Odwira Festival Begins

Traditional leaders and people of Amanokrom in the Akuapem Gyaseman Traditional Area within the Eastern Region have commenced the celebration of this year�s Odwira festival. The Odwira festival, a week-long series of traditions and rituals performed to purify the town, the people and most importantly, the ancestral stools of the chiefs began on Monday, October 6 and would end on Sunday, October 12, 2014. This year�s celebration is under the theme: �Developing A Partnership Scheme With Teachers�. The theme is in line with a proposal by the Amanokrom people to establish a special scheme dubbed: �Amanokrom Gyase Asuketewa Teachers Scheme� for teachers of the Gyase Division as a means of motivating them to provide higher quality education for students in the area. Customary rites of path-clearing, outdooring of the new yam, purification and veneration and feeding of the ancestors are some of the activities lined up to mark the event. The highlight of the celebration would be the colourful and dramatic grand durbar when the Akuapem Gyasehene and chief of Amanokrom, Nana Osim Kwatia II, would sit in-state to receive homage from his sub-chiefs and people. The Gyasehene would as customary norms require, deliver his annual Odwira address, review the developmental agenda of Amanokrom and spell-out ways of tackling the challenges ahead of his traditional area. To round-off the event, a thanksgiving service, non-denominational would be held to express gratitude for God�s mercies, protection and safety of their lives. A fund-raising activity would also take place to solicit funds for the development of the Gyase Division of Akuapem Traditional Area. In his goodwill message to the people of Amanokrom and the entire people of Ghana, the Gyasehene stated that �the Odwira festival is a great landmark of cultural and traditional values of our people. It depicts our common origin and identity; strengthening our social bonds and inspires us to live in peace and unity and forge ahead to progress and prosperity.� The Gyasehene urged all to be tolerant to one another during the course of the celebration and afterwards.