Ghanaian traditional dances: Histories buried in body movements
Ghana as a country has a vast array of distinctive cultures, each attracting different kind of attention.The unique nature of the country’s cultures serve as a bait that attracts tourists from all over the world. It is for this reason that Ghana affectionately prides itself as the “Gateway” to Africa or the “Black Star” of Africa.
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Indeed, Ghana has shown leadership in many areas of African socio-cultural values to the world.
Ghana is also on records as one of the most preferred tourist destinations in Africa, particularly in West Africa. The reason is that Ghana has a number of historical monuments, some of which have been classified as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Some of these historical monuments and tourist sites include the castles, slave markets, Slave Rivers, religious buildings, shrines, groves, cultural artifacts, forest reserves, mystical caves and stones, and national parks—with notable mentions being the Kakum and Mole National Parks.
Even though all the above mentioned elements attract tourists to the country, one thing which uniquely identify the Ghanaian people from the rest of the world and attract unique tourists, particularly students of African Studies from across the globe to the country is the various traditional dances associated with each tribe of the country. Every tribe in Ghana has a unique traditional dance.
Some of these traditional dances include Agbadza performed by the Ewe people; Adowa, performed by the Akans (Ashatis, Bonos, Akims, Akuapims, and the Kwahus); Bamaya, performed by the Dagomba people; Kple, performed by the Ga-Dangme; Apatampa, performed by the Fanti people; Kpanlogo, performed by the Ga people; Kpanaliumni, performed by the Gonja people; Kete, performed by the Ashantis people; Kundum, performed by the Nzema people; Borborbor, performed by the Ewe people; Asafo, performed by the Fante people, and Pogne Dance, owned by the FraFra people.
In Ghana, dance is not just movements of the body parts according to rhythmic patterns or songs, it is a way of expressing people’s histories, achievements, happiness, tragedy, communication, celebrations, declaration of war, and an act of sarcasms.
Dance cuts across all spheres of life, including personal, social, political and religious settings. It is a tool to promote peace and interconnection among people. Nations and people are sometimes identified with their dance. Since time immemorial, dance has remained one of the pillars of tourism as it draws many tourists to a place.
Dance forms an integral part of the Ghanaian culture and it is deeply woven into the social fabric of the people. Many of these dance forms are performed alongside rhythmic tunes, songs that synch with the bodily movements.
These dance forms have long and diverse histories that encompasses religious, social, and political aspects, and have been shaped by both internal and external influences.
The case of Bamaya and Adowa Dance
Bamaya is one of the popular and most commonly performed dance during public events and functions in the Northern Region.
‘Bamaya’ is a Dagbani word which literally means ‘’the river or valley is wet’’. This dance is mostly done by men who are dressed in feminine outfits.
The Bamaya ensemble comprises a lead dancer, other dancers and drummers who also double as chorus singers and sing along with the dancers. The dancers move their feet very swiftly and twist their waist many times as they dance round the drummers.
The dancers’ waists and chins are tied with beads and cymbal bells that make noises as they shake and thump their feet energetically while dancing.
Bamaya is performed with a chorus song supported with drums and flutes. The sound of the drums and flutes dictate the dance movements.
The leader picks and communicates the movements to the rest of the dancers. Whether to dance slowly or swiftly depends on the rhythm of the drums and flutes.
When the dancers are about to leave the stage, each of them displays his own skills.
The story behind Bamaya is that the dance was first performed in the early 19th Century to mark an end to a protracted drought that hit most parts of the Dagbon states in the Northern Region.
Oral tradition has it that there was a long spell of drought in the Dagbon State during which many animals and plants died. According to the story, the chief and his elders consulted an oracle located in a valley to inquire about what to do to bring rain. It is said that the people believed that it was the gods who had held the rains from falling.
According to the story, the oracle instructed them (the chief and his elders) that for the drought to end, the men had to appease the gods of the land by wearing women’s apparel. The reason behind the men dressing in women apparel was that it was believed that the prayers of women usually got a quicker response than those of men. The gods also instructed them to sacrifice some animals in addition to the prescribed dress code. So, as the men dressed as women and made the sacrifices as prescribed by the gods, it started raining and the heavy rains that came made the ground so wet and muddy. It is said that the men in their excitement started dancing in the muddy grounds, hence the symbolic movements of the feet from the muddy grounds.
Adowa history
Another Ghanaian traditional dance with interesting history is the Adowa. Adowa is believed to have originated from the imitation of the movements of a royal antelope. In the Akan language, particularly the Asante Twi dialect, the royal antelope is called “Adowa” while it is called “otwi” in Fante. The dance was named after this animal.
During the performance of adowa, every single movement of the performers has a message to tell. The message can be sorrowful, agonising, romantic, exciting, and/or sarcastic. It is a dance of meanings.
According to oral history, adowa came about as a result of men imitating the movements of a royal antelope in the jungle.
History has it that there was once a queen mother called Abrewa Tutuwa in the ancient Ashanti Kingdom who became seriously ill during her reign and that all medications used on her failed to heal her until a deity was consulted for direction.
According to the story, the deity directed that a live royal antelope be captured and brought alive for the performance of some rituals in order to heal the dying queen mother. Some warriors were, therefore, tasked to go to the forest to hunt for a live royal antelope. However, after days of search without finding any royal antelope, the warriors decided to return home.
The history further adds that the search party on their journey home, however, saw a royal antelope making some beautiful movements. The warriors, startled by the beautiful movements of the royal antelope, hid somewhere and also started imitating the movements of the antelope, thereby leading to the creation of the dance, adowa.
It is said that when the warriors came home, they joyfully performed their newly learned movements to celebrate the health of their dying queen mother, while the elderly women also picked up the movements and perfected it into the modern-day “adowa.”
Adowa is performed using mostly the whole torso, head, whole arm, foot and the hand. The expressive nature of the dance enabled the performers to easily communicate with their body movements. For instance, when a performer put the fourth finger in the mouth or the hands either at the back or on the stomach, it signified emotional pain, especially when the dance was being performed at a funeral.
More importantly, because the dance was originally meant for funerals, its costume is usually black and white clothing. But in recent times, different colours are used. But most importantly, the occasion at where the dance is performed partly determines the costume.
New developments
Understanding the roots of these dance styles is crucial to appreciating its unique character and importance in the Ghanaian cultural setting.
Each of these dance forms come with its own costume and musical instruments. This is because each instrument plays a significant role in the dance moves. To fully understand the significance of these dance forms, one must get to understand the origin of the dance.
The roots of these traditional Ghanaian dances date back to ancient times, where it served various purposes such as religious ceremonies, healing, and storytelling. However, with time, some of these dance forms have evolved, and new forms have emerged or added to the existing ones, hence changing their movement patterns.
However, some cultural custodians, particularly chiefs, have expressed concerns about how these new blends of movements with the traditional dance forms could affect the style, purpose, and the meaning of the dance, taking into account how they emerged.
Chief angry
For instance, the Paramount Chief of Anfoega Traditional Area in the Volta Region, Togbe Tepreh Hodo IV, lost his cool at a an event, when a group of Borborbor dancers infused the dance movements with twerking. The incident happened on Saturday, April 16, 2022.
The traditional ruler, who was visibly angry grabbed a microphone and cautioned the dancers not to infiltrate the dance with twerking as it mars the meaning and dignity of the dance.
He’s quoted as saying, "There is something called protocol but I will break it. We don’t accept this type of dance here. Don’t come and perform this kind of dance in our midst ever again" he said in the local dialect, as reported by thenewsroomonline.com.
The chief’s reaction which went viral received acceptance from a number of Ghanaians especially those who adore the Borborbor dance.
But the sad reality is that whether people accept the new changes to the traditional dances or not, they are happening and happening very fast. These dances are undergoing transformation being influenced by various social, religious, and political movements.
The fusion of African dance with other modern dance styles has also led to the emergence of new dance styles that have gained widespread recognition across the globe.
No need for new additions
Kodwo Ainoo is a traditional dancer who believes there is no need introducing new dance moves to the old dance forms.
For him, adding any new dance moves to the traditional dances which were not original part of it would devalue the relevance of the dance and its spirituality.
“Let’s leave the dance movements the way we came to meet them. These dances have spiritual implications and diluting them with any new style will defeat that purpose,” he explained.
He added, “Tradition is tradition and we shouldn’t try to change it in the name of modernity.”
Mr. Ainoo explained that the dance movements are done in synch with the rhythmic pattern of the musical instruments, hence changing the movements would mean a change in the instrumentations.
“I have been performing Asafo for more than three decades. I learnt it from my uncle. I have never changed the way I was taught,” he stated, adding “The moment you change the dance moves, you have changed the identity of the dance.”
Like Kwadwo Ainoo, Maame Esiaba Nyamekye, 62, who used to perform Apatampa during her youthful days, fear that the growing appetite for some dancers to change the dance moves of the traditional dances may lead to many ethnic groups losing the originality of their traditional dances.
“We all came to meet these dance forms, their music and movements. They are histories that have been preserved for many years and it isn’t right to change them for anything,” she stressed.
For Maame Esiaba, the reason some dancers are changing the forms of the traditional dances was because they are unable to properly learn the traditional dances well.
“I think that people are now lazy or they are not ready to learn the traditional dances well and so in their imperfections, they just try anything, leading to these new patterns of movements in traditional dances,” she explained.
She said she always get upset seeing professional dancers “wrongly performing” traditional dances on television and at events.
“Our traditional dances can be a great source of tourist attraction in the country. Many white people travel to Ghana to come and learn our dances. So, we should not joke with how the dances were created at all,” Maame Esiaba cautioned.
She also blamed the cancellation of inter-school cultural contests as a factor, contributing to the infiltration of traditional dances.
“In the past, schools used to teach children our traditional dance forms for inter-school contest but those things are no more. We need to bring these cultural contests back,” she urged the Ghana Education Service to reconsider introducing cultural dance challenge in the country.
Akwasi Boateng who is a traditional dance drummer in Kumasi is of the view that to change the dance moves would require a change in the entire musical ensemble for the dance.
That, he said, traditional dancers must be well-trained in order to understand the dance patterns.
“The dance moves are based on the drumming. Once you miss the rhythmic pattern, you will miss the steps,” he said, adding that “You can’t dance Adoa or Kete when you don’t know how the drumming is done. Each instrument goes with a certain movement.”
Mr. Boateng has, therefore, called on Centre for National Culture to promote traditional dances by starting inter-school contest for students.
“The Centre for National Culture must up their game by teaching school children traditional dances and if possible, organise inter-school contests on traditional dances for school children. This will help to preserve the original dance forms,” he suggested.
He also sided with the Paramount Chief of Anfoega Traditional Area for calling out dancers who introduced twerking to the Borborbor dance at his function.
