First as bitter as death...then as gentle as life...finally as sweet as love...
/Throughout our stay at Donyɛ, there would be downtime throughout the day. During this downtime we would talk to the family, listen to some gyil, explore the area and enjoy this amazing place in the north. During our relaxation, we were able to try Arabic style tea. The tea is not out of the ordinary, and sugar is added like any other tea. The unique aspect comes from the brewing process. A very small kettle is used to brew a whole box of tea. The same tea is used two additional times. The first glass is quite bitter from the large amount of tea used. However after each serving the sugar becomes the predominant taste. From this process it is said that the first glass is as bitter as death, the second is as gentle as life, and the third glass is as sweet as love. (The pictures below were taken by Mike!)
Hearing gyil was never uncommon throughout our stay. At times Dorwana or the Vuur family would play. Sometimes this playing would be for Mike and I, other times they would play for each other to exchange musical ideas. The most amazing times was when the music and dancing was simply for enjoyment.
One evening the older children brought a pair of bogyil to play. Bogyil are xylophones tuned differently from most instruments found in the Upper West. In Birifor culture the bogyil is the primary instrument for Bagr ceremonies (more on that later!) The bogyil are also played occasionally at funerals to increase dancers' excitement. Mike and I sat and listened to the playing for hours. As soon as the music started dancing followed. Everyone from toddlers to adults danced, laughed, and enjoyed the music well into the night. In Donyɛ down time can produce some of the most exciting moments.
