Learning Journal #10

As I walk to school every morning, I pull out a set of white flashcards and begin...
"Akwaaba.... oh oh I know this one!..... 'hello'..... yes!"

I've been trying to study Twi so that I can really learn it, not just learn the words but know them well enough that I can form sentences and communicate with the people of Wiamose. Even before Cultural Inquiry last night, I knew the importance of truly seeking to learn about another culture-- I'm going to Ghana to do that very thing: to study something about their culture that is VERY important to them. As I was walking yesterday, I realized I should be learning all the Twi words that have to do with dance- whether it's actual names of dances, or words such as funeral, celebration, dance, change, independence, movement, music, etc... Don't worry, I'll be asking Millie about them today!

As far as project development goes, I've been thinking of more questions that I'll be adding to the "field notes" page. I do want to discuss one aspect of dance that I've been thinking about lately. It comes in the form of a quote, from the article :

“in Africa, musical values and social values are interconnected, and in a sense, music and dance provide a microcosm of the world view” (page 54)

I mean, I had considered the possibility that social changes will affect dance; it may even change it all together.... but those new dances now represent a community's new world view. WHOA! So that affects my project how? I will be able to find clues not only through interviewing people, but through watching them too.

(I'll be honest: observation was one of my methods but I really had no idea how to incorporate i, nor did I know what valuable insights it could give me)

But now, I can watch the way they dance, and in it, there will be clues. For instance, perhaps men and women will interact more, thus indicating the shift in social values towards the acceptability of such acts. Previously, men and women didn't dance together because it was socially unacceptable AND they had such different roles in the society itself. Now, with the blurring of gender roles, perhaps those blurs will transfer over to dance as well.

Does this make sense? I hope it does for you, because it does for me. This also means one important thing:: I'm going to need to read more about the anthropology of dance; examples of how to interpret it, the best ways to observe, etc.

So I'm still staying in the direction of national unity versus ethnic diversity, but now I have another method to use! YAY!

oh ps. I'll be meeting with my Anthro 442 professor on Thursday to discuss details about a survey that I could use for the surrounding towns! Wish me luck!