Samuel Saakuu Baaru

One of the first people I met in Lawra was Samuel Saakuu Baaru. Sam opened up his home to me, and gave me a great introduction to life in Ghana. When I asked him if I could include him in my blog, he quickly agreed, most likely thinking of international exposure for his xylophone business.

Sam is the manager of Baaru and Sons Xylophone Learning and Training Centre. This family business has been operating for more than twenty years. Initially  just operating as a production centre, it has now been converted to a training centre, training youth in traditional trades and music, providing skills for potential employment and contributing to the preservation of tradition. The success the centre is part due to community based and rural development projects, but also very evidently the passion Sam has for his trade and Ghanaian culture. In Ghana, xylophones are an integral part of many traditional activities including funerals, festivals, church and school activities.

His work has been featured at numerous trade shows, supported by the Ghana Export Promotion Council and the National Board for Small-Scale Industries. This has earned him the requisite recognition required for both local and international markets. The materials that go into each xylophone are grown or produced locally, either in Ghana or Burkina Faso, and hand-selected by Sam or one of his trained craftsmen.

The first ten days of the training program are used for studying the theoretical aspects of xylophone music, xylophone tradition and construction techniques. The next ten days are used for learning construction techniques, with 35 days then spent on practice. At the end of the training there are five days of individual construction evaluation. At the end of the training program, participants will be able to construct xylophones to the standards set by Sam’s centre. He has spent the last couple of weeks putting together grant applications to securing funding for another round of training.

In addition to running his business and training program , Sam is a volunteer teacher with the National Literacy Program, running evening courses to teach members of his community to read and write Dagaare, the local language. I know Sam throws a little English and basic math thrown into his courses to round out their education. Sam is involved in his church, supporting their work, and community and giving back continuously through time and labor.

While living at Sam’s house, his generosity and love for his community became quickly evident. Meals were always shared with people stopping by, employees, neighbors. Quite often I would catch Sam acting as a bank for women the community, lending money so they could subsist until they were able to sell goods at Market Day.

Like many Ghanaians, Sam has been hoping to attend to university for some years now. He was finally granted admission, and will be starting Agric College next week. Having used a large portion of his university money last year to build a new workshop, he was left scrambling to find additional finds to cover his fees. His sister, Diana, is also returning to school this fall, and thus she was also looking for funds. Together, they started finding, killing, smoking and selling pork. Sam also has taken on many small projects. They both came up with the money needed for their fees.

The motto of the xylophone centre is “Sky’s the Limit”. Sam’s attitude towards life definitely exemplifies this. I’ve learned so much from him, and will miss our conversations and weekend excursions while he is away at school. However, I’m very happy and excited for him that he has finally gotten the opportunity to attend university and wish him the best of luck in his studies!

p.s. Although a little expensive, Sam has successfully shipped xylophones as far as Argentina. So, if you happen to be a collector of traditional and hand-crafted musical instruments, consider a Ghanaian xylophone as your next purchase.