Orff in Afrique Programming and the Master Drummer’s Call: The Late Professor Komla Amoaku’s Philosophy in Practice

Abstract

ABSTRACT As internationalism rings ever louder in 21st century classrooms, terms such as “global citizenship,” “beyond tolerance” “and “multicultural awareness” apply to preparing students for diversity-steeped futures. Although such learning-outcomes language appears current to some, tendencies to work together with profound results have taken past forms. One such example is the lesser-known exchange between Ghana's Dr Komla Amoaku and Germany's Carl Orff. In collaborating, the two unlikely matched pedagogues forged a unity from which grew Ghanaian-based programmes such as the Institute for Music and Development, Orff in Afrique, and the Nunya Music Academy. Furthermore, through Orff Schulwerk societies, conferences, and classrooms, the occidental and West-African blend is presented to select groups around the world. Just as current multicultural language speaks to contemporary education, the Amoaku Orff initiatives spoke to musical multiculturalism well before such language was educational lingua franca. As 2017 marks the five year memoriam of the late Dr Komla Amoaku within 60 years of Ghanaian independence, an account of the understated historic background defining Dr Komla Amoaku and resulting precepts guiding Orff in Afrique programming is fitting.