Showers of rhythms

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.