Regula Tschumi social anthropologist photographer

The Fancy Dress Festival

The colourful Fancy Dress Festival is held every year in various towns and villages in the Central Region during the Christmas and New Year period. During the festival, masked groups dance to the music of their brass bands and compete against each other. The stunning costumes and masks are designed and crafted by specialist tailors and artists each year.
I have spent several Christmases and New Years in the Central Region, always following and photographing the same group in Winneba. I spent several days with them, both before and after the festival. This gave me the opportunity to photograph them behind the scenes too.