All over Togo you will find drumming. Every major event in life, every birth, baptism or
marriage, every celebration and all festivities are marked by drumming. Drums are played,
often for hours, at traditional religious ceremonies, and are also an important part of
Christian and Moslem worship. Togolese
drummers need to be able to perform for many different occasions, and there are many
different rhythms and accompanying songs and dances. Each area of Togo has a unique rhythm
that distinguishes its drummers from those in other parts of the country. There are also
many different types of drum. In the Aneho district in south-east Togo drummers use Agbadja,
Ageche, Aziboloe, Kple, Amedjeame, Akpesse, Grekon, Blekete and Adomdom -- all
different kinds of drums.
Drums play a central role in many
traditional ceremonies in Togo. At the Ekpesoso (or Yeke Yeke)
Festival celebrated each September by the Ganye people who live in and around the
village of Klidji-Podi, in the Aného region. The event begins on a
Thursday when a special stone is carried from its resting place in the sacred forest and
brought to the village. Two days later a sacred drum is taken out of the chief’s
house (where it is kept on every other day of the year) and the celebrations start, which
include non-stop drumming.
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