Home / Living Traditions / Africa: Sahel, West and Central
Playable heritage gameFufu Pounding Rhythm
Also known as Fufu pounding
Fufu is a smooth dough of pounded cassava, yam or plantain, made in a large wooden mortar across Ghana, Nigeria and neighbouring countries. Two cooks share the work: one swings the pestle while the other turns and wets the dough between strokes, and the labour settles into a steady beat.
How to play
- Three pads stand for the mortar: the heavy pound, the partner's pound and the quick turn of the dough.
- Notes travel toward a line at the bottom; strike the pad just as its note arrives.
- Keep time with the steady pounding, then quicken to the two pestles and finish on the three-beat figure.
- The turn always falls in the gap between pounds, so keep your hand clear of the pestle.
Rules at a glance
- The pound is the deep stroke and the partner's pound is a lighter answer; the turn is a short quick stroke between them.
- A stroke within a hair of the note is perfect, a near one is good, and a missed one scores nothing.
- An extra stroke while a song is running costs a few points.
- Each song plays twice; three stars need roughly nine notes in ten on time.
- Two songs run in four beats to the bar and one in three.
About the tradition
Pounding fufu is everyday household work in West and Central Africa, often done by two people or more, and the sound of the pestles carries across a compound at mealtime. The skill of keeping the beat and turning the dough without a mistake is learned from watching family.
Origins
A living tradition passed from person to person; it is not tied to a single dated origin. It belongs to the cultural world of Africa: Sahel, West and Central.
Credits
- Tradition: fufu pounding in Ghana and Nigeria; patterns written for this game
- Photo of fufu pounding from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Photo: daSupremo, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
- Text: CC BY-SA 4.0, World Heritage Games.
Sources
Get the app
Fufu Pounding Rhythm is one of 10 instruments and dances in the Music & Dance of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Submitted to the App Store and Google Play; in review. Store links appear here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.
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