Adowa; The story teller

Some people usually say that dance is the life of the African.  Most Africans believe that dance is a way of thinking, communicating, and generally a way of living. Dancing takes place at naming ceremonies, weddings, funerals, durbars, festivals and parties.

Two women dancing Adowa

One of the traditional dances in Ghana is the ADOWA dance. Infact it is my favourite dance. I love to watch this dance a lot. The Adowa dance is the most widespread  and frequently performed dance  of the Akan speaking people of Ghana. This unique dance is usually danced by men, women and even children.

A man and a woman gracefully performing the Adowa dance

The dance is unique because it most often uses a symbolic language. The way and manner in which the dancers of Adowa move their hands and legs always tells a story. The Adowa dance is most often performed at state functions. The dance is usually led  by a female who is referred to as Adowahemma. The dancers of Adowa are most often seen in nicely woven kente accompanied with gold ornaments such as anklets and golden rings and earrings.

A girl dancing Adowa

On other occasions, the dancers of Adowa are seen in simple cloths. The men usually have the cloth wrapped around their waist. It is so beautiful to watch this dance. The dancers are usually seen smiling throughout the dance. What interests me most is the way and manner in which the drummers happily play their drums to produce good music. The gong is most often played as well.

 Ghana's former President J.A Kuffour dancing Adowa with a woman

Whenever you visit Ghana, just tell any one you want to see the Adowa dance. If you are not able to attend an occasion to see it, the person can just give you a few steps.

Enjoy this wonderful dance in the links below…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9uLcOCkLGw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_NUWCHjZRrY

 Kiitos... Am out!

Bamaya Dance in Northern Ghana

Dance is a form of entertainment isn’t it? Some people define dance as steps or movements usually performed to music for pleasure or as a form of social interaction. I think dance is just a movement of the body. Interestingly, day in day out there are different dances that emerge from different cultures. These dances are usually categorized into traditional dances and modern dances.

Taking Ghana as a typical example some traditional dances include; adowa, bamaya jara, takai, tora, agbadza, kete, kpalongo among others. Most of these traditionlal dances are danced to the music produced from drums, gongs and other traditional musical instruments.

Men dancing Jara in the Northern Region of Ghana

Some modern dances in Ghana include; Azonto, cripple, moon walk, alarm shake and many others. Most of these dances are performed to the rhythms of gospel, highlife, hip pop and hiplife music.

My focus however is on Bamaya, a dance by the Dagombas; a large ethnic group located in  the Northern part of Ghana. Bamaya means “the river (valley) is wet”. This dance is mostly performed by men who are usually dressed in feminine clothes. 

Bamaya dance by both men and women

Bamaya which was first danced in the 19 century marked the end of a long drought . It is said that when the drought ended, the men had to dress as women to give thanks to the gods because it was believed that the prayers of women usually got a quicker response.

Bamaya nowadays is however danced by not just men, but also women. It is so lovely to watch as the men especially gracefully move and twist their waists  and act just like women in the dance.

Enjoy some bamaya dances in the links below;

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aL9kn6_9WHI 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKly3V8Kcp8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnr8Au5uCpc

KIITOS!

A visit to the art gallery in Helsinki

After staying in Turku for some time, my friends and I together with our student tutors decided to visit the national capital of Finland, Helsinki. It is fun to explore different places. At least I didn't know that until I got to Helsinki. Helsinki is indeed a beautiful city with so many interesting things to see.

I had seen the river get frozen in Turku as a result of the heavy snow. But seeing a frozen sea fascinated me. I would have loved to walk on the frozen sea like I saw others do. This however was not possible because I was on the bus. We went sightseeing in Helsinki and got to see a lot of wonderful places including the “doom” church and the art museum.

A display of art works

The museum was beautiful I must acknowledge that fact. However, at the mention of museum, I expected to see something big. I mean a big building with a lot of paintings. After watching the photographs in the museum, I got to appreciate a little more of art. I actually love to watch art work. The funny thing however is that, I do not understand what I watch.

 Eva at the art gallery

I most often just look at an art work without thinking of any deeper story behind the work. But it is interesting how these artists appreciate the work they do. A photographer after taking a photograph can actually explain what exactly the photograph means. But the situation is different in my world. I just watch the photograph and that is it. Interesting isn't it?

Sculpture in Ghana.

Nowadays the craze for art work  is very high. I sometimes wonder why this is the case. I love to talk a lot, go shopping or better still, surf the internet. But some people prefer to go to art exhibitions or just tour around. I have observed keenly that  when the white folks come to Ghana, they mostly buy a lot of wood carvings.

Its good anyway, at least it provides income to the dealers of wood carvings. Most of these wood carvings are also used in the homes of many people as decorative pieces.

But I admire these craftsmen. You should see the way they work,  it's very interesting to watch. Sculpture is defined basically as the art of shaping figures or designs. It is interesting how wood, metal, plastics and stones can be shaped into beautiful pieces appealing to the eye.

A wooden carving of a woman with a pot and a baby.

In these modern times, some people think an individual is only important when he or she has a formal education. This however should not be the case since not all humans can have that. Some people definitely have to tow a different line. Some of these sculptors actually carve a wood piece for it to look extraordinarily beautiful. They actually look so real, from afar a person may even mistake it for a human being.

 A wooden carving of a xylophone player.

Sometimes I just wish I could paint, draw or do something profitable with my bare hands like others do. But it is just not the case. Anyway I only console myself with the fact that everyone is unique in his or her own small way. Enjoy some art videos in Ghana in the links below;

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVubah8YVVc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckUTFgmDc9g

Africa UMOJA-The Spirit of Togetherness

My love for theatre prompts me to attend any theatrical event advertised in Accra. I have attended so many of them. However, the Africa UMOJA-The Spirit of Togetherness was a different experience for me altogether. I watched it at the Ghana National Theatre on May 2, 2011. 

Event Logo

Africa UMOJA-The Spirit of Togetherness was a two hour explosion of song, dance and drama performed by an energetic and creative South African crew. It tells the saga of South Africa, its people and the changes that the years, especially those of the Apartheid era, have had on them. I have heard a lot about them so I was eager to watch them when I heard that they were coming to Ghana.

One of the vigorous theatrics

Their costume was a unique one. It consisted basically of stripes of cloth covering the genitals but the upper parts of the body were exposed. Breasts stuck out; protruding sensationally. I learnt it was to expose energy and natural beauty. The men too displayed their ‘warrior’ muscles and enticing chests. African beads form an essential part of their costume.

Performers

The performance itself was full of energy. There was lots of calculated choreography that was full of jumping, running in circles, ululation, drama and story-telling. One can classify the performance as dance-drama as stories were told with stylistic theatrics. One key story I got from the performance was the slave trade. I can vividly recall how the performers were chained and whipped and the resistance put up by ‘victims’. I shed tears at the climax.

I wish Africa UMOJA-The Spirit of Togetherness would be staged again and soon so that I can relive those moments.

My First EHALAKASA Night

My first experience at a spoken-word poetry performance has formed a vignette on my memory. It was at an EHALAKASA night, introduced to me by a friend.

EHALAKASA is a monthly spoken-word poetry performance in Accra, Ghana. EHA means “song” in Ewe language, LA means “sing” in Ga-Dangbe language and KASA means “talk” in Akan (Twi) language. These separate words form EHALAKASA literally meaning “song sing talk”.

Normally, poetry performances are perceived to be boring. Many people do not attend these performances. However, the audience-space was almost full, by the time I arrived at the venue. It was left with thirty minutes to the start of the program.  “This is unusual” I told myself. I found myself a seat and waited for the real show to start.

Edzordzi Agbozo, a poet, in performance

The master of ceremony came onto the stage and shouted “EHALAKASA”. The audience responded “it lives in us”. He then asked someone to prove to the audience that he deserves the name he bears. This was his way of introducing the first performer. I heard a song from behind me. It was a folk song. The audience took up the song and started clapping. I joined in. He moved onto the stage and performed; followed by many poets.

I enjoyed every bit of the program and vowed not to miss the next edition. Unfortunately however, I left for Turku. But I know that, EHALAKASA will be my home on every third Sunday of every month when I return to Ghana.

A good experience on Facebook.

Everyone has a reason for surfing the internet; especially social media. Whilst some people use social media to make friends, others go there to advertise their products and some others buy goods from social media.

I personally use Facebook to connect to my long lost friends. Aside that, there are a lot of businessmen and women, entrepreneurs and other companies who sell their products on Facebook. I love to shop and buy a lot of things. Thanks to Facebook, I buy commodities online, nowadays.

There are a lot of beautiful items on sale online and at affordable prices too. I never knew until recently. I am a Ghanaian, so I love African prints a lot. I bought this African-print bag at a cool price, very affordable. Then I didn't just end there, I went further to buy shoes, earrings and necklaces from this same dealer on Facebook. The prices were pretty cool.

                                                               

Then I regretted that all these years, I had been wasting a lot of money. "How come I didn't know about this?" I asked myself. I could have saved thousands of Ghana cedis all this while.

Facebook also gives me the chance to view the photographs of my friends and actually see how they look now. Frankly I haven’t seen some friends of mine for over decades. I am now able to see them; if not in their physical states, then in their imaginary state. I do not just watch only their photographs, but I also chat with them. I enjoy doing this a lot. 

Social media; where everyone has a say.

Of Late, social media has taken over from traditional media such as radio, television and newspapers. The information from social media that is usually given is of good quality, have a large reach, and the information given is frequent and immediate.

Social media is defined as an interaction among people in which they create, share and exchange ideas and information in virtual communities or networks. In most democratic countries, there is the existence of social media. Typical examples of social media include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Wikipedia, Digg and Daily Motion.          

                

Social media is usually described as “no man’s land”. This is because just anyone can put just anything on social media.   Nobody questions what is put on social media and there is a lot of liberalism. Mostly social media enables people to market themselves and get new friends. Products, goods and services can also be advertised on Facebook. Usually it is nice when everybody has a say. At least social media provides this great opportunity.

Examples of Social Media

Movies and entertainment events can be watched on Youtube. Typical examples of Ghanaian music videos can be found in these links: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=LvZSn81XHaYh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3rq1A8b6JPw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=C98p-rRmIi8

There are a lot of dating sites on social media where people get to meet their life partners.  The interesting thing about social media, which I have recently experienced, is that I got in touch with my long lost friends on Facebook. I got the chance to watch their photographs and see how they look currently. I was so elated.

If you are not on any social media, it is high time you join and experience “real things” ... Experience they say  is the best teacher!

A gist about Ghanaian media.

Basically from the little knowledge I have acquired from a media lecture  or discussion, I know that media is defined as the  storage  and transmission channels or tools used to store and deliver information or data. In my own words however, I define media as the  channels through which information is disseminated to an audience.

Newspaper, television, radio and the internet are typical examples of media. Some examples of popular media include; British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Cable News Network (CNN), Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) just to mention but a few.

Narrowing down to Ghana, some examples of media houses include; Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Metropolitan Television (Metro TV), TV 3, Daily Graphic, Ghana News Agency (GNA), Ghanaian Times, Daily Guide, Joy FM, Unique FM, Citi FM, Radio Gold, Peace FM just to mention but a few.

                                     

Some Ghanaian Media

These media houses usually perform the role of educating, informing and entertaining their audiences in Ghana and beyond. Most of these media houses report on issues such as politics, entertainment, business, sports and many other important issues. Some of these media houses are either owned by the government or by private individuals.

Radio GIJ of the Ghana Institute of Journalism

As part of the educative role of the media in Ghana, the media telecasts educative  programmes  such as quizzes. In informing its audiences, the media telecasts news virtually every day to let the citizens know about the latest happenings in the country. In entertaining its audiences, the media telecasts programmes such as movies and music videos.

                      

This is just a gist about Ghanaian media, hope you learnt something?

A typical day in a media class

I have always had a little knowledge about media. In fact I think media is the channel through which information is disseminated to an audience. At least that is what I can say in my own words. Journalism for Civic Involvement in Democracy (JOCID II) Project was one great platform that made me practice more of media work.

We had lessons and discussions on media and handling the zoom recorder when JOCID organized a one week intensive workshop in Ghana.

Some exchange students doing practical work

I also got the opportunity through JOCID to be taught by foreign lecturers ,it was really a nice experience.  Back in the Ghana Institute of Journalism (G.I.J) , last semester especially I get excited anytime it was a Wednesday.

This is because Wednesdays were the days we had a course in New Media. The lecturer who handled this course was very very interested. In fact, I describe him as interesting by nature. I usually love his lectures because he makes sure his students practice theory with practicals.

Talking about practicals, we were asked to create blogs, open accounts on twitter, linked in, delicious , face book and what have you. In fact because of this particular course, some of us had to change our phones to smart phones.

Most people who were internet phobia had to become friends of the internet. It is on Wednesdays in particular that you will see a lot of my colleagues with their laptop bags.

A lecture in session

Being interviewed or talking to a recorder or a camera is one thing people fear to do. But I love doing this a lot. My discussions and lectures I have had in media has really boosted my confidence especially when I am the interviewee. Am out...

Variety is indeed the spice of life.

Many a times different people love to do different things just to entertain themselves. Whilst some people will watch movies, others will listen to music whilst some others will go to the club. It is interesting how the television entertains people a lot. Music videos, movies, reality shows and beauty pageants can be watched to entertain one’s self.

 

Television however performs other functions like informing and educating viewers. Educative and informative programs such as news can be listened to and watched on television. I for instance , love to watch beauty pageants a lot. The funny thing is that I never really want to take part. But when it comes to watching , I am the first on the list.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Fz7QKytTP2U

In Ghana most of the television stations telecast a lot of programmes that are most often meant to entertain the viewer. Some television stations are most often solely meant for only entertainment.  Gh ONE is a typical example of a television station that most often provides solely entertainment for its viewers.

Tv3 is a typical example of a television station that is best in entertainment.They have an entertainment programme for kids called "talented kids". Talented kids mostly entertains and educates viewers especially children.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKZFbv0Jq3g

They also produce and educative and entertaining beauty pageant known as " Ghana's Most Beautiful".

 

 This programme mostly seeks to portray the beautiful culture and tradition of Ghana through beauty and entertainment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=gVUmaPsq8xk

Sometimes after a hard day’s work in school, I just relax and listen to some music. This is when the saying “ all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” occurs to me. " Stars of the future"  a reality show on television is a programme i love to watch in this case.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=gO7XNiKdhJg

As unique as you are in your own way, what do you love to do to entertain yourself. Definitely, there should be something you love...

Advertisements; what I enjoy most on television

Life they say is full of choices. But it is true, this very saying always reflects in our everyday life. The media has also made good use of this saying in virtually everything they do. Viewers, listeners, and readers of television, radio and newspapers always have a choice.

On television especially I just love it. Narrowing down to Ghana where I come from I love watching advertisements a lot on television. It is weird isn’t it? Well whilst some people prefer to watch telenovelas, movies, news or music videos, I love television advertisements. It is funny how I just love them.

There are a lot of television stations in Ghana, both state owned and private stations. We have Ghana Television (GTV), TV3, Metro TV, Viasat1, Gh ONE just to mention but a few. My most cherished television station however is TV3. I really love this station because they are the “first in news, best in entertainment”. TV 3 most often shows advertisements of food, shops, telecommunication groups, water and so much more. Some of my favourite advertisements are Gino advert Tigo cash advert, Vodafone red advert… 

In fact talking about Vodafone, they always have a lot of beautiful advertisements to display.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfC7LtT5L6

This Gino advertisement is one of my favourites;

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuZd2csPWDc

I just cannot go without sharing with you this lovely advertisement on Tigo cash.

http:/ /www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9TNNi4kHLA 

Most of these advertisements are very much attractive, make a lot of sense and they always appeal to the conscience of the viewer.

Just click on the links provided and enjoy … Kiitos!

All about my blog

Hei everyone,

You are all welcome to my blog "Cultural and Media Passport". In this blog basically I am going to use different methods to report and reflect on my experiences in the fields of culture,media and communications.

I will use different perspectives in my approach to the various topics I will be discussing.  The blog is divided into two parts, thus;  media and culture. In the field of media, I will tackle the following topics; Television,  Lecture or discussion about media and Social media.

In the field of culture, I will discuss the various topics; Arts Exhibition, Dance and Theater.

Basically, I will inform, educate and entertain my lovely readers on the various topic.

Join me lets have some fun... Kiitos!