Manuel Casha

FOR THE MALTESE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION (Australia)

Maltese GHANA SINGING has been with the Maltese nation for centuries, and has always been regarded as the music of the peasant, the farmer, the labourer the washerwomen and has generally been associated with the working classes.
The Maltese have a natural in-built ability to sing and rhyme. And this was documented by a number of visitors to the islands who were impressed by this phenomenon. We will look at some of their impressions, as outsiders, as well as others from Maltese academics, views from within.

In modern times the guitar has become the most popular backing instrument for GHANA, but there was a time where other traditional instruments where used, such as:
ZAQQ: which is a form of Bagpipes.
IR-RABBABA: friction drum.
TAMBUR: kettledrum or tambourine.
L-ARGUNETTE: which is simply a mouth organ or mouth harp.
ACCORDION: In more modern times the accordion has been used as well.

Ghana has attracted attention of foreign writers and scholars, who wrote about and observed the beauty of the song, and the ability of the Maltese to sing and rhyme, through the centuries. G. CASSAR-PULLICINO who is the ultimate student of Maltese Folklore this century, claims that "The first study of Ghana on record, goes back to 1792, during the last years of the knights.
A French knight, called St. Priest published a book called "MALTE PAR UNE VOYUER FRANCAIS" which included three ghanjiet, as told to him by a Maltese librarian, Giacchino Navarro. I'll-read them to you in Maltese first and then give you a rough translation.
"L-Ghajn li trid tixrob minnha
nghidlek l ddardarix:
Ghax imur zmien u jigi iehor
tfittixa u ma ssibhix"
which translates:
"Do not dirty the stream from which you drink,
because the time will come,
when you will seek
and not and not find it".
Around the turn of the century H. STUMME and BERTA ILG gathered about 400 ghana quatrains and published them as well as GEORGE PERCY BADGER, who visited the Islands in the beginning of British rule, around 1838, and published a work called "A DESCRIPTION OF MALTA AND GOZO". In those times Ghana was sung by villagers and workman, and indeed by women going about their household chores. It was not sophisticated and organised as it is today, where GHANA "Spirtu Pront" dominates and has its own famous GHANEJJA and KITARRISTI.
So this is the GHANA that was heard by these non-Maltese students of the Topic as they wandered the countryside.

I remember living at the small fishing village of Kalkara, which is a Grand harbour inlet, and hearing women sing Ghana as they hung the washing. Or the fisherman as they brought in their catch on their boats at sunset. I remember street sellers using GHANA to sell their products, and singing Ghana quatrains praising their goods and claiming how much better their produce was, over the other sellers. Those able to do this always seemed to get the edge and attract more attention than the straight sellers.

Ghana in the 20th century has progressed from a peasant music to a more organised and professional form of entertainment. The top GHANNEJJA in Malta are celebrities in their own right. They sing regularly on the airwaves. They appear on GHANA Television programmes. They also visit countries like CANADA, ENGLAND, AUSTRALIA and wherever else GHANA has a following.
Later on in this talk we will be seeing some examples of this, but the point I make here is this, while GHANA as we know it today, belongs mainly to the SPIRTU PRONT genre, which has progressed in leaps and bounds this century, and is more refined in its structure as well as rhyme, there is a great difference between what Stumme, Ilg, Priest, Badger etc. witnessed and GHANA as we know it today.

GHANA carries a STIGMA which has impeded its progress in the last 50 years or so, and which threatens to eventually render it extinct, if the root of it is not examined. So what is the STIGMA attached to this music? Is it a question of a peasant mentality struggling in the sophistication of the 20th. Century? Is Political? Is it Religious?

One of the articles which was sent to me by the University of Malta, contained this interesting point of view by GHANA scholar PAUL SANT CASSIA from his article "BEJN FOLKLORE U HABI". . . ". Between Folklore and the hidden", which could shed a new light, and perhaps help us understand better, the root of the STIGMA and general prejudice, that GHANA suffers. This is not a direct translation but my own interpretation of his statements. GHANA, because of its ancient nature, carries with it, the remnant sounds of a forgotten past, which takes us back to a more barbaric time, from which we have progressed through our history, as we have become more sophisticated and civilised, and which we would rather forget and disassociate ourselves from.

Although as a nation, we identify more with Europe nowadays, both by culture and religion, Ghana still carries the echo of an oriental or Arabic, Muslim past. That is not to say that we have ever lost our resolve to hold firm to our Christianity, but even the slightest resemblance to a Muslim or Arabic; Oriental cultural influence, is not only a threat, but not representative of how we see ourselves in the in the world in the late 20th. century.
Perhaps we have a time in our history which we would rather forget, and wipe out any reminders of a time which threatened us both as a race; a nation and more importantly as a CHRISTIAN nation. This is not to say that Ghana is an Arabic musical art form which we inherited, but the sounds suggest a link to Arabic, middle-eastern culture.

After the colonialization of the Islands by the British, the Maltese perception of themselves changed even more to a more Anglo-European where it was decided to throw away the "Old" and go with the "New". Ironically in spite of the Semitic quality of the Maltese language, it survived all perils and prejudice and but GHANA which after all is sung in the Maltese language has been cast aside almost underground in the higher strata of Maltese society.
The general reason for GHANA'S demise this century is due to some indiscretions by some GHANNEJJA who have left a indelible stain on it. This cannot be denied and even the ghannejja themselves concede these unfortunate misadventures. (Although I have always found the great majority of GHANNEJJA, very prudent.) But to accept that GHANNEJJA's indiscretions as the only singular reason, for Ghana's unfortunate Stigma, is a grave misconception.
At times, in this modern age, it is easy to assume that there is no room for GHANA in the modern scheme of things, and it should be left to die a natural death but Art is more resilient than that, and in spite of the stigma that GHANA carries to date, it has survived and lives on.

In the last decade something has happened to GHANA which in my opinion will see it survive forever.
GHANNEJJA such as FRANCE BALDACCHINO "Il-Budaj" have introduced theatre in the presentation of Ghana. BUDAJ has opened new horizons with his brand of Ghana, and the people cannot get enough of it.
He has taken it overseas and has even managed to record his first GHANA C. D. He has his own team of Karmenu Bonnici "Il-Bahri" (ghannejj) and guitarists Jon Saliba (prim) and Manwel Parnis, who performed with him in Paris and are included in his C. D. France is a very charismatic man, of great presence but ironically is a man of great simplicity, in spite of his tremendous intelligence. I suspect this is where GHANA'S future lies. And as it gathers momentum in this field, we shall see the others genres, revitalised and women Ghanejja coming back to the fold after a great absence.
It is my belief that as it gathers greater dignity and acceptance in society, it will bring in more young GHANNEJJA and KITARRISTI into the fold.

Whatever happens, we must keep in mind that GHANA is the true music of Malta, and should be treasured as an integral part of our cultural heritage. And we should appreciate the "Positives" as well as judge it by the "Negatives".
Modern musicians have also taken the GHANA melodies and arranged them in various fields and more importantly, recorded and published them. I emphasize the recording side, because once music is recorded, it becomes frozen in time, and kept for others who will follow, to appreciate, particularly the young. Cassettes, discs and C. D. 's finish up in libraries and in people's record collections.
Maestro CHARLES CAMILLERI has shown us what could be done in the classical field with GHANA melodies, in his album . . . "GHANJIET MINN MALTA" and other fine work.

Here in Australia, various musicians have written GHANA arrangements. - I have heard fine pieces by Evarist Azzoppardi and Laurie Bugeja and others. - Vince Pulo has expressed his own feelings of GHANA, in his recorded works on record and on various Television Productions.
In my cassette "NEON" I played Ghana melodies exclusively, and although I produced nearly an hour of music I had to leave some out, such is the wealth of Ghana melodies and themes.
The big question now is whether GHANA will make the transition into the
21st. Century. Being an optimist I believe it will in some form or another.
But if we lose it and the skill is not passed on to the young, our loss will
be tragic.
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Speaker: MANUEL CASHA
Maltese Centre Parkville. - 11 October 1994