I’m really happy to finally be able to share a project I’ve been working on for a long time. The video above is a short documentary about the women’s courtyard pounding tradition in Mamprugu.
I initially began this project as a language learning exercise. Heidi and I interviewed our friend Talata James and then transcribed everything in Mampruli. Then we translated it all to English. And went over it with her again and again and again.
I then began attending courtyard poundings with Heidi to shoot footage that demonstrated all Talata had talked about in the interview. And here we are 15 months later with the finished product.
This past week we’ve held “screenings” of the film in the various courtyards where it was shot. The reactions have been amazing. People in Nalerigu don’t get to see their family and neighbors on the big screen. They also haven’t seen their cultural heritage presented in such a vibrant and positive light on the big screen.
While a couple local dramatic films have been produced in Mampruli, this is the first documentary that is completely in their language and has subtitles in their language. I have the incredible Tony Naden of GILLBT to thank for his help in editing those to perfection.
Going forward, I hope that this is the first in a series of short films about the peoples of Mamprugu’s traditions and history.
Extended Mampruli Only Version:
Complete Interview with English closed captions:
Note: You may need to turn on captions in the bottom right of the player