Abstract
The latest iterations of West African electronic dance music, such as Afrobeats, azonto, and akayida, have been gaining ground in Accra and around the world since the 2010s. Sound is part of the societal fabric of Accra; there are noise control and building regulations in Ghana, but they are outdated and easily ignored. This research reveals that nightclubs, bars, and restaurants with dance music are an elongated historic phenomenon due to the fact that the intermingling of dance and music—described here as “embodied listening”—morphed organically from traditional and popular Ghanaian dance/music genres into electronic versions. Afrocentric indigenous auto-ethnography and informal interviews with music communities, as well as local news articles and public policies, foreground an afrocentric discussion of the electronic music scene and community networks. Government interventions such as arts policies, building codes, and sound control policies that are relevant in the Global North are found to be potentially harmful in Ghana, as well as other similar communities in the Global South.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
Ghana is dwarfed by its culturally similar English-speaking neighbour, Nigeria, with 206 million people, its largest city with 9 million people, and they share music, film, and TV shows as well.
- 2.
John Collins dates the influence of Jamaican music much further back, explaining that the 1880s’ Ghanaian marching bands using strict military time experienced Jamaican offbeat rhythms and marching and copied it. Collins argues that these cross-influences occur in cultures where tastes are similar, in music, dance, and food (Collins 2016).
- 3.
In 2012, Oteng-Ababio argued: “The results show that most developers not only fail to comply with the requisite zoning practices, building codes and regulations but also use inferior building materials.”
References
Accra Dot Alt. (n.d.). http://accradotaltradio.com/chale-wote-street-art-festival/.
Adu-Gilmore, L. (2015). Studio Improv as Compositional Process through Case Studies of Ghanaian Hiplife and Afrobeats. Critical Studies in Improvisation/Études critiques en improvisation, 10(21).
Agawu, K. (2003). Representing African Music: Postcolonial Notes, Queries, Positions. Routledge.
Amoah-Ramey, N. A. (2018). Female Highlife Performers in Ghana: Expression, Resistance, and Advocacy. London, England: Rowman & Littlefield.
Appiah-Adjei, S. (2017, November 11). Ghana Standards Authority Develops National Building Code. Graphic Online. Retrieved from https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ghana-standards-authority-develops-national-building-code.html.
Charry, E. (2012). The Birth of Ghanaian Hiplife: Urban Style, Black Thought, Proverbial Speech. In Hip Hop Africa: New African Music in a Globalizing World. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Collins, J. (2016). Highlife Giants: West African Dance Band Pioneers. Abuja, Nigeria: Cassava Republic Press.
Cunningham, P. (2016, March 7). Noise: The Law and The Constitution. Retrieved from https://www.rawgist.com/noise-the-law-and-the-constitution/.
Dadzie, K. (2019, April 2). Kwame Dadzie Writes: Who Takes Over MUSIGA as President Obour Exits? Retrieved from https://citinewsroom.com/2019/04/kwame-dadzie-writes-who-takes-over-musiga-as-president-obour-exits/.
Essandoh, P. K., & Armah, F. (2011). Determination of Ambient Noise Levels in the Main Commercial Area of Cape Coast, Ghana. Research Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences, 3(6), 637–644.
Gillespie, T. (2016). Transactions of the Institute of British Geographies, 41(1), 66–77. https://doi.org/10.1111/tran.12105.
Gilroy, P. (1993). The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Government of Ghana (1994). The Environmental Protection Agency Act. Official Gazette, 1994-12-30, Ghana, 15 p. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov.gh/epa/sites/default/files/downloads/environmental%20protection%20agency%20act%201994.pdf.
Hancox, D. (2012, January 9). The Rise of Afrobeat. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jan/19/the-rise-of-afrobeats.
Huq, M. M. (1989). The Economy of Ghana: The First 25 Years since Independence. London: Palgrave Macmillan Limited.
Kamasah, A. (2018, March 26) How to Deal with Noisy Churches and Other Activities that Disturb Your Sleep. Retrieved from https://www.pulse.com.gh/ece-frontpage/noise-pollution-how-to-deal-with-noisy-churches-and-other-activities-that-disturb/tj9v999.
Lokko, L. (2017, April 24). Johannesburg and Accra: Inching their Way up the Urban Food Chain. The Conversation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/johannesburg-and-accra-inching-their-way-up-the-urban-food-chain-76468.
Obour, Others Sued Over “Missing” MUSIGA Cash. (2020, May 26). Retrieved from https://www.modernghana.com/entertainment/63582/obour-others-sued-over-missing-musiga-cash.html.
Plageman, N. (2013). Highlife Saturday Night: Popular Music and Social Change in Urban Ghana. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Rymajdo, K. (2019, June 21). How Electronic Artists are Reshaping Ghana’s Music Scene. DJ Mag. Retrieved from https://djmag.com/content/how-electronic-artists-are-reshaping-ghanian-music-scene.
Starling, L. (2015, July 27). 10 Ghanaian Afrobeats Artists You Need To Know. Retrieved from https://www.thefader.com/2015/07/27/ghanaian-afrobeats-artists-you-need-to-know.
Yirenya-Tawiah, D. (2012). Noise Pollution and Our Health. Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies, The Information Briefs Series, University of Ghana. Retrieved from http://iess.ug.edu.gh/sites/iess.ug.edu.gh/files/Briefs/UG.IESS_.IB_.001%20Noise%20Pollution%20and%20Our%20Health.pdf.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Adu-Gilmore, L. (2021). Embodied Listening: Grassroots Governance in Electronic Dance Music Venues in Accra (Ghana). In: Darchen, S., Charrieras, D., Willsteed, J. (eds) Electronic Cities. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4741-0_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4741-0_15
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-33-4740-3
Online ISBN: 978-981-33-4741-0
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)