CULTURE AND TRADITION
President of the Ghanaian community in Ivory Coast, Nana Kyeremaa Abrafi-Koto, and President of Ga Traditional Council, King Takie Teiko Tsuru II, have
initiated moves to promote the culture and tradition in West Africa.
They believe an effort in that direction, would continue to provide beneficiary communities and the people within the subregion with a sense of identity, community networking, and a sense belongingness.
Cultural tradition, the two traditional rulers noted, can also be a source of comfort and strength in times of difficulty and therefore must be harnessed for development.
They emphasized that cultural tradition, once neglected, in essence would destroy the heritage and history of communities within the subregion.
But, once maintained, the purity would provide the people working and living in the subregion, that sense of unity, peace, stability and cohesion as more and more avenues would be created by traditional leaders for the people to build shared trust, instigate growth and ultimately development.
INVITATION TO HOMOWO
As part of the effort to promote culture and tradition, President of the Ga Traditional Council invited the leader of the Ghanaian community currently serving as Queen Mother of ECOWAS nationals working and living in Ivory to witness this year’s edition of Homowo Festival.
Homowo, or ‘Mocking Hunger’ is a huge public event in Ga communities of Accra and elsewhere along the coast of the Greater Accra Region. Therefore, during the celebration of this historic festival, various programmes and events are paraded along the principal streets of Accra, Ghana’s capital city.
HOMOWO EVENTS
There are various durbars and lots of street revelry organized by the Ga people during the Homowo festival to kick against hunger and to usher in the new harvest season ( new year)
In recognition of the Ga state as one of the oldest Kingdoms in the West African subregion, the Queen Mother of ECOWAS Nana Kyeremaa Abrafi-Koto led a delegation of twenty people made up of Ghanaian traditional rulers representing various tribes and ethnic groups as heads in Ivory Coast to participate in this year’s Homowo festival.
The delegation, witnessed the performance of the famous twin festival as part of the Homowo activities that inundated all the Ga communities in the past few days.
The delegation, also paid a courtesy call on the Ga Mantse and his elders at the palace where a mini-traditional durbar was organized in honor of the visitors.
The traditional priests at the palace, used the occasion to pour libation in honor of ancestors, and to also bless the Queen Mother and her delegation for initiating cogent steps to connect with the Ga traditional area with the subregion in terms of promotion of culture and tradition.
PRESIDENT OF GA TRADITIONAL COUNCIL
At the colorful durbar, the President of Ga Traditional Council and Ga Mantse, welcomed the Queen Mother and her delegation to his land.
He used the solemn occasion to offer her the chieftaincy title Naa
(Queen Mother)
Kyeremaa Abrafi-Koto
and assured her of his determination to cement the beautiful relationship cultivated by the two interested parties.
He assured the Queen Mother and her delegation of his anxiousness, commitment to reciprocate the kind gesture.
He commended her for the visit and solidarity showed the people of Ga by the Queen Mother and her 20 man delegation.
Consequently, he announced his willingness to participate in the 2024 edition of Festival National de l’Afrique (FENA) in Ivory Coast.
It is one of the most patronized festivals being organized by the Queen Mother to celebrate African nationals working and living in Ivory Coast.
On Sunday evening, King Takie Teiko Tsuru II, hosted the Ivorian delegation at a private dinner as part of the hospitality characterizing the celebration of the Homowo festival.
PRESIDENT OF GHANAIAN COMMUNITY IN IVORY COAST
On her part, Nana Kyeremaa Abrafi-Koto, President of Ghanaian community in Ivory Coast, expressed extreme joy and satisfaction for the warm reception received by her delegation following their visit to Ghana
She said the relationship between the two interested parties, would further advance components of the African culture.
These, would include the values system, beliefs and norms, as part of general development of the cultural heritage in the subregion.
She said she would want the cultural nuances, that hitherto were far-reaching and could overshadow individual beliefs and ideologies to be revived within the subregion.
“One of the main reasons why culture is so important is due to the stability it provides for so many people” she said.
The Queen Mother who has carved a niche for herself in the traditional circles in the West African subregion, also assured the Ga Mantse and the people of Accra of strategic steps she would take to promote business collaborations to further strengthen the beautiful relationship being developed.
As President of BID Group, the company working in Real Estate, Waste Management, Investment consultancy in Ghana and Ivory Coast among others, she promised to partner with the right organizations and individuals, to promote investment drive in Ghana and Ivory Coast.
She also assured the people of Ga of her commitment to promote social networking through her foundation in collaboration with other civil society organizations working in Ivory Coast and in Ghana.
SIGNING OF BOOKS OF CONDOLENCES
The Queen mother also used the opportunity to sign the books of condolences at the Ga Mantse palace and at the Ga Traditional Council in memory and in honor of the late father of Ga Mantse who passed away and the late Queen mother of the Ga Traditional Council who also passed away respectively.
The Queen mother and her delegation, subsequently left Ghana on Tuesday 22nd August 2023.
Ga Mantse is the Special Guest of Honor for the 2021 MTN SWAG Awards Night in Accra
