History Behind The Ewe Song ‘MIVU AGBOA MAYIA’


There was a point in history when Ewes defied all odds and revolted against the rule of Torgbui (King) Agokoli in Notsie.  Torgbui Agorkoli was a ruler of Notsie, a town in southeast Togo. During his rule, the Ewes of Ghana escaped from Notsie to their present land. He ruled the Ewes with an iron fist and had any person who spoke against him put on trial and inevitably found guilty, which meant a death sentence.

The agitation to leave Notsie and the wrath of Agorgoli was overwhelming that the people used all means, including music and dance to register their protest and plan their strategies for escape. In the song below, the composer demands the warriors of Notsie to open the gates and permit the people (who were eager to return to Dahomey, their previous ancestral home prior to settlement in Notsie) to leave. 

 Below is the lyrics of the song 

Song: Mivu Agboa Mayia

Mivu agboa Mayia
Kaleawoe!
Dahume aklasuawoe,
Mivu agboa Mayi.
Kaleawoe mivu agboa mayi,
Dahume.

Literal Translation
Open the gates and let me go,
The warriors!
The Dahumey mysterious fighters
Open the gates and let me go (to)
Dahomey (the ancestral home).


 Story by Celestain Dogbey

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Akan Traditional Music

Image
The music of the Akan people of Ghana and Ivory Coast is based on some of the oldest musical traditions of West Africa and it includes many traditional and neo-traditional styles which are especially prominent in central Ghana, where it overshadows other important genres such as Ewe Music , Ga music and Dagomba Music . Traditional Akan music is sung in the local language, either Twi or Fanti (the Akan languages). There are two types of traditional ensembles: those which play ritual music, and hence are part of a certain institution, and those which play recreational music without any affiliation. Regardless of the ensemble, the instrumentation is mainly composed of idiophones and membranophones. The main types of Akan drums are the from, the eguankoba and the atumpan. Polyrhythmic structures and call and response are also inherent to Akan traditional music. During the late 19th century and early 20th century, the British population introduced popular styles such as Europe...
Read more

Traditional Song Kpanlongo

Image
Kpanlongo is the most recent of all Ga recreational musical types, an offshoot of Gome, Oge, Kolomashie, and Konkoma. Referred to as "the dance of the youth,” Kpanlongo started during the wake of Ghana’s Independence as a musical type for entertainment in Accra. Kpanlongo is presently performed at life-cycle events, festivals, and political rallies.
Read more