Bakatue: Festival of Elmina - Part 4 « The music is cooking  »

We joined the Bakatue in 2004 again. Through those interview we did with a lot of chiefs, our coming that year was so special. That gave us chances to take part in all the activities.

I didn’t take part with my cultural group and I could concentrate more on the filming of the festival. I got a lot of good material through out the Bakatue. Specially the fish catching ceremony was very special on that day. On that day they didn’t catch a lot of fish, but the spokesman who was pouring the libation was appreciating it and call it a good success.

From there we moved to the parc and the joy and happyness was visibile form the faces of the chiefs, queen mothers and elders.

With the good material we got, we were able to cut some short documenteray and put it into Youtube in our channel: http://www.youtube.com/kofimusicful

This video gave a lot of feedback and sent the messge to a lot of instiutions, specially to the US Universities.

It became a challenge for us because of the filming and publishing it on Youtube.

Last year 2011 we arrived in Ghana on a Monday. We were so exausted and with our three smaller children we could not take part in the beginning of the Bakatue. We then join them a week later. That was the vote-of-thanks day.

Immediatly we arrived infront of the Elmina Palace, we got a warm welcome from people from the chiefs and the elders. As the traditional musicians were preparing themselves to join the queue. I used that possibility to enter the palace and took some nice picuters and video shots. As they got ready and we start to move towards the parc, the mood was so good. I liked that moment.

The chiefs in the palanquins were enjoying that moment. The traditional drummers started to heat up the place with their dynamic Fontomfrom drums and other percussion instruments. All what you see and feel was cheering and appreciation from the people. The people who surrounded the chief wanted their chief to be seen in a good and happy mood.

That brought a bit, I would call it music harmony with competition. This day I was so much among the people doing my filming and taking pictures. I was always taking good position to have a nice view. As I was standing on the Elmina Castle bridge and the crowed was moving towards me and the gorgious mood was catching me -  I was lost for some seconds, carried away from the mood of the cheering crowd. As I opened my eyes the chief of Elmina was just infront of me in his palanquin. Our eyes crashed and he rised his thumb up.

I came back to myself and run towards the parc to get a good position for the final arriving.

Groups were already playing music in the parc and the chiefs and the elders are also coming with there powerful music.

As they all arrived on the parc, you can hear different styles of traditional music playing, but they all merged it as if they made a rehearsal and wanted it to be in this way. But it was just coincident. This is for me a wonderful experience of live traditional music events.

Slowly the chiefs and the others got their positions to sit down and everybody start to sit in its position. The Kumasi Anyum kuo were coming with their special Adowa dance. From their they asked the Elmina Apatampa group to also perform a few songs. The Apatampa group is like a radio or TV station. They knew all activity which was going on or will go on. They are also like a newspaper. They always use the latest new of the country or area and create a song with it.

This day on the parc. They appreciate the Elmina chief so much, that Nana could not stand on his feet anymore. He then took some steps with dance movement. The queenmother and other chiefs joined him. The cheering was really amazing. It doesn’t matter which religion you belong to, everybody enjoyed one music and want to fan the chief.

As Nana got closer to the Apatampa group he then took a special instrument called Afrikyewa. This instrument is very small, but pretty loud. It drives the music and keeps the timing. If you are not good in timing, the least mistake you do, everybody will hear it. As Nana took that instrument I was a bit shaking behind my camera. As a traditional artist I know the value of this instrument.

       In Akan: Afrikyewa (also called Grello in literature)

Nana then joined the Apatampa group with the other chiefs, the elders and the queenmothers. He started playing the Afrikyiwa. I start to smile behind my camera. I found out that Nana has really skills in music. He drove the music, coloured it and the drummers were so on fire. You felt the music was really cooking. The Apatampa group also came with their dynamic appreciation songs about Nana. There you feel the music was cooking. I wanted to join the dance, but I relized that I will then miss the interesting part to film.  I continued filming with the joy in me.


I will inform you when the new video is online.