An analysis on the cultural contexts of Bɔsoɛ as an endangered Asante traditional dance

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Asante people of Ghana bear rich and distinct cultures, which help place the nation on the globe. Albeit, a number of traditional dances as an aspect of Asante culture have been endangered or are getting endangered due to them not being well communicated within their cultural contexts to audiences, their dance elements being less known and less performed. This study was therefore conducted to analyse Bɔsoɛ, an endangered Asante traditional dance in Ghana culturally, to revive the lost parts of Asante culture to the present and upcoming generations. The study employed narrative research method under the qualitative research design where the Ammamerɛso Agofomma dance performers and the Head of Performing Arts, all of the Centre for National Culture (CNC), Kumasi, were purposeively and conveniently selected to enact the dance and give narratives on the dance. Through semi-structured interview and non-participant observation, primary data comprising in-depth knowledge on the history, meanings, performance and other dance elements within B ɔ so ɛ were collected from the respondents for the study. The results proved that there were aspects of Asante culture within Bɔsoɛ and hence must be viewed as an Asante repository to be communicated well per its cultural contexts to any viewer or appreciator.