Tuumatu
Tuumatu Festival 2016 ended last week in Accra with diverse performances and nearly extinct games for kids in several locations at James Town, a suburb of Accra.
Organised by the Australia-based dancer and choreographer, diverse groups and solo artists from Singapore, France, Togo, Australia and Ghana participated in the festival, which took the huge neighbourhood of James Town by storm.
Performances by Hewale Sounds, Les Femmes Ghana, Naawuni Bie Band, Ayekoo Drummers, Ashanti Dance Theatre, Shidaa Dance Ensemble, Afro Danish Band, Afrique Rhythm/Poetry and Anunyam Dance Ensemble created an atmosphere of an African village as crowds cheered and called for more shows.
Kids from James Town and other parts of the city freely and cheerfully engaged themselves in ‘ampe’, ‘oware’, ‘tuumatu’, ‘charles kele’, ‘pinpinaa’ and sack races, while enjoying music and dance performances from their peers.
Among the foreign performers are Christina Chan (Singapore), Aymeric Bichon (France), Lucky Lartey/Appiah Kojo Annan (Ghana / Australia), who severally and jointly showcased a variety of subtle and swift movements.
Singapore International Foundation, National Arts Council of Singapore, Lucky African Dance, Master Mind Multi Media, TM Entertainment and www.artsghana.org supported the festival.