Kobine is a traditional dance and festival unique to the people of Lawra area of north-western Ghana.
01 · What it is
Dance
Live movement, rhythm, costume, or staged dramatic performance passed between generations.
02 · Where & name
Ghana
Placed on record in Ghana.
03 · How it is doing
□□□□ (Not yet assessed)
Documented in open cultural records, but no cited field assessment of its current vitality has been added here yet.
04 · Proof & reuse
2 cited sources
Every claim links to a public record below. Free to quote, teach, and share under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Chapter Takeaways
FestivalThe Kobine festival is celebrated to thank the gods and ancestors for a bumper harvest hence it is known as a festival of harvest and celebration of family.
DanceThe Kobine music is produced from kuor, a drum instrument with a base made from a gourd, and dalar, a smaller drum made from the neck of a clay pot.
Common Questions Answered on Record
What is Kobine in plain words?
Kobine is a traditional dance and festival unique to the people of Lawra area of north-western Ghana.
Where is Kobine practised or documented?
Sources on this page place Kobine in Ghana.
What is the current condition of Kobine today?
□□□□ (Not yet assessed): Documented in open cultural records, but no cited field assessment of its current vitality has been added here yet.
How do I cite or share this Kobine entry?
Cite as: "Kobine." folkroom, https://folkroom.org/art-forms/kobine, text CC BY-SA, with attribution.
Kobine is a traditional dance and festival unique to the people of Lawra area of north-western Ghana. They are also called the Dagaaba tribe. The dance and the festival named after it are celebrated in September and October to mark the end of a successful harvest. 1
Festival
The Kobine festival is celebrated to thank the gods and ancestors for a bumper harvest hence it is known as a festival of harvest and celebration of family. During this time, members of the community who have traveled or settled in other areas away from home, Lawra usually return home to unite with their families and celebrate.
The festival of Kobine lasts four days, with the first day usually reserved for visiting family and friends. The second and third days are the official holidays. A procession of the family heads is accompanied by groups of younger people dressed to represent hunters and elephants.
A number of speeches are made by dignitaries and other guests of honour before the Kobine dance competition begins. 1
Dance
The Kobine music is produced from kuor, a drum instrument with a base made from a gourd, and dalar, a smaller drum made from the neck of a clay pot.
The men usually dress in beautifully decorated skirts, but are usually bare-chested to demonstrate their masculinity as well as their flexibility while they dance. Other ornaments such as headgear and caps are worn. The women dress similarly to the men, except they generally will wear a blouse. Both men and women wear a ring of bells around the ankles to accentuate their rhythmic moves when they dance.
The dance itself consists of quick rhythmic moves especially with the trunk or upper body. At the peak moves period of the dance, the women will generally cut in and dance in front of their favorite male dancer. 1
The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Kobine”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. 1
Kobine is Ghanaian traditional dance and festival, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. 2
The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. 2