The Impact of the New Decolonization of the Music and Music Education in the Ewe Land

Abstract

Both Western music and Ewe music, as types of Indigenous knowledge, play a crucial role in music education in the Colleges of Education in Ghana. After gaining independence in 1957, Ghana started making changes to the curriculum to include African indigenous cultures and shift away from the Eurocentric colonial curriculum. Nevertheless, these attempts had only limited success, as Western-educated elites showed a preference for Western music in academic settings. This research examines how students in two Ghanaian Colleges of Education are interacting with the teaching of Ewe music to determine if they are effectively learning this aspect of their education. The research also looks at the wider effects of decolonization initiatives in music instruction among the Ewe society. Although there is a growing focus on decolonizing classroom practices, scholars' research methods often still reflect colonial thinking, which raises ethical issues. The relationship between Indigenous knowledge systems and academic frameworks puts pressure on researchers, especially those who are not Indigenous, to be more methodologically responsible. Based on a recent study of Indigenous Sámi communities in Finland, the article suggests that although achieving methodological responsibility in decolonizing research is challenging, researchers must go beyond conventional epistemic limits. To decolonize music education successfully, scholars need to reassess their research methods and think about how to decolonize the actual research process.