vu gbe = drum language
 Click on the image above to download a quicktime movie of Francis speaking and playing drum language at the Anyako performance. (2.3MB) |
In Eve, vu, drum, gbe, voice, vu gbe, what is
said with the voice of drums; in other words, drum language. In
Ghana, the Eve people are masters of the coded messages of drum
language. Drum language is also a cultural mainstay of Ashanti,
Dagomba, Ga peoples in Ghana, and other West African ethnic groups
such as the Fon in Benin and the Yoruba in Nigeria. Because their
language is tonal, the drums can act as a speech surrogate with the
low, high and middle tones mimicing the tonal patterns of the spoken
language. Master drummers can use drums to reach people on a
deeper level. This performance, Coded Messages: CHAINS, was built as a series of new interpretations of a single passage of drum language from the traditional Eve dance, Adzogbo. You can hear it in different languages here. |
 LO-FI Sound 114KB HI-FI Sound 630KB |
Eve LO-FI Sound 110KB HI-FI Sound 303KB |
English LO-FI Sound 109KB HI-FI Sound 301KB |
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In the traditional pieces gadzo and Adzogbo, the drum language helped to unite the
Eve people in their struggle against their oppressors.
The drum
language calls for the ancestors' support. |
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