Tsooboi Ensemble dazzled at the Naa Ga-Dangme beauty pageant with their outstanding performance! The group’s performance showcased the cultural uniqueness of the Ga- Dangme people. The group performed the Kpanlogo dance, which originates from the Ga people; they also performed the Kpatse rhythm from the Dangme people. This brought cheers and excitement from the contestants, organizers and the audience. (insert the name of the newspaper here) conducted a one-on-one interview with the group leader Alex Kofi Mensah who said, ” Our performances are tailored to meet the needs of our clients. We look at the event venue and include a presentation that educates the audience through our Ghanaian folk ethnic music and dance. The group members are from different ethnic tribes in Ghana, specifically the Ewe’s, the Akan’s and the Ga’s. Our songs are performed in the following languages: Twi or Akan, Ewe and Ga because of their versatility. ”
The Naa Ga-Dangme Pageant gives the opportunity to young, energetic, intelligent, eloquent and beautiful GaDangme ladies between the ages of 18 to 28 to showcase their rich colorful culture and traditions from the various Ga-Dangme communities in unity through pageantry.
The Ga-Dangme are one of two ethnic groups of people, the Ga’s and the Dangme’s, both groups of people live along the coast of Ghana. The Ga people were organized into six independent towns (Accra (Ga Mashie), Osu, La, Teshie, Nungua, and Tema). Each town had a stool, which served as the central object of the Ga ritual and war magic. Accra became the most prominent of the Ga-Dangme towns and is now the heartbeat and capital of Ghana. The Ga people were originally farmers, but today fishing and trading in imported goods are the principle occupations. The Ga people celebrate the Homowo festival, which literally means “hooting at hunger.” This festival originated several centuries ago. It is celebrated in remembrance of a great famine that hit the Ga people in the sixteenth century. It is mainly a food festival which celebrates the passing of that terrible period in Ga history. It takes place in August every year and is celebrated by all the Ga clans. The Ga music includes drumming and dancing. One of their traditional music and dance styles (albeit a fairly modern one) is kpanlogo, a modernized traditional dance and music form developed around 1960.
The Dangme people occupy the coastal area of Ghana from Kpone to Ada, on the Volta River and South Atlantic Ocean along the Gulf of Guinea and inland along the Volta River. The Dangme people include the Ada, Kpone, Krobo, Ningo, Osudoku, Prampram, and Shai, all speaking Dangbe of the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family of languages. The Dangbe people from Odumase – Krobo also celebrate the [Ngmayem] festival, an annual harvest festival to celebrate the bounty of their harvest of their farmers. The festival is celebrated by the Krobo people throughout the last week (seven days) of October with a visit to their famous ancestral home, the Krobo Mountains [Kloyom] on the last Friday of October with a climax on Saturday with a grand Durbar of Chiefs and people of the Krobo traditional area. The Konor who is the paramount chief, sits in state as the overlord together with his sub-chiefs, and invited guests. Music of the Dangbe people also include the Klama rhythm, the Kpatsa rhythm, and the Dipo rhythm all of the Krobo people.