Agya Koo Nimo

Agya Koo Nimo and his Adadam Agofomma over the weekend treated traditional music lovers in Accra to a series of “seperewa” music compositions alongside colourful “Fontonfrom,” “Adowa” and “Kete” dances.

Performing at the Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes, the group enchanted the audience with a variety of ancient overlapping rhythms and melodies that are set in cross rhythms which appeared fresh, ageless and newly-born.

An extraordinary guitar work by Agya Koo together with sweet and scintillating rhythms from “seperewa” (played by Osei Kwame) and a mass of indigenous percussion instruments created a joyous atmosphere and a nostalgic feeling among elderly members of the audience who are familiar with Ghanaian traditional music.

A perfect rendition of “Fontonfrom”, “Adowa” and “Kete” dances revealed the grace, pomp and majesty that surround various activities organised in the court of Ashanti royals.

As part of the programme, Dr Henrick Betterman, a lecture in Mathematics at the University of Witten/Herdecker, a private institution in Germany, gave a lecture on the topic “Heartbeat Rhythms – A Musical Approach to the Complex Rhythms of life”.

In a power point presentation, he dealt with the mathematical classification of lifetime rhythms with reference to African bell patterns and its application to heart rate dynamics and breathing pattern.

In his contribution, Prof. John Collins Head of the Music Department, University of Ghana, Legon, touched on the relationship between the heartbeat and African percussive instruments with demonstrations on African drums, maracas, guitar and “asratoa”.

He stressed on the importance of poly rhythms in African music while demonstrating the relationship between heart beats and Agbadze rhythms.

Prof. Collins said “silences” in African music are technically “physical silences” adding that counting is entirely within the imagination of the musician.

The workshop/concert was organised and presented by the Goethe-Institut Inter Nationes in collaboration with the Music Department, University of Ghana, Legon.