Our cultural output is of high global standard – Akuma Ensemble founder

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Our cultural output is of high global standard – Akuma Ensemble founder

The founder of the Akuma Dance Ensemble based at Nungua in Accra, Samuel Nii Noi Tetteh, has said that Ghana’s rich and diverse cultural output is of a high global standard so nurturing and growing the nation’s cultural infrastructure should be of interest to all Ghanaians.

In his view, the contribution of traditional bands to the nation’s arts is an essential component in the creation of a cultural front that is truly representative of the entire nation.

He was speaking on the sidelines of this year’s Ghana Youth Entertainment Awards (GYEA) event held recently at the Mendiata Hotel in Achimota, Accra. The Akuma Dance Ensemble was adjudged The Outstanding Cultural Group of the Year at the programme.

“We were not surprised we won at the GYEA. We have been busy since last year performing at a variety of corporate and social events throughout the country. It has consistently been our aim to promote Ghana and Africa to the world through music and dance and we believe we are on the right course,” the Akuma Ensemble founder said.

The group’s busy schedule last year included working its way to grabbing the 2020 Traditional Dance Group of the Year trophy at the Ghana Arts and Culture Awards (GACA) event.

Often offering a versatile repertoire that include compositions from acts like Osibisa, Salif Keita, Fela Kuti and  Bob Marley,  members of the Akuma Dance Ensemble insist there’s scope for growth and development  in the traditional music and dance sector and players in the field must learn to take  advantage of opportunities that come their way and do their best on all occasions.

A recent occasion where the group felt they did their best was at this year’s Alewah Festival of Arts organized by Artnobles Expressions on December 3 and December 4 at the Ghana Business School main campus at Legon in Accra.

It was a brilliant night of drama, standup comedy, music, spoken word poetry, fashion and visual art. Akuma Dance Ensemble was able to hold the different strands together with its broad range of dance and music offerings.

“We feel immense pride and enthusiasm for our nation’s arts and culture space. That’s why we are doing out bit to help grow, promote and transform the sector. We have managed to find a viable platform for the expression of our abilities but there are hundreds more raw talents that have to be revealed. We hope to be an inspiration for some of those people,” the Akuma Dance Ensemble founder said.

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