Bakatue: Omanhene's net did not catch any fish

Cape Coast, Aug. 30, GNA - This year's Bakatue of the people of Cape coast, was not characterised by the usual pomp and pageantry, as the customary first three casting of the Omanhene's net did not catch any fish.

A look of disappointment and anguish were written boldly on the faces of Cape Coasters, who witnessed the Bakatue rituals to mark the lifting of the month-long ban on fishing in the Fosu Lagoon in Cape Coast.

The usual cheers and merry-making that greeted that festivities was absent on Tuesday because after the usual rituals of casting the Omanhene's net did not catch any fish at all on all the three occasions that it was thrown into the lagoon.

According to the traditionalists, this signified famine, because there would be a lean harvest of both fish and food crops.

The traditional priests and priestesses, who arrived at the lagoon clad in calicoes and laces, were very enthusiast about the rituals, because they have envisaged a bumper harvest, but had to leave in disappointment because a fisherman, Mr Kweku Agyir, even after the normal casting of the net thrice went ahead and cast it two more times, which was unusual, yet only two small tilapias were caught in the net. Some people the Ghana News Agency (GNA) interviewed were not surprise at the turn of event, citing the high level of pollution of the Fosu Lagoon.

Earlier, three Asafo Companies, namely Boentsir, Anaafo and Nkum had competed in a regatta, during which confusion broke out among the fishermen about who was the actual winner, almost marring the beauty of the regatta, which always preceded the Bakatue. Mr Solomon Affum, Sales and Marketing Manager of the Paramount Distilleries, later presented 400,000 cedis each to the participating groups. A large number of people including tourists witnessed the occasion.