Salafest Street Canival At Darkuman: Fun And Indiscipline

Muslims in Darkuman, a densely populated suburb of Accra, marked this year's Eid-el Fitr festival, last Friday, with a massive carnival on the main Darkuman Road. The event, which started four years ago was organized by the Peace and Unity Fun Club. The carnival attracted a large number of people from various suburbs of the Accra Metropolis.

As is usual with such carnivals, people dressed in fancy dress costumes dominated the street party. Due to the religious nature of the carnival, the costumes portrayed different cultures and traditions of Muslims and northerners. Chiefs and opinion leaders dressed in royal regalia rode on horses while others drove in posh cars as well as old model cars. The chiefs were followed by members of their family and supporters who fired muskets and sang praises to their overlords. The carnival also saw acrobatic performances and magical displays. The magicians used sharp swords and knives to cut their bodies without hurting themselves. They even swallowed nails and broken bottles.

The youth wore gaudy coloured dresses and cloth to identify them with their different fan clubs and sporting teams.

Others participated by defiantly and dangerously sitting on top of motorcars that sped back and forth threatening the lives of people. It was one action that heightened once more the need for discipline in the Ghanaian society. This was an aspect of the carnival sober minds would have wished never occurred. It was evident that the young men and women engaged in the dangerous traffic games did not know that celebrating a carnival is no excuse to break the law.

Speaking in an interview with Metro Mail, the President of Peace and Unity Club, Alhassan Balambala said residents of Darkuman and its environs used to go all the way to Nima or Zongo to celebrate the Eid-el-Fitr, which resulted in children getting missing or being involved in accidents. Four years ago, members of the club decided to organize something similar to that of Nima and Zongo so that Muslim residents in the area would have the opportunity to celebrate Eid-el-Fitr in their community to avoid the problems they used to encounter in the other side of the metropolis.

Alhassan Balambala who is also the Youth Chief of Darkuman said, the carnival is meant to provide entertainment for the visitors who return from Europe and America to celebrate the festival with their families. He said the event has become very popular and some companies are beginning to express their interest in sponsoring it to become a major event to attract tourists. But first, the youth of Darkuman would have to educate themselves in vital aspects of social discipline.