A Trip Into Adowa Dance

The Adowa dance is a dance by the Akan people of Ghana which is believed to have originated from mimicking the unusual steps of a sacrificial antelope. It is danced at ceremonies such as marriage, naming ceremony, funerals, festivals, enstoolment and destoolment of chiefs and queen mothers etc.

At about 9am on Friday, Kwame and Amma set out to attend Adowa dance at the square. The morning sun was just peeping over the mountain tops, casting its golden rays over the peaceful village of Akan people of Ghana. After Kwame and Amma had fully prepared themselves with agbada attire, and Amma dressed with female attire, they told their parents, bye bye.. This was a big day to them! A trip into the Adowa dance!

Kwame and Amma parents have warned them not to go Adowa dance square, but they failed to adhere to their parents advice. And their plan was that they would come back before 5:30pm. 

After about 1hour 30minutes of walking, they got to the Adowa dance square. At the entrance of the square, four mainguard, was standing straight, without smiling, waving their hands as a sign of welcome to everyone coming to Adowa dance square. And at once, they speeks "Welcome to Adowa dance!" There voices were deep. And Kwame and his sister waved their hands at them. 

Kwame and Amma looked at each other and smiled in astonishment still looking around. There hearts were filled with excitement. Cus, it was their first time at Adowa dance square. Just then, they started to get angry at their parents for advising them initially not to attend Adowa dance. Look the amazement they were trying to deny us! They thought.

When they had walked a little further to take a seat. A masquerade man jumped into them and was flagging them with a wipe of cloth at his hand. Soon, the masquerade man stopped, started looking at them. Kwame and Amma became scared, Wondering what is going on. Suddenly, Kwame and Amma heard a loud voice behind them. "It is time!" When they turned back, it was another masked man. At this point, they both almost collapsed. But it was all play, and the masked men went their way dancing on stage before the Adowa dance commence.

When the masked men had gone, Kwame and Amma breathe in deeply and exhaled. They thought they would beaten and throw out from Adowa dance hall. 

Now, it was already 4pm before the dancing commenced. While the dancing was going on, about an hour later, there was outbreak of bomb blast inside and outside Adowa dance venue, and everyone began to run for their lives. Kwame and Amma, with many other people who survived alive escape into the nearby bush to hide until the bombing stops. 

Now, Kwame and Amma had run deep inside the bush trying to escape and find their way out. And part of the bush were burning with fire affected by the bomb blast. Before they could realized, it was dark, stuck inside the bush with a torch light. This time, Kwame and Amma had gone gone missing inside inside the bush, and we're shouting for help. Amma was just thirteen years of age this time, and she started crying “Don’t cry Amma” said Kwame her elder brother. 

Hours had gone, they were still in the bush wandering and lost their way out. It come to a point, they were feeling terribly scared, at the same time feeling dizzy. But they couldn't sleep. They thought they were going to die inside the bush because everywhere was dark. Soon, at about 11:30pm in the night, they heard the voice of people talking, it was a nearby village. And they traced the voice, and saw a flashlight ahead of them, and they head straight to it, and they were helped and accommodated until following morning. When it dawn, the people of the village showed them way home. 

Their parents have been searching for them since they heard the news of bomb blast. Their parents knew how bad sometimes Adowa dance square is, and that why, they advised their kids earlier not attend Adowa dance.

All through the night Kwame and Amma parents didn't sleep, they keeps searching for them from place to place. The following morning, they went to Adowa dance square to see if they will see their kids or their dead bodies, but nothing was found. 

Kwame and Amma parents decided to search the burnt bush, if they will see any remnants of dead bodies, paredventure, they might at well see the dead bodies of their children. They searched the burnt part of the bush and saw dead dried bodies, and couldn't recognized any of them. And they went into the unburnt part of the bush searching, when they have searched, they couldn't see them. And they returned back home.

When they got home, Kwame and Amma was already inside waiting for them. "What you are both alive?" Kwame and Amma parents said. And they started thanking the heavens for preserving their kids in the midst of bomb blast.

When they have rested, Kwame and Amma's mother hurried up to the kitchen to prepare meals for their kids. They were lost but now found. Kwame went to bathroom and had his shower. Likewise Amma after Kwame had finished taking his bath. When they had finished taking their bath, they sat at the sitting room looking at each other. And their father stepped in, "So children tell me how you escaped?" Kwame sighed, "Papa wait a bit, we are seriously famished right now!" 

While they all sat in the sitting room, food was ready, their mother set food at the dinning table, and called to eat. After they have eaten...Amma started narrating every bit of the story that happened at Adowa dance square until the bomb blast.

Papa,,, Mama,,, Kwame called his both parents, "If we had know, we would have listened to your advice!" 

From that day on ward, Kwame and Amma never disobeyed their parents advice.