African Culture and Arts

As part of VPWA’s quest to promote African culture, we have introduced an internship opportunity for people who would like to come and learn traditional African dance and drumming.
Africa is well-known for its music and dancing. VPWA offers the opportunity to come to Ghana and learn about these wonderful traditional art forms which have been performed for centuries. You will learn how communities use ‘talking drums’ to communicate both within the village and to other villages, a technique that is still in use today. You will also learn the traditional songs and dances that are performed at funerals, festivals and other ceremonies.
Dancing and drumming lessons take place on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
As well as the fee paid to VPWA for your accommodation and meals, you will be required to make donation of 150 USD to the group to cover your lessons for one month.
Dancing Lessons
Africans have a great sense of rhythm and interpret the drumbeats with a distinctive and fascinating dance style.
For your dance lessons you will be placed within a traditional indigenous dancing group so that you can learn to master and enjoy that special African vibe.
Got Dance ($40)
Gundi ($40)
The Gota dance is performed by the people of the Volta region of Ghana when a battle is won or a hero or warrior dies. During the dance traditional magic tricks are performed which includes climbing up a bamboo pole, lying on top of the pole and chewing on broken glass, amongst others!
You will learn the various movements in this dance – the cripple walk, the chicken walk and the stage walk (4 hours). In one week you can perfect this dance.
This dance originates from fishing communities on the coast. Many of the people in the villages are old so the dance imitates their slow walking with sticks, however the dance shows that when the husbands return with fish the old ladies run like young women again.
You will learn the old people walk, running and targeting, poll and stamp, stage work. In one week you can perfect this dance.
Gahu Dance ($70)
Fume Fume ($70)
This dance is traditionally performed in Nigeria. Wealthy men in Nigeria wear enormous clothes which means they walk like a with their arms wide open. This dance imitates these men and the word ‘gahu’ in Ewe means ‘riches’.
This dance has eight variations.
- Rich walk with merry making (2hr)
- Chicken left and right (1hr)
- Rich walk with flying hands (1hr)
- Buttocks soft hit (1hr)
- Chicken style in and out (1hr)
- Waist shaking (1hr)
- Solo out (1hr)
- Stage work (1hr)
In two weeks you can perfect this dance.
People living in the coastal areas of Ghana (greater Accra region) worshiped different kinds of gods. These gods include one called tigali. Fume-fume derives from a dance which was preformed request the tigali gods bless them in abundance.
There are five variations in this dance.
- Lizard walks (1hr)
- Grasshopper movement (1hr)
- Side-fast walk (1hr)
- Cross leg shoot (1hr)
- No-hand chicken style (1hr)
- Stage work (2hrs)
In two weeks you can perfect this dance.
Anlokete ($70)
Kpalogo ($70)
Anlokete is a traditional dance performed by the youth of the Volta region when they are looking for their soulmate. Everybody used to marry within their community so when a parent sees that her daughter is ready for marriage they let them out at night to dance and find a soulmate. There are six variations in this dance.
- Clap-chest hit (1hr)
- Gaza movement (1hr)
- Mosquito killing (1hr)
- Waist shaking (1hr)
- Kangaroo movement (1hr)
- Horse-riding (1hr)
- Stage work (2hr)
In two weeks you can perfect this dance.
This is the native dance of the people of the greater Accra region in Ghana. It tells the story of some hunters who enter into a thick forest in search of bushmeat but can’t find their way home again. They come across a river and they decide to drink some of the water. There they see women from a nearby village fetching water. The ladies are shaking their buttocks and the men tell them to stop. When when they got home the men narrate the story in a form of a dance.
There are seven variations in this dance.
- Hands within thighs (1hr)
- Hands turn around + cripple turn (1hr)
- Bend and pull (1hr)
- Hands outside thighs (1hr)
- Hands turn around + palm stretched (1hr)
- Front crawl (1hr)
- Stage work (1hr)
In two weeks you can perfect this dance.
Jobala ($40)
The Jobala dance is from the Volta region of Ghana. The ladies show off themselves in order to attract a man. During this dance all the people in the community would meet in the community square and the ladies would dance to find a man.
There are several variations of this dance.
- Teapot (1hr)
- Clap and twist (1hr)
- Buttocks shacking (1hr)
- Right leg and body twist (1hr)
- Sweeping and back roll (1hr)
In one week you can perfect this dance.
Drumming Lessons
Drum beats fill the air. Happy heads, feet and bodies move to the beat. There is no escaping the importance of the drum in African society.
You can brush up your drumming skills with drumming lessons within our affiliate cultural group.
Gota Drumming
Gahu Drumming
This consists of five instruments.
- Ginger (1hr)
- Idi (1hr)
- The supporting (1hr)
- Leading (7hrs)
This can be perfected in five days.
This consists of six instruments.
- Malakash (1hr)
- Backing (1hr)
- Supporting (6hrs)
- Idi (1hr)
- Leading (4hrs)
This can be perfected in three weeks.
Fume Fume Drumming
Anlokete Drumming
This consists of four instruments.
- Supporting drum (1hr)
- Backing (1hr)
- Blekete (1hr)
- Leading (5hrs)
This can be perfected in eight days.
This consists of six instruments.
- Malakash (1hr)
- Backing (1hr)
- Supporting (6hrs)
- Idi (1hr)
- Leading (4hrs)
This can be perfected in three weeks.
Jobala Drumming
Kpalaga Drumming
This consists of five instruments.
- Idi (1hr)
- Supporting (2hrs)
- Togo (1hr)
- Djembe (2hrs)
- Blekete (1hr)
This can be perfected in one week.
This consists of four instruments.
- Supporting (1hr)
- Backing (1hr)
- Base (1hr)
- Leading (2hrs)
This can be perfected in one week.
Kpatsa Drumming
Sogo Drumming
This consists of four instruments.
- Idi (1hr)
- Supporting (1hr)
- Backing (1hr)
- Leading (1hr)
This can be perfected in five days.
This consists of three instruments.
- Idi (1hr)
- Supporting (1hr)
- Leading (1hr)
This can be perfected in five days.
Gazo Drumming
This consists of three instruments.
- Idi (1hr)
- Supporting (2hrs)
- Leading (3hrs)
This can be perfected in eight days.