Teacher’s Resource Guide
Dear Educators,
Okropong, presented by Obo Addy Legacy Project,
provides student audiences with a performance that
explodes with the sounds of authentic African rhythm
and song, vibrates with traditional West African dance
and offers insight into African culture and its influences
in America. Each 45 minute performance, showcases
music and dance that comes from the life of Obo Addy
and his homeland of Ghana, West Africa—a country
that has over forty different languages and many
ethnic groups. Students can expect to see traditionally
clad musicians performing on unique hand crafted
percussion instruments along with spinning and kicking
dancers depicting stories and ideas through humor and
powerful physicality. The show culminates with audience
participation that is certain to make students jump in
joyful celebration of cultural diversity.
The following Teacher’s Resource Guide is designed
to assist teachers as they prepare students for the
performance and integrate the performance with existing
academic curriculum. The Guide assists teachers by
pointing out elements applicable to Oregon Arts Content
Standards and includes: biographical information about
the performers, cultural and historical information about
Ghana including its music and dance, relevant vocabulary
words, descriptions of the instruments, ideas for
classroom activities and additional resources for further
study including online links.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Artists: Bios •
Ghana •
The Music & Instruments •
At the Performance •
Vocabulary list •
Classroom Activities •
Curriculum links and other resources •
We look forward to bringing the music and dance of
Ghana to you.
Susan Addy
Executive Director
Teacher’s Resource Guide
The Artists
Obo Addy, Artistic Director of Obo Addy Legacy
Project, was a native of Ghana, West Africa. His life-long
relationship with music began while watching his father’s
intricate drumming. His father who was a wonche, or
spiritual healer, guided spiritual ceremonies with his
drumming. By the age
of six, Obo made the
decision to become a
professional drummer.
At 18, he began to live
his dream when he joined
his first professional band
and later joined the Joe
Kelly Band. the pioneer
tour of Oboade, the first
professional traditional
Ghanaian performance
troupe to tour the West.
Obo left Ghana to
perform with Oboade
when the group represented Ghana at the 1972 Olympics
in Munich, West Germany, and in 1974, when the troupe
spent three months touring aboriginal settlements in
Australia. The group was based in London and performed
throughout the world.
Obo Addy, artistic director of the Obo Addy Legacy Project
passed away on September 13, 2012 after a long battle
with liver cancer.
Obo was a master drummer, award-winning composer,
brilliant musician, skilled teacher, beloved husband, father
and grandfather.
Established in 1986, Homowo African Arts and Cultures
celebrated its 26th anniversary with a new name and a
more focused direction for the organization. Hereafter
known as The Obo Addy Legacy Project, the non-profit
will carry forth the work begun by Homowo African Arts
& Cultures while focusing on creating, performing and
teaching African arts.
To order cd’s: www.oboaddy.com/recordings
www.cdbaby.com
or www.rhythmtraders.com
Obo, master drummer, teacher, and composer, received
Oregon’s Governor’s Award for the Arts in 1993. In
1996, he was honored with the highest award given
to traditional artists in
the United States, the
National Endowment for
the Arts’ National Heritage
Award.
The performers include:
Alex Addy, Charles Armah,
Mashud Neindow, Michael
Akoto, Eric Pappoe and
Boinor Nartey.
Teacher’s Resource Guide
MAPS of GHANA
www.ghc-ca.com/maps/map-ghana-africa-imp.gif
www.state.gov/cms_images/map_ghana.gif
www-radar.jpl.nasa.gov/africamap/graphics/wafrica/ghana_pl.jpg
Teacher’s Resource Guide
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Ghana-map-blank.png
Locate Ghana on a map. Find the city of Accra.
Look at the neighboring countries.
Discuss how living in a country like Ghana could
be different than living in The United States.
Teacher’s Resource Guide
Ghana, situated on the West coast of Africa,
washed by the Atlantic Ocean on its southern
border, was given the name “Gold Coast” by Europeans,
much due to the promise of wealth for those who traded
at its ports—be it wealth from the currency of gold or
enslaved people. Ghana gained its independence from
Great Britain on March 6, 1957, and was the first African
country to do so. Since the late 1950’s, Ghana has been an
inspiration to other African countries as they seek national
independence and to the diaspora of free African people
around the world wishing to learn from their spiritual and
cultural roots. Ghana is today one of the most stable of
Africa’s 51 countries.
Discuss the countries of Africa in
relation to the ethnic groups living there.
How were the boundaries set for the
countries in west Africa?
Politics
Three years after Ghana gained its independence, it
became a republic and Kwame Nkrumah was elected
to be its first president. He was a strong leader who
worked tirelessly to make Ghana a shining example
among emerging nations. During Nkrumah’s time,,
Ghana built hospitals and schools and promoted
development projects like the Lake Volta hydroelectric
and aluminum plants so that Ghana might be a showplace
of African cultures. Politically, he enabled members of his
Convention People’s Party (CPP) to resist British colonial
policies through effective peaceful means. Nkrumah was
overthrown in 1966 and later replaced by Jerry Rawlings,
a president who also changed a great deal of government
policy and structure. He formed the Provisional National
Defense Council (PNDC) and ruled the country through
a series of coups until he was democratically elected in
1996. In December, 2004 John Kufuor won the election
for the New Patriotic Party (NPP). In 2009 John AtaaMills, who had been the Vice President under Rawlings
became Ghana’s 3rd President of the 4th Republic.
In the summer of 2009, US President Barack Obama
visited Ghana—the first African American president
to make such a journey. Visit the website below to see
President Obama deliver his speech to the parliament in
Ghana.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/A-New-Moment-ofPromise-in-Africa/
Discuss the word “jungle” and how it
differs from forest. Are there jungles
or forests in Ghana?
Geography
Ghana is a beautiful and diverse country, approximately
the same size as Great Britain, 239,000 sq. kilometers.
Because it is located just north of the equator, its climate
is warm and humid like the tropics and maintains an
average temperature of 26 degrees to 29 degrees Celsius.
Its population as of 2008 was approximately 23 million.
Ghana consists of flat grassy plains, coastal savannah,
valleys, many lakes and rivers, lagoons, sandbars,
plateaus, tropical forests, low mountain ranges covered in
deciduous forest (cooler climate), and a strong surf that
pounds shorelines and beaches.
Compare the country of Ghana
to Oregon considering the coast, the
mountains, the forests and the desert.
Teacher’s Resource Guide
Economy
Ghana’s economy is primarily based on agriculture. Over 50 percent of the labor force works to harvest Ghana’s cash
crops. Cacao (from which cocoa and chocolate are made) is the most important cash crop and accounts for about 60
percent of all exports. Other exports include coffee, fruits, corn, root crops, peanuts, millet, and sorghum. Mining is also
important to the economy as Ghana has many valuable natural resources like gold, diamonds, aluminum, and bauxite.
Other key industries include timber, fishing, and light manufacturing.
Traditionally regional chiefs were the
protectors of Ghana’s assets, economic
and agricultural. Today, chiefs provide
guidance and leadership to the people
of their ethnic group, presiding over
special occasions, solving disputes, and
overseeing festivals.
People of Ghana
Present day Ghana is a country composed of many ethnic
groups who generally live in certain parts of the country,
speak their own distinct language, and have a distinct
culture. They maintain their own customs, for instance
some groups are matrilineal and others are patrilineal.
But, despite the variety of languages and customs
in Ghana, English is currently the official language,
primarily because of Ghanaian developments after British
colonization. Following is a listing of some of Ghana’s
major ethnic groups.
• The Akan people, located in southwest Ghana,
have been greatly influenced by British culture
and have a matrilineal form of descent.
• The Ewes inhabit southeastern Ghana, have a
patrilineal form of descent and are mainly farmers
and fisherman.
• The Guan who live near the central region of Ghana
have many different language dialects and are
thought to be one of the oldest populations in the
area.
• The Central Togo groups live just above the Ewe
people where patrilineal groups are organized under
a chief. Here people mainly farm cocoa and the
primary religion is Christianity.
• The Fanti peoples live in the coastal areas
• The Ga are the original inhabitants of Accra, the
capital and live in the southern coastlands
• The Asante in the south-central area well known for
their beautiful artistry in ceramics, wood carving,
pottery and weaving the famous kente cloth.
• The Hausa and Moshi-Dagomba live in the north.
Teacher’s Resource Guide
Ghanaian music and instruments:
Okropong uses instruments made from natural materials found in Ghana to play its music. These instruments—drums,
bells, shakers and xylophones—belong to the percussion family. Musicians play them by striking them with sticks or bare
hands, or by shaking them. Some of Okropong’s members also sing and play flutes
The structure:
The master drummer of the group sets the speed (tempo) of the music. He leads the other musicians
and dancers by playing rhythms and pitches that these performers understand like words in a
language. Okropong’s music is polyrhythmic. It contains many rhythms at once. Each musician plays a
single rhythm to form a polyrhythmic whole. On top of this polyrhythm, the master drummer
improvises additional rhythms. Students will get a chance to try out a polyrhythm at the
performance!
Drumming is passed down from generation to generation in traditional societies. The master
drummer is the teacher and the student begins with the bell before being allowed to touch a drum.
Instruments
People from Ghana’s Ga culture make large kpanlogo(PON loh goh) drums from tree trunks. They first carve the drum’s
outer shape from the trunk, and then hollow out its center. Next they stretch an animal skin over one end, attaching it with
leather strings and wooden pegs. They leave the bottom of the drum open. The drum is tuned by hitting the pegs to raise
the pitch or hitting the middle of the skin to lower the tone.
Donno-The Talking Drum: When
you speak or sing, the pitch of
your words can be high, medium,
or low. The donno(DOH noh)
drum is often called the “Talking
Drum” because it also can play
high, medium, and low pitches. At
each end of its hourglass-shaped
body is a drumhead. These two
drumheads are attached to each other with leather
strings. By striking one drumhead with a curved stick and
squeezing or releasing the leather strings with one arm,
donno players can adjust the pitch of the sound.
Gome: This is a square
drum which is covered with
a skin at one end. It has
a tensioning device inside
to pull the skin tighter
as a way to tune it. The
drummer sits on the drum
striking the skin with his hand and using the heel of his
foot to change the pitch.
Shekere or ahetse: A gourd
or calabash covered with a net
of beads which gives a high
pitched sound and keeps the
time.
Gyil: An instrument commonly
called an African xylophone.
The keys are made of wood with
gourds hanging underneath for
resonance. It is hit with two
mallets. The keys are strung
together with leather strings.
Construct simple percussion
instruments and create a classroom
orchestra. Possible materials might
include gourds, sticks, bells, boxes etc.
Teacher’s Resource Guide
At The Performance
Every piece Okropong performs has its own music, instruments, and dance movements. The company’s dedication to the
cultural traditions behind the dances is apparent as performers explain the origin and function of each dance within its
culture. The dances and their accompanying music offer lively snapshots of the African experience. Student audiences will
notice the strong connection between music, dance, and life in African culture and its connection to music in America.
At the concert, you will hear polyrhythm in the song “Hulu,” which means sunshine. The words say “when it’s hot, the
music goes faster”. Hulu is an example of an old highlife song. Highlife music was created around the turn of the twentieth
century using instruments much like you see in the performance. Later, highlife changed to reflect international influences
and at times sounded like jazz, reggae, and most recently- hip hop.
Call and Response
In much of African vocal music, a single solo singer sings words that a group of singers answers. This style of singing is
referred to as call and response. At the performance you will get to sing with Okropong in a “call and response” song. In
one part of “Oge,” the solo singer sings, “Thank you in Ga (Anyako) “–the call. Then the group sings, “You’re welcome”
(Ya-ey)–the response. The call has one melody and the response has another.
Ask the students for examples of call
and response in American culture.
(“What do we want? Freedom! When do we want it? Now!)
An example from the civil rights movement.
Teacher’s Resource Guide
Vocabulary words
Culture- the collective customs and accomplishments of a particular people or group.
Ethnic- of or relating to a group of people who share racial, linguistic, religious, or cultural ties.
Heritage- a country or area’s history; cultural traditions that pass from one generation to another.
Pan-African- relating to all nations or people of African descent collectively; advocating freedom and independence to
all people of Africa.
Traditional- something based on tradition.
Customary, long-established and time-honored.
Patrilineal- tracing descent through males
Matrilineal- inherited or traced through the women’s line of descent
Percussion- the group of musical instruments that produce sound by being struck, including drums and cymbals, or
the section of the orchestra playing such instruments
Polyrythm- a technique of musical composition in which several contrasting rhythms are used simultaneously. This is
very typical of African music.
High life - a style of music that blends West African features with American jazz forms and is popular in West Africa
Wonche- a spiritual healer in Ga culture in Ghana.
Master drummer- a drummer who has learned and excels at all the drumming parts of each piece of music. He not
only knows his own parts but can play and teach everything else that makes up a traditional song.
Teacher’s Resource Guide
Classroom activities- pre and post:
PRE-PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES:
Introduce students to good theater behavior:
• Watching and listening to the performance without speaking.
• Remaining seated during the entire performance.
• Responding appropriately by applauding during and after the performance.
Discuss theater etiquette with the class. What is expected of a polite audience member? Discuss and list students’ responses and
suggestions. Assist students with some leading questions.
Make Adinkra prints. Instead of the traditional stamps carved from a calabash, a potato or eraser or even a sponge can be used. Look
for some traditional patterns to use. Kits are available in many bookstores. Discuss how these fabrics are used traditionally
Read some Anansi stories. Anansi the spider can be found in many books and is a universal hero. Ask the students to write one of
their own stories using Anansi as the hero, or to draw pictures of him. Compare to Coyote in Native American legends. Or compare to
Brer Rabbit stories. Have the students write the story and draw a picture to illustrate it.
Introduce the call-and-response concept. Allow students to explore this concept by working in pairs to create their own call- and
-response songs. Have some children teach their song to the class.
POST PERFORMANCE ACTIVITIES:
Think about the instruments used by the performers. What did they look like-draw a picture.
How did they sound? Make a list of descriptive words for the performance.
Write a group story about the performance. How was it different from the music we are used to hearing? How was it similar? What
rhythms were used in the music? Have the students draw pictures to accompany the story they write.
Research different types of percussion instruments and compare them to the ones used in this program. What characteristics do
all percussion instruments share? What different types of items are used to make the sound come from the instruments? What other
cultures use drums in their music?
As explained in the performance, music is a very important part of African daily life. Have the students list what functions
music and dance have in our lives. Some answers might be: church or temple, weddings, Christmas, parades, parties, dances....How
can we include more music and dance in our lives?
Teacher’s Resource Guide
Curriculum links and Benchmarks Resources:
Link to the Oregon Standards: http://www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/subjects/arts/curriculum
Go online:
• Africa for kids teaches about daily life in Ghana.
www.pbskids.org/africa/myworld/westafrica.html
• General information about Ghana
www.ghanaweb.com and www.ghana.gov.gh
• Obo Addy Legacy Project - learn more about Okropong.
www.homowo.org
• Obo Addy’s Website Learn more about Obo Addy.
www.oboaddy.com
Listen to:
•
•
•
•
•
Addy, Obo. Wonche Bi, Alula, Alu 1025, 2001.
Addy, Obo. The Rhythm of Which a Chief Walks Gracefully, Earth beat, 2561.
Addy, Obo. Okropong, Santrofi, 102.
Hear clips from two of Obo’s CDs at www.oboaddylegacyproject.org
Ghanaian cds can be found at ordered from www.cdbaby.com/oboaddy. This is a locally based company and
they mail cd’s out overnight.
READ:
Ahiagble, Gilbert Bobbo. Master Weaver from Ghana. Seattle: Open Hand Publishing, 1998. Barnett, Jeanie M. Ghana.
New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988.
Blum, Odette. Dance in Ghana. Dance Perspectives Foundations: New York. c1973. Ghana in Pictures. Visual Geography
series. Lerner Publications: Minneapolis. C 1988.
Chernoff, John Miller. African Rhythm and African Sensibility Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979.
Well researched information on African music in general. Focus on the Ewe peoples of Ghana.
Graham, Ronnie. World of African Music: Stern’s Guide to Contemporary African Music. Vol. 2. Pluto Press: London.c 1992.
Kebede, Ashenafi. Roots of Black Music: The Vocal, Instruments, and Dance Heritage of Africa and Black America Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982. (780.96k)
Nketia, j.H. Kwabena.The Music of Africa.New York: W.W. Norton, 1974. (780.96 N) History and criticism.
Teacher Resource Guide Credits: Susan Addy and Kasandra Gruener, Education Consultant
Contact info:
____OBO ADDY LEGACY PROJECT____
7725 N Fowler Ave
Portland, Oregon 97217
Phone: (503)288-3025
info@oboaddylegacyproject.org
www.oboaddylegacyproject.org