The social context in the piece of music “Baamaaya” has shifted over time. Baamaaya is considered to be a popular traditional dance among the Dagbamba people in Ghana. In the past, there were several different reasons why the Baamaaya dance was performed. Some reasons are that the movements of the dance kept mosquitoes away at night, the twisting hip motions of the dance were intended to tease women, and that it also referred to a popular dish made of beans wrapped in leaves. Most importantly, the dance originated after a crime a man committed against a woman. As a result, the gods became frustrated and punished them by creating a drought in the land. In order to appease the gods, the men were required to dress in women’s clothing and dance until the rain began to fall. Today, the Baamaaya dance is performed for many occasions, primarily for funerals. The costumes of the male performers still imitate women’s clothing, and also the performance is reenacted as the previous Baamaaya dance. Aspects of the music remain the same, such as using the lunja and gungon (two types of drums), sayalsa (rattle), and calamboo (wooden flute). The attitude surrounding the music in present time is more positive compared to the past. In the past, there was a negative outlook on the dance since it was a punishment and was necessary to satisfy the gods. However, today it is more positive because the dance and music are used to celebrate happiness.

The social context in the piece of music “Branle des lavandieres” or “Washerwoman’s Branle” has also shifted over time. During this time period, the dance portrayed a washerwoman doing laundry on the riverbanks. This particular dance was performed in a circle and involved hopping and clapping. The clapping within the dance represented and imitated the beating of laundry against the riverbanks. The partners in the dance scold each other since it became very common to scold washerwomen. Dancing played a significant role when seeking for a mate, or for attracting another partner. As a result, the people carefully learned the dance and took it very seriously. However, today, the dance became insignificant. The video of the high school students dancing to Branle de lavandieres proved that the initial purpose of the dance was now useless. The students barely put effort as they performed the dance. Both performances of the dance involve male and female partners dancing in the same choreography. The music in both dances also remain the same. The attitude surrounding the music today is more negative in comparison to the attitude in the past. The dance used to be extremely crucial in finding a partner, but now it has lost that purpose.