View a Preview ClipListening to the Silence: African Cross Rhythms. "Africans listen to the silence and use it as a dimension in which they can improvise," observes John Collins, an English musician and host of this program. Taking off from the peace of nature, the singing cicadas, and the simple routines of the workday, this program explores a kaleidoscope of musical examples from Ghana: children’s games and their musical bands; traditional drums; sensual dances; trance dances; animated funeral music; and many other examples from the Ewe, Ashanti, Ga, and Frafra peoples of Ghana. Throughout the program, the leitmotif is social participation and the strikingly complex rhythmic sensibilities of the people. (33 minutes)
