Anku’s Theory of African Rhythm
At the time of his death in 2010, Ghanaian musician, theorist and educator, Professor Willie Anku, was at work on a comprehensive theory of African rhythm. Armed with digital transcriptions of several Ghanaian dances (Adowa, Kpanlogo, Gahu, Borborbor, Agbadza, Kete, Kundum, Baawa), Anku reconstructed the patterns played by drummers in a polyrhythmic ensemble, established the basis of their coordination, and, with notable success, explained the procedures that enable the master drummer’s narratives. While there are obvious affinities between his thinking and that of scholars like Nketia, Arom, Locke, and Toussaint, Anku’s approach is distinctive in its emphasis on compositional procedures, on what is possible rather than what was performed on a given occasion. The aim of this talk is to describe Anku’s approach as manifest in transcriptions and analysis of two dances, Adowa and Kpanlogo. We will listen to both transcriptions and discuss the analytical techniques employed by Anku. While some of his ideas would almost certainly have undergone further refinement had he lived longer, they are already deeply suggestive for on-going theorization of African rhythm.