The Gbese Somnenaa of Nii Doku We, Nii Doku III on Saturday joined thousands of GaDangme indigenes and well-wishers to celebrate this year’s Homowo Festival in a colourful ceremony that showcased the rich cultural heritage of the Ga people.
The festivities featured drumming, dancing, traditional rituals, and the sprinkling of the sacred food for the festival, Kpokpoi.
The Supreme Head of Gbese Somnenaa led his Asafoatsemei (warlords) in performing age-old rites at the Usher Fort before proceeding through some principal streets of Gbese.
Clad in a red ceremonial smock, Nii Doku III led his Asafoatse, Asafoatse Christopher Branford Nettey V to sprinkle the Kpokpoi in family homes and sacred places, accompanied by traditional chants, singing, drumming, and the firing of muskets, symbolising the rejection of hunger and invoking blessings for the year ahead.
Speaking in an interview during the festival, Nii Doku III stressed the urgent need for unity, peace, progress, and teamwork among the GaDangme people, emphasising that these values are essential for both cultural survival and social development.
“When we come together as one family, we can address our basic needs and build lasting development not only for our households but for GaDangme as a whole,” he said.
The Supreme Head of Gbese Somnenaa – Nii Doku We also urged all residents living on Ga lands to respect Ga traditions and culture, which he described as a vital part of the people’s identity.
He further encouraged the youth to look beyond the celebrations and learn the deeper cultural meanings behind the dances, rituals, and symbols of Homowo.
Nii Doku III called on families, chiefs, queen mothers, and community leaders to use this year’s festival as an opportunity for reconciliation by “smoking the peace pipe” and fostering unity.
The celebration also featured a symbolic dance performance by the Supreme Head of Gbese Somnenaa, through which he conveyed messages of unity, endurance, and blessings using choreographed cultural expressions.
In a related development, Nii Doku III, joined the Ga Mantse, His Royal Majesty King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, in the symbolic sprinkling of Kpokpoi.
This spectacular and historic gesture was widely described as a unifying moment that further strengthened the bond between the Gbese Somnena of Nii Doku We and the Ga Mantse.
Background on Homowo
Homowo, which translates as “hooting at hunger,” is the most important traditional festival of the Ga people.
It commemorates a historic famine that struck the GaDangme during their migration and the subsequent bumper harvest that followed after prayers and resilience.
The sprinkling of Kpokpoi, a cornmeal dish prepared with palm oil, serves as thanksgiving for abundance and a plea for continued prosperity.
He later joined King of Accra Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II Ga Mantse to sprinkle the traditional food of Kpokpoi at ancestral homes to hoot at hanger.
This year’s Ga Mashie Homowo drew participants from all walks of life, including political leaders, cultural enthusiasts, and GaDangme citizens from the diaspora, all joining to celebrate identity, resilience, and unity.
Reiterating his message at the close of the celebration,
Nii Doku III reminded the people that peace and cooperation remain the surest path to progress, urging all stakeholders to work together for the cultural and socio-economic upliftment of the GaDangme community.