A feature by Edem Kwaku Akpornorvi (PhD Candidate), Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ghana
The seminar room of the Theatre Arts Department at the University of Ghana reverberated with the rhythmic pulse of the “dondo” or “donno”, a double-headed armpit-squeeze drum, captivating both faculty, and students.
Each beat echoed a message that spanned several generations, inviting everyone to immerse themselves in the presentation by Professor Nana Ama Oforiwa Aduonum, a Ghanaian-born dondologist, performance artist, and literacy advocate from Illinois State University.
The presentation was enriched with techniques from anansesem, the Akan storytelling tradition, evoking a sense of nostalgia that stirred the audience's souls. As she gestured toward the drum, her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm as she declared, “This drum is a spirit traversing the spiritual and physical interface.” Through this engaging narrative art, she gradually unfolded her message titled “Dondology: Repositioning an African-Centered Field of Study.”
In a passionate call to action, she urged theatre practitioners and scholars to be “fierce and unapologetic” in promoting traditional Ghanaian music and dance within educational institutions.
Why Study Traditional Ghanaian Music and Dance?
According to Prof Aduonum, music and dance play a crucial role in transmitting knowledge and values across generations, serving as powerful mediums for cultural expression and education.
“Traditional music and dance connect us to our Ancestral ways of knowing and teach us important lessons about morality, human relationships, teamwork, and the importance of caring for one another,” she said.
She urged the National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NaCCA), under the Ministry of Education, to take proactive steps to integrate the study of traditional music and dance into the school curriculum.
“Having them in our classrooms validates and legitimizes them. They instill pride and confidence in their homegrown knowledge. They must be intentional and deliberate, careful, and rigorous” she said.
She wants these subjects to be examinable.
“They should be tested during exams, BECE, WASSCE”, she said.
Togbi Damadzi IV, Chief of Anloga in the Volta Region and music and dance scholar at York University who is known in private life as Professor Modesto Mawulolo Amegago in an interview said traditional music and dance are essential components of people’s way of life, serving as vital expressions that convey societal values.
“Music and dance are integral parts of our way of life,” Togbi Damadzi said.
“They are ways through which we document our sociohistorical, economic, religious, political, and cultural values.”
Togbi Damadzi emphasized that traditional music and dance serve as a form of communication, transcending verbal language and enabling individuals to express their emotions, thoughts, and social connections through movement.
“We express our message, communication skills, grievances, creativity, imagination, and artistic expressions through our Indigenous music and dance,” he said.
He underscored the role of music and dance as satire and said “Some of the songs accompanying the dance discuss governance or politics, and some ridicule the government of the day.”
Music and dance play significant roles in assigning and reinforcing gender roles within various cultures. Togbi Damadzi noted that dances such as gakpa and Togo atsia are primarily associated with men and women, respectively, within the Ewe ethnic group and added “In most Ghanaian communities, dirges, lullabies and cradle songs are mostly performed by women.”
From the earliest days of civilization, music has been a powerful tool for healing the body and soul. The 2020 study by Alexa Sheppard and Mary C Broughton, “Promoting wellbeing and health through active participation in music and dance: a systematic review,” published in the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Health and Well-being, suggests that active participation in music and dance promotes an individual's health.
“Actively participating in music and dance is an effective means through which individuals and populations can maintain and promote wellbeing and health across the life course,” they argued.
Togbi Damadzi highlighted the significant healing power of traditional drumming, singing, and dancing by recounting a lecture from Professor Newman in 1985. According to him, Newman said that at Hunua Akakpo’s Shrine at Anloga-Fiaxor in the Volta Region, individuals experiencing mental health challenges were healed by participating in a special music and dance ritual.
“The late Professor Newman told us in a lecture in 1985 that in Anloga-Fiaxor Hunua Akakpo’s Shrine, lunatics are healed,” he said. Togbi Damadzi said that the songs and the drum language accompanying these dances possess therapeutic qualities, stating, “The beats of the drum also heal.”
Togbi Damadzi stressed that studying traditional music and dance helps “shape talents" and prepares individuals for diverse professional paths.
The Stigma of Traditional Ghanaian Music and Dance
Despite the vital roles that traditional music and dance play, a lingering question remains: Why are Ghanaians not enthusiastic about studying them? Some have laid the blame at the door of the nation’s colonial masters.
Dr. Sylvanus Kwashie Kuwor, the former Head of the Department of Dance at the University of Ghana, who is currently a Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada in his book “The Agbadza Dance of the Anlo-Ewe”, criticized the nation’s colonial masters for using insidious tactics to coerce our forebears into discarding their rich cultural traditions, leading to a rebellion against their heritage.
“… this unique cultural structure was never free from external influence. This was especially true during British colonization (1860-1957) under which many Ghanaians were led to rebel against their own cultural heritage, in an act of reverse ethnocentricism where the imported more powerful socio-cultural system was seen as better than the indigenous one”, Dr. Kuwor stated.
Dr. Kuwor stated that the colonisers facilitated this cultural erasure by attaching derogatory labels such as “paganism”, “barbarism” and “heathenism” to Ghanaian and African art forms. This has affected all the indigenous dances. Examples include adowa, kete, kundum, agbadza, kpanlogo, bamaya, and asafo.
Kwaw Ansah’s classic historic film Heritage Africa (1989) vividly captures this negative attitude towards traditional Ghanaian music and dance. Set in the late 1950s, the main character, Quincy Bosomfield, originally Kwesi Atta Bosomefi, whips his child mercilessly for watching an indigenous dance he labels “fetish dance”.
This negative attitude has entered Ghanaian schools. Professor Aduonum shared a story from Ghana's esteemed ethnomusicologist, poet, and composer, Professor J.H. Kwabena Nketia, regarding the early establishment of the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana.
During this period, a disgruntled student from the English Department expressed his discontent over the “disruptive” sounds of traditional African drums, including the dondo, which intruded upon the previously tranquil campus atmosphere. This student, unable to contain his frustration, traced the source of the “noise” to the Institute of African Studies and subsequently petitioned the Vice-Chancellor. In his letter, he condemned the acceptance of Dondology as a worthwhile academic discipline and argued that such blatant lowering of standards must not be encouraged in our national university.
Dealing with the Stigma and Renaming the Field
Mr. David Dontoh, a seasoned Ghanaian actor and television personality, has commented on the controversy surrounding the derogatory term "dondology." He drew an intriguing connection between "dondology" and the "dondo" or "donno" drum, which various ethnic groups across Africa used. Rather than viewing "dondology" negatively, Mr. Dontoh suggested that it should be seen as a symbol of the African continent and its rich cultural heritage.
“The name ‘dondology’ represents what we do in Africa”, Mr. Dontoh said.
Professor Aduonum urged all Ghanaians to fully embrace the concept of "dondology" and advocate for its inclusion in the curriculum at all levels. “We can promote them by making them an integral part of the lessons”, she asserted.
Togbi Damadzi advocated for renaming traditional music and dance programs at universities.
“We can rename the programmes as Performing Arts and Cultural Studies or Anthropology or Anthropology and Performing Arts,” he said. According to him, the study of music and dance encompasses an exploration of the cultural, historical, and social systems of indigenous people.
Inclusion in the Curriculum
Some tertiary institutions like the University of Ghana, the University of Cape Coast, and the University of Education Winneba have mounted academic programmes in traditional Ghanaian music and dance to help fulfil the artistic and cultural needs of the nation and the African continent. For example, the establishment of the Institute of African Studies and the School of Performing Arts at the University of Ghana exemplifies this commitment by promoting Ghanaian dance heritage through research and performance.
At the pre-tertiary level, several efforts have been made to include the study of traditional Ghanaian music and dance in the curriculum. From 2019 to 2021, NaCCA developed and implemented a new curriculum referred to as the Standards-Based Curriculum for the basic school level: kindergarten (KG), Primary, and Junior High School (JHS). The new curriculum includes creative arts, which comprises music and dance.
In 2024 the SHS new curriculum was rolled out which has a Performing Arts comprising music, dance, and theatre. According to NaCCA, the main goal of the Performing Arts Curriculum is to “develop individuals who are literate and good problem solvers with the ability to think creatively and have both the confidence to participate fully in the Ghanaian society as responsible local and global citizens”.
The Need for Teachers and Experts
Although syllabuses exist for schools, the implementation of programmes proposed in them has been very unsuccessful due to a lack of competent teachers to deliver at various levels.
Mr. Daniel Sarpong, the Volta Regional Cultural Officer of the Ghana Education Service lamented the lack of teachers or experts to handle these subjects at the pre-tertiary institutions.
“What we need now is the experts to teach the traditional music and dance”, Mr. Sarpong said.
Mr. Sarpong disclosed that music is now part of GES-approved courses and urged teachers to enroll in music courses at the university.
“Music is now part of study leave with pay courses in GES”, he said.
A Reflection and a Call to Action
Traditional Ghanaian music and dance are essential components of the lives of the people. For Ghana to progress and achieve greater self-sufficiency, it is crucial to indigenize education and decolonize the mindset of its citizens. A significant approach to this is revisiting and valuing the study of traditional Ghanaian music and dance.
The government, NGOs, and individuals should support the research, documentation, and teaching of traditional Ghanaian music and dance.
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