THE HISTORY OF THE GA TRADITIONAL DRUMS

                                   

 Ga is the name for the inhabitants and settlements around parts of southeastern Ghana. About the Ga's for four centuries, the Ga heartland consisted of a series of coastal towns, each with independent coastal and inland villages. The Ga are now part of the Greater Accra Regional Administration. The region is made up of six districts, each with district chiefs appointed by the central government. 

The Ga Traditional rulers still perform functions and duties in the new structure, assisting the district assemblies and coordinating councils. History is found in folktales, songs, legends, myths, poems, and other traditional oral sources.

 No documentary sources before the 1600's Chaos under a King made the Gas disperse further east in various groups. The Gas once lived in Nigeria with other ethnic groups. The three groups were the Ga-Mashi, Ga-Wo and the Ga-Boni. There is significant evidence to support the Gas presence among other ethnic groups in the 11th and 12th centuries.

Drum have many uses in the African society, they are used through the life span of the African. Drums are the major instruments in Africa as it serves various purpose like communication, durbars, customary ceremonies, ritual and many more.In Ghana, drums are very common instrument played by the people. 

In the Ga community in Greater Accra, they have the very best of the Ga traditional instrument such as the kpanlogo drum, the Gome foot drum, Tamalin, Marcash, Gongo Bell, the Obonu also known as the talking drum and others which gives a basic rhythm that often marks with the dancers footsteps.