The Bulsa Feok — Accra Chapter (John Agandin)

John Agandin

The Bulsa Feok – Accra Chapter

1. Introduction and Purpose of the Event

The Accra edition of Bulsa Feok came off successfully at the Kawukudi Park, on March 3, 2018. The event was organized by Buluk Bisa Club, an association of Bulsa in Accra.
The occasion was intended to bring together all Bulsa in and around Accra and neighbouring cities to socialize, educate and entertain themselves by holding a southern edition of the traditional festival of the Bulsa nation, Feok, which is celebrated annually in Sandema and other parts of Buluk.
Activities carried out as part of the celebration included cultural drumming and dancing, and an exhibition of Bulsa cultural objects, dishes, drinks, clothing, and lifestyle. The event was crowned with the Bulsa war dance performed by a selection of war dancers from Sandema whose graceful steps, twists, and turns, in the imposing apparel of the Bulsa cultural regalia comprising the smocks studded with amulets [saba], trousers [kuri-koluk], battle axe [kpaani], quiver [lok], bow [tom] and arrows [piema], and crowned with the imposing horned helmet [zu-chiak], held the crowd spellbound for more than an hour.

Bulsa chiefs at the Accra Feok. From left to right: Nab Francis Asangalisa (Chief of Chuchuliga), Nab Amang-nya Abiako (Chief of Uwasi), Representative of the Sandemnab and Paramount Chief Azagsuk Azantilow II, Nab William Nkrumah Aparinchang II (Chief of Gbedema and chairman for the occasion).an hour. The war dancers were complemented by three horse riders with iron javelins/spears [gbaluta]

2. Attendance: Chiefs, Guests and the Crowd

The event was well attended and graced by many prominent personalities including 3 chiefs from the Bulsa traditional council: Nab William Nkrumah Aparinchang II, chief of Gbedema and chairman for the occasion, Nab Francis Akanbegmi Asangalisa II, chief of Chuchuliga, and Nab Amang-nya Abiako, chief of Uwasi. There were also politicians including the current and former honourable Members of Parliament (MP) for Bulsa North constituency, Lawyer James Agalga, and Mrs Agnes Asangalisa Chigabatia respectively, Mr. Sylvester Azantilow, Mr. Norbert Awulley, former chief executive of Bulsa North District and retired Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), George Abavelim, former Presiding Member of Bulsa North District Assembly, business leaders/entrepreneurs, notably Ms Lydia Bawa and Mr. Clement Akapame, leaders of the Bulsa communities in Accra, and ordinary Bulsa from all walks of life. The paramount chief of the Bulsa Traditional Area was represented by Mr. Thomas Akanbegkum Adiita. A very interesting personality in attendance was the Zambarima chief in Accra, whose arrival after the Master of Ceremonies (MC) had narrated the story of the defeat of Babatu by Bulsa warriors in Sandema, sparked wild cheers and celebration. Though uninvited, the Zambarima chief said he had heard about the celebration and being a ‘playmate’ (endnote 1) of the Bulsa, had decided to attend. He appreciated the war dancers with a ward of notes to the cheers and admiration of both dancers and the crowd.
A conservative estimate puts attendance to the event at about 6,000. The nearly 3,000 chairs rented by the organizers for the occasion were made to look grossly inadequate but as most people were on their feet throughout in order to see what was going on in the arena, that didn’t seem to matter much.

3. Marketing Bulsa Culture Beyond Buluk

The dynamic women’s ensemble on display

The media was in attendance including TV Africa, PanAfrica TV, Adom TV, Agoo TV, ATV, and Savanna Online among others. PanAfrica TV had requested permission to use a drone for aerial photography and the gadget was indeed seen overhead during the event.

The festival place with a drone for aerial photography

Mr. Seth Alafa, interim chairman of the Buluk Bisa Club in Accra welcomed the guests. The event was chaired by the chief of Gbedema, Nab William Nkrumah Aparinchang II, and the guest speaker was Mr. David Adeenze-Kanga, formerly a deputy Chairman in Charge of Finance and Administration at the Electoral Commission of Ghana. In his address, he traced the history of the Bulsa and the Feok festival and identified himself as one of the proponents for the institution of the festival in 1974. He described the Feok as a propelling factor for change as well as a heritage to be preserved for unborn generations. Whilst acknowledging the divergent views on the celebration of the ‘Feok’ in Accra, he called on dissidents and doubters to join the proponents to market the rich Bulsa culture and tradition beyond the borders of Buluk and to draw the world’s attention to their unique culture. Mr. Sofo Ali Akpajiak was the master of ceremonies (MC) and kept the crowd informed by cheering with graphic descriptions of the war regalia and strategy as well as chunks of Bulsa history and tradition.
Other speakers at the event included the honourable member of Parliament for Bulsa North, and the representative of the Paramount chief, Nab Azagsuk Azantilow II, Mr. Thomas Akanbegkum Adiita. The MP expressed the regrets of his colleague of the Bulsa South constituency who could not attend and promised that both of them were closely monitoring and nudging government to complete works on the Navrongo-Sandema-Wiesi road, which has been a major concern

of the two Bulsa districts/constituencies. Representatives of the Bulsa Community Bank (BucoBank), one of the sponsors of the program, were also given the opportunity to introduce the bank’s products to the crowd. They explained that the bank offers savings and current accounts, money transfers, as well as personal and small and medium enterprises [SME] loans to its clients and has recently installed an automated teller machine [ATM], an electronic banking outlet and mobile/online banking to improve customer experience. They were also selling shares and encouraged all Bulsa to own a ‘piece’ of the bank by buying shares.

4. Exhibition of Bulsa Cultural Objects and Dishes

Some of the Bulsa cultural objects on display

One of the novel side events during the celebration was the exhibition of Bulsa cultural objects by the Bulsa Heritage and Cultural Society (BHCS). It was the first point of call for the media and many other Bulsa who were fascinated by the objects on show. Objects on display included: the horned helmet (zu-chiak), the war axe (kpaani), trimetallic bangles (bang-gatuk) and rings (bangsa), bows and arrows (toma ale piema), rattles (kayagsa), brooms (nanzuk-sie and dok-sie), a storing net for calabashes (zaaning), a slingshot (vising), a basket (busik), a chain of Rosetta beads (nabiin soruk), an upper arm rock bangle (pung), an iron/brass anklet (nang-waab), other brass/iron bracelets, a bobbin bell (longi), a smoking pipe (tacheng), straw basket for spices (yalung), dyed and undyed women’s waist strings (chiak miisa), kenaf fibre (bog-peeluk), a fibre-apron (miisa vaata), a fly whisk (juik), arm and wooden quivers (namarik and lok), a calabash ladle (koorik), and a small calabash for measuring shea butter (kpaam chinbili).

Explaining Bulsa Feok and uses of some Bulsa cultural objecto to the media

Mr. Evans Akangyelewon Atuick, who volunteered with the exhibition, was kept on his feet throughout the event talking to journalists and others who flocked to the exhibition table to see the exhibits. Many others requested to use some of the objects especially the horned helmet, saba-smock and war axe to take photographs. Women tried to play the kayagsa and both men and women practiced the war dance in the regalia. The exhibitors declined a thousand and one requests from curious persons to buy the objects. There was however a collection of decorated calabashes, gourds, bows, quivers and arrows for sale.
Another curious part of the event was the exhibition of Bulsa dishes and drinks. This was organized by the former Deputy Upper East Regional Minister and member of Parliament for Bulsa North, the indefatigable Agnes Asangalisa Chigabatia. Dishes on display included; tuiuk saab (TZ prepared with porridge of baobab fruit), kaponta (semi-cooked, viscous millet porridge used in preparing TZ), sapalisa (millet TZ prepared and scooped in small quantities piled with shea butter in between to prevent them from sticking to each other), suma (Bambara beans), pobla (small beanflour cakes), zu-nyiem (drink prepared with millet flour), and many more. Soups on display included: komviok (leaves of ‘local’ garden-eggplant), bogta (slippery fibre soup), wognankoli (Roselle – a species of Hibiscus), kazagsa (kenaf), tuita (beanleaves), buura (neri), and bumbota (type of tuber) among others. There was also pito (damonung) in abundance.

Exhibition of Bulsa dishes

Other commercial exhibition booths were organized by Nallem clothing, MTN Ghana, Herbalife, and a smock dealer. There were also several food vendors, petty traders and hawkers at the event.

5. Drumming and Dance Ensembles

There were several drumming ensembles at the event prominent among whom were Sandema (Balansa), Kanjarga, Siniensi, Gbedema, Dynamic Women’s Group and A1 (amalgamated groups). Several Bulsa dances were exhibited including nagela, duelinka, mwazuk [ngmazuk] gogta and different variations of these. The dynamic women’s group displayed their dynamism in drumming (typically done by men) to much acclaim. Though the event officially closed at about 4:30 pm, the crowd, especially the youth, continued with the drumming and dancing far into the night.

The age of photography and mobile phones has started.

Appendices

A) Members of the Organizing Committee

1. Anthony Ayande Akanbong-tuak – chairman
2. Gariba Adem – secretary
3. Simon Asianab – member
4. DSP (rtd) Kwaku Adamu – member
5. Captain Dickson Agalga – member
6. Winston Atigsibadek Afoko – member
7. Joseph Awudeen – member
8. Moses Salifu – member
9. Kwaku Abarika – member
10. Dennis Ayimonsah Brown – member
11. Sofo Ali Akpajiak – co-opted
12. Francis Kojo Azuima – co-opted
13. Seth Alafa – co-opted
14. Samuel Abem – co-opted
15. Kwesi Amoak – co-opted

B) Interim Executive Board of the Buluk Bisa Club

16. Seth Alafa – chairman
17. Kwesi Amoak – secretary
18. Anthony Ayande Akanbong-tuak – vice chairman
19. Francis Amoosa – financial secretary
20. Gariba Adem – organizer

Members of the Bulsa Feok Accra Chapter Organizing Committee. Photo Credit: Atigsibadek

Endnote: ¹The Zabarima under their leader Babatu had raided the Bulsa for slaves in the 19th century. After these wars Bulsa and Zabarima practise an institutionalized joking relationship (gbiera, ‘joking’, or leka ale chaab, ‘insult each other’).