Abstract

Ewe storytellers in Ghana’s Volta Region perform themselves into belonging. This community constructs itself in the telling of old and new stories for entertainment, moral education, and self-efficacy. Listeners affirm their approval of the stories by responding and witnessing, “Mílè tèfé!” (I was there!) They participate as performers themselves, laughing and gasping at appropriate moments and interjecting songs and dances that enliven the event and further enlighten the assembled. This paper evokes the storytelling performance to describe the art of Ewe cultural expression in honk, aria, whisper, and stomp. Storytelling descriptions capture moments of surprise and delight, and storytellers discuss their frustration with their perception that this is an endangered art form.