Global Music Camp Ghana

 After 2 weeks in Germany I was home in Joburg for 3 days and then I was off to Ghana for another amazing musical experience. I was selected to go to the Glomus Camp and Conference to represent the University of Cape Town. The Glomus Camp was a gathering of music students from around the world. There were students and lecturers from Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Palestine, Syria, USA, Germany and Ghana. The programme is linked to the Glomus Network and Glomas Masters programme which was started by universities in Denmark, Finland and Sweden. You can read more about it at this website: http://glomus.net/

We spent 2 weeks playing in small ensembles and a big band made up of all the participants. We could choose from a selection of small ensembles, which were The Mali group, the Nordic group, the Arabic group, the choir, the Afro Jazz group and the Dance group. All groups and the big band performed in a concert at the end of the camp.

Arriving in Ghana was very exciting. It was the furthest north in Africa I had ever been. It was also quite a shock for the senses. Intense humid heat, red dust and lots of hooting cars. After we had arrived in Accra we all traveled to Cape Coast(3 hours from Accra)

It took a while for the actual camp to start what with the elaborate opening ceremony that ran late and had lots of musical numbers. We were all dying to play by the time the first workshop started. We had workshops and rehearsals every day at Assasse Pa, a beautiful venue by the sea. We spent the week just jamming and playing music that stretched our rhythmic perception and that made us laugh. We had the odd break for putting our feet in the sea and eating of course but it was mostly music all the way. Ah bliss. We had so much fun!

Our first performance in Cape Coast was a real test but a beautifully symbolic performance. We performed in front of a castle where slaves had been kept before being shipped out to the Americas. We had a tour of the dungeons and the terrible living quarters of the slaves. We started the preparation for the concert with very heavy hearts. The stage was set up right in front of the castle and it was quite something for a global collection of musicians to join together and play in front of a place that represented such discrimination and human rights abuse. We also had an amazing audience made up of the public including many street children who were lying asleep on the ground by the time the concert finished. It was truly special to be part of a concert like this one.

After a week of playing and collaborating we went back to Accra for the conference. This was with the same group of people but it was about the more academic side of Glomus. After a week of play and spontaneity many of us struggled to sit and listen for two days but we pushed through. The presentations were fantastic with subjects ranging from, Exploring intercultural strategies in music by Prof. J.H Kwabena Nketia, Composing for Change by Eva Kunda Neidek and Sustainability and Cultural Development by Guro Heilman. The conference was very stimulating and it inspired me to be around people who think about and work in these fields.

At the end of the conference we did our final performance at the Great Hall at the University of Ghana. We performed under a clear black sky, to a small but captive audience. I was so happy to be performing with such special people. I felt joyful every moment of the performance. “I have arrived”, I thought, “I am living the dream”.

Me playing the Umrhube (mouth bow)

Jam session

Mali group performing