Paramount Chief of the Akpini Traditional Area; Togbui Dagadu IX, Akpinifia, addressing the people of Kpando during the Borborbor Festival
The Paramount Chief of the Akpini Traditional Area; Togbui Dagadu IX has encouraged the people of Kpando to take borborbor seriously. He explains that the lackadaisical attitude towards one’s culture enables others to infiltrate and adulterate it as is being seen in the case of borborbor.
He encouraged the people of Kpando to assert Kpando as the origin of borborbor and nurture it as such. “It is time for us to reclaim our borborbor and do it very well so that everyone who experiences it will know that indeed Kpando is the home of borborbor” he said.
Akpinifia Dagadu IX, was speaking during the maiden Akpini Borborbor Festival held as part of the area’s end of year festivities.
He stressed that borborbor can be leveraged as a tool for tourism and assured the various borborbor groups that they will soon begin to reap the fruits of their labour.
He reminded them that Kpando is the root of borborbor and hence they should hold on to it with pride.
One of the borborbor groups, producing the traditional music
During the festival, eight borborbor groups from various parts of the traditional area performed various renditions of the traditional music and dance from evening to the early hours of morning, entertaining the whole area and igniting nostalgic feelings amongst the aged.
Many residents who witnessed the performances were excited and prayed it will be made a yearly festival.
A member of one of the borborbor groups performing to the delight of the crowd
Background
Francis Nuatro; a native of Kpando in the Volta region is the originator of borborbor and is also credited with many of the borborbor songs.
Borborbor further gained grounds around the mid nineties when Ghana’s President at the time; Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was welcomed to Kpando with borborbor music and dance. He declared then that the borborbor group should should perform anywhere he was involved in an event within the country.
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