The other week, I attended a conference marking the launch of a truck company in Accra. Although the content of the speeches themselves weren't exactly thrilling (heavy-duty earth moving equipment never really was my thing) by the end of the event, I was in a great mood.
The reason for my enjoyment was the entertainment that had been provided in between the speeches: the event organisers had invited a local youth choir to sing. As you can probably imagine, an African youth choir is a far cry from its British equivalents: these kids are born and bred gospel singers.
The choir sang about four times throughout the conference, providing a bit of light relief in between talk of the government's current road construction targets and the joys of waste removal. At the end, the chairwoman beckoned over the conductor to made a request.
Clearly, her choice was a good one, and nearly all of the audience (including the dignitaries on the top table) started to sing along. Moments later, the entire staff of the truck company were on their feet, dancing and singing in a large circle in the space between the speakers and the audience. A couple of journalists broke free from the press area to join them, followed by several of the invited guests.
Although it may sound like an isolated event, a similar situation had unfurled the week before, when, at a (possible even more exciting) conference, marking the launch of a new telephone directory of electrical contractors, African drummers and dancers were brought in at regular intervals to perform.
Music, it seems, is at the very heart of Ghanaian life. Whether you are listening to reggae playing over a taxi radio or overhearing a drumming practice down a side street, music is everywhere. On Sundays, gospel singing can be heard through the doorways of the many churches around town and choir practices take place most evenings in the school hall near my house.
According to The Statesman's sports editor, Sammy, the most popular types of music in Ghana are reggae, calypso, "highlife" and "hiplife". Highlife, an up-tempo, lively genre, uses traditional motifs and rhythms and is performed in a variety of local languages. It is extremely popular, and is the type of music that I hear most regularly.
However, according to Sammy, highlife is often considered a bit old fashioned by
younger Ghanaians, and many people prefer to listen to hiplife, a fusion of highlife with the more modern influences of R&B and hip-hop.
Although bit of a reggae man at heart, Sammy says that that he enjoys Ghana's more traditional music, and loves a bit of African drumming. The drumming, he explains, originated as a means of tribal communication, and is still used today on the news, when a drum beat that translates as "Ghanaians, listen!" is heard at the beginning of each broadcast. Perhaps this is the Ghanaian equivalent of the "beep beep beep beeeeep" that we associate with the BBC!
When asked why he thought that music was so central to Ghanaian life, Sammy explained, "Music and dancing are part of our culture. It's how we communicate and express ourselves. You can't be a Ghanaian without having a good sense of rhythm!"
Frankie Freeman
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