The chiefs and elders of Effutu Traditional Area in the Central Region of Ghana have officially launched the celebration of the 2023 Aboakyer Festival.
According to the traditional leaders, the theme for this year’s celebration is “Your participation makes a difference in development”.
The launching was used as an avenue to call on the public to refrain from actions that tarnish the image of the Ghanaian culture.
The event was attended by chiefs, and stakeholders in the community and all groups represented pledged their support at the launch.
According to the traditional leaders, the festival will start on Saturday, April 29 with a tree-planting exercise at the Aboakyer hunting grounds to restore its wildlife nature.
Other activities lined-up for the celebrations include a Gospel musical night, general clean-up and consecration of the shrine, football tournament, Aboakyer food bazaar, and parade of deities by Tuafo Number 1 and Dentsefo Number 2 Asafo companies through the streets of Winneba.
There will be a grand durbar on Sunday, May 7 to climax the festival after deer hunting in the morning by the two Asafo companies.
According to the Neenyi Ghartey VII, “it had become necessary to undertake the tree planting exercise because of excessive grazing by cattle herders and actions of estate developers over the past few years which have caused the hunting grounds to lose their forest estates”.
“The intention is to bring back the wildlife that has left the place because the area is now bare. The challenges are from the cattle herdsmen and estate developers. Not much support from the Municipal Assembly to halt the encroachment”, he noted.