The Homowo Festival - Africa Arts & Cultures
  
The Homowo Festival of African Arts, a celebration of a traditional harvest festival from the Ga people of Ghana, West Africa, is the largest cultural festival of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. Brought to the United States from Ghana by Ghanaian Master Drummer, Obo Addy, the Homowo Festival celebrates its fifteenth year in Portland, Oregon. For the Ga people, the word Homowo means "hooting at hunger."

 
The origin of Homowo is tied to the origin of the Ga people and their migration to Ghana. The Ga traveled for many years before reaching the west coast of Africa where they now live. Along the way they experienced famine, but because they helped each other, they survived. Later when their harvests were bountiful, they held a feast at which they jeered at the hunger and hard times that had plagued them. This was the first Homowo Festival.
   
The two day community Homowo Festival commences with a traditional Ghanaian processional in which volunteers from local African and African-American communities assume the roles of kings, queens and followers of the royal family of each of Ghana's ethnic groups. The festival continues with a variety of music and dance troupes representing various countries within the continent of Africa and the African Diaspora. There is also an African marketplace, a children's activity area, African food and folk art demonstrations. Volunteers are welcomed!
 
Homowo Performing Groups
The musicians and dancers of Homowo are living examples of the strength of African performing arts. Our repertoire, featuring the yesterday, today and tomorrow of Ghanaian cultural arts, creates an aural and visual history of Ghana. Under the artistic direction of Obo Addy, Homowo takes you on this journey through Ghana, West Africa, through its two performing ensembles: Okropong and Kukrudu.

Obo Addy's Okropong:
Traditional Music and Dance of Ghana.
Okropong meaning "eagle" in Obo Addy’s native Ga language, performs traditional Ghanaian dance and music chosen from the various ethnic cultures in Ghana, including Ga, Ewe, Ashanti, Dagomba and Dagarti. Using a variety of hand and stick drums, talking drums, bells and shakers, the musicians build layers of driving rhythms while the dancers, clad in colorful West African garments, engage in an energetic physical "conversation" with the drummers. At the end of each concert, both musicians and dancers engage the audience in a spirited call and response, celebrating that shared experience with them through song and dance.

 
Obo Addy's Kukrudu: African Jazz Band
This nine piece ensemble of African and American musicians performs original compositions by Homowo’s artistic director, Obo Addy. Here, Obo fuses the rich drumming traditions of his childhood with his "big bands" experiences of his 20’s. The result: an "infectious, immensely danceable hybrid" of "American jazz-rock riffs with African polyrhythms," says the Washington Post. Quite ingeniously, Obo takes the rhythmical patterns from traditional drum pieces, and by placing layers of notes on top of these patterns, creates the sounds of Africa’s tomorrow.
 
Obo Addy Solo
Obo Addy, a renowned master drummer from Ghana, West Africa will share the many rhythms of his homeland in a solo musical performance. In addition to drumming, the performance will include a call & response session, opportunity for questions and stories behind the history of the music.
  
Festival Sponsorship
We thank the following sponsors For 2004
Portland General Electric, Oregonian A&E, Regional Arts & Culture Council, PSU's Black Studies Department, Gales Creek Insurance, Paramount Hotel, POVA, Printgraphics, TriMet, SafeCo.
  
This Year's Sponsorships still available!
  
Be A Festival Vendor
Food and Arts & Craft 10'x10' booth spaces are available. Please contact our office for additional information and an application form.
  
Homowo African Arts & Cultures
4839 NE Martin Luther King Blvd, Ste 209
Portland OR 97211
Ph#: 503.288.3025
Fax#: 503.331.6688
info@homowo.org
  
Susan Addy
Board President
susan@homowo.org
  
Obo Addy
Artistic Director
obo@homowo.org
  
Sinead Kimbrell
Managing Director
sinead@homowo.org