Kundum Festival Affected By Ebola

The Ebola scare has affected the celebration of Kundum festival due to the caution against social gatherings. It is an annual weeklong festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of Ahanta and Nzema, two of the ancient tribes in the country. According to credible information gathered by the paper, the initial consultations among the traditional authorities were to cancel the celebration of the festival this year. But upon second thought, they decided to shorten the celebration to only one day instead of the usual one week as custom demands. To this end, the Ahanta traditional area, the first to celebrate the festival, organised the one-day celebration as agreed by the council. In the Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Area, Essikado Ketan traditional council, under the authority of Nana Kobinah Nketsia (V), kick started the celebration last month. Lower Dixcove also followed suit by setting the ball rolling in the Ahanta area. They celebrated the festival two weeks ago. Across all the traditional councils in the Nzema area, meetings have also been held to settle on the decision to shorten the celebration of the festival. On Saturday, the chiefs and people of lower Axim joined the celebration by organising and performing all its activities, including rituals, on the same day. Eastern Nzema traditional council has also settled on the one-day celebration. At a meeting chaired by Awulae Amihere Kpanyinli, the traditional rulers agreed to abide by the advice of the health professionals. Information gathered indicates that upper Axim, Nsein and other notable traditional councils in the two traditional areas have also pledged to work with the latest version of the festival due to the threat of Ebola.