story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Kpikpira
This year’s Danjuar festival of the Bimobas has been hailed as one of the most grandiose traditional events to be witnessed in the Kpikpira community of the Upper East Region in recent years.
Kpikpira, is a farming community located at the eastern part of Garu in the Garu-Tempane District of the Region. The people celebrate the Danjuar festival annually to remember the sacrifices of the ancestors, thank God for a successful farming season and to seek divine intervention for better years ahead
For the past ten years, the town has been without a chief and this certainly has affected the development, progress and unity of not only Kpikpira but the entire Bimoba Community.
The celebration this year was however different. Following the enskinning of Dana Dazuur II by the Paramount chief of Bawku, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, the Danjuar festival this time round attracted sons and daughters people from various parts if the country and others from neighboring countries to revel in the rich culture of the Bimobas.
The week-long festival was climaxed at the weekend with a durbar of Chiefs at Kpikpira.
The newly enskinned Chief, Dana Dazuur II and his retinue of elders, meandered their way to the durbar grounds ushered in by various cultural troupes all demonstrating the rich culture of the Bimobas.
Aside the numerous traditional songs and dances, Bimobas who have composed songs on compact disks were also offered the opportunity to perform and market thief product all in line of preserving the heritage of the people.
Revelers adorned in varied designed smock also sampled local dishes and drinks, including "pito", a traditional brew which was in abundance. They also partook actively in perhaps, what was the most interesting dance, the vigorous waist wriggling dance which both male and female present at the festival took part in.
The theme for this year’s Danjuar festival was on the theme: “Using festivals to promote Peace, Unity and Development, the role of Danjuar, " and in line with that the newly enskinned chef announced that he is more than ever before with the help of God and the ancestors of the land organize and galvanize the human and material resources their disposal to ensure accelerated development.
" I will organize durbars and fora to educate the people on the need to send their children, especially the girl-child to school. Also health and other related matters shall be prioritized to ensure that the people live healthy life styles and in a clean environment." The Chief, a staff of National Security said.
The Paramount Chief of Bawku, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, who was represented by a delegation made up of the Chief of Tilli and Chief of Tempane admonished the new chief and his elders to preserve the culture of Kusuag by discouraging the use of "foreign songs" at festivals and funerals but rather promote local compositions and dirges which identify the people and project who they really are.
The Upper East Regional Director of the Centre for National Culture, Mr Fuzzy Kombat urged the Bimoba Union to launch a cultural recovery programme to rejuvenate all extinct traditional festivals and other endangered ones." These include ; our music, dance and instrumentation, that is Gunguann' Saakpeta, Biok, Lonni, Konbena, Kontarr, Bitsangaani, Jok, Tiani.
While endorsing the need to preserve the good cultural heritage, Mr. Kombat also appealed to the chiefs and leaders to remodify the negative ones such as elopement, forced marriages, juvenile or teenage marriageable, tribal marks and scarification and other tattooing stressing that these must be discarded with the advent of HIV and AIDS.
"We should be mindful of out negative cultural practices that will destroy our homes, families and communities as witchcraft, widow inheritance, land litigation, forced marriages, tribal marks/scarification and elopements," he said.
He also advocated for the need to promote Bimoba traditional games and recreational actives such as archery, wrestling, hand clapping games, Sakpeta, story telling sessions, Kruye-Kruye(stone passing game) amongst others.
He stressed that all these go to demonstrate that the Bimobas have a rich cultural heritage which must explored and fully exploited for the development of their communities for the benefit of the people and generations unborn.
An opinion leader, Lawyer Joseph Kpemka Dindiock pledged to rally the people behind the newly enskinned chief to accelerated development of the area and preserve the rich heritage of Bimobas.
-end-
Writer's email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh
The celebration this year was however different. Following the enskinning of Dana Dazuur II by the Paramount chief of Bawku, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, the Danjuar festival this time round attracted sons and daughters people from various parts if the country and others from neighboring countries to revel in the rich culture of the Bimobas.
The week-long festival was climaxed at the weekend with a durbar of Chiefs at Kpikpira.
The newly enskinned Chief, Dana Dazuur II and his retinue of elders, meandered their way to the durbar grounds ushered in by various cultural troupes all demonstrating the rich culture of the Bimobas.
Aside the numerous traditional songs and dances, Bimobas who have composed songs on compact disks were also offered the opportunity to perform and market thief product all in line of preserving the heritage of the people.
Revelers adorned in varied designed smock also sampled local dishes and drinks, including "pito", a traditional brew which was in abundance. They also partook actively in perhaps, what was the most interesting dance, the vigorous waist wriggling dance which both male and female present at the festival took part in. 
The theme for this year’s Danjuar festival was on the theme: “Using festivals to promote Peace, Unity and Development, the role of Danjuar, " and in line with that the newly enskinned chef announced that he is more than ever before with the help of God and the ancestors of the land organize and galvanize the human and material resources their disposal to ensure accelerated development.
" I will organize durbars and fora to educate the people on the need to send their children, especially the girl-child to school. Also health and other related matters shall be prioritized to ensure that the people live healthy life styles and in a clean environment." The Chief, a staff of National Security said.
The Paramount Chief of Bawku, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II, who was represented by a delegation made up of the Chief of Tilli and Chief of Tempane admonished the new chief and his elders to preserve the culture of Kusuag by discouraging the use of "foreign songs" at festivals and funerals but rather promote local compositions and dirges which identify the people and project who they really are.
The Upper East Regional Director of the Centre for National Culture, Mr Fuzzy Kombat urged the Bimoba Union to launch a cultural recovery programme to rejuvenate all extinct traditional festivals and other endangered ones." These include ; our music, dance and instrumentation, that is Gunguann' Saakpeta, Biok, Lonni, Konbena, Kontarr, Bitsangaani, Jok, Tiani.
While endorsing the need to preserve the good cultural heritage, Mr. Kombat also appealed to the chiefs and leaders to remodify the negative ones such as elopement, forced marriages, juvenile or teenage marriageable, tribal marks and scarification and other tattooing stressing that these must be discarded with the advent of HIV and AIDS.
"We should be mindful of out negative cultural practices that will destroy our homes, families and communities as witchcraft, widow inheritance, land litigation, forced marriages, tribal marks/scarification and elopements," he said.
He also advocated for the need to promote Bimoba traditional games and recreational actives such as archery, wrestling, hand clapping games, Sakpeta, story telling sessions, Kruye-Kruye(stone passing game) amongst others.
He stressed that all these go to demonstrate that the Bimobas have a rich cultural heritage which must explored and fully exploited for the development of their communities for the benefit of the people and generations unborn.
An opinion leader, Lawyer Joseph Kpemka Dindiock pledged to rally the people behind the newly enskinned chief to accelerated development of the area and preserve the rich heritage of Bimobas.
-end-
Writer's email: benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh
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