|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Highlife music, a rhythmic African music genre mostly sung by Ghanaians, Nigerians, and other African countries, has, over the years, sparked conversations and contentions about its origin. Both Nigerians and Ghanaians have alleged the genre originated from their countries.
Recently, Yemi Alade, a Nigerian Afropop musician, had an interview on CNN African Voices with Larry Modowo where she claimed that the genre hails from both countries. This rekindled the controversy of its true origin, causing some popular content creators and Ghanaian media stations to react here, here, and here.
Her comments have since triggered a lot of debate especially on social media. DUBAWA has decided to interrogate the issue and to find out more about the genesis of the Highlife genre of music. So, did highlife originate in both countries at the same time? This is what we found.
According to World Music Central, “Highlife is a West African music genre that originated in Ghana in the late 19th century. Subsequently, it extended its reach to western Nigeria and gained immense popularity in both nations during the 1950s. Highlife stands out for its unique mix of African, African American, and European musical elements, uniting traditional African rhythms with jazz influences and incorporating instruments from European and American musical traditions.
“As we delve deeper into its history, it becomes more evident that the earliest manifestation of highlife music was presented by brass bands along the Ghanaian coastline during the late 19th century. These bands skillfully amalgamated various instruments, including those of European origin, and introduced vocal components into their performances. Over time, highlife transformed, embracing stylistic aspects of local musical traditions and jazz.
“In the 1930s, highlife’s popularity surged, spreading inland and eastward along the coast, particularly in Nigeria. In Nigeria, highlife underwent a pivotal transformation, absorbing asymmetrical drum rhythms inspired by traditional drumming practices.”
In an interview by Kafui Dey with the retired lecturer of the Music department at the University of Ghana, veteran guitarist and writer Prof Edmond John Collins explained that “the word ‘Highlife’ was invented in Ghana, but there was, however, influences from the ‘Asiko’ music and Liberian ‘Crew Music.’ From the very beginning, highlife was Pan-African but crystallised as a genre in Ghana and was popularised by Ghanaian veteran highlife legend ET Mensah. He noted that the Cape Coast Sugar Babies were in Nigeria in 1938. ET Mensah followed up in the 1950s, and this was how highlife spread across Nigeria.”
Moreover, in Professor Collins’ Highlife Time 3 chapter 47, he noted that,
“Nigeria is now a major centre for Highlife, but the music was first introduced to Nigeria in varieties of ways, at first through the diffusion of the Konkomba Highlife and 1937 Nigeria Tour of The Sugar Babies Orchestra. Later came the 1950s records, Ike Onyame and Onyina’s Guitar Band, and most importantly, the early 50s tours of the Ghanaian Tempo Band.”
In 2018, the Professor gave an interview on the Accra-based Joy FM Morning Show with Kwame Dadzie, in which he noted that “The older generation of Nigerians all know it (i.e., highlife) came from Ghana.”
DUBAWA also spoke with Dr Amakye-Boateng, Head of Department and Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana, who explained that the coinage “Highlife” was originally not a music genre but a lifestyle and the way of life associated with people who were well-to-do in society in the 1920s in Ghana. Due to the way, they seemed to enjoy life and the kind of music like Adaha, Brass Band, and Orchestra they listened to, the less privileged in society used to accord them the respect of living a Highlife, which eventually became associated with the kind of music they listened to, thus the reason behind the coinage “Highlife.”
Conclusion
Having conducted a thorough search on the origin of Highlife music, it is clear that there were other music styles from other African countries like Ghana, Nigeria, and Liberia just to mention a few that influenced Highlife music.
These music styles were influenced by Western music like jazz and swing as well as instruments like the guitar and the brass band but the name “Highlife” and its crystallisation started in Ghana. They were taken to Nigeria in the 1930s by Ghanaian Musicians.
