We stopped at the red light, the street sellers swarmed around our car. The music blaring nearby - the beat was on. It sounded good and there was serious activity in the urban jungle. The seller had parked his van, complete with nightclub sound system, at one of the busiest junctions in Accra Central. The tailback that we had endured was due to his marketing activities. My eldest daughter took a Masters in Audience Theory and Reception Theory and is now a Marketing Officer at the Welsh National Opera. I bet they never taught Jodi the 'two into one roadblock ploy'! Two busy lanes into one and gridlock as a result of the mayhem. But hey ho, it was good for business and the young girls and boys were plying their music trade well. For these children I did not despair, it is still school holidays for many in Ghana for another two weeks. Carrying CD's and tapes of the artist playing in our street disco, they approached our car. There was no hesitation, Mrs 'G' bought a gift for her daughter and I thought "good choice". The strange thing was, I didn't think of buying one myself. Maybe I shall explain to my hosts and new friends about the Cardi Tradition. I am an extremely bad singer and my music choice ranges from Jazz, through certain Opera and some easy listening (Eagles and Dixie Chicks), and onto Pink Floyd. My daughters love music and entered the Eisteddfodau to sing traditional Welsh songs. Each of them sang/or still sing in a choir and listen to their music with passion. Cudjo loves his music, and sings a combination of (if there is such a thing) African Jazz and traditional Ghanaian songs. "We enter this World to prepare ourselves for the next, and music is my way of preparing for when I die." He is 25, Cudjo is not ill. It is simply his belief and the strong religious conviction that he holds as a practising Catholic. Cudjo uses one of two recording studies (but these are very expensive and I get the impression it is about recording live music rather than mixing to improve for resale. So a user is paying for the studio time and not the expertise of the sound technician) and he plays keyboard and I suspect is the lead vocalist. When he sings, the movement is trance like as he projects an image of someone who is in tuned in completely with the lyrics and meaning of the song. The meaning is probably more important than anything when the traditional songs echo out in the night. They are historical stories, a way of learning and passing their value set down from generation to generation. There's no drum, no keyboard, no tapping. Just words that everyone (other than the White European guest) knows. But Cudjo translates at pace and with passion. For this is his heritage and probably his future.
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