Soundscapes of Ghana: Student Audio Reflections

In May of 2023, twelve students from Carleton’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences embarked on a trip to Ghana, West Africa to study “Urban and Rural Music in Community.” Taught by Kathy Armstrong, Instructor in School for Studies in Art and Culture: Music, this experiential course was offered by the Institute of African Studies as part of their yearly study abroad opportunities. Students experienced drumming, dancing, singing and community life in Dagbamete, an Ewe village in the Volta Region of Ghana, as well as attending live music concerts, masterclasses, and lectures on urban styles of music at the University of Ghana, Legon. Throughout their time in Accra and Dagbamete, students took soundscape recordings to consider how sonic landscapes connect to deeper cultural, social, and economic themes. They reflected on how their own positionality affected and structured their experience of place by layering their own voices overtop of these clips. Browse the audio excerpts below to hear students interpretations of traffic in Accra, wildlife in Ho, or drum lessons in Dagbamete.