News Release
February 2000
(Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) The African Studies Consortium
of the Lehigh Valley will hold a lecture-demonstration at Moravian College
featuring the popular music of Ghana. John Collins, Ph.D., will present,
"The Music of Africa: Popular Music in Ghana," on Thursday,
February 17, at 7:30 p.m. The program will be held in the Snyder Room/Haupert
Union Building at Moravian College, Monocacy and Locust streets. The
program is free and open to the public.
Dr. Collins--performer and scholar--will focus on the
evolution of popular music in Ghana, from highlife to gospel, reggae,
and rap. Collins has a doctorate in ethnomusicology from SUNY Buffalo
and has produced many books, articles, and films on African music.
Ghana has been a major center of African music creativity
and Dr. Collins knows Ghanaian music intimately. Collins moved to Ghana
in 1952 and has been involved in the West African music scene since
1969. He has recorded and played with numerous Ghanaian and Nigerian
bands including the Jaguar Jokers, Francis Kenya, E.T. Mensah, Abladei,
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Koo Nimo, Kwaa Mensah, Victor Uwaifo, Bob Pinodo,
the Bunzus, the Black Berets, and T.O.Jazz.
Dr. Collins is also a music journalist and writer with
around 100 publications (including seven books) on African popular and
neo-traditional music. He has given many radio and television broadcasts,
including over 40 for the BBC. In 1978 he wrote and presented the BBC's
first ever series of radio programs on African popular music called
'In The African Groove.'
Dr. Collins has been consultant/facilitator for several
documentary films: including the BBC's 'Repercussions,' 'Brass Unbound'
by IDTV of Amsterdam, 'The Highlife Story' for Ghana Broadcasting, 'Highlife'
for German Huschert Realfilm, 'African Cross Rhythms' by the Danish
Loki Films, 'When the Moment Sings' by the Norwegian Visions On company,
'Ghanaian Art Music' by Bavarian TV, and 'Astronaut' music-video film
for Palm Pictures/Island Records.
Dr. Collins obtained his first degree Doctorate in Ethnomusicology
at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He was on the Executive
of the Ghana Musicians Union in the 1970's and together with Professor
J.H.K. Nketia and Koo Nimo was in 1987 made an honorary life member
of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM).
During the nineties Dr. Collins was Technical Director of the three-year
joint Universities of Ghana/Mainz African Music Redocumentation Project,
and for seven years was with the Ghana National Folklore Board of Trustees/Copyright
Administration.
Currently Dr. Collins is running his Bokoor Studio as
a mobile one. He is the Acting Chairman of the Bokoor African Popular
Music Archives Foundation (BAPMAF) and Highlife Photo Exhibition. He
is PRO for the Ghana Music Pioneers Association. He is also a lecturer
in the Music Department of the University of Ghana from where he runs
several highlife bands; including Electro-Griot (guitar, harmonica,
and Ghanaian harp-lute), Local Dimension (a highlife dance band) and
T.O. Jazz and the Palmwine Band (an unplugged acoustic band).
The African Studies Consortium of the Lehigh Valley is
composed of representatives from Allentown College, Cedar Crest College,
Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Moravian College, and Muhlenberg
College.
Moravian College is a private, coeducational, selective
liberal arts college located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracing its
founding to 1742, it is recognized as America's sixth-oldest college.
