Vandal Incursion part 2

On the Saturday morning in question I was awakened by the sounds of gunshots and screaming, footsteps rushing past my room and a very male voice yelling "Stop running!" I knew we were under attack by someone. And I figured that it was probably not going to be good for me to stick my tired obruni head out the door, because it was none of my concern. until i heard singing. surely a seige and attack would not have musical acompanyment...i mean, i know i have a soundtrack, but i do not live in a live version of the pirates of penzance or anything. So i decided that since sleep was impossible, investigation was in order. In my pjs and headscarf I open the door and peer over the balcony to see a circle of maybe ten men in red shirts dancing around a drum in the courtyard, while more guys in red shirts run around the halls firing very primitive looking rockets that make the big gunshot bang sounds that awakened me, and chasing a couple of ghanaian girls. After about five minutes the courtyard was full of almost 100 men in various states of dress, undress, cross-dress and nakedness dancing and singing songs (which would sound like gospel songs if you didnt know what they were saying, which was some pretty dirty stuff). The vandals had come calling.

They danced (very suggestivly) and sang for about half an hour, a sea of red and black, hands in the air, jumping up and down in a semi-melodic chorus. Then someone from the center of the circle, standing right next to the drums, raised his hands, stopped the music, and quieted the crowd. Everyone sat down on the grass in a very odd parody of kindergarten story time, and they all waited expectantly. Off to the side of the rowdy dancing crowd I had noticed a group of bare-chested, shaved-head guys standing behind a banner with their heads down as if they were hiding or waiting backstage for something. Now one of them stepped out, and stood in the center of the crowd saying something in the pidgin english-twi that all the studens (especially the boys) speak. At one point in his announcement everyone got up and cheered and sang again for a moment before settling back down to their seats. Then the tallest of the shaved-heads emerged from behind the banner holding a horsetail, which is the indication of chieftancy here. He said something, got a rousing cheer, and then made an announcement in Enlish to all the Volta girls, who's heads were lining the balcony, peering into the courtyard. He invited all of us to Commonwealth for breakfast, and said that it had been prepared specially for us by his own hand. Through the whole of the dancing part of the program there was one Ghanaian girl in a yellow polo shirt down on the grass with the boys dancing. She was lifted up and carried around, and was specially included in the invitation. The chief stepped back behind his banner and the crowd dispersed to Commonwealth Hall for breakfast. It felt like the girls of Volta had been claimed.