Using Simpa dance to whip support for EC registration exercise

The Electoral Commission is using radio and TV advertisement to publicize the ongoing limited biometric registration exercise for people who have attained the age of 18 to enable them to vote in the November polls.

The Tamale South constituency the Member of Parliament (MP), Haruna Iddrisu has other ideas as he has introduced an innovation to take advantage of the growing interest in local entertainment to whip up enthusiasm for the exercise.

He has organized a Simpa Dance competition for various rural communities in the constituency at Gbabshe, a farming community in the Tamale Metropolis.

The Simpa Dance which is known for its emotional expression and education was discovered in 1948 according to Dagbon historians.

It was witnessed by some chiefs in Tamale and several political heads. Dagombas regard dancing as a form of emotional expression, social interaction, a spiritual performance or even physical exercise that aids them articulate or illustrate ideas or tell a story. In most cases, music in Dagbon is accompanied by dancing in order to form a complete story.

The Simpa Dance is one where a male singer leads women in the act with background drummers and singers to whip up enthusiasm. To be a successful Simpa dancer as a woman you need to have a strong waist to twist and shake it to attract the interest of men.

This competition was not only to whip up enthusiasm in the limited registration exercise but to revive this contemporary dance.

Addressing the gathering, Haruna Iddrisu said the Simpa dance competition is to take advantage of the attractiveness of the dance to rally residents for the ongoing limited biometric voters registration exercise by the EC and also to revive the dance.

Kakpa-yili Wait and See Dance group emerged winners of the competition and they took home four pieces of clothes, Simpa drums and an amount of ¢1000.