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Damba: The festival that unites Northern Ghana
Few festivals in Ghana carry the weight of history, colour, and unity like the Damba festival.
What began centuries ago as a religious commemoration has today blossomed into the largest cultural festival in Northern Ghana, celebrated across the Northern, Savannah, North East, Upper East, and Upper West regions.
From the palaces of Dagbon, Mamprugu, and Nanumba, Damba resonates with the sound of drums, praise-singers, and the spectacle of tradition.
Its significance has even transcended borders, drawing Ghanaians and foreign admirers to international editions held in Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
The name Damba is rooted in the Dagbani language, though it appears in other tongues, Damma in Mampruli.
Observed in the third month of the Dagomba calendar, which coincides with Rabia al-Awwal in the Islamic calendar, Damba was originally celebrated to mark the birth and naming of Prophet Muhammad.
Over time, it has evolved into a grand festival celebrating chieftaincy, kinship, and the resilience of Ghana’s northern kingdoms.
The festival unfolds in three major stages that is Somo Damba, Naa Damba, and the grand Belkulsi or farewell procession. In the early days, the Yila Bohambu, or nightly musical rehearsals, fill the palaces with song.
Women of the royal courts lead these performances, keeping alive the traditional chants and rhythms that set the tone for the celebrations. The Somo Damba is a solemn time of prayer, drumming, and dignified dancing.
It is followed by the youthful exuberance of the Binchera Damba, where young men and women take to palace grounds in worn yet stylish smocks, showcasing creativity and spirit in a torn couture display.
Another revered rite, the Shinkaafa Gahimbu (picking of rice), sees clerics, led by the Yidan Moli at the Gbewaa Palace, offering symbolic rituals of blessing and prosperity.
The Nahu Glibu, or rounding of the cow, performed by chiefs, demonstrates wealth, unity, and the continuity of life. But it is the Naa Damba, the King’s Damba that truly crowns the festival.
Here, the atmosphere reaches its peak: chiefs ride majestically on horseback, praise-singers proclaim ancestral glories, and the air explodes with musketry from warriors, signalling strength, protection, and bravery.
One of the most breathtaking spectacles of Damba is the procession of the queens. Adorned in regal cloths and glittering ornaments, they gracefully carry golden-coloured bowls, abolition cans, utensils, sandals, and animal skins, the very seat and symbols of authority for the chiefs.
Each item tells a story, each step a reminder of the sacred duty queens play in preserving heritage and continuity.
Their slow, elegant movement is met with admiration from the gathered crowds, reinforcing the balance between royalty and community. No Damba is complete without the vibrant dances that fill the courtyards.
The housing dance, performed with synchronised grace, captures the essence of belonging, while the warriors’ displays, accompanied by fierce drumming and bursts of musketry in the skies is to celebrate resilience and courage.
These performances not only entertain but also remind communities of their history, values, and collective identity.
The festival’s climax, Belkulsi, bids farewell in a grand procession. Families exchange visits, gifts are shared, and friendships renewed.
Streets and palace grounds explode with colour, sound, and movement, leaving behind memories that last until the next Damba.
From Gonja, Dagbon, Mamprugu, Wali and Nanumba, Damba has remained a symbol of identity and unity.
Its international editions in Cologne, New York, and London highlight the festival’s growing role as a cultural ambassador, projecting Ghana’s northern traditions to the world stage.
Damba is a living archive of history, an affirmation of heritage, and a celebration of the bond between people and tradition.
In its rhythm, regalia, and rituals, one sees not only the past but also the promise of continuity for generations to come.
From Geoffrey Buta, Yendi
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