With this story anybody
at all knows me in Nima, knows how I live. So I was so scarred and feeling shy
of where I should enter with my friend. Hamid enjoyed Nima so much, that he
even didn’t realise that there are drops of rain.
It started raining. I
woke up, sitting down on the mat, but Hamid was fast a sleep. It reach a place,
that the roof of our littel shelter could not stand the rain anymore, so it
started to drop on us. That is where Hamid woke up and also sat on his mat. He
did not say anything, but just watched me. I just wanted to turn everything to
fun way and told him:“Did you see how it can also rain in Ghana?“ sometimes the
rain comes with wind and you can hear on the roofingsheet, that thre are a lot
of rhythms which you cannot describe. I wanted to make everything funny so that
we can stay there for longer. I started to speak about the rhythms oft he rain
drops: „This rhythm fits to Fumefume!“ then you can hear the wind blowing and
it was changing to another rhythm: „This is Kpanlogo“ and I kept on mentioning
a lot of rhythms until the rain would just stop and we can continue sleeping.
But the floor could not take the water anymore, it turn to mud. The water began
to flow the shelter. There was no possiblity anymore than packing the mat and go
inside. I did so and run to the room. Hamid followed me. Both of us stand in
the room and Hamid could see that there is no place for him. - I don’t know
what to do.
My mother got up, my
father also. They don’t know what to do and my father wanted to mention his
name and said.“ Emid. Come and sleep on the bed.“ I know where I can lay my mat
in the room to sleep. Hamid said then „ thank you Daddy!“ jumped on the bed and
slept immediatly. I was not asleep and saw my mum and my dad standing in the
room around 2 o’clock in the morning, till I fell asleep. I didn’t know how
they made it til the next morning. I woke up and heard the first prayers of the
moslems, which was my alarm clock to catch the first bus. I immediatly started
to wake Hamid up for us to leave. Hamid got up, saying good buy to my mum and
my dad. I didn’t know what to say to them and I just said: “I am going back to the
school“. Hamid took a packed of Zigarets out of his pocket and gave it to my
father. It was still raining, but not so much anymore.
On our way to the bus
stop, we got a vehicel, going to Caneshie. We sat in the bus, I don’t know if I
should feel embarrased or I should just think it was an adventure.
Around 6.30 in the
morning we were back to the academy. The programm as usual continued around 8
o’clock.
This was a story I never
shared with anybody in my life till today.
After I left AAMA I went
back to Nima. Back to my root and my group. Business as usual began. From
rehearsals to rehearsals with Kusumgboo dance ensemble. As I came back I was so
interesting with art.
One day Mr. Tyson from
the art Center of Ghana came to our training gound and watched our rehearsal. After
he left, the leader called all of us and told us, we have a performance next
week Friday in the Novotel and Sunday in the Academy A.A.M.A.
I was very happy about,
because now I am going to perform with my team there. We decided to performe on
this day the dance drama: „Together we build“. In this drama I was palying the
main role. It is about two families who are fighting about one land. I love
this drama very much, because there is a lot of emotions in and it has a happy
end. So on that day in the Academy I gave all my power. In the brake time the
leader of the group told me, that I have to perform with Mustapha Tettey‘s group
Obonu. I was happy an dshocked at the
same time and asked: „What I didn’t have a rehearsal with them?“ But the leader
said: „But they chose you to go and play with them!“ as I was in the academy, I
often watch the rehearsals of Obonu to
prepare their tours. I know how powerfull and dynamic they are. They have a lot
of brakes in the rhythms, which makes the music special. That is their style of
playing. I had to go and play the bell. That means I have to keep the timing
and drive the music. I was shaking, because the little mistake I will do and
fall out of the rhythm, I think I will not find my way back and I will then destroy
their whole show.
Suddenly they called me.
As I was there I shaked hands with all of them. I was standing there dreaming,
really scarred to go to the stage with them. By then I wear the costume and saw
that now I have no other possibility than be strong and play with them. As usual
before they go to the stage, they have chanting songs with other percussion
instruments. This was helping me a lot to vanish the scare in me.
We went and start the
performance. Finished it without mistake. I could feel how they accept me in
their music. I enjoyed it so much. As an artist if you entertain the audience
and also enjoy the music – this is great, beautyful, enormous, you cannot name
it. We got a huge applause and cheering. The same way we came in, we went out of
the stage and went closer to the audience, walked inbetween the people and
chanted with songs and percussion instruments. In that moment I was so proud and
happy of myself. As we went backstage, removing the costume, they said thanks
to me and I responded back: „Thanks to you!“
I went back to my group
for the second part of the performance. In the dressing room, they started to laugh
at me and made a lot of teasing – but positive. They then told me, that they
saw me smiling so much: „You really take part inside their show. Do you think
you are Mustapha?“ we are all laughing and I was so happy that day. -That’s how
I got to know Obonu.
