2019 Akwantukese Festival reaches climax today
This year’s Akwantukese Festival of the chiefs and people of the New Juaben State in the Eastern Region will reach a fitting finale today with a grand durbar at the Jackson’s Park in the regional capital of Koforidua.
First instituted by the present occupant of the Yiadom–Hwidie stool, Daasebre Professor (Emeritus) Oti Boateng in 1997, the festival has been celebrated every year since then with a mission of development in unity for zthe welfare of the people.
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The Akwantukese is a highly cherished festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of New Juaben to provide a linkage to their historic past and a united platform for sustainable socio-economic development.
It has achieved remarkable success since its inception 22 years ago by highlighting the missing but salient elements of Asante history and attaining significant national and international exposure and participation.
The festival commemorates the great migration of the people of Juaben and their allies from their ancestral homes in Asante to establish the New Juaben settlement in the Eastern Region of Ghana in the 1870s.
As celebrated over the years, the festival promotes socio-economic progress through the education of the youth on their origins, traditions and customs. It also serves as a tourist attraction for people all over the world.
As Daasebre Oti Boateng told the media during the 2017 festival, “the festival reflects a profound linkage to our past, especially the ethos and culture of New Juaben”.
The history of the New Juaben State is a complete story of a people who had to migrate from their homes in Ashanti in the 1870s as a result of civil wars to settle in the British Protectorate of Akyem Abuakwa.
While the Akwantukese Festival is foremost to showcase the history of the people of New Juaben and to promote the unity of the people in the traditional area, what is uppermost in the mind of Daasebre Oti Boateng is to bring about the rapid socio-economic development of the area through a united front.
One of a kind
However, this year’s festival is one of a kind. Daasebre Oti Boateng, in his wisdom, and as is usual with him, has pushed Akwantukese to a completely new level.
On the occasion of the launch of the 2019 Akwantukese Festival in Koforidua on Sunday, October 6, 2019, Daasebre Oti Boateng pointed out that the question to address was what historical landmark “we are going to bequeath to posterity to also celebrate our moment here with pride and inspiration that will define the heritage of the future generation”.
“This is the challenge we have to confront and address as a people so that festivals do not just become avenues for durbars, libation pouring, speeches and entertainment, but more importantly the wellsprings for pioneering legacy – bequeathing innovations that address the development demands of our generations,” he added.
Daasebre announced that the cornerstone of this year’s Akwantukese Festival was the launch of the 1st Pan-African Traditional Area Development Day (TADD) in the New Juaben Traditional Area to initiate and sustain the practical implementation of the award-winning Root-Based Economic Development (r-BED) Model.
The model is being pioneered by Daasebre Oti Boateng, an eminent traditional ruler, the first African to chair the United Nations Statistical Commission, Chancellor of All
Nations University in Koforidua and a renowned scholar recognised by the American Biographical Institute as one of the greatest minds of the 21st century.
Launch
It is because of the importance Daasebre attaches to the (r-BED) Model that he set aside a special day for the launch of the TADD, which came off successfully on Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at the forecourt of the Omanhen’s Palace in Koforidua.
The event, which was graced by the Vice–President of the republic, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, as guest of honour also attracted a section of traditional leaders in the country, with Togbe Afede XIV, the President of the National House of Chiefs, as the special guest, while Nana Kobina Nketsia, Omanhen of the Esikado Traditional Area, was a special speaker.
There were also guests from the United Nations (UN), the international community, as well as policy and business leaders in Ghana.
The historic event of last Wednesday, Daasebre told the gathering, would be compiled, published and disseminated to all traditional areas and kingdoms in Ghana and traditional states in Africa in partnership with the embassies.
In his address at the launch of TADD, he pointed out that “there comes a beckoning period in every nation’s history, what I call the watershed moment of truth, when the leadership fortress of comfort is replaced by a new pattern of consciousness to chart a new course of society for the benefit of humanity”.
“Those who embrace this momentous tide of truth attain glory with an enduring place in history, whereas those who become indifferent to it or attempt to confront it drop out of history as villains of humanity,” Daasebre added.
Still on his pet r-BED Model, the Omanhene mentioned that brewed from the stables of Ghanaian scholarship, it had been creatively designed for traditional states/areas, the bedrock of communities, to play a complementary role to governments and the private sector in sustainable community development in Africa.
Third sector
According to Daasebre, the r-BED Model established a third sector, dubbed the citizens sector, to provide the Basic Community Planning and Governance Framework for effective public and private sector partnership in sustainable community development and investments in Africa.
He said with the adoption of the r-BED Model, Africa’s development landscape would now boast of three key partners, a tripod consisting the public, private and the citizens sectors, nestled within traditional jurisdictions, instead of current dual Public–Private Partnership (PPP).
“The PPP framework is largely an imported western model which is not consistent with the dynamics of Africa’s development landscape, especially in Ghana, where the missing sector holds an important national asset for development, the land, and further controls the community, which is the basic unit of the State,” he added.
With the launch of the Root-Based Model, all is now set for the climax of the Akwantukese Festival today with the grand durbar of chiefs and people of New Juaben. It will be tradition at its best.
Congrats Daasebre, for another milestone in your efforts to lead your people to the promised land. Congrats to the chiefs and people of New Juaben for the giant strides you have made under the leadership of Daasebre in the last 27 years.
Ayekoo to all the good people of New Juaben on this occasion of the 2019 Akwantukese Festival.
Writer’s E-mail: [email protected]/Mob. 0275 193140