Ada loses tourism attraction

Kunyenya-Big Ada, May 04, GNA - The chiefs and people of Ada have lost a vital tourist attraction site at Kunyenya, a village near Big Ada in the Dangme East District of the Greater Accra Region.

Kunyenya an ancient village at Ada was noted for a huge triple-trunk boabab tree, which attracted tourists from all walks of life to have a view of the historic tree with a lot of interesting if not superstitious stories to match.

According to oral tradition of the Ada's, the baobab has been in existence before 1660s when Ada's arrived in the area. According to the village folks, during the colonial days, attempts were made to destroy the tree to pave way for the construction of the Kasseh Ada Foah road but all their efforts were to no avail hence the sharp curve at Kunyenya when the boabab tree was located.

About eleven years ago when the Volta River Authority and Electricity Company of Ghana joined hands to erect high-tension pole to supply electricity from Kasseh to Big Ada and Ada Foah, the companies tried to trim the boabab tree to pave way for the electrification project. But their efforts were in vain and there was the belief that the gods of the area did not take kindly to plans to destroy the tree, hence the diversion of the electrification project.

Each year, before the celebration of Ada Okor Asafotu Fiami festival several customs were performed by special fetish priests and priestesses for the baobab tree and white cloth was wrapped around the tree and a cow slaughtered for the rituals. It is believed the triple-trunk boabab tree had special spiritual powers.

Despite the failure of efforts to uproot the baobab, something unusual happened this Wednesday around 1600 hours when the boabab tree fell without anybody torching it and blocked the main road. Some people the Ghana News Agency spoke to at the scene said the collapse of the huge triple-trunk boabab tree was of spiritual significance and could lead to calamities that might plague the Ada land, whilst others expressed regret at the loss of revenue accruing from tourism and reduction of tourism sites in the Ada area.