A video made from a photo and original cassette tape audio recording of a 1986 family history interview with Elders of Kuulo Katoo in Dompofie, Banda. Female head of family, Lelɛɛ Afua Fofie (age, c. 90 yrs), shared in the Nafaanra language the history of Wurache, female ancestress of Kuulo Katoo. The interview was conducted by Dr. Ann Stahl and James Anane as part of a 1986 research project on family histories of the Banda area. Also participating in the interview were: Dompofie Odikro and male head of family, Tolɛɛ Kwadwo Fordjour (age, c. 95 yrs), Kwame Broma (age, c. 80 yrs), Kwasi Donkor (age, c. 70 yrs), Kwasi Millah (age, 60 yrs), Kwabena Mensah (age, 60 yrs), Kwame Dɔmeabra (age, 55 yrs) and Emmanuel Dwira (age, 33 yrs). The original audio has been edited to exclude (poorly audible) translations of Nafaanra dialogue into English. The original cassette recording ended prior to the conclusion of the interview, and thus does not capture the full exchange in Nafaanra. An English translation of the interview and the still image of Dompofie elders are available in the Banda Through Time repository (links below). Dompofie, 6 August, 1986. Length: 15.38 minutes.
At a day-long celebration of the Banda area's rich cultural heritage at the Banda Cultural Centre in Banda-Ahenkro, men associated with the Kralɔngɔ Royal Palace performed a Nafana version of Kete. Known primarily as an Akan royal practice, Nafana oral histories characterize Kete as a genre they learned from Kulango people. In this performance, four men simultaneously use brass rattles and play flutes that oral accounts say were taken from the Kulango in their performance of five Kete songs. They are accompanied by two drummers and a man playing an iron gong. Ahenkro, 28 June, 2019. Length: 00:13:14 minutes.
At a day-long celebration of the Banda area's rich cultural heritage at the Banda Cultural Centre in Banda-Ahenkro, Ligbi community members from Bongase performed a masquerade dance which today they call "Bedu" but scholars term "Do." Two masks performed: Mbong (Baboon) and Gbanyamuso (Beautiful Gonja Woman). Their costumes include metal jangles worn around their ankles. The dancers are accompanied by women singing in Ligbi and drumming on conga and box drums, as well as by young men drumming and fanning the dancers. Ahenkro, 28 June, 2019. Length: 00:15:26 minutes.
At a day-long celebration of the Banda area's rich cultural heritage at the Banda Cultural Centre in Banda-Ahenkro, Nafana people from Boase share customs associated with their wedding celebrations (Bijam). Two young women dressed as brides wear local strip woven cloth and carry walking sticks as they approach the Banda Cultural Centre, accompanied by female relatives and young girls dressed in nubility attire. After circling the event grounds, the girls are seated and the women perform a series of songs and dances accompanied by calabash drums. Men and women well-wishers toss maize kernels in the water of the calabash drums as they dance. Afterwards, the brides, covered by cloth, dance behind an elder relative as other women prepare their path by pouring water from a bucket. Afterwards, locally made grain beer (pito) is poured into a calabash, overflowing to signal that the brides were virgins at the time of their marriage.In a final dance, female relatives dance with a bowl of food, after which gifts are presented to the bride's family. Many of the women wear locally made strip-woven blue-and-white textiles as wraps. Ahenkro, 28 June, 2019. Length: 00:22:01 minutes.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Date:
2019-06-28
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro
Subjects:
Performance; Nafana (African people)
Subjects Facet:
Dance; Songs; Music; Rites and Ceremonies; Marriage customs and rites; Gourd, Calabash; West African strip weaving; Drums (musical instrument); Heritage
At a day-long celebration of the Banda area's rich cultural heritage at the Banda Cultural Centre in Banda-Ahenkro, people from Ahenkro share Nafana songs and dances associated with with girls' puberty rites (Manaa Ndiom) and wedding celebrations (Bijam). The film opens with photos of girls dressed in Manaa Ndiom attire during the 1995 inauguration of the Banda Cultural Centre. A series of songs and dances performed at the 2019 event follows, accompanied by the rhythms of calabash drums, calabash rattles and, in some cases, a wooden drum. The group is joined in the first song by District Chief Executive Mary Konneh who plays calabash rattles and dances. Seated under the shade of the canopy, Afua Donkor demonstrates how to spin cotton while others sing and dance. Young people can be seen using their cell phones to record the action. Many of the Elder women who perform wear locally made strip-woven blue-and-white textiles as skirt wraps. Ahenkro, 28 June, 2019. Length: 00:15:57 minutes.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Date:
2019-06-28
Subjects:
Performance; Cell phones
Subjects Facet:
Nafana (African people); Dance; Songs; Music; Rites and Ceremonies; Marriage customs and rites; Gourd, Calabash; West African strip weaving; Drums (musical instrument); Rattles; Heritage