Low Key Easter At Kwahu

oor planning, packaging, lack of money and promotion of various activities earmarked for this year's Kwahu Easter festivities, especially the paragliding sport, have been blamed for the low patronage of events on the Kwahu Ridge. Some complained of lack of money to participate in the Easter activities. The Ghana Tourist Authority (GTA), traditional authorities, corporate bodies and the district assemblies have also been blamed for not doing enough to whip up public interest in the festivities. For instance, the opening ceremony of the paragliding sport that was usually held as part of the annual Easter festivities was poorly attended. Unlike the previous years when the opening of the sport was well attended by fans and the public, this year's opening ceremony performed by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Art, Ms Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare on Friday March 29, 2013 did not only start late but was also attended by very few spectators and a handful of corporate representatives to promote their products and services. Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Abetifihene, Nana Asiedu Agyeman stated that the absence of properly planned events could partly have contributed to the low patronage. He, however gave the assurance that the Kwahu Traditional Council would from next year "come up with properly planned events to make the Kwahu Easter a memorable one". The Public Affairs Director of the GTA, Mr Ben Ohene-Ayeh,who expressed satisfaction at the patronage by foreign nationals, was optimistic that more Ghanaians would embrace the sport. According to him 30 and 40 passengers, mostly foreign nationals, were flown off the cliff of the Odweanoma Mountain on Friday and Saturday. The District Chief Executive for the Kwahu District, Mr Jospeh Omari, blamed the low patronage on the failure of corporate bodies, especially telecommunication companies who had masts erected up the mountain for failing to partner the assembly to construct access road to the area. He, therefore, called on the telecommunication firms to join hands with the assembly to put the access road from Atibie to the top of the mountain into good shape to be able to raise the image of the sport and attract more patronage from the public. Meanwhile, a number of holiday makers who spoke to the Daily Graphic pointed out that many people had stayed away from the festivities mainly because of lack of money in their pockets. "You will agree with me that most people are aware of the Kwahu Easter and the absence of its promotion every year will not erase it from the minds of the people" Andrew Amissah, from Accra, stated. His view was rebuffed by another holiday maker, Rita Achiaw, from Koforidua, who stated the active promotion of the event could have whipped up public interest. "The active use of the media to promote the various activities of the Kwahu Easter could have been better than what happened", she pointed out. Meanwhile, residents of Kwahu have expressed a deep sense of satisfaction about the heavy police personnel placed at vantage points in the area, noting that had fostered greater law and order during the festivities. The Abetifhene, Nana Asiedu Agyeman, commended the police for making their presence more felt than any previous Kwahu Easter celebration. Mr Oppong Kusi, a provision store operator, said that much as the event had recorded a low attendance, the orderly manner in which the police helped, had partly helped him earn some appreciable sales. The District Chief Executive for the Kwahu South, Mr Joseph Omari, was also happy that this year's Easter could be described as one of the best ever in spite of the less patronage of the event. Meanwhile, a number of traders the Daily Graphic spoke to have expressed worry over the low patronage of this year's festivities, a situation which affected sales.