If you don’t sleep in the henhouse you don’t know that hens are farting.
2016 Fire Festival in Nalerigu (Bugum Toobu)
As I’ve mentioned before, the annual Fire Festival (Bugum Toobu or Bugum Kyuu) is one of my favorite cultural events (see 2015, 2014). It’s a wonderful mix of traditional, ancient order and wild, youthful antics. This year’s event was a bit of a let down because of the weather. Around 6pm a huge thunderstorm rolled […]
NPR Publishes Fire Festival Story
One of NPR’s culture blogs has published a photo of mine along with a story about the Fire Festival. It is written from the perspective of a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dagomba area of northern Ghana. The Dagomba are siblings of the Mamprusi as they share a common ancestor and therefore they share many of the same customs and traditions.
Naawunni kyɛ ka yuumni ti ya nya hoo nŋɔa taabu ka mari la nyɔvuri ni alafɛa n laa n-toori bugum.
May God allow me to live through the coming year with health and throw fire again.
Singing the Gospel
Songs and stories can impact hearts in any culture, but they are crucial conveyors of truth and meaning among people whose worldview is shaped by spoken rather than written words.
Nyin kyisiri seelli ka sɔ dira.
Someone else eats what is taboo for you.
I bu gbi buliga m-paai koom zuna.
You will not dig a well to reach water today.
Nubila yinni bu pii kugri.
One finger can’t pick up a rock.
Mampruli Proverb #141 – Bad Tree Climber
The bad tree-climber should not laugh at a cripple.