Kundum

Where Kundum comes from

Kundum is both a harvest thanksgiving and a religious festival: people thank God for food, remember their ancestors and ask for protection, and cleanse the community for the year ahead.¹² One of the earliest written records of it comes from the Dutch trader Willem Bosman on the Gold Coast around 1700.¹

Oral tradition gives two beginnings. In one, a hunter saw dwarves dancing in a circle in the forest and brought their dance home; in the other, Kundum began at Ahanta Aboade, where the ripening of a palm tree’s fruit marked the start of the season.¹²

How it runs

Each town fixes its own start, so the festival travels along the coast. It lasts about four weeks in each town; for the first three most of the drumming and dancing happens at night on the edge of town, after drummers pour libation at the shrines, and the last week brings the main celebrations.¹ Among the Nzema it is called Abisa; from Atuabo to Dixcove in Ahanta, Kundum.¹ Axim is often called its heart.¹

In 2019, for example, Lower Dixcove held it in July and August, Axim in the second week of September and Busua from October into November.²

Good to know if you go

• Where: Busua, Dixcove and Axim are on the coast west of Takoradi, with beaches and places to stay.
• Catch it somewhere: because towns take turns, ask locally which town is celebrating that week.
• Check the dates: the traditional council sets the days each year, often only weeks ahead. Local radio and the national press carry the announcement.
• Respect the rites: some rituals are sacred and not for cameras. Ask before photographing chiefs, priests or anyone taking part, and follow what the ushers ask.