The sons and daughters from the Greater Nandom Area in the Upper West Region continue to lift their culture high even in foreign lands.
At the Church of the Sacred Heart Catholic Parish in New Jersey in North America, it was culture at its best and a display of authentic Dagara culture, comradeship and fun.
The event provided an opportunity for many of the participants, dressed in different shades of smock and, by virtue of their location, rarely able to savour northern cuisine, to enjoy a variety of northern dishes and drinks on display.
From Tuo Zaafi (TZ), koose, topaane and waakye to pito and zumkuo, participants had a wide range of options to choose from while being entertained with Ghanaian, particularly Dagaaba, music.
The event, an annual Dagaaba celebration of culture, unity and oneness, was jointly organised by two groups with roots in Nandom.
ANANDA, NAG
The groups, the America Nandom Dagara Welfare Association (ANANDA) of North America INC. and the Nandom Advocacy Group (NAG) have one common objective of uniting all dagara residing in the US and, also mobilising resources to develop Nandom.
The annual event creates a platform for social networking for the development of the Nandom community in USA and Ghana.
ANANDA and NAG seek to promote and advance the dagara cultural, literary and artistic heritage, especially for the benefit of their children born there.
They also seek to rally support for the community back home with developmental projects
Speaking at the event , the Chairman of the ANANDA, Domeguah Christian Biepuo urged members to stay united, "to gain greater strength in supporting ourselves here and our community back home.
"In being united, we can make more progress on everything we collectively tackle than any single one of us person can.”
"Also, in times of adversity, we can be resilient and withstand whatever challenges that come our way," he rallied members.
Nandom cultural heritage
He explained that the annual gathering served as a platform to bring members together and promote the cultural heritage of Nandom.
Additionally, Mr Biepuo acknowledged that some people from the area were still not part of the group, adding that the gathering also provided an opportunity to reach out to them and encourage them to join.
"We have created offices that are responsible for recruiting new members.
"That notwithstanding we encourage all members to reach out to their social network and invite eligible members," he added.
On the difference between the two groups, the Chairman of NAG, Dr Jude Nuru explained that "we are essentially one big family of Dagara people living in USA from the Greater Nandom Area.
"Indeed, both groups are together as one community of sons and daughters from the Greater Nandom Traditional Area.”
Donation
"We are active in the area of health and education, having presented a consignment of medical supplies and equipment to the Nandom Hospital valued at $68,000," he told the gathering, which also welcomed other Ghanaians to the event.
Dr Nuru said they also donated equipment for the smooth running of the Physiotherapy department of the Nandom hospital valued at GH¢70,000, while some clinics and CHPS compounds in the catchment area were also gifted blood pressure monitors.
On awareness creation, he said they facilitated public education on road safety especially for motor-bicycle riders to address the problem of needless accidents and deaths from motor bicycle related road crashes.
"We have also opened up our platform to entrepreneurs from the area with great ideas for the development of Nandom," he said
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