July 20

We head north tomorrow to Tamale after a couple of weeks of lectures and musical education at the University of Ghana, Legon in Accra. Lectures have covered the gamut of politics, religion, African popular music history, linguistics, literature, theater, ethnomusicology, African rhythms, independence movements, the African and Atlantic slave trades, anthropology and more, delivered by the top local experts in each field. Since Ghana led African states in establishing independence in 1957 and encouraged other African states to shake off their colonial masters, the history of Ghana is pivotal to African history. The region now known as Ghana,includes the ex British/Dutch/Portuguese (in reverse chronological order) colony most recently known as Gold Coast, which until the 1830s was a major embarkation point for millions of African slaves shipped to the Americas, in particular Brazil, Jamaica, and other Caribbean Islands as well as the USA. Last weekend we visited "slave dungeon forts" in Cape Coast and Elmina, where the dungeons and doors of no return have been preserved for viewing. Obama visited them last year and many Afro-Americans visit to trace their roots. Conditions were so bad where slaves were stored awaiting ships,that it is hard to even begin to comprehend how anyone survived.
On a more upbeat note, the music here is incredible. Music permeates everything and everybody here. Drums and other percussion instruments combine in polyrhythmic patterns that challenge Western music notation systems. Today we had xylophone lessons and we will be traveling into an area where wooden xylophones are the primary musical instrument used for dance, song, and music which are integrated in most Ghanaian cultures of which there are many. They make the xylophones here. Some languages do not have a word for music on its own, as music is viewed as part of a larger concept. Languages are tonal and what we call music resonates through everyday speech.
That is all for now- pictures soon.
Hope all is well
Rosco