In the year 1962, the popular Kpanlogo dance was seen as a terrible dance, and for the fear of all things bad, the now celebrated cultural dance was banned.
The people behind the ban was Arts Council of Gold Coast at the time as they regarded the dance as “indecent”.
With the ban in effect, persons who went against the Arts Council of Gold Coast and proceeded to perform Kpanlogo dance were arrested and jailed.
The Kpanlogo dance, a vibrant and popular style of music and dance from Ghana, emerged in the late 1950s and early 1960s among the Ga people as a youth-driven expression of post-independence Ghana.
The Kpanlogo dance has its influences from the American rock and roll and Ga drumming traditions.
The dance’s original name was “Gbajo,” which means “storytelling” in Ga, reflecting its roots in traditional storytelling and participatory music-making.
Kpanlogo became a symbol of the youth and the newly independent nation of Ghana, reflecting the spirit of a young generation.
The dance gained popularity and was performed at funerals, state occasions, and even became an anthem for the ruling party at the time.
Otoo Lincoln, also known as Lamptey, is credited with inventing and composing the Kpanlogo dance and rhythm, drawing inspiration from a traditional story and his grandfather.
The dance is accompanied by a specific drum, the kpanlogo drum (formerly known as the tswreshi), which is played with two hands.
Kpanlogo is a constantly evolving style of music and dance, with groups creating arrangements of movements and accompanying lead drumming.
The music accompanying the kpanlogo dance draws from older Ga drumming traditions, such as gome, oge, and kolomashie, and uses instruments like the nono (metal bell), fao (gourd rattle), and kpanlogo drums.
The ban of the Kpanlogo dance was short lived as Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah later lifted the ban, recognizing it as part of African culture.
Watch video:
@kobeboujee The Ghanaian Traditional Dance which was banned by the Arts Council in 1962 “Kpanlogo” . Kwame Nkrumah asked to lift the ban after discovering it was just African culture …. #fyp #dancetok #ghana #ghanaian #ghanatiktok🇬🇭 ♬ original sound – Kobe Boujee
