonial dance performed to celebrate the beginning and end of the rainy season, good harvest, New Year and other social events.Bamaaya
Bamaaya, meaning, “The river (valley) is wet”, is the most popular social music and dance of the Dagbamba of Northern Ghana. It began as a religious musical performance, but now functions during funerals, festivals, national day celebrations, and other social occasions. Dancing the Bamaaya requires a lot of waist movement and twisting. The maiden name for this music and dance, Tubankpeli, is now the main dance movement. Originally, only men took part in the dance while the women would sing, shout praises, and encourage the dancers. Now, Bamaaya is for both genders.

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Ga: Culture

Location:

They live along the coast of Ghana around the capital city Accra, towards the Togo border, as well as in the hills and mountains north of the Coast.

Religion:

Ga Priests are servants of the Gods and interrupter of the will of the gods to the people.

National cult is Kple. One of their Gods. Music history can be derived from Kple songs.

Festivals:

The are many festivals throughout the year the most famous of which is ‘Homowo’  The story comes from the history of the Gas’ migration to Ghana. The Ga migration to the West Coast of Africa was a long one.  Along the way they experienced much famine and suffering, but because they helped each other, they survived. Later, when their harvests were bountiful, they held a feast at which they mocked and jeered at hunger and the hard times that had plagued them.

Traditional Power:

The smallest social unit is the home – ‘we’. The biggest social unit is the ‘Kasi’ – the male line. The political head of the ‘Kasi’ is the ‘asafoatse’ –the sub cheif. They were traditionally a theocracy, their only leaders being priests assisted by the elders. The present chieftaincy system of rule being borrowed from the Akan model

Music:

Within their music they have also taken in the external influence of both the Akans and the Ewes.  Using the Akan and Ewe drums and music as their own. Cult music  Kple, Kpa and Apon. Recreational Music   Sonte, Oge, Gome, Kolomashie, Konkoma and Kpanlogo.

Language:

Dangbe and Ga

Economic:

They were farmers, fishermen, salt miners, blacksmiths, potters, weavers, bead makers and hunters and hunters. All these professions are still found but being around the developing capital, commerce has taken over a major aspect of there economic ventures.