What does dancing in Ghana look like? The answer-- there is no "quintessential Ghanaian dance" (unless you count the "Akwaaba" dance. Google it). Instead, each tribal group has their own cultural dances, including the Dagaaba of Upper West Region. Below is an example of my students dancing one of the oldest traditional dances of the Dagaaba people of Upper West, the Bawaa. It is a ceremonial dance performed to celebrate the beginning and the end of the rainy season, the new year, a good harvest, and during festivals. This dance requires a lot of waist and leg movement, but notice the two different movements required of men and women dancers. Part of the enjoyment of this dance is the singing and shouting that occurs to encourage the dancers. Drumming and xylophone playing are an essential part of performing any traditional dances in the Upper West region and xylophone playing is actually unique to that region. The drums are made from cowhide stretched across a w
You might be thinking I'm about to talk about exotic animals you equate with Africa, like zebrasand lions, but you would be mistaken. While Ghana is endowed with an abundance of exotic animals most Americans do not see outside of zoos, it also has plenty that Americans are familiar with. Because farming is a way for most adults in northern Ghana to grow/raise food to feed their families and make extra money on top of whatever careers they pursue, farm animals can be found in abundance here. One cannot go very far without running into one of these guys: CATTLE: Known for the distinct floppy lumps on their backs, cattle in Ghana serve the same purpose as those found in the U.S.: to provide milk and meat. Milk is only available during certain times of the year, as it is dependent on when cows give birth (no chemicals to artificially force cows to lactate here) and when the Fulani people (wandering cow-herders) make their way to where you live. Cow meat is also not the burgers you
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