Celebration of festivals is part of Ghanaian culture. That is why every tribe in this country takes pride in the celebration of its festival. Many of our tribes have a unique way of commemorating their respective festivals and it is therefore no surprise that people tend to travel to their home towns to partake in such annual activities.
THROUGH festivals, old wounds are healed and people are educated on the need to co-exist and live in harmony. It is also at this period that chiefs and their elders make known to their people measures put in place to better their lot.
HOWEVER, the latest development where festivals have been used by aggrieved people to cause and foment trouble is not encouraging. In many instances, festival grounds have become bloody with members of the community fighting among themselves.
UP north, the celebrations of many festivals have been banned for fear of people losing their lives, whilst others have been celebrated under heavy police presence and protection. We at Today are at a loss because we cannot understand why an event that is expected to unite our community members rather on several occasions ends up tearing us apart.
THE news that tempers are flaring up in the wake of the celebration of the Aboakyir Festival by the Effutus of Winneba is distasteful in the mouth of any person who long to see our festivals organised peacefully. The anger of the some irate youth, according to a news item we carried in our yesterday edition with the headline: Danger looms: Over Aboakyir festival, was that the planning committee members with oversight responsibility to see to the peaceful organisation of the festival, were bias in their selection of people to serve on the committee.
ACCORDING to our report, the basis of this current looming danger over the celebration of the festival was in respect of a protracted chieftaincy dispute in the Effutu Traditional Area. This dispute is between Tufohen and Krontihene, and those from the palace of Tufohen believe that the planning committee members are engaged in underground moves to sideline their people from serving on the committee, and that explains why no one from their quarter is on the committee.
IF what those from the Tufohen are claiming is true then we implore the planning committee members to resolve the matter amicably. The planning committee must not wait till the situation degenerates before they act. More so, since the Aboakyir festival is celebrated by the Effutus it will not be out of place if people from all the various clans are included in the activities of the planning committee.
WE must be conscious of the fact that the Aboakyir festival is an event that is watched not only by Ghanaians but by foreigners who bring revenue to our country. Therefore, we must not be seen doing things that will be inimical to the celebration of Aboakyir, and will at the same time drive away our foreigner tourists.
