The Art of African Culture
Documenting the role of music in Ghanaian society

by Vijay Rakhra, UC Santa Cruz

Akwaaba (welcome) from Ghana at the University of Legon. I am studying in Ghana for the fall 2002 semester. Everyone here from California is having a great time. Even the Ghanaians are excited that they are back in school and we all are exchanging ideas with one another. Americans and Ghanaians get along very well because we both love each other’s country very much. Even President Clinton is coming back to Ghana, this time as a private citizen so he can relax.

Going to school in Ghana is a great experience. However, for what I want to accomplish here I have to be outside class in the villages. In cooperation with the Institute of African Studies and some very respected African musicology professors, I have set up an independent study research project. The proposal is for a film about traditional drumming at funerals and festivals, two places where music occurs most frequently. The film takes audiences on a journey into different regions where we see how traditional music is performed in the village, far away from the capital city of Accra. We examine three main ethnic groups; the Gas, Ewes, and Akans to see how they celebrate, mourn, and connect social events with music. Every weekend I travel to different regions, filming—and best of all—drumming! Here in Ghana I am an active participant observer, one that gets to watch and learn but also take part in all the traditional rituals and rites of passage that occur.

I am also part of a local music and dance ensemble called Aziza. We perform at the National Theatre, Arts Centre, at festivals, and durbars (gatherings) of chiefs. I became involved in the group two years ago when I made my first visit to Ghana for a four-week drum and dance program. Aziza is also recording a CD of traditional and contemporary African music with Americans and Africans playing together, a first on the Accra music market.

Before I left for EAP I was thinking that more people would come to Ghana if they knew what they were missing. The only way to describe Ghana is to show Ghana, hence the need for a University of Ghana video. I am working with the head of the African Studies Department on a video to promote the educational opportunities offered here and to reveal the beautiful culture. Soon future EAP students will be able to see on video what the living conditions are like, what the food situation is, how we go to classes, and what we do outside class. You will also see portions of festivals, night life, tourist spots, and interviews with EAP students while they are here, actually experiencing Africa! Some Ghanaian professors will also give some helpful advice and background about some of the programs.

So to put it simply, here in Ghana I am doing exactly what I want to be doing and am on my way to attaining the goals that I set for myself. The possibilities are endless here for students of any field and I highly recommend the Ghana program to anyone who is adventurous and willing to learn and be a part of the Ghanaian traditions.

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