At a time when African dance enthusiasts are still getting acquainted with the “shaku shaku” dance trend, they now have a new dance to learn – even without having mastered the former to the fullest. It’s named “Akwaaba”, the Twi word for “welcome”.
Twi is a dialect of the Akan language spoken in southern and central Ghana. It is spoken by up to 9 million Ashanti people as a first and second language.
“Akwaaba”is the title of the first single from Guilty Beatz (who also happens to be the brain behind Mr Eazi’s smash hit single “Sample You”). The DJ and producer is signed to Meister Music, the same company that manages Mr. Eazi. Watch the video here:
It’s no surprise that the song also features Mr Eazi, alongside rapper Pappy Kojo and One Corner-singer, Patapaa. But even though he’s only featured, Mr Eazi has become main proponent of the Akwaaba dance.
The dance is mostly centered around hand movements – with both hands making knife-like gestures at first, while the dancer leans forward from the waist. Then one hand is raised to be parallel to the body, with the other hand in the opposite direction. The next move is to switch hands. All the while, the dancer is required to keep both feet moving. Watch a tutorial below:
Easier said than done, I know.
With over 600,000 YouTube views in under a month, the Akwaaba dance has now gone viral. If the dance does make its way to Nigeria, it will become a victory of sorts for Mr. Eazi, who has fallen out of favor with Nigerian audience, and an introduction to Guity Beatz.