The Edena Traditional Council has vowed to punish the religious leaders found preaching negatively about traditional beliefs and practices of the annual Bakatue Festival celebration.
Paramount Chief of the Elmina Traditional Area, also referred to as the Omanhen of Edina, Nana Kodwo Kondua VI, gave the warning in his keynote address during the launch of this year’s annual Bakatue Festival celebration in Elmina.
The event that attracted hundreds of people in and outside the community was under the theme, “Sustaining Our Heritage to Promote Community and National Development”.
It started with colourful processions by the traditional council’s Asafo Companies to the Elmina Castle Restaurant, where a durbar was held. The chief Lindquist of the Anomansa Traditional council, Omannyi Kweku, poured libation and invoked the spirit of 77 gods and ancestors in the area to bless this year’s Bakatue Festival celebration.
The Deputy CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Benjamin Anane Nsiah, on behalf of the CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Mrs.Maame Efua Huadjeto, thanked the Edena Traditional Council for the invitation and pledged the commitment of the Ghana Tourism Authority in ensuring that this year’s Bakatue celebration becomes fruitful.
The Guest of Honor, Nana Oworaba Obentsen, an indigene of Elmina, who doubles as the Royal Tourism Ambassador in the Central Region, addressed the gathering on “Repurposing Our Cultural Heritage for Relevance Preservation, Youth Engagement and Economic Emancipation”. He explained objectives, vision, and how to design and shape Elmina to become the best international tourist destination in Ghana, Africa, and the whole world.
Nana Oworaba Obentsen, the Amansrafohen of the Gomoa Assin Traditional council and the founder of the Crown Forest, also indicated in his keynote address that his owning the largest Hotel at Gomoa Nsuaem in Gomoa Central of the Central Region is to help harness tourism potentials in the country and West Africa. He mentioned the use of information, education, and collaboration with the government and private sector as a means of boosting tourism in Africa.
This, he noted, can only be realized through information, education, and collaboration with the government and the private sector. Reasons for this, he explained, stem from the African adage, “If one wants to go fast, the one has to go alone. But if one wants to go far, the one will have to go together with others”.
Nana Oworaba Obentsen, in his keynote address, said that although Ghana is blessed with an array of traditions and customs that reflect her rich cultural diversity, the country does little to tap into these resources. Nana Oworaba Obentsen recounted that the Edena Bakatue Festival celebration was in existence years before the arrival of the first Europeans – the Portuguese – in the country in 1471.
He called on the present and future generations to endeavor to sustain the nation’s customs, traditions, and festivals that define the citizenry. Nana Oworaba Obentsen urged the citizenry to heed his call for the nation’s rich cultural heritage, adding that Western cultures can lead some young people to undervalue their culture and traditions.
He paid glowing tributes to the E.T. Mensah Band of the 1940s and 1950s and the Osibisa, for showing the way, and through them emerged the Western World’s Afrobeat and others.
The Royal Tourism Ambassador in the Central Region, Nana Oworaba Obentsen, noted that if authorities plan the Elmina township well and promote other places of interest, the fort and castle will not be the only tourist destinations in the area but other attractions. He suggested to the Ministry of Tourism, the Ghana Tourism Authority, and all stakeholders to team up with him to help turn the fortune of Elmina around.
He also pleaded with the government through the Ministry of Tourism and the Ghana Tourism Authority to try and give Elmina shares of the revenue derived from the Cape Coast Castle to facilitate development.
The paramount chief of the Edena Traditional Council, Nana Kodwo Kondua VI, in his address, noted that the community and the entire nation derive huge benefits from the festival celebration, but Elmina lags in terms of economic and infrastructural development. He appealed to stakeholders to support the Bakatue Festival celebration, especially in performing activities like rituals, cleanup exercises, and the like.
Nana kodwo kondua VI asked the government to share with the Elmina royalties from promoting the castle.
He cautioned religious leaders guilty of denigrating the African Indigenous Religious beliefs to desist from the discriminatory act and promote peace and national cohesion.
The Bakatue Festival is a celebration of Ghanaian culture and history that takes place annually in Elmina, Ghana. The festival is celebrated on the first Tuesday of July. It marks the beginning of the fishing season, honors the founder of Elmina, gives thanks to the gods for a good fishing year, promotes unity, strengthens community ties, and honors ancestors. The name Bakatue comes from the Fante dialect and means “draining of a lagoon”. The festival has been celebrated since at least 1847.
Some activities to climax the celebration include drumming, dancing, storytelling, parades, durbar of chiefs, and sacred rituals. The festival is a cultural heritage of the people of Elmina, it is an opportunity to showcase the rich traditions and vibrant culture of Elmina. The occasion also offers an opportunity for dignitaries to address the gathering on issues of national interest.