Durbar to climax NAFAC nearly marred
A durbar to climax the 2016 National Arts and Culture Festival (NAFAC) in Accra was nearly marred as some youth of the Ga State prevented a representative of the Asantehene, Asafohene Akyeamfour Kwame Akowuah, from entering the durbar grounds in a palanquin.
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For close to an hour the event was at a standstill, as the youth and Asafoatse groups from the Greater Accra Region insisted that Asafohene Akowuah walk to his seat, instead of being carried in a palanquin.
While some supporters of the Otumfuo’s representative resisted the attempt, the Ga youth and Asafoatse groups blocked the way and prevented the palanquin bearers from entering the durbar grounds.
Eventually, Asafohene Akowuah and his supporters left the event and that brought proceedings to a temporary halt. Dance troupes and other cultural performers from the Ashanti Region also packed off.
Later, the Minister of Tourism, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, was seen in discussions with some of the traditional leaders present, after which calm was restored for the programme to continue.
Performances resumed and drew applause from the gathering, which included students, artistes, cultural performers, queenmothers, fetish priests and priestesses.
NAFAC
This year’s NAFAC, which was hosted by the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, was celebrated on the theme: “Promoting a culture of peace for national unity, social cohesion and economic empowerment”.
NAFAC is organised every two years by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, in collaboration with the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs.
The celebration of regional days, which are marked with cultural performances and arts, forms part of the week-long festival.
To climax the 2016 NAFAC, the Greater Accra and the Ashanti regions were scheduled to celebrate their regional days together at the forecourt of the State House in Accra.
However, because of what happened, only the Greater Accra Regional Day was marked.
Apology
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, apologised to the chiefs and the gathering, saying, “We were taken unawares and we sincerely apologise for that.”
He urged the citizenry to uphold the peace and the spirit of tolerance as the country prepared to go to the polls and called on the youth to avoid acts of violence before, during and after the elections.
The minister said culture and the arts were key areas which needed attention, as they had the potential to provide jobs, create wealth and facilitate development.
He asked Ghanaian craftsmen to focus more on the finishing and packaging of their products to make them attractive and competitive on the international market.
“The days of doing arts and crafts anyhow are long gone we have to package our products well,” Nii Laryea stressed.
Performances
The Saha African Dance Ensemble stole the show, following its splendid performance of the Gome dance, a creative dance of Ga-Dangme which is said to have originated from Fernando Po.
The Amameri Dance Ensemble from La Dade Kotopon and the Nungua Group also put up good cultural performances.
Next NAFAC
Later, addressing the gathering, Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said NAFAC, which started in 1967, had always been a learning ground to impart the diversified cultures of the nation to the youth and the people in general.
She explained that the standoff that had happened between the Ga youth and Otumfuo’s delegation was as a result of the diversity in cultures, since in the tradition of the people of the Greater Accra Region, a chief in a palanquin signified spoiling for war, while in the Ashanti culture, chiefs rode in palanquins for joy.
“We have learnt our lesson and it will help us ensure that the next NAFAC is better. The 2016 NAFAC has been very successful and we are grateful to all stakeholders, particularly traditional leaders, for making it a success,” she added.
Mrs Ofosu-Adjare announced that the Eastern Region had been selected to host the next NAFAC in 2018.
Nii Laryea, accordingly, handed over the NAFAC shield to the Director of the Eastern Regional Co-ordinating Council, Rev. Stephen Ebo Kessie. and the acting Administrator of the council, Mrs Agnes Mills.
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