Kpanlogo is a type of dance and music that began in the 1960s. It was created by young people living in cities, particularly in Accra, Ghana.

Origin

The kpanlogo dance was first performed by the Ga people in the Greater Accra Region, where many live near the capital city. It is now enjoyed across Ghana. The dance began in the early 1960s as a new style influenced by American rock and roll, helping younger Ga people express their identity differently from older generations. Ghanaian drummer C. K. Ladzekpo explained that kpanlogo "is an urban youth dance-drumming style that represents the efforts of growing urban youth in Ghana to share their ideas about shaping Africa’s future after colonial rule" (1995: web). The dance is performed close to the ground with bent knees and backs, and sometimes includes movements that suggest romantic or sexual themes. There are records of police taking musical instruments and stopping performers during its early years.

The music for kpanlogo comes from older Ga drumming traditions, such as gome, oge, and kolomashie. The kpanlogo music uses three instruments: nono (a metal bell), fao (a gourd rattle), and kpanlogo drums. The nono plays the main rhythm, supported by the fao. A typical group includes three kpanlogo drums, each with a role: "male voice," "female voice," and "master drum."

The main rhythm of the kpanlogo bell is one of the oldest and most common patterns in sub-Saharan Africa. This rhythm is the same as the son clave pattern used in Cuban music and is similar to the "Bo Diddley beat" popularized by American musician Bo Diddley.