Thousands of people from all walks of life, have joined the Chiefs and People of Elmina in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem (KEEA) Municipality of the Central Region to perform the annual ritual for the commencement of the Bakatue festival.
The event was a show of culture, custom and African tradition.
In the morning of Tuesday, July 05, all members of Elmina Royal Family participated in a royal possession, made up of chiefs and stool carriers.
Led by the Paramount Chief of Elmina, Nana Kodwo Conduah VI, who was adorned in rich traditional regalia, the chiefs exhibited their dancing prowess amidst drumming and dancing through the ceremonial streets of the city of ancient civilization in Ghana.
The Chiefs later in the afternoon offered the sacred festival food of eggs and mashed yam mixed with palm oil to Nana Benya, (the river god) at the Benya Lagoon and prayed for peace, abundant fish catch and farm produce.
This was followed by casting of the Omanhen’s net which was done thrice to get a catch to signify a bumper harvest and the subsequent firing of muskets to declare an end to the ban on fishing, drumming, funerals, and other social activities in the Elmina Traditional Area.
Another attraction was the canoeing on the lagoon by women wearing rich Kente cloth and local festive headgear (Tekuwa) adorned with gold tiara as they fired guns to the admiration of all.
There was once again a royal procession leading to the chief’s palace amidst traditional music that ended the colourful event after the traditional, priests had offered all the fish caught by the Omanhen’s net to the gods as a symbol of appreciation for the next harvest.
The chiefs, after the fish catch fired three gunshots to the skies to symbolize the beginning of the Bakatue Festival.
The 2022 Bakatue Festival is on the theme: “Buy Made in Ghana Goods, Use Made in Ghana Products and Support Ghanaian Industries and Create Employment for the Youth.”
Addressing the gathering alongside the pomp and pageantry, Madam Roberta Dawson-Amoah, a representative from the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), described the festival as an integral part of activities marking, and display of the rich customs and culture of the country.
She urged the elderly to promote the Ghanaian traditions, customs, and norms in the youth to ensure their preservation.
The Representative appealed to them to “eat Ghana, wear Ghana, see and feel Ghana” to help end the high importation of foreign goods to the country.
She admonished the people to keep their heritage and keep the environment clean always.
Madam Dawson- Amoah urged Ghanaians in the Diaspora to maximize the opportunities associated with the Beyond the Year of Return to come back home to support Ghana’s development agenda.
She said the Government’s policy of Diaspora engagement was aimed at attracting high quality workforce to help bring home the needed investment to drive the government’s industrialization agenda.
Mr Solomon Ebo Appiah, the KEEA Municipal Chief Executive in a message, urged residents of the Area to prioritize environmental cleanliness as a means of attracting and retaining tourists.
He advised the public to desist from indiscriminate disposal of solid and liquid waste to avoid their debilitating health effects.
He cautioned them to be vigilant as visitors have arrived in the area and be responsible citizens to ‘say something when they see something’ to support the National Security efforts in protecting the lives of the people.
Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Coconut Groove Beach Hotel, in an address, called on the residents to embrace peace, unity and stability as they usher into a new year.
He admonished them to change their attitudes and be responsible in whatever they do for the betterment of all.