ABSTRACT
The end of the day’s Akwasidae event marks the beginning of another cycle. While we are not sure of the scope of the next event, we are certain that there will be another Akwasidae in forty-two days, for the Akan world is organized around circular mappings—the infinite and never-ending universe that continuously renews itself. Like the manifold repetition and variation in the instrumental texts and songs, every forty-two days come with their own challenges that are unique on several levels. Mossi musicians, we are informed, “transmit the history of their empire, dating back to the fourteenth century, by the use of gourd, hourglass and cylindrical drums”. My focus on the intersections between music, lived experience, and values is in line with research paradigms that continue to enliven a large body of texts in ethnomusicology and allied disciplines in the humanities.
