19/09/2024
The only music style I know in the world where a large crowd of people sing, drum and dance in unison is Ghana’s “Jama”.
Let’s throw more light on this genre of African music.
Jama – a word originating from Ga for songs sung at events – is a genre of cheer songs with lyrics from Twi, Ga, Ewe, and Pidgin languages passed across generations of sports fans. Composed to praise one’s team and banter with opposing teams, fans say they help boost the morale of the fans in cheering for their team.
In 1970, club football in Ghana reached its peak as Asante Kotoko Sporting Club of Kumasi – the country’s second largest city – won the CAF [Confederation of African Football] Champions League, the first for a team from the country.
Their fan base soon found ways to assert bragging rights through jama songs fusing sounds from homemade instruments like “bugarabu” drums, agogo, castanets, shekere and trumpets with local rhythms like highlife to create jama songs.
Other supporters followed suit, creating a boisterous atmosphere at games as they willed their teams to victory and jeered opposing sides.
But the club rivalries fizzled out whenever it was time to unite for the Black Stars.
In 2006, Ghana made its maiden appearance at the World Cup. It was a long overdue arrival for the proud footballing nation which at the time had won four African Championships, two FIFA U-17 World Cup titles, and two FIFA U-20 World Cup trophies.
The palpable excitement on the streets was eventually encapsulated in Yenie, a Jama inspired song by the gospel singer Grace Ashy meaning “This is Us” in the local Twi language. It played nonstop in private cars and public transport, on airwaves, and was sung affectionately by children converging in compounds to discuss their favourite players.
“Jama is meant to ginger the players,” Sani Mohammed, founder of Ghana First Supporters Union (GAFSU) told Al Jazeera. “Without the jama, the players will be dull and can’t score goals. You could see from our game with Portugal [at Qatar 2022] that the jama was what boosted the morale of the players to score [two] goals.”
If supporters in the stands do not sing the jama tunes, being present at the stadium means nothing, he added.
Indeed Jama boosts not only the morale in football but in any form of competitions including inter senior high school sports, quizzes , debates, etc.
In fact, in the various university campuses across the country, Jama[mostly done during weekends]has been found to help release stress accumulated from academic activities during the week, helps them to relax and prepare for the next week’s activities.
Below is Jama being performed in Ewe by Atlantic Hall, University of Cape Coast, Ghana 🇬🇭
