Ada celebrates Asafotufiami

BENJAMIN GLOVER             

07 AUGUST 2017

Djetse Abram Kabu Akuaku III (middle), Paramount Chief of the Ada Traditional Area, delivering his address at the durbar

The chiefs and people of the Ada Traditional Area in the Greater Accra Region celebrated their annual Asafotufiami festival last Saturday with the firing of muskets, amid dancing and general merrymaking.

The annual festival is celebrated mainly in remembrance of the heroic achievements of the founding fathers and ancestors of the area during the many wars of survival and development of the Ada people.

It is a warriors’ festival accompanied by firing of muskets by traditional military groups. This year’s was the 80th edition.

The celebration, which drew a number of people, both residents and non-residents, to the durbar grounds, was on the theme: “Peace and unity as a tool for socio-economic transformation of Ada Traditional Area.”

Former President Jerry John Rawlings, Dr Nii Kotey Dzani, a member of the Council of State, Mr Daniel McKorley, Group Chairman, McDan Group, a Deputy  Minister for the Interior and MP for Ayawaso Central, Mr Henry Quartey, the Deputy Minister of Transport, Mr Daniel Titus-Glover, the MP for Ada and Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Mrs Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe Ghansah, the MP for Sege, Mr Christian Otuteye, the DCEs for Ada East and West and other government functionaries, as well as the Kumawuhene, Barima Sarfo Tweneboa Kodua, who represented the Asantehene, graced the colourful ceremony. 

Former President Jerry John Rawlings exchanging pleasantries with some chiefs at the durbar

War on sanitation

Speaking at a grand durbar to mark the occasion, former President Rawlings underscored the need for all to be responsible in dealing with the sanitation issue in the country.

President Rawlings, who was recently honoured by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly for his advocacy for a clean environment, said if given the opportunity, he would jail a minimum of three persons a week for destroying the environment.

“We are very lucky the honour given me is a ceremonial one. Had it been ‘real’, every week I will jail about three to five people for sanitation-related offences until Accra becomes clean again,” he said.

A  band from Dodowa performing at the durbar

 The former President called on Ghanaians to be a little more patriotic by helping to arrest those who did the wrong things to prevent the spread of diseases.

“Let us not make things worse for ourselves. Typhoid, Hepatitis B and cholera cases are high in our country because of our attitude towards the environment. As a result, we all need inoculations. Let us not make things worse for ourselves,” he urged.

Anti-galamsey fight

President Rawlings also lauded President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s anti-galamsey effort, as well as the President’s charge on the Legislature to exercise authority over the financial dealings of the Executive, saying this is very rare and urged Ghanaians to take note of these things so they could judge for themselves if the right things were being done.

He accused the previous administration of issuing a lot of fishing licences to foreign vessels which had led to over-fishing and depletion of the marine waters and expressed the hope that the sitting government would address the situation.

“It is bad enough that poaching is going on but to authorise and issue licences well above the number that should be in our fishing waters is irresponsible. Some things are irredeemable when destroyed but we are waiting to see what this government will do about it before it gets too late,” former President Rawlings said. 

Govt committed

Dr Nii Kotei Dzani (left), a member of the Council of State, interacting with Mrs Comfort Cudjoe-Ghansah (right), the MP for Ada East, and Mr Henry Quartey, a Deputy Minister of the Interior, at the durbar

A Deputy Minister of the Interior, Mr Henry Quartey, who represented President Akufo-Addo, gave an assurance that the fight against galamsey was not going to be a nine days’ wonder.

He said the President was committed to the fight to ensure that Ghana’s water bodies were preserved, protected and the lands reclaimed, to enable the citizenry to enjoy a good environment and potable water.

Mr Quartey stressed that the anti-galamsey fight, just like the fight against corruption, was not targeted at any individual but rather, it was being pursued as a national security issue hence the President’s resolve to deal with anyone who engaged in it.

On sanitation, he reiterated the President’s resolve to make Accra the cleanest city in the ECOWAS sub-region if not Africa and appealed to all to rally round that call to keep the environment clean.

Unity

The Kumawuhene, Barima Tweneboa Kodua, who represented the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, commended the chiefs for sustaining the festival over the years and urged the Ada Traditional Council to continue to use the festival as a tool to foster unity and socio-economic development by mobilising resources to help the government’s development efforts.

Palace Project

The Paramount Chief of the Ada Traditional Area, Djetse Abram Kabu Akuaku III, in his welcome address, said this year’s festival had been dedicated to two key projects, namely a palace for the paramountcy and the construction of a Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound, to take care of the health needs of the people.

“This palace project has become necessary because the Ada State has existed for about 400 years without one and the current role of chiefs in the political dispensation has demanded for such a project which will help the chiefs to also contribute meaningfully towards the socio-economic development of the traditional area and the country as a whole,” he said.

Oath swearing

At the durbar grounds, greetings were exchanged between the chiefs and his subjects while the 10 Asafoatsenguame (war captains) in the Ada State renewed their allegiance to the paramount chief, to serve the state whenever they were called to do so.  

However, a misunderstanding among one of the clans, Dangbebiawe, as to who was the rightful person to swear allegiance to the chief, led to a clash which stalled the festival briefly but with the help of the security agencies, order was restored.

 Writer’s email: Benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh

via:https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ada-celebrates-asafotufiami.html