GROUP DESCRIPTION:
AKINATIM Folk Dance and Drum Band is one of the major players in the tangible and intangible cultural heritage in Togo. Togo is a small country of 6 million in an area of 56,600 km2. Located in West Africa bordered by Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso and the Atlantic Ocean.
Therefore 30 talented artists of men and women who represent the group shows the voodoo tradition, initiation rituals through dance, the development of masks such as Guèlèdè (Ranked on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Africa by the UNESCO).
Togo is a small country of 6 million inhabitants in an area of 56,600 km2. Located in West Africa bordered by Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso and the Atlantic Ocean.
The Ensemble was founded in 2005 by a group of great cultural personality with the desire to promote and preserve the cultural heritage of Black Africa and of TOGO in particular.
Leader is Gaêtan.
Through their dances they develop among other topics such as peace, celebration of marriage, initiation voodoo, the enthronement of the king, protection, defense and anger of African gods.
One way to demonstrate the beauty of this cultural value is traditional clothes and decorated with Africans precious stones, cowries, beads associated with feathers of birds. .
Despite the beauty of its performance, our wish is to promote TOGO cultural heritage all over the world.
The group represented Togo in many countries, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin, Morocco, and South Africa. We have developed international projects with other arts groups.
We can give us the privilege to present our shows around your Big Country.
REPPORT OF OUR DANCES – INSTRUMENTS- COSTUMES:
In order to make the work easier for your organizing committee, we have the obligation and the pleasure to communicate to you the information concerning our group.
I would like let you know different particulate of our group.
COSTUMES – One way to demonstrate customs made traditional clothes (gangan, bogolan, lessi, alanvi, kenté, langbazé) and decorated with Africans precious stones, cowries, beads (djonou, awaga, wotchikui,) associated with bird feathers(akossèfu, adonfu, sahèfu, lanzo,)
DANCES The group consists of dancers, singers and musicians, and member’s spirit of voodoo 25 members in all. Our dances directory is the result of careful research to life with songs and dances that are actually choreographic and fully respect the traditional values they are meant to, joy, marriage, the enthronement of the king, war of voodoo, a girl’s virginity, voodoo initiation ceremony.
Such as: sakpata, akinatchoum, adifo, idjomi, blah, tchonhouin, talkout, tibol, krougnima, gbékon, etc
INSTRUMENTS –
The group performs with traditional musical and rhythmic instruments: recreate the tradition of rural life. They exist several types of drums of different sizes. All these instruments have the names of African deities.
In convents Vaudou Heads (HOUNÖ) use these drums and tambourine to announce good and bad news among others to communicate with differentes spirits. The spectators will discover all these secrets.
Some of these instruments are: Kpéssi, kadam, aboutou,tahoungan, gakpavi, assogoè, tchémbé, balafon, gohoun.
Explanation of the dances:
