Kwame Ansah-Brew on Fontomfom.mpg

Fontomfrom (Akantam): This royal piece from the Asante traditions of Ghana normally is played for Kings, Chiefs of high recognition and Abrimpong (courageous ones in the community). The word Frontomfom is derived from the word afro which means quagmire (very thick mud); seemingly quiet but able to devour an elephant. Frontomfom is the invocation of the inner person through seventy-seven proverbs communicated by the sounds of all the instruments forming the ensemble. Fontomfrom or Bomaa is the most complex of all musical types of the Akan of Ghana. It is a series of warrior dances that are performed in religious, ceremonial and social contexts at the courts of chiefs