Resolve chieftaincy, land disputes in Ga state
The Ga Traditional Council has been admonished to settle the rising spate of chieftaincy and land disputes within the traditional area.
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According to a lecturer at the Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture, Rev. Dr Philip Laryea, the growing land and chieftaincy disputes in Ga state, send wrong signals and impressions about Gas.
“The land and chieftaincy disputes within the council are too many and must be quickly addressed by our traditional authorities,” he said.
Dr Laryea was speaking at a thanksgiving service for this year’s Homowo festival for the people of Osu in Accra.
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The lecturer also alleged that the chieftaincy institution was awash with allegations of corruption which needed to be tackled head-on to save the image of the revered institution.
He indicated that there were some individuals and groups who benefited from causing confusion and conflicts within the chieftaincy institution, “but as traditional leaders, you must stamp your authority to stop all such selfish people from infiltrating your ranks.”
Thanksgiving
The thanksgiving service brought together traditional leaders within the Osu Traditional Council, some Members of Parliament (MPs), politicians and minsters of state.
It was on the theme “Celebrating the wonders of God in our religious traditions.” Special prayers were said for peace at Osu and for a bumper harvest and prosperity for the people.
The service formed part of the National Interfaith Harmony Week launched by the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) a week ago.
The interfaith programme seeks to bring together Christians, Muslims, traditionalists and people of other religious faith to consolidate the prevailing unity and peaceful coexistence in the country.
The celebration, which will officially start from September 27 to October 11 this year, will include activities such as debate, public lectures, panel discussions, sports and interfaith church services.
The CCG presented Bibles to the Osu Traditional Council.
Relevance of festivals
Earlier in his welcome address, the General Secretary of the CCG, Rev. Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, underscored the importance of festivals in contemporary times.
He indicated that it was inappropriate for Christians to think that there was no need to celebrate traditional festivals since some of the festivals had historical background that offered some lessons to the youth.
“As Christians, we must appreciate the essence of festivals and not distance ourselves from them,” he advised.
The general secretary further called for deeper interpretation of festivals.