Angelina Dunyo
Name: Angelina Dunyo
Gender: Female
Place of Residence: Tema, Ghana
Occupation: Seamstress
Family: Angelina has a daughter and a son.
Performance: Angelina sings, dances and plays axatse (rattle).
Q: What are some changes in music that you have noticed while growing up in Dagbamete?
Angelina: Today, the festivals such as Easter are much grander, and more people visit shrines and participate in festivals. The shrine started as a very small space, but gradually it has grown bigger and today a large number of people come and stay at the shrine for ten days. The number of people sometimes even exceed the number of people at the funerals these days. Also, the healing miracles that happen during the festivals are bigger now, and there are more young people present in these ceremonies.
Q: Why do you think that the popularity of the shrine and festivals keeps on growing?
Angelina: The people who come here talk about the shrine to other people and these people join them when they visit the shrine again. Also people come to know about this shrine, through the media, news and radio announcements. For example when the minister came to the Easter festival and GTV showed it on the news, it was big publicity for us.
Q: What has been the impact of tourism and the Kathy Armstrong Centre?
Angelina: There is more money, and more work in the village when foreigners are here. Some children also get sponsorship for school from tourists.
Q: How might costumes and attire have changed in the village since you have been here?
Angelina: Costumes and dress styles are the same, but fabric colors are much brighter now than before.
Q: Do you notice more women getting involved in music and drumming now?
Angelina: No. Not many women play the drums, but women always play the axtase and gankogui.
Reflection
Angelina was not able to give me very specific details about the changes in music. She spoke more about the growing popularity of the shrine festival in Dagbamete. When I asked her if music has changed because of technology she agreed that it had, but she could not give much detail. She told me that before they received electricity in the village, they used to use generators to amplify music for the festivals. She also said that children learn about their culture in school, and that is the reason why more children are getting involved in music nowadays. She had learnt music from her grandmother while she was growing up. When I mentioned to her about the growing popularity of Western music, she agreed that it was the case. She also mentioned that there is a radio station called JOYFM in Accra, that plays all kinds of Western music. Angelina offered good insight on the shrine and festivals in Dagbamete, and reasons for its growing popularity. It would have been better if she could have given more specific details about changes in music.
Interviewed by Candice Cascanette on July 28, 2008