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Peter
Badejo (right) and Immanuel Tagoe (left), from
"Badejo Arts" in London, teaching at a week of
workshops for students of the Irish World Music
Centre at the University of Limerick, held from 20th-24th March
2000. Peter is a native of
Nigeria and Immanuel is from Ghana. Both are experts in the
knowledge and practice of African culture, including dancing,
singing and drumming. |
| Countries
of West Africa |
|
|
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The
west African countries are densely populated and very rich in
culture.There is a multiplicity of tribes and languages,
Yorubas, Hausas and Wolofs being three of the largest ethnic
groups.Most of the slaves who were taken to the New World came
from this region and it has consequently had a big influence on
the many different music and dance genres that developed in the
Americas and the Caribbean islands. |
| A Workshop |
|
|
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Students
at a workshop. In Africa music, dancing and singing are
inseparable and that's the way they were taught here.A drumming
workshop, for example, would involve first singing and dancing
to the rhythms before attempting to play them, and a dance
workshop was likely to include drumming and singing. And when
you're drumming or singing you mustn't stay still but must move
your body in time with the music. |
| The Instruments |
|
|
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West
African instrumental music mainly involves the generation of
complex rhythms. The melody and harmony are provided by singing
voices. The main instruments are drums which, as seen
here, come in a variety of types,eachof which is
traditionally made from the wood of a particular kind of
tree and is associated with a specific tribe, occasion or
deity. |
| A Drumming Lesson |
|
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Some
drums are played by hand and others with sticks.Rattles made
from gourds are also used, and the basic rhythm is often set by
a hand-held bell and striker. In the native context the drums
would usually be played in large ensembles, with several of each
kind and size. At the same time large numbers of people would be
singing and dancing. These communal performances may have
religious or social functions. |
| Making
it Talk |
|
 |
Peter's
native tongue, Yoruba, is a tonal language in which, unlike
English, variations in vocal pitch alter the meanings of the
words. This means that the words and melodies of songs are
exeptionally closely related. A skilful drummer like Peter
can imitate the rhythmic and tonal patterns of Yoruba speech,
giving rise to the concept of "talking" drums. |
|
Making
the right moves |
|
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The
most important quality that must be possessed by a good West
African dancer is flexibility of the body. This is in marked
contrast to exhibition Irish step dancing in which the motion is
concentrated in the feet and legs while the body remains
relatively still or even stiff. Dancing with the knees slightly
flexed is also characteristic of this area. |
| Immanuel
and His Reflection |
|
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I
don't have any pictures of the students learning the dances
because I was occupied with trying to learn them myself. We had
to learn to isolate and move parts of our bodies which Europeans
don't usually move independently. |
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For
example undulating our chests and backs independently from our
hips or moving our shoulders, hips or heads while keeping our
upperbodies still. It's not easy..... |
 |
unless,
like Immanuel, you started doing it when you were two years old.
It also helps to be fit, unlike me, because some of these dances
are very energetic and athletic, |
 although we weren't actually
expected to do cartwheels. |
| |
| The
cultural exchange wasn't all one way, as you can see below. |
 |
 |
| Eileen
giving Immanuel an Irish step dancing lesson |
Peter
in an Irish bar, learning to play the bodhrán (Irish drum). |
| Learn
About Africa |
Badejo
Arts |
| |
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