Baobab Culture Troupe – “Let’s move for a better future!
Traditional drumming, dancing and singing are still widely practiced in Ghana. There is hardly any event without traditional drumming and dancing. If the Chief wants to make a proclamation, they still say, “Beat the gong-gong!”
The Baobab Culture Troupe is comprised of children from the local area as well as students from the Baobab School. It was started in 2004 and went on to tour in Germany and Denmark in 2010. The Culture Troupe now has 50 members aged from 5 – 25 years old. They learn different dances from all over Ghana and West Africa. Workshops have been organized with dancers and drummers from the north. They also perform dance dramas which talk about teenage pregnancy, domestic violence, unemployment and other problems faced in daily life here in Ghana. There are always newcomers, who sit and watch shyly for a while but eventually join in as they have already learned the dances just by watching. Even the little ones are surprisingly quick at picking up the rhythms and different dance choreographies.
Our Culture Troupe has been asked to perform at various events in different regions of Ghana and they are always enthusiastically welcomed. In 2005 and 2007 we were invited to perform at Panafest in Cape Coast– that time one of the most well known festivals in Ghana. In 2008 some of our dancers participated in the official opening ceremony of African football’s prestigious Cup of Nations. They also get invited to events in Accra and our children, who come from the rural areas, always feel especially honoured on these occasions. They regularly perform in hotels, at local funerals and village festivals and, of course, whenever there is a Baobab event, the Culture Troupe will put on a magnificent display.
The Troupe is a delight to watch. They rehearse on Wednesday and Friday at 3:30 pm. You can come and watch them at the Baobab Centre in Kissi.
Performances by 20 – 30 children can be booked. One performance costs 300 – 500 Ghc. Transport and feeding has to be added. The prices are matter of discussion.
For further information and booking call
+233-553-349-864 Mr. Derrick Annan, Culture Instructor or +233–244–204–465 Mr. Alhaji Issaka, General Manager
