Wulomei
Encyclopedia
Wulomei was founded in 1973 by Nii Tei Ashitey with the encouragement of the dramatist and musician Saka Acquaye. Acquaye managed the band and wrote some of the music.
Ashitey had previously been a percussionist for the Tempos led by E.T. Mensah, Tubman Stars and Worker's Brigade highlife bands, but decided to create a more "rootsy" sound to, as he once put it, "bring something out for the youth to progress and to forget foreign music and do their own thing".
and Liberian sea shanties, gome songs, and the kolomashie and kpanlogo recreational songs of Accra
and also Akan
highlife
music.
To portray the band's indigenous orientation, Wulomei's performers wear the white or yellow cloth and frilly hats of the Wulomei or traditional priests and priestesses of the Ga
people of Accra
.
During the 1970s and 80s, Wulomei made a number of successful tours to Europe and the United States.
Wulomei's gombe drum player, 'Big Boy' Nii Adu, formed the Bukom Ensemble and Wulomei's lead female singer, Naa Amanua, formed the Suku Troupe.
Ashitey had previously been a percussionist for the Tempos led by E.T. Mensah, Tubman Stars and Worker's Brigade highlife bands, but decided to create a more "rootsy" sound to, as he once put it, "bring something out for the youth to progress and to forget foreign music and do their own thing".
Style and Instruments
Except for an amplified guitar, played with the West African finger picking style, Wulomei's instruments are indigenous, with atenteben bamboo flutes and a lot of traditional local percussion that includes the giant gombe frame drums, which provide a deep percussive "bass-line".Songs and music
Wulomei play old GaGa people
The Ga-Adangbe are an ethnic group in the West African nation of Ghana. It is part of the Dangme ethnic group. The Ga people are grouped as part of theGa–Dangme ethnolinguistic group. They speak Kwa languages...
and Liberian sea shanties, gome songs, and the kolomashie and kpanlogo recreational songs of Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
and also Akan
Akan people
The Akan people are an ethnic group found predominately in Ghana and The Ivory Coast. Akans are the majority in both of these countries and overall have a population of over 20 million people.The Akan speak Kwa languages-Origin and ethnogenesis:...
highlife
Highlife
Highlife is a musical genre that originated in Ghana in the 1900s and spread to Sierra Leone, Nigeria and other West African countries by 1920...
music.
To portray the band's indigenous orientation, Wulomei's performers wear the white or yellow cloth and frilly hats of the Wulomei or traditional priests and priestesses of the Ga
Ga people
The Ga-Adangbe are an ethnic group in the West African nation of Ghana. It is part of the Dangme ethnic group. The Ga people are grouped as part of theGa–Dangme ethnolinguistic group. They speak Kwa languages...
people of Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
.
Albums
In 1974 Wulomei released its debut record, 'Walatu Walasa' followed by "Wulomei in Drum Conference" released on the Phonogram label.During the 1970s and 80s, Wulomei made a number of successful tours to Europe and the United States.
Legacy and influence
Following Wulomei's initial success, there was a proliferation of so-called "Ga cultural groups" such as Blemabii, Dzadzeloi, Abladei, Agbafoi, and Ashiedu Keteke. Two members of Wulomei also created their own groups.Wulomei's gombe drum player, 'Big Boy' Nii Adu, formed the Bukom Ensemble and Wulomei's lead female singer, Naa Amanua, formed the Suku Troupe.