Dance Like a River Transcript
- [Narrator] Odadaa is a performance troupe from the Ga ethnic group of Ghana, West Africa. The members of Odadaa came to the United States over the last few years under the direction of Yacub Addy. They live outside of Washington DC and perform throughout the United States. The group members have been musicians and dancers since they were young. They've performed in a variety of styles from traditional to contemporary and have played the music of many ethnic groups in Ghana. By performing in America, Yacub and the group members are trying to build respect and appreciation for traditional culture and to make lives as performers of Ghanaian music and dance.
- Some people go to Africa and record rhythms and they brought the rhythm down here they make album on it. And when you read the story or the history of the rhythm, it's wrong. The same thing even the government somebody will send, the government will send somebody to Africa to go to Africa and film some statues. And when they come back, the history behind the statute is wrong. And those who went to Africa to make research to find out why African do this, no they don't ask. They just see it, they film it, they photograph it, they brought here. The way they see it, they write the same thing. So, these are the things going on in this country which me, in particular, I don't like it. It destroys our culture. So don't worry about the talking drums.
- So is that it?
- The talking drums already sound loud so even if we don't mic is fine.
- Okay. So is that all the-
- [Narrator] The members of Odadaa learn traditional music and dance through their families. But they've performed as professionals for most of their lives. They live together and rehearse in their house in suburban Washington, DC. And travel throughout the US performing at festivals, colleges, and concert halls. The group members prepare for a performance by rehearsing, planning the program, and assembling their costumes. Right before a concert, they tune the drums by adjusting the tension on the skins and arrange the costumes needed for the program.
- Now, first of all, music is music. I know Americans are music lovers. So, some of the rhythms we can play is hard for them to understand. But they enjoy it because its music, you see. So, me in particular, I don't feel bad about if I'm playing rhythms for the Americans to understand. They understand, they know, they enjoy it. Anywhere we go, anywhere we perform, people enjoy us. If you never see us, you don't know what we have. So you can see people, they don't feel good but when they see us they change. America really is the head of music country. Because ordinary Americans they understand any kind of music. If they've never hear before and they hear once, they understand it. Naturally, human being will have a music and a rhythm. Any human being have a rhythm. So, I trust here, that is why I'm serious to promote my music in this country. Because Americans can understand our music.
- [Man] I think that they like it. They like it very much. They enjoy it.
- [Man 2] They really enjoy it.
- Because some places, if we try to invite the audience we find things very difficult. Some of them don't wanna dance, they feel shy. But you saw it, they just jump in. You call one, two, three people and people start coming themselves.
- [Interviewer] How does that make you feel when they jump in like that?
- Yeah, I feel good. You see, as a musician, when you're playing for people you are really playing for people, not for yourself alone. If you see the people really appreciate what you are doing, your mind becomes like a might ocean.
- [Man] Wow! Wow!
- You just do whatever you wanna do.
- [Man] We hope the next show will be nice like that one.
- Bamaya rhythm belongs to the Dagomba from Northern Ghana. And Bamaya dance is a very beautiful dance. They do this, some people say when they harvest. But mostly, when I see Bamaya, they dance Bamaya during the birth of the prophet Muhammad every year to celebrate his birthday. And of course, when you go to Northern Ghana and you see them dancing Bamaya, you'll feel good.
- [Narrator] The members of Odadaa have been exposed to many kinds of music; African highlife, American soul, disco, and reggae have become part of African urban life. Some of the group members have performed in these newer styles.
- [Interviewer] Why did you wanna go back and learn the traditional? How would that help you?
- Because, automatically I forget everything. That is the traditional music, I lost everything. when I was with the contemporary groups playing here and there with the Sweet Beans, Black beats. Trying to sing like Otis Redding, trying to sing like James Brown and things until my uncle call on me and advised me I'm going the wrong way. I have to change from the contemporary and then come back to the traditional music. And when first, when he told me that I didn't accept it. I didn't say anything in his presence but when I went away, I said, "No, my uncle, why, I'm okay." But you know, after a while I sat down and realized exactly what he told me especially when I returned from Nigeria when I tour West Africa. After my tour, I find out what my uncle told me. He told me the right thing and he's trying to put me on the right way. Because I want to come out fast. I find that people love Otis Redding much so I decided to learn some of his songs so then I come out with, you see.
- [Interviewer] Which were the ones that you learned that you would sing on stage?
- "Dreams to Remember", "My Girl", "These Arms of Mine". A lot of them, "Chain Gang" and things.
- [Interviewer] Could you give an example of the way you would sing one of those songs?
- Oh, yes. Like the "Dreams to Remember", I do sing from my friends and people in Ghana. Well it goes like this.
♪ I've got dreams ♪
♪ Dreams to remember ♪
♪ I've got dreams ♪
♪ Dreams to remember ♪
♪ Honey I saw you there last night ♪
♪ Another man's arms holding you tight ♪
♪ Nobody knows what I feel inside ♪
♪ All I know just to hold you tight ♪
♪ I've got dreams ♪
♪ Dreams to remember ♪
♪ Listen to me ♪
♪ I've got dreams ♪
♪ Dreams to remember ♪
And then the instrumentals come in.
- [Yacub] The name of the rhythm and the dance is called Gome. So we call them master drum Gome drum. Old time, when the Europeans came down and send some of the Ga's over to Nigeria, Fernando Po they haven't got drums with them when they were sent over there. So, they saw this drum, and this drum the carpenters made this drum.
- [Narrator] Gome was brought back to the Ga people by these migrant workers and is now a popular social music.
- [Yacub] The stick always keep the time, the stick is just like the bell. Most of the African rhythms, always the bells keep time. So the supporting drum or the master drum or the dancer, they have to listen. And the supporting drum, which is called pati, that decorates the rhythm. It gives the time and the rhythm function and it directs the master drummer where they have to go.
- [Narrator] Gome like many West African drum rhythms is performed by an ensemble playing interlocking parts. Each supporting instrument plays a repeating rhythm. While the master drum plays complex, traditional variations.
- [Yacub] When you listen, even the stick and the supporting drum alone, it is nice. You see, and when the master drum comes straight, all the rhythm becomes together.
- [Narrator] The lead singer chooses verses from a repertoire of lyrics. And the rest of the group responds to the leader. The song text recount the experiences of these migrant workers.
- [Yacub] This particular dance is old men and old women dance. And they way they're chasing each other and they talk to each other. And the drummer responds and encourage them to do what they are doing. So you can see the man follow the woman behind her and talking to her. Then you see the drummer is playing some kind of language on the drum which when you are dancing and you hear that then you have to go with what the drummer is saying. So something like the drummer and the dancers make exchange.
- [Addy] Well, as your father is always playing this drum, it happens that sometimes you'll be called upon to play and you'll play it. If you have ear to hear, if you have mind to learn, your father will say, "Play this one." And he will teach you.
- [Yacub] Well, my father is a medicine man. When my eyes opened and this is my father, he's already medicine man. And everyday, not everyday, but some of the days there is a drumming and dancing going on in the house. And all the children, sisters, brothers were in the house. So all the drumming and dances go on, it go to you, it come to you. That's our will which our father give to us. The Europeans, they come down here. They same Europeans, they go to Africa. And they change our culture, they change our clothing, they change our language, they change our everything. So, we have to come down and see where they live. Because we speak their language, we do everything the way they are.
- [Man] That is a fact.
- So we have to come down.
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- I was about seven years. From seven years I saw my dad drumming and singing creative music. So, anytime I go there, they were sitting down drumming singing creative songs and all that. And I start learning from my father how they do. Sometimes he called me to come and stand back and then sing. I do that when I was seven.
- After I finished my school, I joined Ghana Dance Ensemble at Legon, Institute of African Studies. And I start dancing and learning new dances too.
- one, two, three.
- [Narrator] Hagar has worked in several professional ensembles. Like most of the group members she performed in Europe and the United States before joining Odadaa.
- [Interviewer] What was your first experience dancing?
- [Ophelia Tetteh] When I was a little girl in class three, I start with VOG, Voice of Germany. From there I went to Soul. We changed Soul to Unity and from there I go to Legon.
- [Interviewer] Were you parents musicians and dancers?
- My father is a chief talking drummer.
- Of course, let me say this, Ophelia's father is a royal drummer and that is very important. So Ophelia, the first time I knew I bought Ophelia, Ophelia's husband wrote to me about her. And when he said, "This is my wife's father." I said, "Oh, so she don't borrow for anybody." Because Ophelia dance traditionally.
- [Interviewer] What in her dancing style makes you certain that she dances traditionally? Can you give example?
- The feelings of the dancing . I'm always telling them, I say "The feelings of the dancing, the relaxation of the dance." You see our traditional is the relaxation and the feelings control the dance. If you can't relax and you don't put feelings in what you are doing, you are making exercise. That is the way our dance is. But when you put the feelings and the relaxation and you dance like a river. You see, a river's just passing, if you take a stick and stop, you can't stop the river, it's just passing. And somebody has to dance that and Americans will say, "Wow! She dances like a river." Adiko is a fishermen dance. You see Adiko exists, we don't know so many years, hundreds of years. Which the fishermen play to entertain themselves. That is there social traditional rhythm they play. But now, this generation, it's become like a spiritual thing they do. Now, it's two, we have the fishermen and the farmers. Okay, the farmers they have a rhythm called Adam, that belongs to the farmers. And Adiko belongs to the fishermen. You see, these two rhythms, you can go anywhere in Ghana you can never see anybody play these two rhythms apart from the Ga's.
- The meaning means, something like a fisherman, a fisherman who is going fishing. When he walks from his house down to the beach, how he used to go inside the canoe, before he will start to paddle the canoe, and then straight away. And when he went, how he used to make his net to catch the fish which he needs, that kind of movement I do it when I'm dancing.
- [Yacub] Something like a demonstration of fishing. They demonstrate how they, when they go fishing, how they hunt the fish and catch the fish. And from the house, the way you start preparation for going fishing. And then you get to the beach, you push your canoe in the water then you start paddling. And when you come back, you get fish, the way you share your fish. That's the way it is.
- [Yacub] The way we change, it changes everything. The way we change, because God gives us a kind of spirit which control. So, when you handle it properly, it shines and you can improve more in life. If you don't handle it properly, then it destroys things. And that is the environment we are in right now. Things are destroyed because we thought we know or we are civilized. Because the whole West Africa, the whole Africa is trying to get technology. And we thought technology is civilization. Me, Yacub, no. Technology is improvement of human life. We improve, it's not civilization.
- [Interviewer] So it's like the music with this kind of change?
- It affects the culture because we adopt somebody's culture. It affects everything. Our character, our way of life. It affects everything. Because we wash our mind so much so that what we have, is no good. What we learn, that is good. That is why we learn because it is better than ours. So we have to forget ours and go with that. So it changes everything.
- [Interviewer] How's it possible to try to reverse those changes or to stop them?
- My mind is, that is why we are here, to try to change. Because like our country, Ghana everybody wants to come to America, right? Everybody want to come to America. So, when we protect and promote our culture the way it is from time immemorial, and Americans receive us, you'll see Ghanaians they will receive us.
- [Man] That's true.
