Agblehawo (farmers’ music): their status and impact on farming communities of Kpandu, volta region, Ghana.

Abstract

An important musical type that supports farmers’ activities at Kpandu and its environs, to ensure their welfare and survival through subsistence farming is agblehawo, a term which literally means “farmers’ music”. This study sought to explain why the s4hewo (the youth), of Kpandu up to date, cling to the performance of agblehawo in the face of other varied forms of music to which they are exposed. To explain this socio-musical behaviour of the s4hewo, the conceptual framework of ‘situational change’ experienced by Mitchell (1973) and adopted by Saighoe (1988) became the underpinning theory for the study. Apart from Kpandu, the research area, field investigation was also conducted at Kudzra and Gbefi, two traditional adjoining communities of Kpandu. To a large extent, the comments and reactions of the actors helped me to understand the structural organisation, occasions for performance and the meaning of the performances. The retention and continuous performance of agblehawo by the Akpiniawo (local name for the people of Kpandu) is an indication that agblehawo continue to serve some specific needs and purposes in their day to day socio-musical behaviour and interaction.