Kete at Funeral in Kwaman

dancing in the middle of the street for the entire town.


Saturday May 29 Today we were invited to play at a local funeral in KWAMAN ASHANTI.
"Summer here's and the time is right for dancin' in the streets." If the image that have I just uploaded ever uploads you will see me dancing in the street of Kwaman with beautiful women dresses in red and black for the funeral that we were invited to play and dance at. All funerals in Ghana are an opportunity for the townspeople to come into the streets play music dance and eat together. It was a blast.

I am studying with some hard core musicians a dancers. We're up by 6:30.We eat breakfast at 7 and start studying by 9. we work until 12. Lunch at 12:30, back to the studies at 1:30/2 we work until 5. Dinner is around 6/6:30. I spend evenings writing, hand washing some clothes, or chatting with friends here. I have been to a local restaurant called The simple store. They have some cold drinks and snacks.

Sunday the 30th was a down day. I was awakened by the yelling of hallelujah outside my window. A church rents the yard of the hotel for Sunday morning inspirational meetings. I never knew how loud these tent events were; microphones, electric piano, and singing. So instead of 6:30 wake-up I tried to sleep until 8 instead. I was not successful.

We went to market. The town was mostly shut down for the sabbath but enough stores were open for us to by the things we left behind, soap, flip flops, towels, comb, I even found a baker and bought some muffins for tea. The walk around town was interesting. I will try to upload some photos. There are no sidewalks and the roads are a red clay mixed with occasional paving. There are many pot holes everywhere. Ghanaian money is called Ceedees and are valued at 1.41 CD to the American dollar. that a great rate of exchange almost half again. Things are very inexpensive here too.




Monday may 31,

Early lesson mostly drumming Kete today. I played Dawuro (bells)and Apentemma (middle sized drum played with your hands not sticks) . the Dawuro plays a rhythmic pattern that almost never varies. one has to listen to the Big master drum for any changes. When you dance it is the same. The movements are prescribed but hyou do not know whne to do them. You dance a certain step together in a circle or line until the master drum calls out the rhythm that goes with the change of step. it's very improvisational even though you know the changes you don't know when there coming. You have to really listen. there are cues that come just before the changes are called out from the master drum.
Fitting the rhythm of the Apentemma drum(voice) over the Dawuro was hard aty first,. you have to wait until you really feel the rhythm of the dawuro and know where your voice fits inside that rhythm. Then you play it so many times you begin to feel very inside your own rhythm comfortably and then you can begin to hear all the voices(drums rhythms) around you together and not get confused. It's very powerful (emotional).




Kwabena, a dancer, worked with me on just arm movements today.
It is important to learn where the hands should be in realtionship to each other and that they move with your feet. you have to listen very carefully to know when to start the pattern. More to come about dancing.

Da yie
Goodnight 9:45 Ghana time

Ms. Brown