Introduction
The project involves the members of the Kakatsitsi Master Drummers from Ghana studying with the musicians and dancers of the Korle Wulomo, a member of the traditional priesthood of the Ga people of Southern Ghana, to learn their spiritual songs, rhythms and dances. Kakatsitsi will then record these songs and rhythms and release a traditional album and an album of remixes.
The Korle Wolomo
Aims and Objectives
The objective of the project is to develop Kakatsitsi’s musical and dance repertoire and to introduce western audiences to the spiritual music and dance culture of the Ga people of Southern Ghana. There is considerable interest in the spiritual dance cultures of other peoples in Europe and this project will seek to meet this interest. The remix component of the project will serve to broaden the appeal of traditional African music and dance and enable it to reach a much wider audience than the conventional ‘world music’ audience.
Project Activities
The project will begin with the 8 members of Kakatsitsi and their manager / artistic director spending 2 days studying with the Korlo Wulomo and his entourage of traditional drummers and dancers. The spiritual dancers will demonstrate their rhythms, chants and dances which will be recorded on professional quality audio and video equipment provided by Kakatsitsi’s parent company, Indigenous People. The Korle Wulomo will narrate the video recordings, explaining the spiritual function and significance of the rhythms, chants and dances.
The second phase of the project will involve Kakatsitsi rehearsing their own interpretations of the spiritual dances and chants, using their own unique style which is adapted to suit western sensibilities and thereby making the music more accessible to western audiences.
The third phase will be for Kakatsitsi to spend some time in a recording studio, recording the rhythms and chants both live as an ensemble for release as a traditional album as well as track by track for use in remixes combining electronic beats, basslines and melodies. The remixes will be done by producers associated with the UK record company Liquid Records and the Danish record company Iboga Records.
The fourth phase will be for Kakatsitsi to tour both the traditional set and a fusion set around the festivals and venues of the UK and Western Europe, ideally with a particular focus on Danish festivals and venues.
Benefits of the project
Kakatsitsi are one of Ghana’s leading traditional drumming, singing and dance groups, having toured the UK 12 times and having some of Ghana’s leading traditional drummers and singers in the group. The group are marketed as coming from the heartland of the Ga people and use the spiritual costume of the traditional priesthood in some of their performances. However, while the lead dancer in the group has learned some of the spiritual dances used by the traditional priesthood in their ceremonies, the drummers and singers do not know the relevant rhythms and songs. It is therefore necessary for them to spend some time learning them if they are to be able to perform and share them to the wider world on their European tours.
A further justification for the project lies in the observation that interest in the spiritual dance cultures of other peoples is particularly high in the West. Traditional drumming and dance groups who are able to perform the spiritual dances and chants of their culture of origin will therefore achieve an advantage in the marketplace compared to other groups without the spiritual element in their performance.
The remix element of the project is a further means of enabling the spiritual music and dance of the Ga people of Ghana to achieve wider exposure. The traditional world music market is a small part of a small part of the music business, whereas the dance music market offers a much larger audience. Generating sales in this market will generate much needed revenue to support traditional artists and also serves to preserve the traditional culture by attaching to it the high status associated with exposure in the western cultural market.
Projects such as these assist with the preservation of Africa’s diverse wealth of culture and tradition and help resist the tide of westernisation that is leading to many young Ghanaians adopting western cultures and fashions rather than honouring and respecting their own cultural traditions.
Developing a partnership with one or more Danish world and/or dance music music agencies will enable Kakatsitsi to establish a bridgehead in to the European world music and dance music market that has, which up until now, has proven difficult for the group to access.
Prospective Project Partners
The Kakatsitsi Master Drummers from Ghana.
The Korle Wulomo and his entourage of musicians and dancers.
Indigenous People – a UK based world music management company and cultural education charity.
Kwame Yeboah – renowned producer and musician.
Liquid Records – UK based dance music record company