Drumming and Dancing in Ghana

The world music professor led an SAS trip to a Drumming and Dance workshop about two hours from the ship. We enjoyed the sights from the bus windows along the way. Ghana is very proud to be the only African nation to have hosted President Obama--even if it was just for a couple of hours. Ghana's economic and educational systems are held up as an example to other African countries. For this reason and because his father was Ghanaian, President Obama selected Ghana as the first country in Africa to visit.

Large loaves of white bread were sold everywhere. As we drove on, the areas became more rural.

Many of the small shops were brightly painted.

After a long journey that culminated on a bumpy dirt road that was not meant for a large tour bus, we walked through the countryside to the Noyam African Drum Institute. Established in 1998, the institute's main focus is the training of dancers and the continuing development of traditional and contemporary African dance in Ghana.

In between learning dances, songs, and drumming rhythms, we went outdoors to watch women make batik cloths. Above, a woman heats colored wax to a high temperature and then the pot is kept warm while another woman dips the batik stamp in the hot wax and presses it on the cloth.

Like many Ghanaian women, one of the batik artisans carried her baby on her back.
I peeked backstage and saw a sewing machine. The batik workers are connected to the Institute and make costumes for the performers.
Once they had stamped the material, it was put in a dye vat and then laid out to dry.

Asher talks with one of the main dancers, who performs with the Noyam group as a dancer, but also plays drums. Performers learn both aspects. Our locally-made lunch of fish, rice, plantain, and a greens-stew was delicious. Earlier in the day, they had opened fresh coconuts for us and served mangoes and bananas as well.

At the end of the day, four of the dancers gave us a performance, which everyone enjoyed. Outside, we visited the batik women and their children one last time. Charis gave the kids some pens and bubbles and many of us bought some of the batik cloths.

I loved looking out the window on the long ride home and seeing the shops, people and landscapes. Ghana has been called the most Christian nation in the world and it is easy to see why when you look at the roadside signs. Not only are there churches of all denominations, Protestant and Catholic, EVERYWHERE, but also many small businesses have religious names. I tried to snap several of the signs from the jiggling bus, but missed many of them including one of my favorite signs: Most Divine Mini-Bar and Restaurant.

Here are video clips from our time at Noyam. The first is of a drumming session where Barek is engaged, but Charis and Asher are taking a break. (The day was incredibly hot!) The second is a short clip of Charis and one of the students doing a small dance: