you have ever eaten yams atThanksgiving, you have shared

a tiny bit of what the New Yam Festi-val is like in West Africa. The festivalis all about giving thanks to the goodspirits for the new crop of yamsthemost fundamental, life-supportingcrop in the regionand asking thespirits for abundant rain and goodcrops in the year ahead.

The yams that are usually eatenin the USA are really sweet pota-toes that are much smaller than theyams from West Africa, whose tubers(roots) can be over two feet long. Agood-sized West African yam canfeed a family of ten people! Thoughyams can be prepared in many ways,the traditional dish is boiled, mashedyams with a little butter or palm oil.It is called fufu (pronounced foo-foo), and is often eaten in the tradi-tional waywith your hands!

The New Yam Festival is celebratedin most yam-growing areas of WestAfrica. The date is set in each com-munity to coincide with the first yamharvest. Though customs vary fromvillage to village, most celebrationsinclude a family reunion. There isplenty to eat for everyone and plentyleft over. There are so many yamsprepared that the poor are fed, too,and nobody is left out. It is a timeof feasting, singing, dancing, drum-ming, remembering ancestors, givingthanks for the harvest and imploringhelp in the coming planting season.

In Ghana, the Ga people call the cel-ebration the Homowo or the ToHoot at Hunger Festival. Accord-ing to legend, their ancestors nearlystarved as they migrated to Ghana.They saved each other by being un-selfish and helpful. Upon reachingtheir destination they planted crops,and when harvest came, they mockedtheir former conditions of starvationby dancing, singing, drumming.Wom-en traditionally dig up the yams andcarry them home in baskets on theirheads. The women and girls cook theyams, and a young boy is chosen tocarry the best yams to the festivaldinner. He is followed by another

boy playing a drum. Chiefs wearingkente cloth usually follow closely be-hind the yams. As village childrenhear the drum, they run from theirhomes to join in the parade.

In Nigeria, the Yoruba people call thefestival Eje and hold two days ofelaborate ceremonies of purification,divination (predicting the future)and thanksgiving. In one divinationceremony, a new yam is cut in half.The two pieces are tossed into theair. If they land one face up and oneface down, happy times are predict-ed for the community. If both landthe same, worrisome times may lieahead instead.

Drums are the most important in-struments in these festivities. Someare made from hollowed-out cala-bash gourds cut in half and coveredwith skins. Some are made from treetrunks or carefully pieced finishedwood, also covered with skins. In Ni-geria, there are drums called uduwhich are made of clay pots.

There are many more details to eachof these celebrations, and many morecelebrations, each with distinctivecharacteristics, as varied as the com-munities and people of West Africa.Hopefully these examples give you ataste for how important yams are tothe people of West Africa. Maybe youwill even think of them when you eatyour Thanksgiving dinner this year!

By Kathy Sorensen

If

# 44 ..

Opt. Solo

With spirit(4 measures introduction)

1st time: Opt. Call and Response1

F

Tu - e, tu - e, ba - ri - ma

tu - e, tu - e.

#

All

Tu - e, tu - e, ba - ri - ma

Opt. Solo

j tu - e, tu - e. A - bo - fra

#

2

ba, A - ma da - wa da - wa

All

j tu - e, tu - e. A - bo - fra

#

ba, A - ma da - wa da - wa

j tu - e, tu - e. Ba - ri - ma

#

j tu - e, tu - e. Ba - ri - ma

1, 2

tu - e, tu - e.

# .. ..

2nd & 3rd times: Opt. sing unison in a Round, Part 2 begins when Part 1 gets to 2

23

Shout

Tu - e, Tu - e!

Ghana FolksongArranged by JOHN HIGGINS

Copyright 2009 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATIONInternational Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved

# 44 ..

Opt. Solo

With spirit(4 measures introduction)

1st time: Opt. Call and Response1

F

Tu - e, tu - e, ba - ri - ma

tu - e, tu - e.

#

All

Tu - e, tu - e, ba - ri - ma

Opt. Solo

j tu - e, tu - e. A - bo - fra

#

2

ba, A - ma da - wa da - wa

All

j tu - e, tu - e. A - bo - fra

#

ba, A - ma da - wa da - wa

j tu - e, tu - e. Ba - ri - ma

#

j tu - e, tu - e. Ba - ri - ma

1, 2

tu - e, tu - e.

# .. ..

2nd & 3rd times: Opt. sing unison in a Round, Part 2 begins when Part 1 gets to 2

23

Shout

Tu - e, Tu - e!

Ghana FolksongArranged by JOHN HIGGINS

Copyright 2009 by HAL LEONARD CORPORATIONInternational Copyright Secured All Rights Reserved

Here Is One InterpretationOf This Fanti Lyric:

We are thankful for our harvest.Do you want to go on down to Ghana?

Do you want to come?We will sing this happy song as we travel.Kalimba