lessons with Moustapha Tete Addy

Okay... so Ghana is pretty cool (definitely not in the temperature sense though haha). We spent the weekend in a small village called Kokrobite just west of the capital of Accra. It was really nice to get away from the insanity of urban living here. Traffic here is insane. It can literally take you 30 minutes to drive a couple of miles as many of the roads are in poor condition and are far too small for the number of cars... lanes are definitely not paid attention to. Anyways, that's just a taste of daily life.

Kokrobite was paradise... definitely not the Africa portrayed in Western media. Palm trees, incredible beaches etc. I spent way too much time on the beach reading and hanging out with the local kids. I did my best to teach them hacky sack but they ended up using it as a soccer ball haha. Also had a chance to do a little body surfing. We stayed in an incredibly cheap place ($5 a night) where there was no running water and you had to take showers with water drawn from the well... I am convinced there is no better way to shower. Friday night they had a performance of traditional drumming and dancing and Saturday an African Reggae group performed. It was a lot of fun talking with the various people who pass through Kokrobite... various African travelers and a ton of Rastafas (is that how you spell that?). Only regret for the weekend... not wearing more sunscreen... ouch!

In the afternoons we studied drumming with a famous master drummer in Ghana... Moustapha Tete Addy. He is really an incredible man and it was enlightening to study with him. He lives on a compound right along the sea with a massive palm tree grove. There is nothing like coconut milk fresh from the tree!! A lot of his teaching is interspersed with life wisdom which was really fascinating. Very wise and charismatic man. We were able to hear a performance of his yesterday evening.

Time is already flying by. This is only the second week of classes but time will be speeding up soon. However, I know that this won't be my last time in Ghana! I am getting to know people in the group really well... Canadians are really cool... very laid back. School is going to be getting busier here fairly soon with a couple of upcoming papers. I am learning more than I can handle in terms of culture and music. The topics we are dealing with are really challenging but are incredibly mind opening. Everybody in the group is finding it hard to stay up to date with the readings and all since the culture is much more laid back than in the West. Caffeine, power, personal success and wealth don't drive society here. It is a very communal society where people will bend over backwards to help each other and where there is no rush getting from one place to another. Just being immersed in this society on a daily basis puts you into contact with amazing people and ideas.

It is funny... I came here expecting to learn about the conflict of Western and traditional African styles of music. But much of the music in Ghana doesn't have those barriers. The interaction and sharing of ideas between the two has been really mind opening. There are so many musical genres here it is overwhelming. Traditional drumming mixes with jazz which mixes with soul, reggae and everything that you can imagine. I have started taking lessons on the Seprowa (spelling?) a 10 stringed instrument used in a lot of Ghanaian highlife and other genres of music. Learning that and various drumming styles is giving me a feel for the wealth of Ghanaian music.

Getting in the flow of life here. I have officially broken my caffeine addiction! Ghanaians usually don't drink caffeinated beverages in the morning. Life is so much better without caffeine. Still haven't gotten sick even though I am eating everything that I shouldn't here. Usually go through a couple bags of fresh mango and pineapple a day. It is so good. Newest food... fufu... a giant blob of yam and cassava paste in a bowl of spicy tomato broth... a new favorite.

Classes are done for the week. We have a free weekend. Off to travel to a famous waterfall in the morning a couple of hours away from here. Then going to a wedding on Saturday... should be really cool. Hope everybody is well!

surreal

Having an amazing time here. I have been in classes for three days and am learning so much it is overwhelming. Every morning we have classes starting at 9:30 until 1 and then from 3 until 5:30. By the end of the day I am absolutely exhausted but ready for more the next day. On Monday we had a lecture from the famous Ghanaian ethnomusicologist named Nketia. It was amazing hearing his stories of how he worked with some of the most most well-known African leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah and Jerry Rawlings. He was incredibly influential in Ghana during the colonial period and worked side by side with Nkrumah, one of the founders of pan-Africanism, to develop Ghanaian music. His theories on ethnomusicology are incredible. We heard a piece that he composed for cello based on a traditional rhythm from Ghana. I am hoping to get a hold of the piece and possibly find a cello on campus. We are also currently working with a British- Ghanaian who has been living in Ghana for the past 40 years... John Collins. Collins has been incredibly influential in popular music here over the past couple of decades. He gives us lectures on how African and Western Music (much of which came from West Africa and crossed back to the continent) have merged and the variety of forms it has taken. His stories are amazing... working with Fela Kuti etc. and struggling with other musicians during hard times in Ghana's history. We will be visiting his Highlife music institute tomorrow and will be learning more about the rhythms and other characteristics or Afro-Beat, Afro-Soul, and Palm Wine Music... should be pretty cool.

In the afternoon we all gather under the trees behind the music school to learn Ewe drumming styles, dance and songs. It is really challenging learning this music especially since it is never written down. We go over incredibly complex songs on the drums then learn the accompanying dances. Quite the workout. Ewe drumming takes place on something kind of like a djembe. A lot of it is played with simple sticks but the hand and the side of the drum are also used. Much work to do in this class!! It is really funny watching people laugh at the Westerners struggling with the drumming.

Between classes and in the evening we usually go to an outdoor market right outside of campus. It is surreal... traditional foods are served at various stations as women cut up fruit and vegetables on the ground and grains are pounded with giant sticks. Great place to talk with Ghanaians (who are incredibly friendly) and people watch. Newest food... wyaake... a combination of red rice and beans with some mysterious spicy red sauce on top... quite good. A lot of the food is very similar to the things that you would find in Louisiana... red beans and rice and gumbo etc. I can see where the influence came from.

On Friday we will be leaving for Kokrobite on the coast where we will study with a famous drummer and partake in some much needed beach time. I still can't believe that I am here doing this. All of us are kind of in shock but have figured most of how the country works. I can already tell that the trip is going to end too soon. The conversations I am having with Ghanaians have been incredible... they are so proud of their country and are excited that Westerners are interested in it. Anyways, more on that later. Off to do some reading and much needed laundry. I hope that everybody is well. Ciao.

Oh yeah... for my friends, can't log onto facebook anymore. my apologies if somebody else now has access to my account... hmm.

red dirt and spicy food

Howdy all! The past couple of days have been overwhelming but amazing... Yesterday we went into Accra, the capital city, which isn't far from the university. As soon as we were getting used to the university we encountered a whole new part of the country... I love it!! We visited the National History Museum and the W.E.B. Du Bois institute. It was really moving hearing about the African perspective of the slave trade. Sometimes we forget that the slaves experienced injustices not just in the West, but were taken from their homes here in Africa in a disgustingly systematic process. We also visited a couple of markets which was quite intense. Being a white man in a black country is overwhelming. I am learning one of my new names... Bruni ("White person") which is used on a regular basis with Westerners... never used in hostility as far as I can tell. I was also called Jesus and Moses yesterday haha... the beard. People often end up surrounding myself and others asking for money and to buy some of their necklaces, clothes etc. It is really hard turning them down and knowing that this is their livelihood. i guess that that is a part of traveling in a developing country. However, it is a great way to meet some Ghanaians and to get to know them in a little more personal way. Last night we also went out to an outdoor concert away from the city. Heard various types of Afro-pop, Reggae and African music fused with jazz and swing ("Highlife bands.") I am learning that African music is incredibly diverse. Much of it has some of the same traditional rhythmic and structural influences though.

Starting to get a hand on basic needs here. There is a market right next to the hostel that I am staying in... it is open all night and has food and drinks available all night. Most mornings I get my breakfast there... bananas and a spicy egg sandwich thing. Oh yeah... the food is amazing. Very spicy!! Most places you choose your carbohydrate, meat and soup which is all put into a bowl for you to eat with your hands. Today I had a combination of fermented corn meal paste with a hunk of fish and a gumbo like okra soup type thing. Sounds delightful I know... but it is actually quite good.

Classes start tomorrow... I am anxious to get the program going and to actually start learning about music. Tomorrow we will be studying with one of the most prominent African ethnomusicologists. Should be a good time. Alrighty... that's all for now. Keep reading!

Ghana is hot

So I got here safely last night. Man this country is hot and humid. Nothing can prepare you for heat like this. Travel was relatively easy. Flight out of O-hare was a couple of hours late so I nearly missed my connection in London Heathrow. Ended up sprinting through the airport... haha. Found the university and dorm fairly easily. I am sharing a room with a Ghanaian about my age... seems like a really cool guy.

Thus far I am amazed with the kindness of Ghanaians. I had a great conversation with my cab driver about Ewe people (he was Ewe) and learned of his favorite Ghanaian music varieties, some of which I will be studying starting on Monday. Everybody is willing to help me out and seems to be incredibly glad to welcome a group of Westerners. The University of Ghana is huge! We are going to get a tour here in a few minutes and figure out exactly what is what. Met up with most of the people in my program last night... all seem really cool and down to earth. Looks like I am the only American! The dorm/hostel that I am staying in houses students from around Africa and the world who are studying at the university. While I am definitely in the minority there are occasional Westerners wandering around too.

Besides the heat, I am in the process of getting accustomed to sleeping under a mosquito net and the other joys of traveling in Africa. We start classes on Monday. Until then we will be going to Accra tomorrow and getting used to the county. Having a great time thus far and looking forward to the next couple of days. Ciao.

Patrick

end of an amazing year

Im finally on my way to Ghana!!  I have been looking forward to this summer for the past 6 months and I can hardly believe that it is starting.  Today I finished up my Junior year at DePaul with a ridiculously painful African History final.  Who likes to take a history test on a part of the world that you are going to fly to in a couple of hours?  Painful.

This year has been amazing.  Awesome friends and good music... what else can anybody ask for?  It certainly was hard saying goodbye to people, but 2 0r 3 months isn't that long I guess.  

Over the next two months I am going to do my best to update my blog regularly.  I am hoping for some reasonable internet cafes or random wireless signals along the way.  Just a basic schedule for the trip:  From June 12th until July 1oth I will be taking 3 classes at the University of Ghana.  I will be studying the many musical traditions of Ghana with a focus on the Ewe people.  My classes will include a West African Musical Ensemble (meets under the trees behind the department of music... i like the sound of that), The Ethnomusicology of Ghanaian Music and Dance and West African Culture Language and Society.  Myself and the other 15 or so students will also be learning the Ewe language.  A variety of professors, performers and ethnomusicologists from Africa and North America will be teaching the courses.  During our study at the university we will also be taking weekend trips to various places of musical and historical interest throughout Ghana including a tree-top walk through a rain forest i think!

From July 11- July 27th we will be immersed in a village called Dagbamete doing field work and research.  I think that we will each have our own research project.   The program ends on the 27th but I will be staying through August 14 to do a little traveling on my own. 

I honestly have no idea what the next two months are going to be like.  I fully expect it to be one of the most overwhelming and intense experiences of my life, but I have a feeling that something good will come out of it.

Until then... off to London... then Ghana.  Keep reading.

Patrick