Socio-Cultural Dimensions of Dugu Music of the Waala People of the Upper West Region of Ghana

Abstract

The article is a documentation of the authors’ research into the Duori dugu music of the Waala people in the Wa municipality of Upper West Region of Ghana. It underscored the socio-cultural dimensions of the dugu genre and also touched on the contexts of performance and the use of instruments. Grounded on the theory of cultural context, the authors addressed the interplay between musical performance and the rich culture that portrayed the musical identity of the Wa people and the Waala in general. Data was gathered through interviews and participant observation. It was found that apart from its contextual performance at the in-laws’ programmes, the dugu group also performs at Damba festival as well as other programmes that are connected to the members. The write-up concludes that dugu music gives the people of Wa a solid sense of cultural identity through instrumental organization and the contexts in which it is performed.

Keywords: Socio-cultural, Dugu, cultural context, In-laws, Damba festival, Wa

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/12-2-03

Publication date: January 31^st 2022