Difference between revisions of "Study African Arts and Culture in Ghana"

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''Please note:  this page will be continually updated with the latest information about the Ghana program.''
 
  
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[[Image:ghanamusic.jpg|thumb|500px|right|border|Ghana 2017:  Music for Global Human Development, July 3 to August 11, 2017]]
  
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'''[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/6/newsid_2515000/2515459.stm Happy Ghana Independence Day! (March 6th)]
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short link:  http://bit.ly/ghanastudyabroad
 +
 
 +
'''Note: The next program will not run until 2024 at the earliest - stay tuned or write [mailto:michaelf@ualberta.ca Michael Frishkopf] for more information.
 +
 
 +
There are routes for both undergraduate and graduate study, and "Open Studies" students who are not enrolled in any university program.
 +
The summer program is available to anyone age 18 and up.
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 +
<!--  [https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/viewer?mid=1CY1hKij7-X6LbBq7R38Xe9Xm6_g Here is a map showing tentative program locations].  and there are subsidiary campuses in [http://www.uds.edu.gh/academics/wa-campus?highlight=WyJ3YSJd Wa] and [http://www.uds.edu.gh/academics/navrongo-campus Navrongo], as well as rural Tolon),  with visits to UDS satellite campuses at [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wa,_Ghana Wa] in the Upper West region, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navrongo Navrongo] in the Upper West region, and -->
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'''[http://www.woablog.com/2017/01/getting-to-knowing-each-other-through-music/ See this recent writeup in the Faculty of Art's blog].'''
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'''[[Ghana 2017 syllabi | See 2017 course syllabi here.]]'''
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[https://www.artsrn.ualberta.ca/fwa_mediawiki/index.php/Ghana_2013_syllabi See older 2013 syllabi here]
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[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9IJfjTbCwE Here's a student performance after studies with the Kokrobite Dance Ensemble] (Kokrobite, 2011)
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==Welcome to the Ghana Music Wiki==
 +
 
 +
This wiki is dedicated to the University of Alberta's Ghana 9 credit summer study abroad program, entitled West African Music, Dance, Society, and Culture.
 +
 
 +
The program comprises social science, humanities, and performing arts components, and is formally equivalent to three semester-long University of Alberta courses, ''available at both undergraduate and graduate levels''. There are no prerequisites for these courses (in music or African studies, or anything else), or for the program as a whole.
 +
 
 +
Music and dance are central to the program, but as a gateway to broader understanding of African societies, rather than as an end in themselves.  We will study a wide range of topics from a range of disciplines: linguistics, literature, drama studies, religious studies, politics, history... We also connect the study of West Africa to the study of the Americas through inclusion of pan-Africanism, and consideration of the "Black Atlantic". 
 +
 
 +
In this wiki you'll find lots of program information, as well as reference materials - it's a repository of information about Ghana, West Africa, and Africa as a whole -- with lots of links to music, video, and text.
 +
 
 +
Please read on!
 +
 
 +
Questions? Please write Michael Frishkopf, michaelf@ualberta.ca.
 +
 
 +
==Main pages contained in this wiki==
 +
 
 +
The page you're now reading contains primarily news and resources about Africa, especially music and West Africa.  Find out more about the program via the following links:
 +
 
 +
==='''[[University of Alberta summer study abroad in Ghana]]: introduction'''===
 +
 
 +
==='''[[Preparing for the Ghana Program]]: what to do before you go'''===
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 +
==='''[[Ghana 2017 syllabi | 2017 program syllabi, archived]]'''  ===
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 +
==='''[[Ghana 2013 syllabi | 2013 program syllabi, archived]] '''===
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 +
==='''[[Ghana 2010 syllabi | 2010 program syllabi, archived]] '''===
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==='''[[Ghana 2009 syllabi | 2009 program syllabi, archived]] '''===
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==='''[[Ghana 2008 syllabi | 2008 program syllabi, archived]] '''===
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 +
= Program overview =
 +
 
 +
----
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 +
The 9 credit summer program comprises social science, humanities, and performing arts components and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Music and dance performance is central, but no musical experience or talent is required to succeed. CSL credit will be provided, as we work in partnership with a local NGO, [http://www.yhcg.net/ Youth Home Cultural Group].
 +
 
 +
The program centers on the role of music (and sound, and all related performance arts -- dance, poetry, drama -- as well as visual arts, costume, design) towards promoting human development, either directly (by carrying specific development messages designed to change attitudes and behaviors, or indirectly, by fostering social cohesion, building civil society and strengthening identity & cultural continuity  - see the  [http://m4ghd.org Music for Global Human Development (M4GHD)] project and -- for an example -- [http://bit.ly/sngdnc4h Singing and Dancing for Health], a recent project in Northern Ghana.
 +
 
 +
The University for Development Studies covers the spectrum of academic disciplines, with a focus on development.  The 9 credit program, which will include aspects of the University's new Development Action Through Expressive Media (DATEM), will include three component courses: (1) African music and dance practice - Music x44; (2) African development (including some historical and cultural background to development issues today) with both classroom and field components; and (3) [http://course.m4ghd.org Music for Global Human Development], extending "music" to "expressive culture" and taking advantage of DATEM offerings (but focused on music and dance approaches primarily). 
 +
 
 +
We will work with UDS faculty on full or half day sessions in order to learn about their research areas, and the ways they apply their research to practical development problems in Ghana's north - particularly in the domains of global health, education, nutrition and poverty alleviation, gender equality, peace and justice, and environment, with reference to the UN's [https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs Sustainable Development Goals]. We will volunteer with Youth Home Cultural Group to support their projects with children and youth in Tamale.  Students will also work collaboratively on a music/global health project located in the village of Tolon - see [http://bit.ly/sngdnc4h Singing and Dancing for Health] - designed to simultaneously address health and social issues. There may also be opportunities for medical students to substitute hospital-based training in Tamale for this segment.
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 +
During the course of this program we will spend time in urban and rural areas of Ghana's north, centered on the regional capital of  [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamale,_Ghana Tamale],  with an extended fieldwork stay in the village of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolon,_Ghana Tolon], quite close to Tamale, where the  [http://bit.ly/sngdnc4h Singing and Dancing for Health] project is in progress, as well as a preliminary 2-day orientation period in Accra. 
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 +
Excursions to sites of natural, historical and cultural interest, including the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_National_Park Mole wildlife preserve], the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larabanga_Mosque Larabanga Mosque], and other destinations in the vicinity of Tamale, Wa, or Navrongo are possible through optional weekend trips.
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 +
We will spend the first two days in in Accra, studying music, dance, and healing, and touring Accra, for a broader perspective on Ghana as a whole.  We will then travel to Tamale, our base for the next five weeks, before spending the final week in a nearby village, Tolon. Weekends will provide opportunities for excursions around Ghana's north.  '''[https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=1CY1hKij7-X6LbBq7R38Xe9Xm6_g Here is a map displaying these locations, as well as some of our potential travel destinations, with images].''' (see http://bit.ly/ghanamusicmap)
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'''The program comprises 3 courses (9 credits)''': two in music (Music 144/444/544 "West African Music Ensemble", and Music 365/565 "Topics/Area Studies in Ethnomusicology") and one in interdisciplinary studies (INT D 325 and INT D 530: Development).  No prior musical training or ability is required.  Airfares are highly dependent on point of origin.
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Costs
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* $1,596.24 for 9 UofA credits (3 semester courses)- for Canadians and Canadian residents (more for non-Canadians). Note:  non-UofA students register through [http://www.registrarsoffice.ualberta.ca/Costs-Tuition-Fees/Undergraduate-Tuition/Open-Studies-Work-Experience-Audit-Fees.aspx Open Studies].
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* $800 mandatory fees (attached to Music 365 and 565) - these will be used to cover room/board for the final week in Tolon and internal flights to/from Tamale, as well as additional programming.
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* $1050 room and board (or $30/day for 5 weeks -but you can easily reduce your food costs depending on where you take your meals; a local meal costs under $5;  room averages under $14/day. Much less expensive than living in Canada!)
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Total:  $3,446.24  (more for non-Canadians and Open Studies)
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Plus:
 +
* international ticket to Accra: cost can vary greatly; from Edmonton likely to range from $1700 to $3000 and up, depending on timing and airline.  Note that you may like to use the trip as an opportunity to explore other locations through stopovers (often free) in Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East. This is completely acceptable so long as you arrive in Accra by the start date, and don't depart before the final program day.
 +
* cost of visa/photos (Ghana requires a visa which you can obtain by mail from Toronto or Ottawa; be sure you have a passport not expiring imminently.
 +
* vaccines &  insurance (if needed). Note: everyone requires a Yellow Fever vaccine - the vaccination card is required to obtain a visa and must be carried to Ghana for entry.
 +
* recommended: about $500 in additional cash (estimated) to cover incidentals, gifts, unforeseen emergencies, etc.  (note: there are many ATMS for cash; bring your bank card)
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'''Scholarships:
 +
* The first 15 UofA students to apply will receive $1750 each; non-UofA students will receive $500 each.'''
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Courses:
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* grad route:
 +
** Music 565  "Music for Global Human Development in West Africa"
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** Music 544 "West African Music Ensemble"
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** INT D 530 "West African Development"
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* undergrad route:
 +
** Music 365 "Music for Global Human Development in West Africa"
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** Music 144 or 444 "West African Music Ensemble"
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** INT D 325  "West African Development"
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 +
Please [mailto:michaelf@ualberta.ca contact me by email] if you are interested and I'll put you on the list.
 +
 
 +
See below for information pertaining to the 2013 program, which was rather different in some respects (but still rather similar in others).
 +
 
 +
Links:
 +
* [http://www.goabroad.ualberta.ca/ Education Abroad], UA International
 +
* [https://uofa.ualberta.ca/arts/programs/study-abroad/faculty-of-arts-study-abroad-opportunities Faculty of Arts study abroad]
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* [https://fieldoffice2.sitecore.ualberta.ca/ UA Field Office]
 +
 
 +
= African Arts and Culture resources =
 +
 
 +
== Africa and Africans ==
 +
 
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=== Africa ===
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 +
[https://en.unesco.org/general-history-africa Unesco General History of Africa]
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 +
[http://endonymmap.com/ Endonym map of the world] (& thus indicating national scripts of Africa)
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 +
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/4generic3.shtml West African Kingdoms ]
 +
 
 +
[http://fotota.hypotheses.org/ Fotota: African Perspectives in Photography]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development-professionals-network/2013/may/24/african-union-50-year-anniversary African Union at 50 - the dream of Unity]
 +
 
 +
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiAfrica WikiAfrica]
 +
 
 +
[http://library.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/ Africa South of the Sahara] (Stanford University)
 +
 
 +
[http://www.africa-union.org/ Africa Union]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.aluka.org Aluka] (log in via your university library site; if it's not available request a subscription)
 +
 
 +
[http://www.aluka.org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/action/showDiscipline?sa=mus Aluka:  Music]
 +
 
 +
[http://afripod.aodl.org/ Africa Past and Present] podcast
 +
 
 +
[http://www.africaknowledgeproject.org African Knowledge Project], including a set of journals
 +
 
 +
[http://anth.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/1677555 A History of the African People] by Robert W. July (Long Grove IL : Waveland Press, Inc., 1998). 724 page(s)
 +
 
 +
[http://anth.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/1679677 Africa & Africans] by Paul Bohannan and Philip Curtin (Long Grove, IL : Waveland Press, Inc., 1964). 316 page(s)
 +
 
 +
[http://africanactivist.msu.edu/ African Activist Archive Project]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.africaportal.org/ Africa Portal]
 +
 
 +
[[Online museum resources on African Art]]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/verba-africana/ African languages and oral literatures]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index.shtml The Story of Africa] (produced by the BBC)
 +
 
 +
[http://referenceworks.brillonline.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/browse/african-studies-companion-online Brill's African Studies Companion]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/dialogue/general-and-regional-histories/general-history-of-africa/volumes General History of Africa] (also in [http://www.unesco.org/new/fr/culture/themes/dialogue/general-and-regional-histories/general-history-of-africa/volumes French)
 +
 
 +
[http://www.slavevoyages.org/tast/index.faces The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database], with information on more than 35,000 slave voyages
 +
 
 +
[http://www.wdl.org/en/item/684/zoom/#group=1&page=1&zoom=0.1472&centerX=0.5000&centerY=2.1740 Togo under the German Flag]
 +
 
 +
=== Africans ===
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[http://www.juliusnyerere.info/ Julius Nyerere]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/fanon/index.htm Frantz Fanon]
 +
 
 +
[[Kwame Nkrumah]]
 +
 
 +
== General info on Ghana ==
 +
[http://wikitravel.org/en/Ghana Wikitravel - Ghana]
 +
 
 +
Journals of both historic and scholarly interest:  
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*[http://www.jstor.org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/action/showPublication?journalCode=trangoldcoastogo Transactions of the Gold Coast & Togoland Historical Society]
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*[http://www.jstor.org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/action/showPublication?journalCode=tranhistsocighan Transactions of the Historical Society of Ghana]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.ghana.travel/ghana/festivals/ Ghana festivals]
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 +
[http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/tourism/festivals.php more Ghana festivals]
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 +
[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/ghtoc.html Library of Congress country study]
 +
 
 +
[http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/ghana-125817 Ghana], by Rachel Naylor (Oxfam Country Study series)
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 +
[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gh.html CIA World Factbook]
 +
 
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[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2860.htm US Dept of State]
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 +
[http://www.statsghana.gov.gh/ Ghana Statistical Service]
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 +
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1023355.stm BBC]
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[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/ghana/index.html NYT]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.kidon.com/media-link/gh.php Ghana news and media]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.touringghana.com/ Ghana tourism]
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 +
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/6/newsid_2515000/2515459.stm Ghana Independence Day]
 
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fERuaTg93II][http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg6_Jixw7FU&feature=related]
 
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fERuaTg93II][http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg6_Jixw7FU&feature=related]
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'''
 
  
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= General information =
+
[http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/travel/09ghana.html New York Times travel section article about Ghana] (August 9, 2009)
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[http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/verba-africana/ewe/main.htm Ewe stories]
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[http://lit.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/blfi/view/1000063401 The Ewe Speaking Peoples of the Slave Coast of West Africa], by A. B. Ellis.
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[http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2552/#regions=africa&countries=GH Ghana, One Year Old: a First Independence Anniversary Review]
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[http://www.wdl.org/en/item/651/#regions=africa&countries=GH Ghana’s Policy at Home and Abroad: Text of Speech Given in the Ghana Parliament, August 29, 1957]
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[http://www.wdl.org/en/item/9220/zoom/#group=1&page=1&zoom=0.3538&centerX=0.5000&centerY=0.7908 Adoo Quamina, 1820], captain and courtier to the Ashanti king
 +
 
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[https://youtu.be/jCaZ7FPt9-0 Visiting a chop bar!]
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 +
== Music of West Africa and beyond ==
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 +
[[Ewe music available online]]
 +
 
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[https://sounds.bl.uk/World-and-traditional-music/Trevor-Wiggins-Ghana Trevor Wiggins collection] (British Library)
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[https://sounds.bl.uk/World-and-traditional-music/Arthur-Morris-Jones AM Jones collection] (British Library)
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 +
[http://bit.ly/dagbamba Dagbamba music and dance] (from CCE)
 +
 
 +
[https://bapmaf.home.blog/ Bokoor African Popular Music Archives Foundation]
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 +
[http://sites.tufts.edu/davidlocke/ David Locke's analysis of Ghanaian music online]
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 +
[http://sites.tufts.edu/davidlocke/agbadza/ David Locke's Agbadza project online] [https://archive.org/details/podcast_agbadza-drum-dancing-e_miwua-agbo-mayi_1000112623389]
 +
 
 +
[https://dl.tufts.edu/pages/dagomba_dance_drumming David Locke's Dagbamba dance drumming collection online]
 +
 
 +
[http://library.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/music.html?newwindow=true African music on the Internet]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.africaknowledgeproject.org/index.php/amd African Music Database]
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 +
[http://www.ghanaexpo.com/ Ghana Expo] - includes music, TV, films, and more...
 +
 
 +
[http://www.ghanamusic.com/ Ghana Music]
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 +
[http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=E263225CF557A2EB My youtube playlist]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.uni-hildesheim.de/ntama/ Ntama: Journal of African Music and Popular Culture]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.musicinghana.com/ Music in Ghana] [http://www.musicinghana.com/migsite/index.php]
 +
 
 +
[http://music.thinkghana.com/ Music news in Ghana]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.ghanabase.com/ Ghanabase]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.ghanamusic.co.uk/ Music videos]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.hiplifelovers.com/ Hiplife]
 +
 
 +
[http://blogs.voanews.com/african-music-treasures/ African Music on VOA]
 +
 
 +
Wikipedia articles on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Ghana Ghana], and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_African_music West Africa] (limited, but good for links)
 +
 
 +
[http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/audio/ Ghana web music]
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[http://www.ghanamv.com/ Ghana music videos]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.afromix.org/html/musique/pays/ghana/index.en.html Afromix]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.museke.com/ghana Music lyrics]
 +
 
 +
[http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/view/page.basic/country/content.country/ghana_19 National Geographic World Music Guide]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.dagaramusic.com/ Dagara xylophone music center] outside Accra
 +
 
 +
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/q6gb Hiplife compilation (BBC review)]
 +
 
 +
[http://musc265.blogs.wesleyan.edu/african-hip-hop/ African hip hop]
 +
 
 +
[http://library.brown.edu/cds/koetting/ James Koetting Ghana Field Recording Collection at Brown University]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCmsLzFibI4 Asafo][http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG_OMhqS3Lc]
 +
 
 +
== African American and Africana studies ==
 +
 
 +
[[W.E.B. DuBois]]
 +
 
 +
Frederick Douglass
 +
http://www.iupui.edu/~douglass/
 +
 
 +
Booker T Washington
 +
http://www.historycooperative.org/btw/
 +
 
 +
George Padmore
 +
http://www.georgepadmoreinstitute.org/
 +
http://www.marxists.org./archive/padmore/index.htm
 +
 
 +
[[Marcus Garvey]]
 +
 
 +
Martin Luther King
 +
http://www.kinginstitute.info/
 +
 
 +
Claudia Jones
 +
http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=h-afro-am&month=1109&week=a&msg=fVcO9M3iTeVcDqi9q3okfw&user=&pw=
 +
 
 +
John Henrik Clarke
 +
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/afprl/dr.-john-henrik-clarke
 +
 
 +
Ida B Wells
 +
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/scrc/findingaids/view.php?eadid=ICU.SPCL.IBWELLS
 +
 
 +
Ella Baker
 +
http://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/archivalcollections/pdf/scmmg630.pdf
 +
 
 +
Maulana Karenga
 +
http://www.maulanakarenga.org/
 +
 
 +
Cheikh Anta Diop
 +
http://www.gambia.dk/antadiop.html
 +
 
 +
Walter Rodney
 +
http://www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.com/wpa/rodney_bio.html
 +
 
 +
http://www.blackeducator.org/
 +
 
 +
[https://www.journals.elsevier.com/scientific-african Scientific African] journal
 +
 
 +
== Audio:  Ghana and beyond ==
 +
 
 +
See:
 +
* [http://search.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/womu Contemporary World Music]
 +
* [http://guides.library.ualberta.ca/databases/smithsonian-global-sound Smithsonian Global Sound]
 +
* [http://ethnocloud.com/ Ethnocloud]
 +
 
 +
 
 +
Smithsonian Folkways on Ghana (all available free via the above databases):
 +
 
 +
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=711 Ewe music of Ghana]
 +
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=728 Music of the Ashanti of Ghana]
 +
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=770 Music of the Dagomba from Ghana][http://login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/login?url=https://search.alexanderstreet.com/view/work/bibliographic_entity|recorded_cd|71754 Free listening here]
 +
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=752 Music of the Ga people of Ghana]
 +
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=926 Black music of two worlds (John Storm Roberts collection)]
 +
 
 +
Recommended:
 +
 
 +
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=1572 Traditional Drumming and Dances of Ghana]
 +
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=1573 Folk music of Ghana (Ewe)]
 +
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=738 Songs of War and Death from the Slave Coast: Songs of War]
 +
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=739 Songs of War and Death from the Slave Coast: Songs of Death]
 +
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=737 Traditional women's music from Ghana: Ewe, Fanti, Ashanti, and Dagomba]
 +
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=1398 Ghana: Children at Play: Children's Songs and Games]
 +
* [http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=2377 Rhythms of Life, Songs of Wisdom: Akan Music from Ghana]
 +
 
 +
Contemporary world music on Ghana (all available free via the above databases):
 +
 
 +
* [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/563058 Seprewa Kasa performed by Korankye, Osei; Kyerematen, Baffour & Banaman, Alfred Kari (Riverboat, 330051)]
 +
* [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/374128 Mustapha Tettey Addy: Master Drummer from Ghana performed by Addy, Mustapha Tettey (Lyrichord, LYRCD 7250)]
 +
* [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/678266 Kwabena Nyama: Ghana - Musique de Vin de Palme, Sunday Monday (Kwabena Nyama: Ghana: palm wine music, Sunday Monday) performed by Nyama, Samuel Kwabena; Poku, Kofi; Duah, Agyemang; Seni, Addas & Annor, Kofi (Buda Musique, 1979352, 2000)]
 +
* [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/734691 Immortal Franco] (Congolese popular music, soukous)
 +
* [http://bit.ly/buducd Giving Voice to Hope:  Music of Liberian Refugees]  In the past we visited the Buduburam camp where this music was produced. Now the camp has been closed. Please order the album to learn about the project, and help support these refugee musicians.  Minimally, listen to the exerpts online at the above link. See [http://bit.ly/givingv2h Giving Voice to Hope] for the subsequent evolution of this project.
 +
* [http://www.emusic.com/album/E-T-Mensah-All-For-You-MP3-Download/10977967.html ET Mensah and the Tempos (RetroAfric/IODA, 1986)] Documents classic Ghanaian highlife from the 1950s and 60s by one of its leading exponent.  I'm including an emusic.com link (because it's cheaper that way, and emusic.com is worthwhile for world music lovers - in fact most of the Smithsonian Folkways catalog is there), but if you don't want to subscribe you can find this album also on iTunes.
 +
* [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/791897 Bewaare: They Are Coming - Degaare Songs and Dances from Nandom, Ghana (Pan (Netherlands), PAN 2052CD, 1995)]
 +
 
 +
 
 +
Recommended:
 +
 
 +
* [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/75355 Master Drummers of Dagbon, Volume 2: Drumming From Northern Ghana performed by Abdulai, Alhaji Ibrahim (Rounder Records, CD-5046)]
 +
* [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/734767 Asante Kete Drumming: Music of Ghana  performed by Nketia, Isaac; Martey, Gabriel Ololai; Damso, Yaw & Dwoomoh, Richard (Lyrichord, LYRCD 7454, 2007)]
 +
* [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/360836 Ghana: Music of the Northern Tribes  (Lyrichord, LYRCD 7321, 1976)] (listen to the gyil)
 +
* [http://womu.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/View/590623 Muzina performed by Rochereau, Tabu Ley (Singer/Songwriter) (Rounder Records, 5059)] (Congolese popular music, soukous)
 +
 
 +
== Film and video: Africa, West Africa, Diaspora, and related ==
 +
 
 +
Note: Some of these links may not work without logging in first. For Films on Demand (http://digital.films.com) you can access from anywhere by visiting the UofA Library site and searching for database: "Films on Demand", then search for the title you wish to screen. You can also create an account allowing you to login directly to digital.films.com. All titles are provided below. If a link breaks try searching for the title. [https://www.artsrn.ualberta.ca/ccewiki/index.php/The_Canadian_Centre_for_Ethnomusicology_(CCE)#Film_and_video_collections Here are the UofA's film databases]. The Ethnographic film database is particularly rich in African holdings.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
 
 +
=== Overviews of African history on film and video===
 +
 
 +
<br>
 +
 
 +
 
 +
[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22history+of+africa+with+zeinab+badawi%22 BBC's History of Africa with Zeinab Badawi]
 +
 
 +
<br>
 +
 
 +
Basil Davidson's acclaimed BBC Africa series from the 1980s:
 +
 
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X75COneJ4w8 part 1]
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maRquej2G80 part 2]
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSoZ07LXnKo part 3]
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXhVu21As4A part 4]
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNWA2cOS7sg part 5]
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTa5iDbZXu0 part 6]
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF-VLTPBSe0 part 7]
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExwFrDlmKKI part 8]
 +
 
 +
<br>
 +
 
 +
 
 +
Henry Louis Gates series: [http://login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/login?url=http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=103279&xtid=144350 Part I] (find other parts from here)
 +
 
 +
<br>
 +
 
 +
 
 +
[https://web.archive.org/web/20100731031953/http://dickinsg.intrasun.tcnj.edu/films/videos.html Overviews of three major documentary series by Basil Davidson, Ali Mazrui, and Henry Louis Gates]
 +
 
 +
<br>
 +
 
 +
The following films are from the Films on Demand database, to which the UofA subscdribes. If the links are broken it's probably because Films on Demand loves to rework their URLs periodically. In that case just search for the title within the [https://www.library.ualberta.ca/dbinfo/films-on-demand Films on Demand database] (you will have to log in via UofA or your institutional account).
 +
<br>
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=39458&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Africa%20Calling:%20An%20Appeal%20for%20Understanding&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=15653 Africa calling]
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=36129&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Journeys%20into%20Islamic%20Africa&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID= Journeys into Islamic Africa]
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=31941&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=African%20Art&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID= African Art]
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=43767&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=West%20Africa&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=19830 West Africa]
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=3077&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=The%20Glories%20of%20Ancient%20Benin&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID= The Glories of Ancient Benin]
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=41675&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Great%20Empires%20of%20the%20Past:%20Core%20Concepts%20Video%20Clip%20Library&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID=# Medieval West Africa]
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=41675&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Great%20Empires%20of%20the%20Past:%20Core%20Concepts%20Video%20Clip%20Library&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID=# Ancient Ghana]
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/PortalViewVideo.aspx?tid=19447&loid=102018&IsSearch=Y The Mande people of the Mali empire]
 +
 
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=3078 The Bambara Kingdom of Segu (Mali)]
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=44114&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Dark%20Passages%20&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID= Dark passages] (Slave trade)
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=3064 Door of no return] (slave trade)
 +
 
 +
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTjBNppdk-M Berlin 1885: The Division of Africa]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wogv4hccZs Berlin 1885, la ruée sur l'Afrique 1/6] (other parts present also; in French)
 +
 
 +
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgzSnZidGuU Africa: States of independence - the scramble for Africa]. al-Jazeera special on 17 African nations independent for 50 years in 2010.
 +
 
 +
=== African society, culture, music, religion, and politics ===
 +
 
 +
[https://ualberta.kanopy.com/video/fonko Fonko: An African Musical Revolution]
 +
 
 +
[http://login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/login?url=http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?seriesID=15653&wID=103279 The Call of Africa]
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=36197 Africa's West Coast]
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=39450 Miraculous Water: The Effects of Scarcity and Abundance in Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Mali]
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=39457 More Than Just a Game: Competitions and Celebrations in Ethiopia, Ghana, Niger, Senegal, and Sudan]
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=39451 Paper Gods: Aspects of Religion in Benin, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Mali]. See section 10 on a witchcraft village in northern Ghana.
 +
 
 +
[http://reelafrican.com Reel African]. Collection of online video content. May not all be accessible from your location.
 +
 
 +
'''Africa: who is to blame?''' A film featuring Ghana's former President J.J. Rawlings
 +
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=35896&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Africa:%20Who%20Is%20to%20Blame?&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID=&loid=36373 President Jerry Rawlings of Ghana (04:33)]
 +
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=35896&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Africa:%20Who%20Is%20to%20Blame?&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID=&loid=36373# Slavery, Colonialism, and Corrupt Democracy (05:06)]
 +
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=35896&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Africa:%20Who%20Is%20to%20Blame?&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID=&loid=36373# Visions for Africa's Future (02:01)]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.blogtalkradio.com/africanviews/2013/04/26/yi-is-soccer-more-than-just-a-sport-to-africans IIs Soccer more than just a Sport to Africans?]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kUsGB1nMpE DEATH METAL ANGOLA - Trailer # 1]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABSgpqtiMoA African Underground: Hip Hop in Senegal]
 +
 
 +
=== West Africa generally ===
 +
 
 +
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kbuLyxf7l0 Welcome to Lagos Nigeria - BBC Two Documentary]
 +
 
 +
[https://www.youtube.com/user/CDROYburkina Short videos about West Africa] (Burkina Faso, Ghana...)
 +
 
 +
[http://films.nfb.ca/nollywood-babylon/ Nollywood Babylon, on the Nigerian film industry] (from the National Film Board of Canada)
 +
 
 +
'''Jean Rouch''': seminal French documentary filmmaker-anthropologist, who developed a style of reflexive documentary filmmaking called "cinéma-vérité", blurring boundaries ordinarily separating subject and observer, as well as those separating fiction and non-fiction genres. Rouch is well known for representing West Africa in his films.
 +
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbKwC8OBQx4 Jean Rouch's classic "Les Maîtres Fous"]
 +
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAsg4_dLlzg Circoncision] - Jean Rouch
 +
* [http://anth.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/765178/play/true/ Screening Room with Jean Rouch], by Gardner Robert (Documentary Educational Resources (DER), 1980) 78 minutes.
 +
* See: http://www.maitres-fous.net/home.html
 +
 
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=41987&loid=92215&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=A%20Fresh%20Look%20at%20Mali,%20Ghana,%20and%20Nigeria&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID= A Fresh Look at Mali, Ghana, and Nigeria.]
 +
 
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=49791&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=This%20Is%20Nollywood&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID= Nollywood]
  
−
This 9 credit summer program, entitled '''"West African Music, Dance, Society, and Culture"''', comprises social science, humanities, and performing arts components, and is formally equivalent to three semester-long University of Alberta courses, available at undergraduate and graduate levels:
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=49727&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Keita:%20The%20Heritage%20of%20the%20Griot&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID= Keita: The Heritage of the Griot]
  
−
* '''West African Music Ensemble''' (Music 144/244, 544). A practicum developing basic skills required for performance and understanding of traditional Ghanaian music, song, and dance, including music of the Ga, Asanti, and other groups, but with a special focus upon Ewe music traditions of the Volta Region. Includes study on the University of Ghana campus, and in a traditional Ewe village. ''Note: if you require non-junior credit you can substitute 244 for 144.''
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=9050&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Chinua%20Achebe:%20Africas%20Voice&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID= Chinua Achebe][http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=4936&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Chinua%20Achebe&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=]
  
−
* '''Introduction to Ethnomusicology: The ethnomusicology of Ghanaian music and dance''' (Music 365, 565) Scholarly study of traditional and popular performance of Ghana, treating the form and meaning of traditional music and dance in cultural contexts, linking music and social identity, and reading Ghanaian culture, politics, history, and religion through music.   The music, culture, society, and history of the Ewes will be included, so as to harmonize with the other two courses. The course culminates with the practical experience of doing ethnomusicology in Dagbamete.
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=41966&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Wole%20Soyinka:%20Child%20of%20the%20Forest&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID= Wole Soyinka]
−
 
 
−
* '''West African culture, language, and society''' (Middle Eastern and African Studies 300, 500).  This course comprises a multidisciplinary investigation of West African culture (possibly including study of literature, linguistics, anthropology, sociology, history, political science, religious studies, or other disciplines), plus a practical introduction to the Ewe language, in conversation and through its oral literary tradition.
 
  
−
Music and dance performance is central, but no musical experience or talent is required to succeed (only a willingness to try!), and there are no prerequisites for any of the three courses. In past years, [[Optional long-weekend field trips]] provided additional musical-cultural perspectives; this year we'll roll many of these trips into a single continuous week of travel, including on our tour Cape Coast, Elmina, Kakum, Kumasi, and Tamale, and perhaps reaching [http://wikitravel.org/en/Mole_National_Park Mole National Park] where it is possible to see the greatest assortment of wildlife.
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=37638&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Islamic%20Art:%20Africa%20and%20Central%20Asia&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID= Art] (see #10-13)
  
−
We'll be studying primarily in Legon (a suburb of Accra, where the University of Ghana is located, where the rolling hills begin - a bit cooler here) and Dagbamete, and will visit other places on optional fieldtrips.
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=49783&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Liberia:%20An%20Uncivil%20War&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID= Liberia: An uncivil war]
  
−
Here's a [http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?hl=en&geocode=&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=108906578218077644238.000466c231101f447cd3d&z=7 map] on which you can find many of the places we'll visit: Legon, Accra, Kokrobite, Cape Coast, Kakum, Kumasi, Tamle (in the north). Kokrobite is around 80 kilos west of Accra. Elmina and Kakum are short drives from Cape Coast.  In the Volta Region:  Akatsi (a few kilos from our village, Dagbamete), and Ho,  the capital of the Volta Region. 
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=39447&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Who%20Controls%20Africa?%20Power%20Structures%20in%20Ghana,%20Guinea-Bissau,%20and%20Mali&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID=15653 Who controls Africa? Power Structures in Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, and Mali]
  
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=50443 West Africa—Ghana and the Ivory Coast: Globe Trekker]. Typical cheerily youth-oriented TV documentary, following the backpacker route and reveling in its culture more than cultural empathy or interpretation... but of our destinations are highlighted in parts 1-12.
  
−
For a multimedia introduction to this program, please download this descriptive [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/Ghana_summer_09.ppt  powerpoint presentation] [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/Afrika%20dukplo%20lawo.mp3 (along with this audio file)]
+
[https://ualberta.kanopy.com/video/fela-kuti-music-weapon Fela Kuti: Music is a weapon]
  
 +
=== Ghana, its history, culture, and music ===
  
−
Here's a [[Media:Nursing.pdf | testimonial]] from a 2008 summer student enrolled in the University of Alberta's Faculty of Nursing.
+
==== History ====
  
−
Our 2008 group carried out original field research in a Ghanaian village. Read the results of our study here:
+
[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC8odNveIauyKGDYsvVbWcxaXhRH5LbzD Ghana's history], in 3 parts ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjBcRMjOWzg 1.] See esp. 26:45 Nkrumah's speech and E.T. Mensah on his highlife song, "Freedom". [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWsobQwAOBs 2],[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVj_olyhYX0 3]) Collage of documentaries and news reels - some great footage. Also [www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=lC8JU6jxHgw].
−
'''[[Musical Change in Dagbamete | Ghana 2008 research project: Music and change in Dagbamete]]'''
 
  
 +
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIr09k_LMoE Dr Kwame Nkrumah] (short piece from History Channel)
  
−
To communicate with past or prospective participants, join our '''[http://www.facebook.com/groups/edit.php?members&new&saved&gid=57104916344#/group.php?gid=57104916344 Facebook group]
+
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C-aDqgVqzY Yaa Asantewa: Warrior Queen of Ghana][http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzRooY04SHM Yaa Asantewaa and the Golden Stool]. Yaa Asantewaa was a courageous queen who ruled the Asantes and defended against the British.
  
−
= 2009 program and application procedures =
+
[http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/search-content?page=2&terms4=Gold%20Coast Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire], containing many online films about the Gold Coast, e.g. [http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/node/211 Gold Coast Police Band's visit to London in 1947], [http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/node/332][http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/node/1280][http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/node/6021][http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/node/1705 Prince of Wales in Gold Coast],[http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/node/615][http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/node/2566][http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/node/757 colonialism][http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/node/5735]
  
−
A new development:  For the first time, the program is now available for graduate credit:  Music 544 (West African Music Ensemble), Music 565 (Area Studies in Ethnomusicology), MEAS 500 (Topic in Middle Eastern and African Studies).  The latter two courses emphasize advanced, critical reading, independent field research, and ethnomusicological analysis and writing.  Students pursuing an MA in ethnomusicology could use these courses to develop a corpus of research and knowledge sufficient for the preparation of an MA thesis, or simply to develop a secondary area of ethnomusicological expertise.
+
==== Culture and Society ====
  
 +
Environment, entertainment, health, economy...
  
−
Non-University of Alberta students are responsible for ensuring that credit transfers to their home institution and program, and must enroll in    [https://www.registrar.ualberta.ca/ro.cfm?id=33 University of Alberta open studies] prior to enrollment in the program.
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=3076&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=The%20Ashanti%20Kingdom%20(Ghana)&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID= The Asante Kingdom]
  
−
== Schedule ==  
+
''Changing Nature: Population and Environment at a Crossroads''. A view of Ghana's environmental issues, especially the rain forests, and their relation to human health and economic welfare...
−
''Please note that the dates previously posted here were erroneous due to an excel bug - please note correct dates below!''
+
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=34210&loid=28527&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Changing%20Nature:%20Population%20and%20Environment%20at%20a%20Crossroads&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID= Ghana's Threatened Spirit (04:48)]
 +
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=34210&loid=28527&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Changing%20Nature:%20Population%20and%20Environment%20at%20a%20Crossroads&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID=# Exploitation and Sustainability in Ghana (02:50)]
 +
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=34210&loid=28527&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Changing%20Nature:%20Population%20and%20Environment%20at%20a%20Crossroads&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID=# Ghana's mining camps (04:18)]
 +
* [http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=34210&loid=28527&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Changing%20Nature:%20Population%20and%20Environment%20at%20a%20Crossroads&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID=# Ghana's Public Health Efforts (03:54)]
  
−
Following your '''arrival in Ghana by Thursday July 2''', the 2009 program will commence on Friday July 3, lasting a total of 33 days until its conclusion on August 3 (departure August 4), including  3 days of orientation (July 3-5), 8 days of classroom lectures (July 6-9, July 13-16), 12 days of travel throughout Ghana (July 10-12, July 17-24), and 10 days' residence in a small Ewe-speaking Ghanaian village (Dagbamete), located in Ghana's Volta Region, for field study and musical/linguistic/cultural immersion (July 25-Aug 3).  Unless you've made other arrangements, you'll be leaving Dagbamete on August 4th, and can catch a flight in the afternoon or evening on that day if you wish.  It's also possible to arrange to stay in Dagbamete longer, or to spend time touring elsewhere in Ghana if you wish.  But '''please do not plan to leave Ghana before August 4th.'''
 
  
−
The Ghana portion of the program will be shorter in 2009 than in 2008, but will provide the same number of credits.  You are welcome to plan your trip as you like, arriving before the program begins, or remaining in Ghana afterward, in order to extend your stay.  Because the Ghana portion is shorter, I will assign some readings for you to complete before your arrival in Ghana.  Feel free to do these assignments at any time before the program commences.
 
  
−
[[Media:Ghana_2009_schedule.pdf | Click here for 2009 schedule]]
+
[http://anth.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/1689388/play/true/ Salt Harvesters of Ghana] (Filmakers Library) 18 minutes. Focus on women's roles in traditional salt production in Ada, near the Volta river.
  
−
== Preparation for Ghana ==
 
  
−
[[Preparing for the Ghana program | Here are some guidelines and lists to help you prepare for travel]].
+
[http://anth.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/1796766 Dreams of Catches Unlimited], in Riches from the Deep 2 (Nordic World) 52 minutes. ''NB: Fast forward to 22:00 and watch to 35:15.'' Centered on fish production near Tema. Includes fishermen's work songs, and focusses on women's roles. We will see lots of fishing villages in Ghana.
  
−
Unless you're bringing a computer or e-reader, you should print out online reading assignments prior to departure.
 
  
−
== 2009 program syllabi ==
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=41987&loid=92215&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=A%20Fresh%20Look%20at%20Mali,%20Ghana,%20and%20Nigeria&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID= A Fresh Look at Mali, Ghana, and Nigeria.] Watch especially parts 5-8 on Ghana (plus #11, on hip-hop in Lagos).
  
−
[[Ghana 2009 syllabi | Here are the syllabi.]]
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=48875# Ghana: TV in Africa]. This documentary studies the cultural landscape of Ghana through the lens of that country’s television programming.
−
They may change a bit more and I'll try to post the lecture schedule when it's available, but this is now close to being the final thing.  
 
  
−
Because the Ghana portion of the program is shorter than last year, you will be expected to complete a number of reading assignments prior to travel. Please take note of readings on the syllabi that you should complete before the program begins, namely:
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=6135 Healers of Ghana]. (A traditional voiceover style documentary, a bit dated in some ways, but providing some unique views...) This program explores the traditional medical practices of the Bono people of central Ghana and how their healers are cooperating with Western doctors, using herbs and spiritualism to improve health-care delivery in rural areas. Traditionally, Bono tribal priests undergo a painful spiritual possession, during which deities reveal to them the causes of illnesses, which plants to use to treat them, who is perpetrating witchcraft, and which villagers might be endangering society through improper behavior. The program features vibrant dance and possession ceremonies, set against the backdrop of the Bono villages, which are awash with color. (58 minutes)
  
−
* [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ghana_2009_syllabi#Before_July_2.2C_please_read_the_following Readings for Music 365/565]
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=39449&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Dying%20in%20Africa:%20Perspectives%20on%20the%20End%20of%20Life%20in%20Burkina%20Faso,%20Ghana,%20Mali,%20and%20South%20Africa&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID= Dying in Africa: Perspectives on the End of Life in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, and South Africa]. Watch first three segments (on Ghana), and final segment on funeral music (in Burkina Faso)
−
* [http://www.fwalive.ualberta.ca/mediawiki/index.php?title=Ghana_2009_syllabi#Before_July_2.2C_please_do_the_following Readings and other activities for MEAS 300/500]
 
  
−
You will prepare final papers after returning from Ghana - papers will be due at the end of August.
+
[http://anth.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/1646954/play/true/ A Mysterious Death], by Bulmer John and Errington Sarah, in Under the Sun (British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), 1999) 49 minutes.
  
−
For now, please learn to locate all the countries of Africa and their capitals using [http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/afrquiz.html this interactive map quiz for countries], and [http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/afrcapquiz.html this one for capitals].
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=49235 Asante Market Women: Disappearing World]. Focus on Kumasi's enormous central market, and the role there of women. Fascinating documentary.
  
−
== Costs and scholarships ==
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=33563# Guinea worm]
  
−
'''[[Ghana program costs in 2009]]'''
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=43880 The Interconnected World: An Inside Look at the IMF and Its Impact (45:00)]. See segments 9-11, with focus on Ghana's emerging oil economy. This program guides viewers through the history, mission, and real-world impact of the International Monetary Fund. Topics include...Ghana’s challenges in ensuring that oil revenues benefit the country.
  
 +
==== Music (including song, language, literature, poetry, dance, drama, ritual, pop culture...) ====
  
−
'''Scholarships are available!'''
+
[https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/28815 Research on Dagaare] (northwest Ghana), by Professors ADAMS BODOMO and MANOLETE MORA
  
−
Fifteen $1,000 scholarship awards are available to early applicants from Canada, with priority to UofA students. Ready to apply?  Complete the [http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/uai_educationabroad/pdfs/Award-SummerGhanaMusicology-Application.pdf application]. (Note: the application says these grants are only for UofA students, but in fact you can obtain a scholarship even if you're not a UofA student. It's just that UofA students have priority.)
+
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAzeMQ3l1q4 Highlife: Ghana's Musical Soul] (History of Highlife)
  
−
[http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/uai_prospective/isspscholarships.cfm $2,250 scholarships are available for International students] (including  students from the USA).
+
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJKP4PPMzhE Freedom Highlife], by E.T. Mensah and the Tempos
 +
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=6434&loid= Listening to the Silence: African Cross Rhythms] (featuring Ewe music, Prof. John Collins, and many other wonderful things)
  
−
== Deadlines ==
+
[https://www.folkstreams.net/films/singing-fishermen-of-ghana Singing Fishermen of Ghana]
  
−
'''''Application deadlines:''''' 
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=10510&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=The%20Drums%20of%20Dagbon&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID= The Drums of Dagbon]
−
* Scholarship application:  March 16th, 2009
 
−
* General application:  March 16th, 2009
 
  
−
= 2007, 2008 programs =
+
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18495493 Could Ghana's new Azonto dance craze take over the world?]. Azonto is [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkLYlWGrFnc Ghana's latest dance style], and it's spread like wildfire, even to [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vHAPqOTOMs London], [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wRueD2NjYE Scandinavia], and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwipVO0J0IU Canada], far from its roots lie in inner-city Jamestown.
  
−
Those considering attending in 2009 might like to examine the [[detailed 2008 program]], including [[West African Music, Dance, Society, and Culture course hours | course hours and schedule.]] 
+
==== Representing Ghana ====
  
−
Our 2008 group carried out original field research in a Ghanaian village. Read the results of our study here: 
+
[http://anth.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/765060/play/true/ Passing Girl: Riverside An Essay On Camera Work], by Braun Kwame (Documentary Educational Resources (DER), 1998) 24 minutes.
−
'''[[Musical Change in Dagbamete | Ghana 2008 research project: Music and change in Dagbamete]]'''
 
  
 +
=== The African Diaspora: history, culture, music ===
  
−
Browse photos from previous programs here:
+
Linking Africa to the New World...and back again
  
−
[[Experiencing Ghana, summer 2007]]
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?JW=1&xtid=49793 Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North]. Katrina Browne was shocked to discover that her distinguished Rhode Island forebears had been part of the largest slave-trading dynasty in American history. Once she started digging, Browne found the evidence everywhere—in ledgers, ships’ logs, letters, and even in a local nursery rhyme. This film documents one family’s painful confrontation with their ancestors’ involvement in the slave trade, and in so doing reveals the pivotal role slavery played in the growth of the American economy.
  
−
[[Experiencing Ghana, summer 2008]]
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=30606&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Wrapped%20in%20Pride:%20The%20Story%20of%20Kente%20in%20America&IsSearch=Y&parentSeriesID= Wrapped in Pride: The Story of Kente in America]
  
−
[[Ghana program costs in 2008]]
+
[http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=6974&psid=0&sid=0&State=&title=Too%20Close%20to%20Heaven:%20The%20History%20of%20Gospel%20Music&IsSearch=N&parentSeriesID= Too Close to Heaven: The History of Gospel Music]
  
−
= Need more information? =
+
[http://www.folkstreams.net/film,166 Family Across the Sea]
  
−
Regarding application procedures please contact [mailto:caroline.lawson@ualberta.ca Caroline Lawson], Study Abroad Student Advisor, University of Alberta International, Education Abroad Program, 8920 HUB Mall, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2E1
+
[http://www.folkstreams.net/film,59 Gravel Springs Fife and Drum]
−
Tel: 780 492 6215
 
−
Fax: 780 492 6213
 
−
www.international.ualberta.ca
 
  
−
You may also contact Professor [mailto:michaelf@ualberta.ca Michael Frishkopf] for further information about the program itself.
+
[http://www.folkstreams.net/film,122 Afro-American Work Songs in a Texas Prison]
  
−
----
+
[http://www.folkstreams.net/film,82 Black Delta Religion]
−
Sending this page's URL to someone else non-electronically (e.g. over the phone)?  
+
 
−
You can also use the following short form:  http://tinyurl.com/2epv72
+
[http://www.folkstreams.net/film,54 Joy Uspeakable] (Pentecostals in Indiana)
 +
 
 +
[http://www.folkstreams.net/film,109 The Land Where Blues Began], by Alan Lomax
 +
 
 +
[http://www.folkstreams.net/film,52 The Music District]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.folkstreams.net/film,185 Music Masters and Rhythm Kings]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.folkstreams.net/film,194 The Performed Word]
 +
 
 +
[http://www.folkstreams.net/film,72 Fannie Bell Chapman: Gospel Singer]
 +
 
 +
== Maps (and map quizzes) ==
 +
* [http://cdn.static-economist.com/sites/default/files/true-size-of-africa.jpg Africa's true size] (it's huge!). Click here to compare...
 +
* [[African geography as a network]]
 +
* [http://worldmap.harvard.edu/africamap/ Harvard's AfricaMap]
 +
* [http://www.oxfordreference.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/10.1093/acref/9780199652921.001.0001/acref-9780199652921 World Maps (Oxford)]
 +
* [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=108906578218077644238.000466c231101f447cd3d&t=h&z=6 Google Map showing locations for the Ghana summer program]
 +
* [https://www.gifex.com/Africa/index_en.html A range of different maps:  climate, history, colonialism, politics...]
 +
* [http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/maps/MAPAFRICA.HTML Historical maps]
 +
* [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa.html Modern maps]
 +
* [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/west_africa/ West Africa maps]
 +
* [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ghana.html Ghana maps]
 +
* [http://africamap.harvard.edu/ Harvard's Africa Map project]
 +
* [http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/afrquiz.html interactive map quiz for countries]
 +
* [http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/afrcapquiz.html interactive map quiz for capitals]
 +
* [http://www.wdl.org/en/item/55/ 1820 Map of Africa]
 +
* [http://www.wdl.org/en/item/100/#regions=middle-east-and-north-africa&end_year=1910&start_year=1099 1889 Trading Routes of the Sahara]
 +
* [http://www.wdl.org/en/item/2586/zoom/#group=1&page=1&zoom=0.6224&centerX=0.5000&centerY=0.4496 Guinea Itself, as Well as the Greatest Portion of Nigritia or the Land of the Blacks, the One Called Ethiopia Inferior by Modern Geographers, the Other Southern Ethiopia]
 +
 
 +
== Ongoing research and development work in Ghana ==
 +
 
 +
Every year, we support local schools in Dagbamete through gifts of books and supplies. We've also supported [http://www.jaynii.com/ JayNii streetwise foundation] in Jamestown, and a women's shea nut collective in Tamale.
 +
 
 +
We contributed to help [https://sites.google.com/site/kofirichardavi/ Richard Kofi Avi], a terrific drummer from the village of Dzogadze, so that he could complete his high school education. He's now applying to study music at the University of Winneba! And we're supporting [https://sites.google.com/site/estherayensuesi/ Esther Ayensu], a very talented dancer and actress, to complete her university education in Accra.
 +
 
 +
Students also worked on the [http://bit.ly/buducd Giving Voice to Hope] project, supporting Liberian refugee musicians in Ghana.
 +
 
 +
Our summer program also includes original field research in the Ghanaian village of Dagbamete, and results are provided to the village as a means of documenting their own history. Read the results of our study here:   
 +
'''[[Musical Change in Dagbamete]]'''
 +
 
 +
Another ongoing cumulative project, entitled ''Working in Ghana'', takes its cue from Studs Terkel. Transposing [http://www.amazon.com/Working-People-Talk-About-What/dp/1565843428 his famous book about American workers] to Ghana, we've compiled a set of interviews documenting work Ghanaians do, including domestic work, and professions ranging from minister to fisherman. What do people do all day, and how do they feel about it?  The result is a cultural cross-section of Ghanaian life today.
 +
 
 +
In Tamale we are working on [http://bit.ly/sngdnc4h Singing and Dancing For Health], a project mobilizing social groups and raising awareness towards better public health through music, dance, and drama.
 +
 
 +
== Blogs ==
 +
 
 +
[http://blogs.uit.tufts.edu/tuftskiniweinghana/ Tufts Kiniwe trip to Ghana]
 +
 
 +
== Reference ==
 +
 
 +
* [http://www.oxfordreference.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/10.1093/acref/9780195337709.001.0001/acref-9780195337709 Ency. of Africa]
 +
* [http://www.oxfordreference.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/10.1093/acref/9780199652921.001.0001/acref-9780199652921 World Maps (Oxford)]
 +
* [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/subscriber/ Oxford Music Online]
 +
* [http://glnd.alexanderstreet.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/ Garland Ency. of World Music]
 +
* [http://www.oxfordreference.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/10.1093/acref/9780195173697.001.0001/acref-9780195173697 Int'l Ency. of Dance]
 +
* [http://www.oxfordreference.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/10.1093/acref/9780195139778.001.0001/acref-9780195139778 Int'l Ency. of Linguistics]
 +
* [http://www.oxfordreference.com.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/view/10.1093/acref/9780199574193.001.0001/acref-9780199574193 Oxford Companion to Theatre and Performance]
 +
 
 +
== Bibliography ==
 +
 
 +
See reference works above. Also:
 +
 
 +
[http://dl.lib.brown.edu/koetting/bibliography.html Brown University], bibliography on Ghanaian music 
 +
= [[African News, Arts, and Culture]] =

Latest revision as of 21:23, 3 September 2023

Ghana 2017: Music for Global Human Development, July 3 to August 11, 2017

short link: http://bit.ly/ghanastudyabroad

Note: The next program will not run until 2024 at the earliest - stay tuned or write Michael Frishkopf for more information.

There are routes for both undergraduate and graduate study, and "Open Studies" students who are not enrolled in any university program. The summer program is available to anyone age 18 and up.


See this recent writeup in the Faculty of Art's blog.

See 2017 course syllabi here. See older 2013 syllabi here

Here's a student performance after studies with the Kokrobite Dance Ensemble (Kokrobite, 2011)


Welcome to the Ghana Music Wiki

This wiki is dedicated to the University of Alberta's Ghana 9 credit summer study abroad program, entitled West African Music, Dance, Society, and Culture.

The program comprises social science, humanities, and performing arts components, and is formally equivalent to three semester-long University of Alberta courses, available at both undergraduate and graduate levels. There are no prerequisites for these courses (in music or African studies, or anything else), or for the program as a whole.

Music and dance are central to the program, but as a gateway to broader understanding of African societies, rather than as an end in themselves. We will study a wide range of topics from a range of disciplines: linguistics, literature, drama studies, religious studies, politics, history... We also connect the study of West Africa to the study of the Americas through inclusion of pan-Africanism, and consideration of the "Black Atlantic".

In this wiki you'll find lots of program information, as well as reference materials - it's a repository of information about Ghana, West Africa, and Africa as a whole -- with lots of links to music, video, and text.

Please read on!

Questions? Please write Michael Frishkopf, michaelf@ualberta.ca.

Main pages contained in this wiki

The page you're now reading contains primarily news and resources about Africa, especially music and West Africa. Find out more about the program via the following links:

University of Alberta summer study abroad in Ghana: introduction

Preparing for the Ghana Program: what to do before you go

2017 program syllabi, archived

2013 program syllabi, archived 

2010 program syllabi, archived 

2009 program syllabi, archived 

2008 program syllabi, archived 

Program overview


The 9 credit summer program comprises social science, humanities, and performing arts components and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Music and dance performance is central, but no musical experience or talent is required to succeed. CSL credit will be provided, as we work in partnership with a local NGO, Youth Home Cultural Group.

The program centers on the role of music (and sound, and all related performance arts -- dance, poetry, drama -- as well as visual arts, costume, design) towards promoting human development, either directly (by carrying specific development messages designed to change attitudes and behaviors, or indirectly, by fostering social cohesion, building civil society and strengthening identity & cultural continuity - see the Music for Global Human Development (M4GHD) project and -- for an example -- Singing and Dancing for Health, a recent project in Northern Ghana.

The University for Development Studies covers the spectrum of academic disciplines, with a focus on development. The 9 credit program, which will include aspects of the University's new Development Action Through Expressive Media (DATEM), will include three component courses: (1) African music and dance practice - Music x44; (2) African development (including some historical and cultural background to development issues today) with both classroom and field components; and (3) Music for Global Human Development, extending "music" to "expressive culture" and taking advantage of DATEM offerings (but focused on music and dance approaches primarily).

We will work with UDS faculty on full or half day sessions in order to learn about their research areas, and the ways they apply their research to practical development problems in Ghana's north - particularly in the domains of global health, education, nutrition and poverty alleviation, gender equality, peace and justice, and environment, with reference to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. We will volunteer with Youth Home Cultural Group to support their projects with children and youth in Tamale. Students will also work collaboratively on a music/global health project located in the village of Tolon - see Singing and Dancing for Health - designed to simultaneously address health and social issues. There may also be opportunities for medical students to substitute hospital-based training in Tamale for this segment.

During the course of this program we will spend time in urban and rural areas of Ghana's north, centered on the regional capital of Tamale, with an extended fieldwork stay in the village of Tolon, quite close to Tamale, where the Singing and Dancing for Health project is in progress, as well as a preliminary 2-day orientation period in Accra.

Excursions to sites of natural, historical and cultural interest, including the Mole wildlife preserve, the Larabanga Mosque, and other destinations in the vicinity of Tamale, Wa, or Navrongo are possible through optional weekend trips.

We will spend the first two days in in Accra, studying music, dance, and healing, and touring Accra, for a broader perspective on Ghana as a whole. We will then travel to Tamale, our base for the next five weeks, before spending the final week in a nearby village, Tolon. Weekends will provide opportunities for excursions around Ghana's north. Here is a map displaying these locations, as well as some of our potential travel destinations, with images. (see http://bit.ly/ghanamusicmap)

The program comprises 3 courses (9 credits): two in music (Music 144/444/544 "West African Music Ensemble", and Music 365/565 "Topics/Area Studies in Ethnomusicology") and one in interdisciplinary studies (INT D 325 and INT D 530: Development). No prior musical training or ability is required. Airfares are highly dependent on point of origin.

Costs

  • $1,596.24 for 9 UofA credits (3 semester courses)- for Canadians and Canadian residents (more for non-Canadians). Note: non-UofA students register through Open Studies.
  • $800 mandatory fees (attached to Music 365 and 565) - these will be used to cover room/board for the final week in Tolon and internal flights to/from Tamale, as well as additional programming.
  • $1050 room and board (or $30/day for 5 weeks -but you can easily reduce your food costs depending on where you take your meals; a local meal costs under $5; room averages under $14/day. Much less expensive than living in Canada!)

Total: $3,446.24 (more for non-Canadians and Open Studies)

Plus:

  • international ticket to Accra: cost can vary greatly; from Edmonton likely to range from $1700 to $3000 and up, depending on timing and airline. Note that you may like to use the trip as an opportunity to explore other locations through stopovers (often free) in Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East. This is completely acceptable so long as you arrive in Accra by the start date, and don't depart before the final program day.
  • cost of visa/photos (Ghana requires a visa which you can obtain by mail from Toronto or Ottawa; be sure you have a passport not expiring imminently.
  • vaccines & insurance (if needed). Note: everyone requires a Yellow Fever vaccine - the vaccination card is required to obtain a visa and must be carried to Ghana for entry.
  • recommended: about $500 in additional cash (estimated) to cover incidentals, gifts, unforeseen emergencies, etc. (note: there are many ATMS for cash; bring your bank card)

Scholarships:

  • The first 15 UofA students to apply will receive $1750 each; non-UofA students will receive $500 each.

Courses:

  • grad route:
    • Music 565 "Music for Global Human Development in West Africa"
    • Music 544 "West African Music Ensemble"
    • INT D 530 "West African Development"
  • undergrad route:
    • Music 365 "Music for Global Human Development in West Africa"
    • Music 144 or 444 "West African Music Ensemble"
    • INT D 325 "West African Development"

Please contact me by email if you are interested and I'll put you on the list.

See below for information pertaining to the 2013 program, which was rather different in some respects (but still rather similar in others).

Links:

African Arts and Culture resources

Africa and Africans

Africa

Unesco General History of Africa

Endonym map of the world (& thus indicating national scripts of Africa)

West African Kingdoms 

Fotota: African Perspectives in Photography

African Union at 50 - the dream of Unity

WikiAfrica

Africa South of the Sahara (Stanford University)

Africa Union

Aluka (log in via your university library site; if it's not available request a subscription)

Aluka:  Music

Africa Past and Present podcast

African Knowledge Project, including a set of journals

A History of the African People by Robert W. July (Long Grove IL : Waveland Press, Inc., 1998). 724 page(s)

Africa & Africans by Paul Bohannan and Philip Curtin (Long Grove, IL : Waveland Press, Inc., 1964). 316 page(s)

African Activist Archive Project

Africa Portal

Online museum resources on African Art

African languages and oral literatures

The Story of Africa (produced by the BBC)

Brill's African Studies Companion

General History of Africa (also in [http://www.unesco.org/new/fr/culture/themes/dialogue/general-and-regional-histories/general-history-of-africa/volumes French)

The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, with information on more than 35,000 slave voyages

Togo under the German Flag

Africans

Julius Nyerere

Frantz Fanon

Kwame Nkrumah

General info on Ghana

Wikitravel - Ghana

Journals of both historic and scholarly interest:  

Ghana festivals

more Ghana festivals

Library of Congress country study

Ghana, by Rachel Naylor (Oxfam Country Study series)

CIA World Factbook

US Dept of State

Ghana Statistical Service

BBC

NYT

Ghana news and media

Ghana tourism

Ghana Independence Day [1][2]

New York Times travel section article about Ghana (August 9, 2009)

Ewe stories

The Ewe Speaking Peoples of the Slave Coast of West Africa, by A. B. Ellis.

Ghana, One Year Old: a First Independence Anniversary Review

Ghana’s Policy at Home and Abroad: Text of Speech Given in the Ghana Parliament, August 29, 1957

Adoo Quamina, 1820, captain and courtier to the Ashanti king

Visiting a chop bar!

Music of West Africa and beyond

Ewe music available online

Trevor Wiggins collection (British Library)

AM Jones collection (British Library)

Dagbamba music and dance (from CCE)

Bokoor African Popular Music Archives Foundation

David Locke's analysis of Ghanaian music online

David Locke's Agbadza project online [3]

David Locke's Dagbamba dance drumming collection online

African music on the Internet

African Music Database

Ghana Expo - includes music, TV, films, and more...

Ghana Music

My youtube playlist

Ntama: Journal of African Music and Popular Culture

Music in Ghana [4]

Music news in Ghana

Ghanabase

Music videos

Hiplife

African Music on VOA

Wikipedia articles on Ghana, and West Africa (limited, but good for links)

Ghana web music

Ghana music videos

Afromix

Music lyrics

National Geographic World Music Guide

Dagara xylophone music center outside Accra

Hiplife compilation (BBC review)

African hip hop

James Koetting Ghana Field Recording Collection at Brown University

Asafo[5]

African American and Africana studies

W.E.B. DuBois

Frederick Douglass http://www.iupui.edu/~douglass/

Booker T Washington http://www.historycooperative.org/btw/

George Padmore http://www.georgepadmoreinstitute.org/ http://www.marxists.org./archive/padmore/index.htm

Marcus Garvey

Martin Luther King http://www.kinginstitute.info/

Claudia Jones http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=h-afro-am&month=1109&week=a&msg=fVcO9M3iTeVcDqi9q3okfw&user=&pw=

John Henrik Clarke http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/afprl/dr.-john-henrik-clarke

Ida B Wells http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/scrc/findingaids/view.php?eadid=ICU.SPCL.IBWELLS

Ella Baker http://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/archivalcollections/pdf/scmmg630.pdf

Maulana Karenga http://www.maulanakarenga.org/

Cheikh Anta Diop http://www.gambia.dk/antadiop.html

Walter Rodney http://www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.com/wpa/rodney_bio.html

http://www.blackeducator.org/

Scientific African journal

Audio: Ghana and beyond

See:


Smithsonian Folkways on Ghana (all available free via the above databases):

Recommended:

Contemporary world music on Ghana (all available free via the above databases):


Recommended:

Film and video: Africa, West Africa, Diaspora, and related

Note: Some of these links may not work without logging in first. For Films on Demand (http://digital.films.com) you can access from anywhere by visiting the UofA Library site and searching for database: "Films on Demand", then search for the title you wish to screen. You can also create an account allowing you to login directly to digital.films.com. All titles are provided below. If a link breaks try searching for the title. Here are the UofA's film databases. The Ethnographic film database is particularly rich in African holdings.


Overviews of African history on film and video



BBC's History of Africa with Zeinab Badawi


Basil Davidson's acclaimed BBC Africa series from the 1980s:



Henry Louis Gates series: Part I (find other parts from here)



Overviews of three major documentary series by Basil Davidson, Ali Mazrui, and Henry Louis Gates


The following films are from the Films on Demand database, to which the UofA subscdribes. If the links are broken it's probably because Films on Demand loves to rework their URLs periodically. In that case just search for the title within the Films on Demand database (you will have to log in via UofA or your institutional account).

Africa calling

Journeys into Islamic Africa

African Art

West Africa

The Glories of Ancient Benin

Medieval West Africa

Ancient Ghana

The Mande people of the Mali empire


The Bambara Kingdom of Segu (Mali)

Dark passages (Slave trade)

Door of no return (slave trade)

Berlin 1885: The Division of Africa

Berlin 1885, la ruée sur l'Afrique 1/6 (other parts present also; in French)

Africa: States of independence - the scramble for Africa. al-Jazeera special on 17 African nations independent for 50 years in 2010.

African society, culture, music, religion, and politics

Fonko: An African Musical Revolution

The Call of Africa

Africa's West Coast

Miraculous Water: The Effects of Scarcity and Abundance in Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Mali

More Than Just a Game: Competitions and Celebrations in Ethiopia, Ghana, Niger, Senegal, and Sudan

Paper Gods: Aspects of Religion in Benin, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Mali. See section 10 on a witchcraft village in northern Ghana.

Reel African. Collection of online video content. May not all be accessible from your location.

Africa: who is to blame? A film featuring Ghana's former President J.J. Rawlings

IIs Soccer more than just a Sport to Africans?

DEATH METAL ANGOLA - Trailer # 1

African Underground: Hip Hop in Senegal

West Africa generally

Welcome to Lagos Nigeria - BBC Two Documentary

Short videos about West Africa (Burkina Faso, Ghana...)

Nollywood Babylon, on the Nigerian film industry (from the National Film Board of Canada)

Jean Rouch: seminal French documentary filmmaker-anthropologist, who developed a style of reflexive documentary filmmaking called "cinéma-vérité", blurring boundaries ordinarily separating subject and observer, as well as those separating fiction and non-fiction genres. Rouch is well known for representing West Africa in his films.


A Fresh Look at Mali, Ghana, and Nigeria.

Nollywood

Keita: The Heritage of the Griot

Chinua Achebe[6]

Wole Soyinka

Art (see #10-13)

Liberia: An uncivil war

Who controls Africa? Power Structures in Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, and Mali

West Africa—Ghana and the Ivory Coast: Globe Trekker. Typical cheerily youth-oriented TV documentary, following the backpacker route and reveling in its culture more than cultural empathy or interpretation... but of our destinations are highlighted in parts 1-12.

Fela Kuti: Music is a weapon

Ghana, its history, culture, and music

History

Ghana's history, in 3 parts (1. See esp. 26:45 Nkrumah's speech and E.T. Mensah on his highlife song, "Freedom". 2,3) Collage of documentaries and news reels - some great footage. Also [www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=lC8JU6jxHgw].

Dr Kwame Nkrumah (short piece from History Channel)

Yaa Asantewa: Warrior Queen of GhanaYaa Asantewaa and the Golden Stool. Yaa Asantewaa was a courageous queen who ruled the Asantes and defended against the British.

Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire, containing many online films about the Gold Coast, e.g. Gold Coast Police Band's visit to London in 1947, [7][8][9]Prince of Wales in Gold Coast,[10][11]colonialism[12]

Culture and Society

Environment, entertainment, health, economy...

The Asante Kingdom

Changing Nature: Population and Environment at a Crossroads. A view of Ghana's environmental issues, especially the rain forests, and their relation to human health and economic welfare...


Salt Harvesters of Ghana (Filmakers Library) 18 minutes. Focus on women's roles in traditional salt production in Ada, near the Volta river.


Dreams of Catches Unlimited, in Riches from the Deep 2 (Nordic World) 52 minutes. NB: Fast forward to 22:00 and watch to 35:15. Centered on fish production near Tema. Includes fishermen's work songs, and focusses on women's roles. We will see lots of fishing villages in Ghana.


A Fresh Look at Mali, Ghana, and Nigeria. Watch especially parts 5-8 on Ghana (plus #11, on hip-hop in Lagos).

Ghana: TV in Africa. This documentary studies the cultural landscape of Ghana through the lens of that country’s television programming.

Healers of Ghana. (A traditional voiceover style documentary, a bit dated in some ways, but providing some unique views...) This program explores the traditional medical practices of the Bono people of central Ghana and how their healers are cooperating with Western doctors, using herbs and spiritualism to improve health-care delivery in rural areas. Traditionally, Bono tribal priests undergo a painful spiritual possession, during which deities reveal to them the causes of illnesses, which plants to use to treat them, who is perpetrating witchcraft, and which villagers might be endangering society through improper behavior. The program features vibrant dance and possession ceremonies, set against the backdrop of the Bono villages, which are awash with color. (58 minutes)

Dying in Africa: Perspectives on the End of Life in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, and South Africa. Watch first three segments (on Ghana), and final segment on funeral music (in Burkina Faso)

A Mysterious Death, by Bulmer John and Errington Sarah, in Under the Sun (British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), 1999) 49 minutes.

Asante Market Women: Disappearing World. Focus on Kumasi's enormous central market, and the role there of women. Fascinating documentary.

Guinea worm

The Interconnected World: An Inside Look at the IMF and Its Impact (45:00). See segments 9-11, with focus on Ghana's emerging oil economy. This program guides viewers through the history, mission, and real-world impact of the International Monetary Fund. Topics include...Ghana’s challenges in ensuring that oil revenues benefit the country.

Music (including song, language, literature, poetry, dance, drama, ritual, pop culture...)

Research on Dagaare (northwest Ghana), by Professors ADAMS BODOMO and MANOLETE MORA

Highlife: Ghana's Musical Soul (History of Highlife)

Freedom Highlife, by E.T. Mensah and the Tempos Listening to the Silence: African Cross Rhythms (featuring Ewe music, Prof. John Collins, and many other wonderful things)

Singing Fishermen of Ghana

The Drums of Dagbon

Could Ghana's new Azonto dance craze take over the world?. Azonto is Ghana's latest dance style, and it's spread like wildfire, even to London, Scandinavia, and Canada, far from its roots lie in inner-city Jamestown.

Representing Ghana

Passing Girl: Riverside An Essay On Camera Work, by Braun Kwame (Documentary Educational Resources (DER), 1998) 24 minutes.

The African Diaspora: history, culture, music

Linking Africa to the New World...and back again

Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North. Katrina Browne was shocked to discover that her distinguished Rhode Island forebears had been part of the largest slave-trading dynasty in American history. Once she started digging, Browne found the evidence everywhere—in ledgers, ships’ logs, letters, and even in a local nursery rhyme. This film documents one family’s painful confrontation with their ancestors’ involvement in the slave trade, and in so doing reveals the pivotal role slavery played in the growth of the American economy.

Wrapped in Pride: The Story of Kente in America

Too Close to Heaven: The History of Gospel Music

Family Across the Sea

Gravel Springs Fife and Drum

Afro-American Work Songs in a Texas Prison

Black Delta Religion

Joy Uspeakable (Pentecostals in Indiana)

The Land Where Blues Began, by Alan Lomax

The Music District

Music Masters and Rhythm Kings

The Performed Word

Fannie Bell Chapman: Gospel Singer

Maps (and map quizzes)

Ongoing research and development work in Ghana

Every year, we support local schools in Dagbamete through gifts of books and supplies. We've also supported JayNii streetwise foundation in Jamestown, and a women's shea nut collective in Tamale.

We contributed to help Richard Kofi Avi, a terrific drummer from the village of Dzogadze, so that he could complete his high school education. He's now applying to study music at the University of Winneba! And we're supporting Esther Ayensu, a very talented dancer and actress, to complete her university education in Accra.

Students also worked on the Giving Voice to Hope project, supporting Liberian refugee musicians in Ghana.

Our summer program also includes original field research in the Ghanaian village of Dagbamete, and results are provided to the village as a means of documenting their own history. Read the results of our study here: Musical Change in Dagbamete

Another ongoing cumulative project, entitled Working in Ghana, takes its cue from Studs Terkel. Transposing his famous book about American workers to Ghana, we've compiled a set of interviews documenting work Ghanaians do, including domestic work, and professions ranging from minister to fisherman. What do people do all day, and how do they feel about it?  The result is a cultural cross-section of Ghanaian life today.

In Tamale we are working on Singing and Dancing For Health, a project mobilizing social groups and raising awareness towards better public health through music, dance, and drama.

Blogs

Tufts Kiniwe trip to Ghana

Reference

Bibliography

See reference works above. Also:

Brown University, bibliography on Ghanaian music 

African News, Arts, and Culture

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