PITO BEER Pito is a type of beer made from fermented millet or sorghum in northern Ghana, parts of Nigeria, and other parts of West Africa. It is made by small (household-level) producers, and is typically served in a calabash outside the producers home where benches are sometimes provided. Pito can be served warm or cold. Warm pito gets its heat from the fermentation process. Pito brewing can provide an important source of income for otherwise cash-poor households in rural areas. It is never found bottled or canned, and, as a rule, is purchased directly from the household in which it is brewed. It is also used for the performance of certain customary/traditional functions such as the pouring of libation at social functions, funerals, marriage and child-naming ceremonies, as well as the performance of spiritual sacrifices among the Gurune speaking people of the Upper East Region and other parts of the north. Pito and traditional music linkages: The pito brewing industry is a formidable sector of the local economy, and is dominated by women both in the Bolgatanga Municipality and the remote areas in the Regions. The roles of men in the brewing process are usually limited to carting firewood to the kitchen on push carts for the brewing to be done. Some men also do the splitting of firewood in smaller pieces, especially those logs that are too large to be pushed in between the stones that support the boiling pots in the brewery huts. In the Bolgatanga township of the 1980s, the Bolga Naba’s Palace was the centre of the traditional stuff, where a variety of Goji and Kolko traditional violin and guitar live music entertained customers who filled the numerous pito bars that surrounded the Palace. These violinists and guitarists competed for fame by singing praises and reciting poetic incantations to please the prominent customers present in the pito bars. Patrons who were touched by these praises dished out monies to the praise singers who shower more accolades on them and raise raise their status higher on the social ladder, most often to the point of exaggeration. The mention of other popular Pito bars in Bolgatanga brings to mind names such as Abeele’s House B12 which was located close to the “Techiman Market gate” and which often attracted large numbers of customers. The Pink House, Rock House, Atangosco, and English House which was patronised mainly by Civil Servants who would get tipsy and butcher the English grammar like nobodys business. Here, the patrons were mostly educated and so they scared away people who were illiterate, hence the name. The Asumboya’s House was not too different and the Naba-Yere, which literally means the Chief’s House with a chain of Pito bars very close to the Bolga-Naba’s Palace. The interesting thing is that these traditional musicians told folklores in their narrative songs and these folklores served as a source of inspiration to the people, especially those in the lower segment of the society Samini and Pito African Dancehall star Emmanuel Andrew Samini says he’ll go into commercial production of Pito for export. According Samini this desire stems from his deep love for the drink which is his favorite beverage. The multiple award winning artiste told Hitz FM he always travels with his calabash and pito wherever he goes in the world. He attributes his inspiration for writing his chartbusting songs to the potency of the Pito drink which he takes for recreational purposes. His slew of hits include Tempo, Movement, Linda and Where my baby. Others include My Kinda Girl, African Lady and Trigger. Another reason is that his mum deals with the drink which is of Northern Origin. His mum is a legendary Pito producer whose joint in Dansoman is the toast of pito lovers, some of who travel from various parts of Accra to patronise the drink. Some folks believe Samini’s star status has boosted the mum’s Pito business. Samini therefore intends to invest in his mum’s business and ensure that the beverage is distributed worldwide. In his view, apart from the benefits to his family, producing the beverage for export will also promote Ghana in addition to the revenue potentials for the nation. Saminis new pub/resturant Danstardom is the most ultra-modern Pito base in the whole of Ghana. He attends interviews and shows with his calabash and pito. Today also happens to be the African Dancehall Kings birthday. Join us say HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMINI!!! Mor life, prosperity and more Pito.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 09:36:40 +0000