Famed French artist Edouard Riou illustrated Capt. Binger’s observance of the Fire Festival in Walewale in September 1888.
2018 Fire Festival Photos & Video
This year’s Fire Festival in Nalerigu was a fun one. After the NaYiri kick started the festivities by throwing the throngs of youth got crazy. I took photos of the torch toss so the video below only shows the NaYiri’s arrival and then the rush of people (and police) after the flames. NaYiri throwing fire: […]
2017 Fire Festival Photos
This year’s Fire Festival was the rowdiest I’ve experienced. Normally I just attend the main events with the paramount chief – parade, torch throwing, praising singing, water distribution – and then go back home. This evening I hung around for about an hour after the NaYiri returned to his palace and I observed all the […]
Gun-Related Injuries in Mamprugu
The Mamprusi sure do love their guns. Unfortunately, this sends some to our hospital with traumatic injuries. With the Fire Festival coming up this weekend, here’s a cautionary tale of the wounds inflicted by guns that Heidi deals with.
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.
2015 Nalerigu Fire Festival (Bugum Kyuu)
The Fire Festival is not only one of our favorites in Nalerigu, but it also serves as our one-year marker. Hard to believe that we arrived in Nalerigu just before last year’s Fire Festival. Once again we were able to use the festival’s legendary backstory as an opportunity to share Christ’s words about the lost […]
Bugum Kyuu (Fire Festival)
This past week Mamprugu celebrated the Bugum Kyuu (Fire Festival). This annual event has a long (and controversial) history in the region. Each year the people come out at night with bundled straw torches which they light and run around town with. All the men who own guns come out and shoot their guns in to […]