At a funeral or festival in the Volta Region, a circle forms, the drums begin, and dancers move in a steady, rolling rhythm. It is borborbor, one of the best-loved dances of the Ewe.
Borborbor is a recreational music and dance of the northern Ewe, closely associated with the town of Kpando in the Volta Region. It developed in the mid-twentieth century, drawing on older Ewe drumming traditions and on the popular dance music of the time. Francis Cudjoe Nuatro of Kpando is often credited with shaping the style in the 1950s, and borborbor groups were closely linked to community and political organisation in the years around independence.
The music
A borborbor ensemble includes several drums of different sizes, a bell that keeps the time line, and rattles. A lead drummer plays patterns that guide dancers, and singers lead songs with the group responding. The rhythm is relaxed but driving, suitable for long periods of dancing.
Songs cover many subjects: love, community events, social commentary, praise and mourning. Some borborbor songs have been adapted for church use.
The dance
Borborbor dancers move in a circle, with gentle steps and arm movements, often in pairs or groups. The dance is social and inclusive; people of all ages join in, and grandparents often dance beside grandchildren.
Where it is heard
Borborbor groups perform at funerals, weddings, festivals and political rallies in the Volta Region and in Ewe communities elsewhere in Ghana and Togo. Many towns have their own groups, and competitions are held.
Other Ewe music
Ewe music is famous for its complex drumming. Other styles include agbadza, a traditional war dance turned social dance, and atsiagbekor, a dance of warriors. Ewe drumming is studied by musicians and scholars worldwide for its layered rhythms.
Popular music
Ghanaian popular musicians from the Volta Region have incorporated borborbor rhythms into highlife, gospel and Afrobeats, giving the style a new audience.
Festivals
Borborbor is heard at major Ewe festivals, including Hogbetsotso in Anloga and others across the region.
Learning
Cultural centres and university music departments in Ghana teach Ewe drumming, including borborbor. Visitors to the Volta Region can often find local groups willing to teach beginners.
Borborbor is music made for gathering. When the drums start, the circle grows, and nobody stays seated for long.
