Abstract:
In the 1950s, Bɔbɔɔbɔ, a pan-ethnic dance-music genre emerged in Ghana and
performed predominantly among the northern Eʋe in Ghana. Its development
has been characterized by socio-political and religious nuances that influenced
its stylistic essence. Over the years, cultural transformations and individuals
acting as agents of change continue to influence the performance tradition of
Bɔbɔɔbɔ thereby making it one of the most popular indigenous dance-music
genres in the country. This study examines innovations in Bɔbɔɔbɔ
performances since its emergence by focusing on ensembles drawn from across
the Volta and Greater Accra regions of Ghana, as well as three famous
exponents of the tradition. It offers insight into the practices as characterised in
the general transformation that reflects the performance tradition today. The
study also examines the socio-cultural and religious significance of themes and
drum text of Bɔbɔɔbɔ thus providing a context to explore key factors that
continue to enhance and or threaten its sustenance. It adopts qualitative mode
of enquiry that embraces ethnographic fieldwork to examine the sociohistorical,
political, religious and cultural dimensions of Bɔbɔɔbɔ performances.
It also explores the use of Bɔbɔɔbɔ song texts as a medium and repository for
cultural knowledge and history of the people. The research is framed within the
theoritical lenses of social “reconstructionism”, interpretative innovation and
the “five-domain framework” for music sustainability. It concludes that within
the current socio-cultural environment, the dance-music tradition continues to
experience innovations as performance dynamics are reframed to suit
contemporary essence. The study contributes to literature in ethnomusicology
within the context of innovation and sustainability of Bɔbɔɔbɔ performance.
