Festivals are occasions where a group of people who share common values and beliefs come together to celebrate and remember the past.
There are various Traditional festivals in Ghana. Some of these festivals are Aboakyir,Akwambo,Homoowo, Hogbetsotso, Kundum,Odwira,Damba, Kotoklo etc.
The Amankuma festival is one of the traditional festivals in Ghana. It is celebrated by the people of 'Apinto(Awudua)' a suburb of Tarkwa in the Western Region of Ghana. The Apinto Traditional Council are the custodians of the Tarkwa stool lands. These people are very rich and powerful.
This year's celebration starts from 10th to 16th December on the theme: "The Ban on Small Scale Mining: Our Socio-Economic Heritage and the Way Forward".
The launch was held at Tarkwa in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality of the Western Region.
Festivals and Durbars in Ghana are very colourful and vibrant part of the culture, and these are held in various parts of the country every year to celebrate the heritage and culture of the people.
Celebration of Festivals are also very important historically, and it has a greater impact on a country's socio-economic development. The people of Wassa in the Apinto Divisional Council cannot be left out when it comes to the celebration of festivals in Ghana.
HISTORIC BACKGROUND:
Apinto Divisional Council celebrate Amankuma Festival. The festival has historical background with it's people in the 17th century. History has it that, the people of Apinto from Awudua Dada (Old Awudua) had a crocodile god living together with them.
The crocodile according to history paid a regular visits to the people and whenever they are faced with challenges the crocodile would provide them with support in a form of vomiting gold to them. The people in Awudua has an enblem of crocodile which is an indicative of Amankuma. The crocodile normally provides the people the of Apinto with ease them from suffering.
In honouring the crocodile, the chiefs, elders and people of Apinto of Awudua made it a custom to visit the crocodile regularly and celebrate it supports. By doing these, the Crocodile gets satisfied and it's able to provide the people with their needs.
They have a belief that the crocodile supported them in difficult times during the migration from 'Awudua Dada' to the current place and so they owe it a duty to celebrate the crocodile god.
Columnist: Sir Obed Awuah-Sarfo.
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