Muslims In Mamobi, Nima Celebrate Sallafest

Hundreds of Muslims and non-Muslims last Monday thronged the Nima Highway in Accra to celebrate the end of the month of Ramadan. The gathering dubbed, Sallafest, saw a prossession of youtfull chiefs of the various ethnic groups the country, dressed in their traditional regalia, riding majestically on horsebacks and palanquins on the highway. They were followed closely by their subjects who sang their native songs and danced to traditional tunes while exhibiting their rich culture. Young children, adults, and the elderly who could not join in the energetic performances, stood along the road side cheering the performances and exchanging goodwill messages among their peers. Members of the various political parties also joined in the carnival dressed in their party colours and danced to their political songs while others took the opportunity to send out messages on sanitation and recycling, by carrying placards with various messages written on them. History Sallafest was originally created by Vibe FM, an Accra based radio station in 1998 with support from the Ayawaso Council of Chiefs. The celebration has since become the biggest festival used to climax the end of a 30-day fast by all Muslims in the country. The unique celebration which regularly draws participation from other countries in the sub-region has also been ranked as one of the most popular celebrations on the Ghanaian Muslim calendar. This year�s event was put together by EXP Ghana, with support from Chapter O and VVIP Ghana, a music group with sponsorship from Frytol, Indomie and Rice Master. More than 10,000 people, for the third year running, were fed on a 600 metre table on the morning of the Eid celebrations. The move was intended to strengthen the bond between all religious bodies residing in the Nima-Mamobi community. Climaxing the activities Hosted by VVIP, the celebration was crowned later in the evening with a chain of performances from musicians such as Sarkodie, MzVee, Edem, D Black, Manifest, Stone Boy, Guru, EL, among others. The hip life music trio, VVIP, also kept the spirit alive when they performed most of their hit songs including their latest track, �Selfie�. They also took the opportunity to unveil their latest member to the group, Reggie Rockstone, and also released their new track dubbed, �The Book of Hiplife.� Fans of Shatta Wale, a dancehall artist, were also given the opportunity to interact with the artist via Skype.