Music is an important part of Ghanaian culture, permeating nearly every part of life here. And while most people associate drumming with Africa music, Ghana pioneered an entirely new genre: highlife.
Big news for the path that I’m on: it’s taking me to Ghana for the next year! I’m very excited for this opportunity to live and work abroad, particularly because it means learning and living a new culture and a new perspective.
I’ve been reading about and researching this West African nation and I’ve narrowed down a few things that have really piqued my interest and that I’m particularly looking forward to learning and experiencing more thoroughly.
Because my time here is Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer has officially drawn to a close, I’m feeling a bit sentimental. I previously posted a video that used this song, but I wanted to post the official music video as my farewell.
When thinking about music and the musical history of a culture, of course you build from the instruments. Then you might move into classical music and folk music, and maybe some music from the 20th century. But what about the music of today? Isn’t that a part of the culture of a place as well? What is Thai music like today?
Thailand is loud and part of that is the music that is seemingly always blasting from somewhere. One of the most popular songs right now is ขอใจเธอแลกเบอร์โทร (Koh Jai Tur Lak Bur Toh) by Yinglee. The song tells the story of a woman who sees a man she’s interested in, but because of culture, she can’t approach him. Here’s the music video with English subtitles.
Thailand can be a pretty noisy place, and not just from normal sounds of life. Frequently there are walls of speakers set up somewhere in the village with Thai pop music blasting. I thought you might want a taste of what that sounds like, so here’s the top song right now.
Pay attention, and you’ll notice some specific dance moves in the video – those dance moves are equally as popular.