Prof. Kwabena Nketia advocates for promotion of traditional music

Kumasi, Oct 25, GNA- Professor Emeritus J.H. Kwabena Nketia, a Musicologist and composer, has called for the promotion of traditional music and culture as part of the country's cultural heritage.
He said diversity in traditional songs had a stream of distinctive lessons to offer Ghanaians and there was, therefore, the need to train competent composers and performers to perform traditional songs live on stage to portray their rich values and cultural importance.
Prof Emeritus Nketia was speaking at a public lecture organised by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi on Friday.
His topic was: "Building bridges between traditional and contemporary forms of music".
He said "building bridges meant placing oneself in a position to know and understand various traditional music there is the need to encourage the body of knowledge in the Ghanaian music". This he said was a great challenge, but very important, because there were new social formations in the country, which were not based on social traditions.
Prof Nketia said the challenge facing composers was how to manage the transition from tradition to modernity, stating that, "the problem is how technology can be used to help bridge traditional music to the contemporary one".
He advised the youth to be more interested in traditional music and promote its regeneration and growth in order to project the country's musical heritage.