Academy of African Music and Arts (AAMA)

The Academy of African Music and Arts (AAMA) is the cultural anchor of Kokrobite, founded by master drummer Mustapha Tettey Addy. The academy teaches traditional Ghanaian drumming, dance, and music — techniques that are passed down orally and physically through daily practice. Week-long residential courses are available for serious students; shorter sessions and single-evening workshops cater to visitors passing through.

Performances at the academy draw both guests from the nearby guesthouses and local residents. The drumming combines polyrhythmic percussion patterns from Ga and other southern Ghanaian traditions with the kind of total-body engagement that makes Western percussion seem restrained by comparison. AAMA is located a short walk from the main beach. Ask at Big Milly's or any guesthouse about current schedules — programmes vary seasonally.

things to do sight
A story
Mustapha Tettey Addy, who founded AAMA, came from a family of master drummers from the Ga people. He performed at Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall in the 1970s, was recorded by ethnomusicologists, and could have built a career in Western concert halls. Instead he returned to Kokrobite and built a school to keep traditional drumming alive where it came from. His philosophy was that the drum was not a relic to be preserved in glass, but a living language that needed to be spoken.