It all started with a spider. Actually, it started with a spider (Ananse) story:
Once upon a time there was a powerful and rich king with three beautiful daughters, but no sons. The daughters were never allowed to leave the king’s palace, and their names, Kpanlogo, Alogodzan, and Nmaa Nmaa, were kept secret from the public.
As the King grew older, he became more concerned about not having a son to inherit his throne. The wise old king devised a plan to secure his throne. He devised a contest for all the men in his kingdom: the man who guessed the secret names of his three daughters would win their hands in marriage and thus inherit the throne.
Earlier, a cunning man had entered the palace. He made his way stealthily through the palace until he came across the three beautiful daughters playing. He started to toss and turn, acting crazy, making the girls laugh at him. Not far away, his mother heard the ruckus and wanted to know what all the ruckus was about. The mother called her eldest son, “Kpanlogo?” Receiving no response, she called out to her other daughters: “Alogodzan? Nmaa Nmaa?” With this, the man disappeared, leaving the girls to explain to his mother what had just occurred.
On the day of the contest, all the single men in the kingdom gathered at the palace for a chance to win the King’s contest. One by one, they presented themselves to the king, trying to guess the names of his beautiful daughters. One by one, they failed. Finally, it was the cunning man’s turn. He had composed a song with the names of the daughters and began to sing, “Kpanlogo Alogodzan nn Kpanlogo Nmaa oo Nmaa oo.”
The crowd and the royal family were truly amazed! However, none other than the king, who demanded to know how Sneaky Man had learned the names of his precious daughters. Sneaky Man wowed the crowd with his amazing story of bravery and daring. The king was so impressed with Sneaky Man’s cunning, that he gladly gave his daughter’s hands in marriage to our sneaky friend.
Like most Ananse stories, this story was passed down through the generations in West Africa, specifically in the Accra region of Ghana, as an educational and entertainment tool. After hearing the story told by his grandfather, during the 1960s, a young man from Ga named Otoo (Otu) Lincoln was inspired to create a performance of this story. In developing new rhythms, now known as Kpanlogo, Lincoln incorporated aspects of traditional Ghanaian fisherman dances, known as “lolo”, as well as African “high life” dances, with rhythms similar to those of Clave (a rhythmic pattern Cuban). , and influences from the American bluesman Bo Diddley. Designed as a recreational dance, Kpanlogo quickly became popular with the younger population of West Africa.
The Kpanlogo drum is also a favorite of the Ghanaians. Similar in shape, but smaller in size than a conga, the Kpanlogo drum produces a rich, deep and smooth sound. The drum is approximately 24 inches tall and has a head that is 10 to 12 inches in diameter. The head is traditionally made from antelope skin, however it can be made from calfskin or goatskin, with calfskin making the most antelope-like sound. Being a peg drum, it is tuned by striking the pegs on the body of the drum. The drum is played strictly with the hands.
The Kpanlogo orchestra consists of two Kpanlogo drums (male and female), double iron bells, shekeres, or gourd rattles. One or more square wooden drums (Tamali), the Gyil (xylophone), bamboo flute, clapping and whistles can be incorporated to produce this lively dance sound.
In the Ga language, Kpan means dance and longo means spin, so Kpanlogo means spin dance. The dance features wildly swinging arms, whirling torsos, and graceful footwork. Performed equally by men and women, aspects of “lolo” such as the arm movements when pulling heavily laden fishing nets can be easily seen in the structure of the dance, as well as hints of rock and roll dance. . Comical movements, quick turns, kicking, facial expression and flirting play their part to complete the form.
The sexual overtones implicit in the performance served to temporarily ban the dance by the government in the mid-1960s. Officials ordered a demonstration of the dance to consider for themselves the final determination of the appropriateness of the dances. Cleverly, those taking part in this special performance slightly altered their steps and movements. After this consideration, the authorities determined that Kpanlogo was a proper social dance and lifted the ban. From then on, the kpanlogo became the favorite social and celebratory dance of the Ghanaian people, which is now performed by young and old alike.