Acquah, O. E. (2O13). NEW TRENDS IN ASAFO MUSIC PERFORMANCE: Modernity Contrasting Traditions

This paper considers the new trends that have taken place in asafo musical performance, taking Kyirem Asafo No.1 of Ajumako Mando, Ghana, as a case study. It seeks to examine the interplay between tradition and innovation and the sociocultural impact. The study describes the retrospective aspect of asafo music performance some decades ago and goes on to bring to the fore some changes that have been brought into it to sustain and modernize it. It is seen that education and social change are powerful forces influencing most innovations of asafo music. It calls for a concerted effort of all traditional music makers to embrace the changes pertaining to asafo musical performance and use them to modernize other existing musical genres in their areas.