Kpanlogo
Encyclopedia
Kpanlogo is a recreational dance and music form from Ghana
, West Africa
. It was first played by the Ga ethnic group, most of whom live in and around the capital city, Accra
, but is now performed and enjoyed throughout the country. It began in the early 1960s as an innovative dance form, influenced by American rock and roll, and giving the younger Ga generations a point of distinction from their elders. The kpanlogo dance is often performed low to the ground, with bent knees and bent back, and frequently features sexually suggestive motions.
The music accompanying the kpanlogo dance is drawn from older Ga drumming traditions, such as gome, oge and kolomashie. Kpanlogo music uses three types of instruments: nono (metal bell), fao (gourd rattle), and kpanlogo drums. Nono plays the timeline of the music, supported by the fao. It is common to have three kpanlogo drums in an ensemble, in the roles of "male voice", "female voice" and "master drum". The timeline used in kpanlogo is fundamentally the same as the clave rhythm pattern of Latin America (commonly heard in the Cuban salsa and son forms). It is also recognisable as the "Bo Diddley beat" popularized by the U.S. rhythm and blues musician Bo Diddley
, perhaps showing a link between music of the Ga cultural region and the populations of African descent of the Caribbean and North America.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
. It was first played by the Ga ethnic group, most of whom live in and around the capital city, Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
, but is now performed and enjoyed throughout the country. It began in the early 1960s as an innovative dance form, influenced by American rock and roll, and giving the younger Ga generations a point of distinction from their elders. The kpanlogo dance is often performed low to the ground, with bent knees and bent back, and frequently features sexually suggestive motions.
The music accompanying the kpanlogo dance is drawn from older Ga drumming traditions, such as gome, oge and kolomashie. Kpanlogo music uses three types of instruments: nono (metal bell), fao (gourd rattle), and kpanlogo drums. Nono plays the timeline of the music, supported by the fao. It is common to have three kpanlogo drums in an ensemble, in the roles of "male voice", "female voice" and "master drum". The timeline used in kpanlogo is fundamentally the same as the clave rhythm pattern of Latin America (commonly heard in the Cuban salsa and son forms). It is also recognisable as the "Bo Diddley beat" popularized by the U.S. rhythm and blues musician Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
, perhaps showing a link between music of the Ga cultural region and the populations of African descent of the Caribbean and North America.
External links
- Kpanlogo: Conflict, Identity Crisis and Enjoyment in a Ga Drum Dance, by Sonja Rentink
- http://dance.sdsu.edu/african/ga.htm