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Old is not old
When this guy came in we all thought he was feeble, but once he got going he could outdo any of us On Sunday we went to an Akomfo ceremony, which took place at a village shrine in the mountains (beautiful countryside). The people came to watch priests (men and women) and drummers connect with the gods, or maybe a better way to write it is for the gods to connect with the people through the dancers and drummers. There is no way I can adequately describe what took place --- just know it was an amazing experience. It is incredibly rare for outsiders to get a glimpse into ancient spiritual practices --- especially since traditional religions are being replaced by Christianity and Islam.
To quote one of the graduate students, “there was definitely a vibe.” What might look like a bunch of jumping and hooting around on TV, is an intricate give and take between the drummers and dancers (and, of course, the deities). Video and pictures cannot do it justice. The drummers are so intense. They read the dancers, and the dancers return their rhythm by doing the exact right moves to bring the music to life. You don’t have to know the language or their customs to get that there’s “some heavy shit going on.”
Since Duku is
a priestess connected to this shrine, we were all special guests, so we were seated next to their ceremonial stools (the stool is very sacred to the Akan, every one has their own unique one). It was awkward at first because we were looking into the congregation, and they were certainly looking at us. But once those drums got going and the women (and two men --- one of them was really old, but let me tell you he could dance) got moving you forgot about all those people and got caught up into the energy of it all.
It was by far one of the absolute coolest things I’ve ever been a part of, and it will stay with me for a very long time. Afterward, we were treated to a feast. It’s one thing to visit Ghana and eat in its restaurants; it’s quite another to be invited into a home and be treated like you belong there. From an American perspective, a concrete house with tree branches for columns might not seem like much (and yet I thought it was warm and welcoming), but to a Ghanaian it’s an absolute gift to have people in your
Lemme see!
the kids watching from the sidelines home and to feed them. There was so much food, and it was absolutely delicious. I’m a big fan of something they just call tomato stew and a rice dish that had vegetables in it. Oh, and I love this thing called gare --- shaved/mashed cassava (yum!). I know I did well because I had no problems going for seconds, which I’m sure is a compliment (at least that’s what I told myself).
Our Internet is dreadfully slow, but I will not publish this blog until I can attach pictures and maybe even some video of us dancing with the Akomfo (um, I soooo did not have the vibe going, but they seemed to like it anyway). I sooooo wish I could have grabbed all of you and brought you into the circle to take part in this with me. It truly was a gift --- even if I wasn’t the one doing the cooking and inviting people into my home.
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Dave C.
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You are world famous now.
I've linked your post to the discussion group I've been leading with teachers and students in Kyrgyzstan. They are just learning about citizen journalism, blogging etc. Hopefully they too will be following your exploits. Dave C.