[ANPPOM-L] FW: [JFRR] Female Song Tradition and the Akan of Ghana: The Creative Process in Nnwonkoro (Ampene, Kwasi)

Ter Jul 3 15:44:32 BRT 2007

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From: <jfrr em indiana.edu>
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 11:30:42 -0400 (EDT)
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Subject: [JFRR] Female Song Tradition and the Akan of Ghana: The Creative
Process in Nnwonkoro (Ampene, Kwasi)

Female Song Tradition and the Akan of Ghana: The Creative Process in
Nnwonkoro. By Kwasi Ampene. 2005. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing. 258
pages. ISBN: 978-0-7546-3147-7 (hard cover).

Reviewed by Angela Scharfenberger, Indiana University
(ascharfe em indiana.edu).

[Word count: 1308 words]

In Female Song Tradition and the Akan of Ghana, Kwasi Ampene's
primary concern is the re-evaluation of the creative process by
shedding "new light on African traditional musical practices through
a focus on the processes of oral composition" (14). He focuses on
developing a new perspective on preliterate musical forms, as neither
wholly traditional nor modern, as not entirely improvised or
composed. The author argues that the Akan genre nnwonkoro is
re-composed during performance, and argues that this concept of
re-composition is fundamental to understanding African oral
traditions.

The first chapter is an overview of Akan musical forms, with a
particular focus on the history of nnwonkoro. Historically, nnwonkoro
was a female recreational genre. Groups were formed informally, and
the common themes of the songs were praise, love, and social
commentary. Today, nnwonkoro groups are formally constituted, and
often perform for a fee at large funerals and state events. Nnwonkoro
has been adapted to contemporary contexts, while retaining essential
elements of Akan aesthetics. For example, nnwonkoro groups now use
microphones and amplifiers to compete with ever-amplified sound
spaces, alongside the traditionally-used instruments, afirikyewa
(iron bell), single ampentema (conically-shaped membranophone) and
the aprepensua (a lamellophone consisting of five low-note metal keys
within a large wooden box). Within this chapter, the author
identifies how this instrumentation is a major difference between
nnwonkoro and other genres of Akan funerary music, such as adowa. The
author further introduces the innovations in the genre over time and
in new performance contexts.

In chapter 2, Ampene focuses on the motivations for the creative
process, highlighting common inspirations of nnwonkoro themes. Among
the most common of these inspirations are well-known Ananse spider
folktales, dreams, and current events. Ampene emphasizes that
nnwonkoro lyrics must reflect a particular event or experience of
community members; songs thereby serve an important societal
function, rather than being only outlets of individual expression.

Chapter 3 examines three issues within nnwonkoro compositional
conventions: 1) the organization of song units into a performance
unit, 2) the use of poetic nuances and phonological devices, and 3)
the development of metaphor, both through lyrical meaning and
embodied in pitch contour. The compositional process entwines both
the old and the new; nnwonkoro composers utilize a particular
stylistic formula, while re-composing lyrics for certain contexts.
Ampene further discusses the use of pitch relationships and rhythmic
alignment of text with the timeline as fostering a connection between
past and present.

Chapter 4 reinforces the concept of composition within a cultural
context, relating the structure and intent of nnwonkoro songs to
important Akan rites, such as libations, funerary cries, and
jubilation chants. Women's roles in these ancient rites are quite
similar to the roles of nnwonkoro female singers today, illustrating
a continuum of gender roles in Akan performance contexts. The value
of a performance, argues Ampene, is judged on its ability to
incorporate elements of other Akan performance traditions.

Ampene's writing style follows the tradition of African musicology as
developed by J.H. Kwabena Nketia, in that the analysis is from a
native cultural perspective, and the focus is primarily on musical
and lyrical elements. In the fifth chapter, the author diverges from
this approach by adopting an ethnographic tone. Ampene describes the
intricate cultural and contextual details of a typical performance of
nnwonkoro. The account of a funerary event in this chapter is a
shining moment in the book, as Ampene intricately weaves detailed
accounts with cultural and contextual meaning. He is particularly
adept at interpreting lyrics within the moments of a performance
event, and differentiating the occurrence of pre-composition and
creativity by nnwonkoro singers.

In chapter 6, Ampene analyzes the involvement of men in the nnwonkoro
genre. He suggests that the inclusion of men as patrons and
instrumentalists is a necessary innovation. Because of the increased
formalization of performance events, women must rely on their male
counterparts to handle financial and managerial matters. Akan
cultural taboos prevent women from playing many instruments,
especially drums. Ampene implies that the involvement of men is a
natural balance of gender roles; I would add that this is true within
the context of institutionalized Akan gender roles and cultural
norms, rather than because of the inability of women to perform these
tasks.

In this final chapter, Ampene also explores nnwonkoro groups' rich
use of innovation, as they draw on themes ranging from public health,
to Christian theology, to road safety. Due to the widespread
popularity of nnwonkoro, songs are sometimes commissioned by
organizations such as the Ghana National Highway Authority and
UNICEF. In conclusion, Ampene reiterates his primarily functional
analysis: "musical composition of the female song tradition of the
Akan has a definite social and religious function" (202). It is both
the flexibility and the traditionality of nnwonkoro performers that
are responsible for its popularity as a musical genre in contemporary
Ghana.

Kwasi Ampene's book is a wealth of information about an Akan female
song tradition through transcriptions and translations, as well as
musical and lyrical analysis. The examples on the companion CD are
helpful for following the musical transcriptions, although a few
longer examples would be a welcome addition to the thirty-second
clips. This book could also serve as a supplemental text for the Twi
student, due to the extensive number of Twi song texts and English
translations.

To a great extent, there is a lack of ethnographic literature on
women's music in West Africa. Since the 1980s, a few authors have
devoted articles and book chapters to the topic of women's music in
West Africa (for example, Hampton 1982, DjeDje 1985, Agovi 1989,
Monts 1989, Anyidoho 1993, Duran 2000). There are also some recent
book-length contributions, such as Beverly Mack's Muslim Women Sing
(2004) and Karin Barber's I Could Speak Until Tomorrow (1991). While
these authors have each made meaningful contributions to an
understanding of West African women's music, many genres remain
unexplored.

Feminist scholars may not agree with Ampene's cursory assessment of
gender roles and lack of in-depth analysis of issues such as male
participation in, and economic control of, a traditionally female
genre. The author sidesteps issues such as the inclusion of men in
the group as adding to its validity. He further avoids a
post-colonial perspective by glossing over the capitalist realities
of performance context (Anyidoho 1994). Nonetheless, this text is a
significant contribution to a growing body of knowledge of women's
music in West Africa.

In Female Song Tradition and the Akan of Ghana, Kwasi Ampene's
primary objective--to examine the creative compositional process--is
its strongest contribution to ethnomusicological scholarship. It is a
significant work for scholars interested in compositional processes,
particularly within oral traditions. Ampene's development of the
concept of re-composition is fundamental to a clearer understanding
of such performance genres.

References Cited

Agovi, Kofi. 1989. "Sharing Creativity: Group Performance of Nzema
Ayabomo Maiden Songs." The Literary Griot. 1(2): 1-43.

Anyidoho, Akosua. 1993. "Gender and Language Use: The Case of Two
Akan Verbal Art Forms." Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Texas at
Austin.

________. 1994. "Tradition and Innovation in Nnwonkoro, an Akan
Female Verbal Genre." Research in African Literatures. 25(3):
141-159.

Barber, Karin. 1991. I Could Speak Until Tomorrow: Oriki, Women, and
the Past in a Yoruba Town. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution
Press.

Dje Dje, Jacqueline Cogdell. 1985. "Women and Music in Sudanic
Africa." More than Drumming: Essays on African and Afro-Latin
American Music and Musicians. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.

Duran, Lucy. 2000. "Women, Music, and the 'Mystique' of Hunters in
Mali." The African Diaspora: A Musical Perspective. Edited by Ingrid
Monson. New York: Routledge.

Hampton, Barbara. 1982. "Music and Ritual Symbolism in the Ga
Funeral." Yearbook for Traditional Music. 14: 75-105.

Mack, Beverly M. 2004. Muslim Women Sing: Hausa Popular Song.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Monts, Lester P. 1989. "Vai Women's Roles in Music, Masking, and
Ritual Performance." African Musicology: Current Trends. Edited by
Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje and William G. Carter. Los Angeles: UCLA
African Studies Center.
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