Winneba Masquerade

Where the masquerade comes from

Masquerading came to Ghana’s coastal towns through contact with European traders and colonisers, who brought masks and fancy dress to their celebrations. Winneba took it up and formed its own masquerade groups as far back as the 1930s.¹²

In 1957 Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, formalised the tradition and sponsored the first parade to celebrate independence. The festival has run every New Year’s Day since, for more than sixty years.¹

The five clubs

Five groups take part, each with its own colours, costumes and band: Nobles No. 1, Egyaa No. 2, Tumus No. 3, Red Cross No. 4 and Royals No. 5.¹ They spend months making masks moulded into faces that are meant to frighten, or to make the crowd laugh, and the name Kaakaamotobi comes from those moulded masks.¹

The masquerade was traditionally for men, and many still dress up as women in wigs, earrings and gowns. Women now take part too.¹

What happens on the day

1. Morning

   Into the streets

   The clubs come out in costume, with stilt walkers and brass bands, and parade through Winneba.¹²

2. Afternoon

   March past and dance contest

   At the park, each group marches past and dances for the judges, and the best are rewarded.¹

Good to know if you go

• Where: Winneba is on the coast road between Accra and Cape Coast. The contest is usually at Advanced Park.
• When: it’s on New Year’s Day. Roads out of Accra are busy after the night’s celebrations, so leave early.
• Photos: the masqueraders love an audience, but ask before close-ups and give stilt walkers room.
• Also in Winneba: come back in May for Aboakyer, the deer hunt.