Akasa (med-large Ga-style netted order gourd rattle)

Gourd rattles with an external network strung with bead, seed, shell, or bamboo strikers occur widely in West Africa, from the Congo/Angola region in the south to Mali and Senegal in the north. This offering is modeled on the akasa, a netted gourd rattle of Ghana's Ga people. It features betel nut beads strikers strung onto white netting (with braided upper collar to prevent slippage).
Dimensions: 10 1/2" h., 10 1/2" diam.

In play, the instrument is hung around the neck by means of the cord. Like the sekere of the Yoruba people of Nigeria and Benin, the akasa might be thought of as a combination rattle-drum. This is because, in addition to being shaken as a rattle, the player also can tap the neck or shoulder of the instrument with the fists (or fingers) to produce a drum-like sound. Another interesting technique involves using the palm to tap the mouth of the gourd; this results in a sound similar to that order of the udu, a pot-like ceramic instrument of Nigeria's Igbo people. An example of one playing technique is provided in the following videos (www.YouTube.com): "Ogbame @ Eden 1080p"; "Wulome Rehearsal - Accra, Ghana (2004)";
"Wulome Live Performance video (part 3 -- 1:12).