Musical Change in Dagbemete Interviews

I had the opportunity to interview the following natives of Dagbamete about Musical change in Dagbamete. the following are summaries of their interview

Name: Bungalow
Age: N/A
Place of Birth: N/A
Place of Residence: Dagbamete
Profession: Husband of Assemblywoman

My interview with him was more of a defensive response from his standpoint. I say this because when I asked him about ‘the state and change of music scene in Dagbamete? His response, to sum it up in a few words, was, ‘it’s gotten better! As to how he saw it that way, he replied, no aspects of the music culture or tradition as a whole has seen any changes. To him, the same pattern that was used in the 70’s is still being maintained without any refashioning or remodeling. He even attributed to the upcoming school musicfest as an example of how the music culture is alive and thriving very well in their community. He explained that because of the enthusiasm involved in this event, it’s seen better organization regionally, zonally and locally. As to if this musical festival contributes to any monetary infusion or job creation in the community? He replied, no! To the contrary, keeping their tradition alive was more essential. As well, to him, the role of women had been very significant in all aspects of the community however he didn’t support it with any details or metric of measurement. I would say he applauded the involvement of women perhaps his own wife is the non salaried assembly woman of the community. Note: it was quite difficult eliciting information from him.

Name: Kudzo Dunyo
Age: Mid 30’s
Place of Birth: Dagabamete
Place of Residence: Tema
Profession: Engineer

My interview with him was profound, informational, interesting but cut short due to time. Asked as to how music has changed in Dagbamate? His response was, it hasn’t really changed profoundly because they are ardent practitioners of their customs and traditions, as well as a way of life to them; thus, making it almost impossible to separate it from their daily activities. To him, musically, they sing and dance to specific songs for specific events. For example, the form of agbaadza that was performed at the shrine to him was exclusive to the shrine; I must say I witnessed a similar form of that dance at Dzogadze when the local ensemble performed for us. Therefore, to this, I will leave it open to debate. more to the point, he claimed there were songs performed at the shrine that were also exclusive to the shrine however he failed to mention the names or titles of songs when asked. Furthermore, he stated that some of the songs sang at the shrine had potency and power which was dearly revered by shrine followers and neighboring villages and towns. These songs had been transferred from generation to generation As well, he expressed that specific songs were sang in times of crisis by worshippers of the shrine or members of Dagbamete, and these songs had the ability to change the circumstance they were confronted with. Regarding the role of women of women, he said that their roles haven’t changed overtime because traditionally they played support or secondary roles in their traditional life and culture. He alluded to the roles of women at the shrine, as well s the ability of men to marry several wives. on the topic of the use of drums, he said certain drums were used for precise purposes. An example is the, war dance, achiagbeko, which has certain drums for communicating and conjuring magical potency. However, he did not elaborate into details. My assessment is he he was familiar to some extent with the role of music in the village however he was not fully or highly educated about the specific or traditional names; more so, it could be a code of silence or community allegiance not to give up all the names of certain instruments, gods or traditions to outsiders. Our interview was cut short by the interruption of a phonecall and his brother, Frank, requesting his services.

Name: Francis Honu
Age: 20
Place of Birth: Ada
Place of Residence: Dagbamete
Profession: Mason
When I posed the question of how music has changed in Dagbamete his response was music scene hasn’t seen much change in the village because of the steadfast adherence to tradition. He went on to stress that drumming, dancing and singing of traditional songs were part of their daily lives. However these three performances had specific situations which they were used. For instance, specific drumming and dancing were reserved only for the shrine, as well as used for certain crisis encounters. He claimed, if you attacked or faced with certain unforeseen circumstance you could apply a certain dance and a remedy became visible. Asked as to what the name of the dance was, he failed to attach a name. What this indicated to me was either he was naïve or just not familiar with all aspects of the village traditions. Because at the start of our interview, he claimed he was not born in Dagbamete but his mom was from there that was why he moved there. As well, he’s been in the village for five years. He also expressed the community’s deep believe in African traditional Religion. As to what roles women played, he claimed they played diverse roles as per dancing and drumming. He couldn’t elaborate any further. In addition, he indicated that their shrine is highly revered in the town surrounding village and cities that is why there is a huge influx of visitors. He even went on to say certain pastors of revered churches come to the shrine for protective powers to increase their church membership and influence. Regarding human sacrifice, he claims modernity has changed the way they sacrificed that is why the us eof animals instead of humans.