The Sound of Impact: The Life of Professor J.H. Kwabena Nketia
In the context of the melting pot that is the city of Los Angeles, Ghanian-Americans have played more of a background role in the community. Although rich in the heritage, Los Angeles-based Ghanaians have traded in more integration within the fused collection of cultures in the city’s identity for a more exclusive community.
However, although the culture isn’t necessarily permeated and accessible within Los Angeles’ melting pot, there are a plethora of figures within the community that have spread the uniqueness of Ghanian culture locally.
One example such as this was Joseph Hanson Kwabena Nketia, renowned scholar, ethnomusicologist, and composer, who not only made an impact in the exposure of Ghanian music in Los Angeles, but across the globe as well.
Born in June 22, 1921 in Mampong, a small town in Ashanti, Ghana, J. H. Kwabena Nketia was an only child. His decorated academic resume first began at the Presbyterian Training College, located in Akropong, where he trained as a teacher.
Ultimately finding his passion in the field, he was granted a government scholarship at the age of 23, and attended the University of London from 1944 to 1949, beginning with two years of study in linguistics at the School of Oriental and African Studies.
In 1949, he began studying at Birkbeck College, University of London, and Trinity College of Music. In 1958, a Rockefeller Fellowship directed his educational journey to the United States, where he studied musicology and composition at Columbia University, the Juilliard School and Northwestern University.
Nketia’s direct impact on Ghanian culture in America first began in 1961 when he was appointed as the deputy director of African Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. He became the first African to serve as the institute’s director, and went on to become a prominent figure due to his renowned prowess.
He worked extensively with Mantle Hood, a professor of music and founder of the UCLA Institute of Ethnomusicology, and introduced master musicians from the homeland to the university, allowing Ghana’s rich musical history to find a footing on the American stage.
In the summer of 1963, Nketia taught what would become the first college-level course on African music at a U.S. university. This course led to a long-lasting relationship between UCLA and Nketia, who, at the urging of faculty, became a full-time professor in 1969, and was instrumental in the development of the university’s African music performance program.
Anita Afonu, a documentary filmmaker who directed “African Maestro,” a biography centering on Nketia, describes his impact on the exposure of African music as monumental. “I think that he put Ghana on the map when it comes to African music,” said Afonu, “In the context classical African music, he is Ghana’s Mozart. Much of what we study about African music comes from the mind of Nketia.”
Nketia is referenced by Music Journalist Kwaame Dadson as one of the very few Ghanaians who have established themselves as legends in the American community. “He is an African music and aesthetics icon,” stated Dadson. “His concepts and interpretation of time and rhythmic patterns in African classical music were revolutionary. They’re still the standard for scholars around the world when studying African music. His impact was very monumental to the genre.”
Nketia’s revolutionary work can be noted by the long list of accolades he has acquired throughout his career. Nketia was honored with many awards in Ghana including: the Companion of the Order of the Star of Ghana, the Grand Medal of the Government of Ghana (Civil Division), a DLitt (Honoris Causa) of the University of Ghana, the Ghana Book Award, and more.
He was a member of the International Music Council, and received global recognition with awards that include: the Cowell Award of the African Music Society, the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award, the IMC-UNESCO Prize for Distinguished Service to Music, the 1997 Prince Claus Award and the Distinguished Africanist Award of the African Studies Association of the USA.
In 2009, the Nketia Music Foundation was formed “to promote the conservation and development of Ghana’s Creative Legacy in contemporary contexts, and the use of the works of Emeritus Prof. J. H. Kwabena Nketia and other composers for the development and growth of music and culture,” further solidifying his impact for years to come.
Although Nketia passed away on March 13, 2019 at 90 years, his legacy lives on. In a community where they are not widely represented or seen, Nketia’s impact serves as a shining example to Ghanians hoping to solidify their identity in Los Angeles, and American, culture.
