Womba Africa: Drumming & Dancing

Exploration of Ghanaian Culture Through Music, Dance, Costumes and Song

Our performances are culturally unique in so many ways from our costumes, instruments, rhythms, dance, and songs. Our costumes are mostly colorful Ghanaian fabric designed by the director of the band. These fabrics are embedded with Ghanaian symbols called Adinkra symbols; each symbol has a distinctive meaning, For example, the Sankofa symbol which means "Going back for what you forgot or left is not a crime”. Our instruments are mostly handmade and are carved from wood such as the drums and the xylophone while others are made from bamboo such as the flute. The skin used for these drums is mostly from goat, cow, and antelope skins. Our rhythm is unique because it is a crisscross rhythm. What this means is that the master drummer plays a beat and the supporting drummers follow with their own rhythm while the timer, who plays the bell, keeps the timing. Our songs are mainly sung in our native Ga language and are uniquely sung in a polyphonic manner. This means more than one sound, and of non-unison doubling or accompaniment.