Creative Composition and the Indigenous Knowledge System in Ghana: Models from the Life and Compositions of Nana Afua Abasa

This paper discusses the life and works of a Ghanaian traditional composer, Nana Afua Abasa.The musical type that she engaged in became so popular that there was a proliferation of musical groups performing them -nnwonkorɔ songs.Through participant observation and interviews with leaders and members of performing groups, the authors seek to unravel the life and works of Nana Afua Abasa, a creative composer who, however, is virtually not known by many Ghanaians, even though she is synonymous with her type of music.The paper notes the increasing attention indigenous knowledge has received in discourse in academia, and points out that even though there is much discussion going on about indigenous knowledge; such discussion has not led to a reciprocal understanding of the concept of indigenous knowledge.It is therefore necessary to focus on the life and works of this Ghanaian traditional creative composer Nana Afua Abasa to encourage up and coming composers to study and adapt traditional music for the modern audience.