Stories and facts

Kpanlogo is a lively recreational dance and music tradition that emerged in the 1960s among urban youth in Accra, Ghana.

Originating with the Ga people of the Greater Accra Region, the style quickly spread across the country, becoming a national symbol of creativity, rhythm, and youthful expression.

Inspired partly by American rock and roll, kpanlogo represented a bold break from older generations, giving young Ghanaians a cultural identity of their own during the dynamic post-independence era.

Ghanaian master drummer C.K. Ladzekpo described it as “an urban youth dance drumming and a symbol of commitment” by young people striving to shape the political and cultural future of post colonial Africa.

In its early days, kpanlogo raised eyebrows with its low, grounded movements, bent knees, curved backs, and suggestive motions, leading to occasional clashes with authorities including reports of police confiscating instruments and detaining performers. Yet the art form endured and thrived.

Kpanlogo music draws from older Ga drumming styles such as gome, oge, and kolomashie. A typical ensemble features three main instruments: the nono (metal bell), which plays the central rhythmic timeline; the fao (gourd rattle), which reinforces the pulse; and a set of kpanlogo drums, traditionally played in male, female, and master drum roles.

The signature bell pattern of kpanlogo is one of the most widespread rhythms in sub Saharan Africa and closely resembles the Cuban son clave and the Bo Diddley beat found in American rhythm and blues.

Find a range of Ghana’s traditional dances highlighted below.