The Gbese Mantse, Nii Ayi-Bonte II, over the weekend performed the traditional sprinkling of kpokpoi as part of the celebration of Homowo Festival in Accra (Ga Mashie).
Homowo, one of the iconic festivals in the country, loosely translates as ‘hooting at hunger’ and is predominantly celebrated by the Ga- Dangme people in the Greater Accra Region.
It is a festival not only intended for merry making but also to thank the gods and ancestors for blessing the people with bountiful harvest after a long period of famine.
The festival is usually preceded with a one month ban on drumming and noise making in Accra and is done as part of the spiritual planting of corn (mwaidumo) and the subsequent lifting of the ban through the Odada ritual.
In line with custom, the sprinkling of the first kpokpoi which is the sole preserve of Gbese which is the Adonteng of the Ga State is mostly carried out by the paramount chief of the area to signal the commencement of the festival.
Adorned in all red apparel, Nii Ayi-Bonte led a retinue of asafoatsemei (traditional warriors), divisional, sub-chiefs and elders of the principal houses of Gbese to perform the sprinkling of the kpokpoi.
The sprinkling was done in all the ancestral homes of the people and through the principal streets of Ga Mashie starting from the Gbese palace through to the Usher Fort, the burial site of some patriarchs of the Gbese State.
Addressing a durbar of chiefs and elders from his traditional area, Nii Ayi-Bonte urged the people to unite in their efforts to restore Accra to its greatness.
He explained that Homowo was not a period only for merry making but for deep introspection and reflections on the past, present and the future.
Nii Ayi-Bonte said it was very important for the people of Ga Mashie and Greater Accra in general to pause and take stock, reflecting on why it was lagging behind in its development despite being the national capital.
“We must celebrate this year’s homowo but we must not only enjoy the merry making. We must also reflect on our past, present and future and also find ways we will unite to build Accra,” he stressed.
Touching on this year’s election, he said Ghanaians must pursue the path of peace and not allow themselves to be divided.
He said politics and elections must not divide the people rather it must unite all.
“We must all agree that all of us cannot belong to one political party. Even as brothers and sisters, we differ in our opinions and daily choices yet we live together in peace and harmony. It is the same way we must do our politics,” he added.
Nii Ayi-Bonte who is also the Adonteng of the Ga State urged the political parties to ensure peace by preaching their messages devoid of insults and abuse of one another.
This he said was the only way the people we make their choices and also come together as one people after the elections.
He advised the youth against allowing themselves to be used in violent attacks and causing mayhem before, during and after the elections.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
