Continuity and Change in the Musical Traditions of the Avatime of Ghana

This thesis studies the continuity and change in the
musical traditions of the Avatime people. The Avatime are a
minority ethnic group in the Volta Region of Ghana whose musical
heritage has evolved for over two hundred and fifty years. During
this period, various factors such as migration, affinity with other
ethnic groups, contact with Christianity, and the introduction of
Western education system contributed to the abandonment, retention,
modification, assimilation, reinterpretation and creation of
various musical traditions in the Avatime society. The study looks
generally at the evolution of musical traditions in Avatime, and
focuses on aspects of songs that the Avatime people perform in
their indigenous Siyase language, as well as languages of the Akan
and Ewe groups, to reveal how the various aspects of their musical
traditions affect social order, benefit the children educationally,
and shape the entire culture. This thesis also identifies
historical antecedents that influence the musical traditions and
serves as basis for assessing the musical heritage of other
Ghanaian ethnic groups. Chapter one includes an introduction to the
study and ethnographic data regarding the Avatime. Chapters two and
three focus on the musical traditions. Factors that have
contributed to continuity and change in the Avatime musical
traditions are discussed in the fourth chapter. Chapter five
concludes the discussion with analysis of selected transcriptions
as well as concluding remarks, summary, and
projection.