Twas a couple days after Christmas,
and all through the house we relaxed and slept
After far too many days of rushing and excitement
When all of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere
A joyful noise interrupted the serenity of our countryside lair.
This was the scene one early morning in the village town of Effiduase, when we were all startled out of our beds, by what sounded like a loud parade. We jumped up, some more grumpily than others, and peered through the windows facing the street to identify the source of the pulsating, rhythmic music.
We couldn’t immediately make out where it was coming from, so we threw on clothes to make our way outside. As we headed out, my husband and my brother took another look through the window and one of them said in somewhat surprised tones, “It’s a group of runners coming around the corner”. This was so not what we had envisioned from the sounds we heard so my two children and I, rushed downstairs to see things more clearly for ourselves.
There they were. A group made up mostly of men with a few women dressed in bright exercise clothes, doing a slow, upbeat jog down the hill of the main street that wound through the traditionally quiet village town. At the front, the run leaders repeated an infectious chant in rhythm to their movement and to the music generated by what can be best described as a Tuk-like band with drums and various trumpets. As you watch them pass, you couldn’t help but move, and the kids started to jump and dance with others on the street. To learn more, I chatted with some of the neighbours and passers-by, who said that quite often exercise groups like that, started up as a way to make the exercise process more fun and supportive and anyone could join in.
The musical spectacle set by this group of runners reinforced how important music is to Ghanaian culture and tradition.
During our time in Effiduase we had the opportunity to visit two churches – one Catholic, the other Methodist – where music was up front and centre.
On Christmas Day, we dressed in our new finery as is tradition in both Ghana and Barbados and joined the parish community at St Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church, led by the Reverend Father Anthony Agyeman Bonsu. From the opening hymn to the closing chorus, the mostly Christmas music directed by a sometimes dancing choir was rich, joyful and clap-worthy and was fully appreciated by the congregation which packed the church. Even when songs were sung in one of the traditional languages and we didn’t understand the lyrics, we remained captivated by the melodies and the soulful, harmonic gospel delivery.
In Ghana, there are about 9 main local languages as well as over seventy different tribal derivatives. Because of the large number of language variants, English is the official language and it is used extensively in business as well as in schools. At church, services were conducted in both English as well as in Twi (pronounced Chiwee) one of main languages of the Akan, which was the predominant ethnic groups in the Eastern region of which Effiduase is a part. Other major local languages spoken in Ghana are Ga, Ewe, and Hausa.
After the service and following greetings of Afishipa (pronounced Afeeshapa and which means Merry Christmas and Happy New Year), we went home to share and open presents and to prepare a traditional Ghanaian Christmas meal. In many households, this usually consists of fufu (a pounded combination of cassava and green plantain) served with soup and similar in texture to the Barbadian cou cou, jollof – a tomato based seasoned rice) and stews featuring meat such as goat, lamb or beef. The meal also includes salads, vegetables and desserts such as cake and fruit. Turkey and ham do not feature as prominently as they do here, but we feasted on turkey soup.
One interesting difference for Christmas in Ghana was that unlike Barbados where the majority of businesses remain closed for Christmas and Boxing Day, in Effiduase many businesses, especially those run by smaller entrepreneurs and Muslims, were open and doing a brisk trade.
The response to my query was that many small businesses and vendors relied heavily on their day to day takings and closing even for a day like Christmas would have a negative impact on their family earnings and ability to survive.
A few days after Christmas, the entire family attended a thanksgiving church service to celebrate a birthday milestone with my father. On this occasion we worshipped at the Effiduase Calvary Methodist Church, which was bursting at the seams as in addition my father’s entourage there were a newly married couple and their wedding party as well as a couple celebrating their wedding anniversary.
The three-and-a-half-hour service conducted by the Reverend Barfour Adjei was also very upbeat and music-filled. It is the first time in my life that I had heard the hymn “It was well with my soul” which is a popular song at Barbadian funerals, delivered with such vibrancy and rhythm.
At one point during the service, the congregation formed a congaline around the church and encouraged by the pulsating drumming and instrument playing by the musicians they joyfully danced their fill in the aisles and pews of the church, all with appropriate reverence.
As we relaxed at home following all the seasonal activities, we had a chance to take in some of the local offerings on TV. With so many young cousins in the house, the music channels took precedence quite often. The music industry in Africa is major business and the videos, which featured many popular Ghanaian, West and South African artistes, were usually of a very high quality and could easily fit into the rotation on MTV or any of the other major international music channels.
Many of the popular videos were hiplife (a high energy musical mash-up of the traditional Ghanaian highlife, similar in style to calypso, infused with the rhythms of Jamaican dancehall and hip hop) and showcased all too familiar scenes of scantily dressed, booty-shaking women; sunglass-wearing, luxury car-driving people, dripping with expensive jewellery; as well as dancers skilfully displaying the latest dance craze which often influenced the songs.
At the time we were in Ghana, it was the height of azonto, a dance move which originated in Ghana, and spread through West Africa and which made its international debut early in 2013.
This dance, which grew in popularity through social media, has spun off many fast-paced uptempo dance songs. It has also influenced a number of dance hybrids including the “Al Qaeda (Alkayida)”, which as my cousins informed me was now taking over and had become another social media trending sensation.
No one could tell me with any certainty why it unfortunately bore the same name as the notorious terrorist organisation. If you are interested, you can see the ins and outs of both azonto and “Al Qaeda” on YouTube, Facebook and through Google.
