Where did Mapouka originate?
southeast Côte d’Ivoire
Mapouka (also macouka,”la danse du fessier”, or “the dance of the behind”) is a modernized version of a traditional dance from the Dabou area of southeast Côte d’Ivoire originating from the Aizi, Alladian and Avikam people.
What is the purpose of the Mapouka dance?
From its origin, Mapouka was a celebratory dance for festivals by Africans and was widely accepted because people believed that this dance led to encounters with God. Research shows that Mapouka has been used as a way to decide mates for young men and women as well.

Is Twerking an African tradition?
We can trace the origins of twerking to the Ivory Coast in West Africa, where a similar style of dance, known as the Mapouka dance originated. The dance has existed for centuries and consists of a series of movements emphasising the buttocks.
Who was the first twerk?
Shawn Hatfield
Meet Shawn Hatfield, also known as Twerk. Back in 1989, he was a skinny, 16-year-old skateboarder living in Santa Cruz, California. Like many other white kids in the late ’80s, he and his group of friends were just getting into hip-hop music.
What culture started twerking?
Twerking has long been a part of black culture. It’s only been in recent years that mainstream media began to acknowledge and accept it. The origins of twerking can be traced to Côte d’Ivoire in West Africa, where a similar style of dance, known as the Mapouka dance, was originated.

What’s the purpose of twerking?
The goal of twerking, as the Internet delights in explaining, is to move your hips and butt in the most sexually provocative way you can muster. If things go well, this results in a rippling of muscle that somehow translates into “this is why I’m hot. (I work out).”
What was twerking called before?
The earliest use of the word is unclear but according to Tyler Vendetti, “Twerk has technically been around since the 1820s, first appearing in the form twirk.