A Study of the Arts in the Ada Asafotufiami Festival
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A STUDY OF THE ARTS IN THE ADA ASAFOTUFIAMI FESTIVAL BY KABUTEY, ERNEST ABRAHAM (B.A. HONS. INTEGRATED RURAL ART AND INDUSTRY) KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, KUMASI, GHANA MAY, 2011 A STUDY OF THE ARTS IN THE ADA ASAFOTUFIAMI FESTIVAL By Kabutey, Ernest Abraham (B.A. Hons. Integrated Rural Art and Industry) A Thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN ART EDUCATION Faculty of Art, College of Art and Social Sciences MAY, 2011 © 2011 Department of General Art Studies ABSTRACT The arts in the Ada Asafotufiami festival serve as strong visual and performing communicative devices of culture among the Ada people. The principal motivation of this research stems from the fact that the arts and their roles in the Ada Asafotufiami festival are almost completely overlooked when it comes to the analysis and appreciation of the festival. The Asafotufiami festival is annually celebrated in pomp and pageantry as it embodies various forms of art; it has shown a remarkable capacity for survival in spite of several socio- cultural influences. During its celebration the arts of the people are displayed. However, most of the youth and people who participate, observe and read about the festival may not know the ideologies or beliefs of the various rites and significance of the arts. Other cultural values involved in the celebration of the festival may also not be appreciated. This study seeks to contribute to the total development of Art education by providing adequate information on the arts characterizing the festival and the roles that they play. The descriptive method of research was employed for this study. The scope of the study covered the traditional area of the Dangme East District (Ada) in the Greater Accra region. Data was collected through observation, questionnaire responses and interviews. Population of the study was limited to 105 persons, mostly traditional leaders, opinion leaders, participants and educational facilitators. The stratified sampling method was adopted with the assumption that the findings would be representative of the Ada state. The major findings gathered from the study show that, art and culture are interdependent, thus, the success of the Ada Asafotufiami festival is made possible by the numerous roles art play. The arts portray beliefs, traditions and aspirations of the people. It is recommended that, there should be scholarly documentation of the festival by researchers and duly published to help promote the cultural heritage of the people. iii DECLARATION I hereby declare that this Thesis is my own work towards the M.A. and that, to the best of my knowledge it contains no material previously published by another person nor material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree of the University, except where due acknowledgment has been made in the text. Kabutey, Ernest Abraham 20068270 ……………………… May, 2011 Student’s Name & ID Signature Date Certified by: Dr. Eric Appau Asante …………………………… …………………………… (Supervisor’s Name) Signature Date Certified by: Nana Afia Opoku-Asare (Mrs ) …………………………. ………………………….. (Head of Department’s Name) Signature Date ii ABSTRACT The arts in the Ada Asafotufiami festival serve as strong visual and performing communicative devices of culture among the Ada people. The principal motivation of this research stems from the fact that the arts and their roles in the Ada Asafotufiami festival are almost completely overlooked when it comes to the analysis and appreciation of the festival. The Asafotufiami festival is annually celebrated in pomp and pageantry as it embodies various forms of art; it has shown a remarkable capacity for survival in spite of several socio-cultural influences. During its celebration the arts of the people are displayed. However, most of the youth and people who participate, observe and read about the festival may not know the ideologies or beliefs of the various rites and significance of the arts. Other cultural values involved in the celebration of the festival may also not be appreciated. This study seeks to contribute to the total development of Art education by providing adequate information on the arts characterizing the festival and the roles that they play. The descriptive method of research was employed for this study. The scope of the study covered the traditional area of the Dangme East District (Ada) in the Greater Accra region. Data was collected through observation, questionnaire responses and interviews. Population of the study was limited to 105 persons, mostly traditional leaders, opinion leaders, participants and educational facilitators. The stratified sampling method was adopted with the assumption that the findings would be representative of the Ada state. The major findings gathered from the study shows that, art and culture are interdependent, thus, the success of the Ada Asafotufiami festival is made possible by the numerous roles art play. The arts portray beliefs, traditions and aspirations of the people. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend my profound gratitude to Mr. J.T Quarshie; the Divisional secretary of the Dangmebiawe clan and Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III; the Paramount Chief of Ada Traditional Area, for their assistance, kindness and hospitality accorded me during the course of the work. This gratitude also goes to the rest of leaders of the other clans forming the Ada state. The researcher also wishes to express his sincere appreciation to Dr. Eric. Appau Asante for his guidance and supervision of this work to a success. Not forgetting Dr. Luke A. Tettehfio who not only guided but also edited the script for his immense contribution and to all and sundry, who gave time off their busy schedules to share fruitful discussions pertinent to the success of this study. My special thanks go to Dr. Kodwo Edusei formally of Art Education, KNUST, Mr. Solomon W. Lawerteh, Mr. Davidson Kabutey, Akrofi Quashie and Mr. Frank T. Kwablah all of Ada for their support and dedication towards the success of this study. My warmest appreciation also goes to Miss Seyram Amevinya for her invaluable assistance towards this study. Last but not least, my reverence is extended to Almighty God for granting me, knowledge, insight and good health to finish this study on time. I am indebted to anyone, who contributed to the accomplishment of this study, even though not mentioned individually. July, 2011 K. E. A. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DECLARATION………………………………………………………………………….ii ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………...iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………..………..iv TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………………..……...v LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………...………………………viii LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………………………..…………..…ix LIST OF PLATES…………………………………………………………...……………x CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 Overview ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Background to the Study .......................................................................................... 1 1.3 Statement of the Problem ......................................................................................... 2 1.4 Objectives of the research ........................................................................................ 3 1.5 Research questions ................................................................................................... 3 1.6 Delimitation ............................................................................................................. 3 1.6.1 Geographical location of the Adas……………………...……………………..…...3 1.7 Limitation ................................................................................................................. 5 1.8 Assumptions ............................................................................................................. 5 1.9 Definition of Terms.................................................................................................. 5 1.10 Abbreviations ........................................................................................................... 7 1.11 Importance of the Study ........................................................................................... 7 1.12 Arrangement of the rest of Text ............................................................................... 7 CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................................................. 9 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ..................................................................... 9 2.1 Overview .................................................................................................................. 9 2.2 The origin of the Adas ............................................................................................. 9 2.3 The coming of the Asafotufiami festival ............................................................... 13 2.4 The celebration of the Asafotufiami festival ......................................................... 16 2.5 Art and Culture ...................................................................................................... 21 2.6 Art and festivals ....................................................................................................