Akwamu marks Akwasidae festival
The chiefs and people of Akwamu in the Asougyaman District in the Eastern Region have celebrated this year’s Akwasidae festival with a call for unity to rebuild Akwamuman.
Akwasidae is celebrated among the Akans at the end of every traditional calendar month, as families take advantage of the festival to reunite, take stock of what happened throughout the period and plan towards the future.
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Last Sunday’s celebration at the Bogyawe palace was a unique one to be remembered as the occasion was used to unveil the new Sumankwaahene to the chiefs, elders and the people of Akwamu Traditional Area.
The new chief, who is also the Apenkwahene, was enstooled as Nana Ansah Obrempong V. He is known in private life as Mr Martin Adu-Owusu.
He is currently the acting Managing Director of the New Times Corporation.
Ceremony
The ceremony also saw Nana Ansah Okumahene, the Akyeamehene ( Benkum Division of the Akwamu Traditional Area), who for about 10 years declined to serve the Akwamuhene, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, due to previous chieftaincy impasse, announce that he had rescinded his decision after several consultations.
In a short speech, Nana Okumahene announced his renewed loyalty to the Akwahuhene and promised to contribute towards the development of Akwamuman.
He also renounced litigation and said, ‘it only brings about poverty and deprivation’.
Odeneho Akoto noted that his persistent quest to reunite all Akwamus was paying off as the royal families and other aggrieved chiefs were returning home to join the process of building a unified traditional area.
Togetherness
“From this day, we expect a total and complete togetherness to rebuild Akwamuman. Our illustrious history by itself is unable to bring us the development we need at this time to educate our children, create jobs, bring health care, ensure we travel on good roads, and generally bring development which matches the can-do-spirit of our ancestors”.
“Only the Akwamus can develop our great Akwamu state and governments will take us serious when we are united as one people and rally around our paramountcy,” Odeneho Akoto stressed.
He, however, advised detractors within the Akwamu State, with backing from hidden faces who sought to frustrate the development of Akwamuman to repent, stating that their efforts would be futile because the unflinching resolve of the people to build Akwamuman could not be stopped.
In a short sermon, Reverend Canon Charles Amankwa of the Anglican Church of Akwamufie, advised the youth to be circumspect about what came out of their mouth to avoid any future mishap.
Traditional rulers from Mamfe, Asamankese and Dodowa as well as political heads, including the Minority Caucus in Parliament, joined the Member of Parliament for Asougyaman Constituency, Mr Thomas Ampem Nyarko, and the aspiring MP for the New Patriotic Party, Mr Paul Asare Ansah, to grace the occasion.