Dancing through Dagbani

Post by: Alex Banfi

When coming to Ghana, I thought I knew what to expect. I knew to expect the simplistic living conditions; I expected the slow pace of life that we call “Ghana time”. What I did not expect was the warmth we would be greeted with in both our host homes and the wider community. Even after being here for a few days I have, as well as becoming renowned for my questionable dance skills, been accepted into the community with open arms. I am yet to meet somebody who rejects my poor grasp of Dagbani - the local dialect - or who does not greet me with a smile.

The culture is remarkable. The music is fantastic, as are the clothes. But my favourite aspect so far has to be the dancing. On Friday we attended the Chief’s Durbar, this was an introduction of the partnership between International Service and the Non Formal Education Division (NFED) to the Chief and our northern community of Tolon. As mentioned before I think it’s fair to say our dancing talent is subpar, but as long as you never look back at the videos it’s easy to convince yourself that you’re ready for Britain’s Got Talent. For anybody who is travelling to a community with such strong culture I highly encourage dancing. Since the dancing at the Durbar there has not been one person in the community, who I have met, who has not said how they admired our participation. This effort has meant that I personally have settled in better, and that any previous nerves have vanished.  

The village is an entirely new experience, after living in the UK since the age of 6 the basic living conditions where a shock. However I’ve soon realised the perks. The bucket shower is the only time I’m cold, and the restricted technology means that we can talk to each other without having our phones glued to our hands. Although  I would recommend that you make sure you know how to properly hand wash clothes, otherwise an audience will gather to watch your futile attempts. I think we’re all surprised at how much we have been laughed at. Our efforts to say ‘Good morning’ in Dagbani are greeted with an attempt to bring you into a full blown conversation. They soon realise that you’re knowledge of the language doesn’t extend beyond the minimum, and apparently find this hilarious. We soon realised they are not trying to be rude and actually my Dagbani attempts have diffused any nerves or tensions. Even if the coat of dust I acquire during the day means I’m constantly confused as to how I am so tanned, after 5 days I couldn’t imagine returning to the British lifestyle I now consider luxury.

One of the greatest things about this experience is the fact that we are given the opportunity to meet people of similar ages, but with a completely different cultural upbringing. This is an incredible opportunity to further broaden horizons and expand minds, or to observe how your extremely British sense of humour fares. After a couple of days of weird looks, people begin to laugh along with the sarcasm and actually begin to use some of it themselves.

I call that a success.