Ewe Culture: Brekete Ceremony, Kente Weaving & Voodoo Tradition
The Ewe people of Togo and Ghana are extraordinary cultural producers — their kente weaving rivals Ashanti in sophistication, and the Brekete spiritual tradition is uniquely powerful
- 1
Brekete Voodoo Ceremony
The Brekete (gorovodu) tradition worships northern spirits through trance possession — ceremonies at neighborhood shrines feature extraordinary drumming, singing and ecstatic dancing
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Ewe Kente Weaving Workshop
Ewe kente in Togo is woven in narrower strips with more complex complementary weft patterns than Ashanti kente — master weavers demonstrate the process on handlooms
- 3
Habobo Shrine Visit
Traditional Ewe habobo shrines are found throughout Lomé's residential areas — community spiritual centers where ancestors are honored and disputes settled
- 4
Ewe Funeral Celebration
Thanksgiving funerals are elaborate multi-day celebrations of a life - brass bands, professional mourners and party tables set in the street, death turned into a community event
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Agbadza Dance Performance
Agbadza is the social dance of the Ewe people — a large circle of dancers moving to the rhythm of the atimevu master drum, performed at celebrations in Togo
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Akpeteshie Distillery
The traditional Ewe palm wine spirit – distilled in improvised pot stills from fermented palm wine – is drunk at all ceremonies; the distillers work in roadhouses