Videos Of Traditional Benin West African Music

Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest Update: November 16, 2020

This pancocojams post presents seven videos of traditional music from Benin, West Africa.

In addition to showcasing & enjoying the vocal & instrumental music, I'm interested in viewing the dances, clothing, male or female head gear styles, and the scenes that are shown in these videos.

Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin for information about Benin (formerly known as "Dahomey".)

The content of this post is presented for recreational, folkloric, and aesthetic purposes.

Note: I don't speak the language/s found in these videos. Information about the meaning of these songs would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

All rights to this material remain with their owners.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are presented in no ranking order.)

Video #1: BENIN - Dossou Letriki - Evivi yenadou



Uploaded by kandevie on Aug 6, 2011

Traditional Masse Gohoun Rhytm from Avrankou, Benin, West Africa

-snip-
Here's a comment about this video that I wrote in 2012: 
"Thank you for posting this video. I took the liberty of adding it to a post on my cultural blog. Google Pancocojams Traditional Music Videos Of Benin West African Music .

 I'm an African American who is interested in African culture but only understands English. Any information written in English about this video would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance."

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Here's a comment that I received on Nov. 16, 2020
from Moutiou Adjibi
"This song's title is "Ato gbèmè éyon nanwé", litteraly meaning "when you are rich in this world". The language used is "Goungbé" or "Goun". The song, from the artist Dossou Letriki talks about the fact that when someone is rich he has many friends, but when everything turn bad, all those friends disappear. The rythm or style of the music you are hearing is called "Massè Gohoun"."

**
I thanked Moutiou Adjibi for that reply and wrote that I'm glad that he didn't think it was too late to respond to my question.

I plan to search for more information and examples of  "Massè Gohoun". music.

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Video #2: Didolanvi Félix



Uploaded by polorishas1 on Feb 21, 2009
-snip-
Here's a viewer comment which is partly written in English (which unfortunately is the only language that I understand, although I can piece together the meaning of most of these French words)
"i love this song soooooooooooooooo much, i m from porto novo, benin but now living in america. Dieu benisse ce monsieur, ce morceau m inspire et m emporte au ciel, la bonte de Dieu sur nous est inestimable. j adore la joie de vivre du village, la fraternite, l ambiance entre famille"
-evystoful, 2011

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Video #3: BENIN-YINMAKODJIVIDE BO ZE HANGOUDENAN



Uploaded by HERVAKOMDJ on Oct 11, 2009
-snip-
Here's a viewer comment written in English:
"I sure love this music and the Egungun magical moves. God bless Africa !!! This is great. I will one day visit Benin Republic by God's grace"
-allen parker; 2012

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Video #4: Benin- Janvier Denagan - Guigo



Uploaded by EHUZU1 on Feb 11, 2009

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Video #5: Benin music- Don Metok : Gnonnou



Uploaded by BIGDAVOLK on Dec 31, 2008
-snip-
Here's a comment written in English from this video's viewer comment thread:
"oooh he is talking about women. The parralel between "Yonnou" and "Yon nou" In Fongbe language, Yonnou means woman but also when smebody tells you "yon nou" it means "pay attention to the way you drink it" the conclusion is, men should drink women softly and know how dangerous they can be if they want to...and they can easily get drunk if they abuse...dnt know if u understand what i mean"
-nacareby; 2010
-snip-
I also want to mention that I'm not sure if this song or singing style is actually "traditional" but I wanted to include it because I really love the song.

Can anyone confirm if this is a traditional song? Thanks in advance.

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Video #6: BENIN MUSIC :EDIA SOPHIE NKPEZON TO

"

Uploaded by HERVAKOMDJ on Mar 3, 2009

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Video #7: BENIN Anice pépé - SOUROU-



Uploaded by chegundossi on Sep 16, 2010

Sourou (du calme,patience).Dans la vie il faut de la patience,du calme en toute chose

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RELATED LINK
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/08/agbadja-music-dance-gbessi-zolawadji.html
Agbadja Music & Dance & Gbessi Zolawadji

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the musicians, singers, and dancers who performed in these featured videos. Thanks also to the videographers, video uploaders, and commenters who I have quoted on those video's comment threads.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.

Agbadja Music & Dance - Gbessi Zolawadji (Benin, West Africa)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents information about Agbadja (Agbadza) music & dance. This post also showcases five videos of Benin, West Africa Agbadja vocalist Gbessi Zolawadji and his group of musicians, vocalists, and dancers.

The content of this post is presented for recreational, folkloric, educational, and aesthetic purposes.

All rights to this material remain with their owners.

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INFORMATION ABOUT AGBADJA (AGBADZA) MUSIC & DANCE
From http://www.african-music-safari.com/agbadza.html
"The Famous Ewe Rhythm And Dance.

It's probably Agbadza, if there's only one traditional rhythm you remember upon return from Ghana or Togo. To tourists without any knowledge of Ewe drumming, this fun piece is simply known as "the chicken dance". You'll know why when you see it!...

Today, Agbadza is a very popular recreational dance. It entertains people at funerals, weddings and any other get-together or party. Even the modern bands in the cities like to incorporate this fun rhythm into their music.

Some traditional Ewe dances are reserved to people of a certain age group or religion. But any child, woman or great-grandfather is welcome to dance Agbadza.

The name itself means something like "for everybody". If you ever get a chance to attend a traditional Ewe event, even you, a foreign visitor, will be expected to dance.

Despite the first impression, the background of this dance isn't all that fun. Before the Ewe people were able to settle in the beautiful Volta Region of Ghana and in Southern Togo, they went through tough times of war and oppression: They had to fight their way to freedom.

To train and encourage their warriors, the Ewe played various war dances, one of them called Atrikpui. In the 1920s, after the Ewe had enjoyed a period of peace, this serious dance turned into the fun and entertaining Agbadza that we know today."

-snip-
From http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUfU9V3hS-8 "Ewe Abgadza dance from Ghana's Volta Region"; uploader comment: katameemee on Nov 21, 2010
"...the Agbadza, is traditionally a war dance but is now used in social and recreational situations to celebrate peace. War dances are sometimes used as military training exercises, with signals from the lead drum ordering the warriors to move ahead, to the right, go down, etc. These dances also helped in preparing the warriors for battle and upon their return from fighting they would act out their deeds in battle through their movements in the dance."

-snip-
From http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=i2PJ5nYyIjw
...there are different styles of agbadza from place to place. some traditional believers have another tempo and variation but it doesn't make either real nor fake...
-blackvolta; May 2012

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INFORMATION ABOUT GBESSI ZOLAWADJI
From http://blogs.voanews.com/african-music-treasures/2010/02/04/benin-roots-alekpehanhou-and-gbessi/ "Benin Roots-Alekpehanhou and Gbessi"
-Matthew Lavoie, February 4th, 2010
"Koffi Albert Bessanvi was born, in 1952, into a family of musicians, in the small fishing village of Djegbadji, located on the shores of the lagoon that spreads north from the Atlantic port of Ouidah; which was a center of the Portuguese and Dahomean slave economy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Koffi grew up listening to his father’s performances of ‘Avogan’, a social dance for nobles, but was more attracted to the youthful rhythms of Agbadja; a style of music that he discovered in the village of ‘Oumako’, located in the Mono department.

Koffi started his career in his early twenties and made his ‘major league’ debut in 1976, sharing a bill with many of the country’s most popular cultural artists at Cotonou’s ‘Palais des Congres’. Koffi’s talent brought him success and a nickname; for the last thirty years he has been known to Agbadja fans in Benin, Togo, and Ghana as Gbessi Zolawadji, which can be roughly translated from the Mina language as ‘the beautiful voice that brings everyone together’.

Gbessi has released fourteen cassettes, performed in Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Togo and South Africa, where in 2001 he won the Kora award for best traditional artist of the year...

Although Gbessi’s group is built around the same rhythmic core as other Agbadja groups, he has not been afraid to frame his rhythms with horn lines or piano harmonies."

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FEATURED VIDEOS
(These videos are presented in no particular order.)

Video #1: Agbadja, Gbessi Zolawadji




Emmanuel Koku, Published on Apr 23, 2013
-snip-
Update: December 31, 2018. This video replaces another copy that is no longer available.

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Video #2: Togo- GBESSI - Gnaho (traditionnel Agbadja)



Uploaded by BIGDAVOLK on May 24, 2008

togo music tradi

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Video #3: Nonvitcha à Grand Popo, agbadja avec gbessi zolawadji



Uploaded by nicolebeninoa on Apr 15, 2008

Nonvitcha à Grand popo, Bénin, Agbadja avec Gbessi zolawadji, king mensah, fatiou akplogan.

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Video #4: BENIN - GBESSI ZOLAWADJI - Noulagnon



Uploaded by kandevie on Jun 4, 2008

GBESSI national,mono rhytm

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Video #5: BENIN - GBESSI ZO. - APE



Uploaded by kandevie on Oct 13, 2008

music traditionel, mono, africa

-snip-
Here's a comment from this video's viewer comment thread:
The lyrics of this song say: "It is true that man is more important than money. I called money, but it not respond. When I called on man, he responded". These lyrics encapsulate/emphasise the African communal spirit.

In the background, is the shrine of Mamiwata (lady with big snakes/Sea Maiden), the goddess of the sea/river, a very important divinity in all West Africa. The dance routing executed here is very complex but the dancers make it look easy. The Agbadja music is culturally very rich.
-koudry ; 2010

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RELATED LINK
http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/09/traditional-music-videos-of-benin-west.html Traditional Music Videos Of Benin West African Music

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to Gbessi Zolawadji, and the musicians, singers, and dancers who performed in these featured videos. Thanks also to the videographers, video uploaders, and commenters who I have quoted on those video's comment threads.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Viewer comments are welcome.