The Globalization of Music

Music is a part of Ghanaian culture. All day there are tunes flying out of store fronts and radios blaring from people’s houses. At night there's choir practice and people singing in groups. And of course big gatherings will have music and dancing.

The music ranges from local Ghanaian music to Rihanna (Umbrella), to country, etc. That's right…country…the other day I had a refreshing open air shower under mango trees listening to country music on Radia Savannah. I have to admit it was a guilty pleasure. Oh! And Celine Dion. People here LOVE Celine Dion. In fact, sometimes you mention Canada and right away they jump to talk excitedly about our Celine.

So now to the point…in this music I listen to the cultures mixing in one big pot of banku. It makes me aware of history, of the movement of peoples around the world and the music that is carried with them.

When I listen to local Ghanain music, I feel like I am sitting in the middle of a street in Colombia. The rhythms and melodies are so similar it sometimes catches me off guard. Listen to Cumbia and you will hear the heart of Africa beating. This is a testament to the mobilization of thousands of Africans through the slave trade to work caribean and South American lands. It is the human culture they brought with them.

R&B is played everywhere here, a 360 return of African culture. African Americans are bringing their music back to their roots. How has traditional African culture influenced black american music? Does this link create the appeal for the music here in Ghana?
But still my favourite is sitting in the office with Sadek, the budget officer, as he blairs his own music selection from his laptop…80s and 90s - we're talking New Kids, Back Street Boys, and of course Boys to Men.

I see music as a form of globalization, one that has been happening since the beginning of civilization. And as I consider this and the adverse reaction that some of us can have to globalization, comes the realization that, to some extent, globalization in general is not a new thing and rather a natural occurrence that has taken place with migration and trade since the beginning of human existence . These are only my reflections. What are your thoughts?