Homowo Letter

Allow me to comment on an article that appeared on Ghanaweb through the Network Herald, titled ?Ga Celebrates Homowo with a Heavy Heart?. The article is so misleading and partial that I feel obligated to set the record straight.

The writer of the article started by referring to the celebrants as Najianshibii (Nadzi ashishi bii), that translates literally into English as those under the feet or, in other words, primitive people. The writer chose the word either out of ignorance regarding its usage and or its origins and connotations. It could also be that the writer lacks insight into the sophistication and the cosmopolitan nature of the celebrants of Homowo.

Nadzianshi bii was once used by people who lived either in Accra proper or closest to the capital. The further you were from the capital, the more nadzianshinyo you became. It was derogatory, meaning primitive or uncivilized. I therefore surmise the author was unaware of the meaning. By referring to the Homowo celebrants as nasdzianshibii, the author did, in effect, propagated the notion that the celebrants were primitive. This is egregiously false.

Homowo, like most other festivals celebrated in various parts of Ghana, is a time honored harvest annual preceded by strict cultural and religious protocols culminating in major gathering of families from far and near to take stock of the year that has just ended, express joy and gratitude over good fortunes, to mourn the departed, to mend broken relations, and to pray for blessings and good fortunes from the supreme being for the coming year.

With the advent of Western religion and with our desire to be westernized, we started to shun our own cultural practices in favor of Christianity and Islam. This led to a severe decline in patronage of the celebrations, because it was the Nadzianshi bii that celebrated the ?pagan? festivals. Yet at the same time, prominent GaDangbe traditionalists such as A. B. Quartey-Papafio and Abraham Akrong were unrelenting in documenting our traditional practices for future generations to follow. Homowo was no longer frowned upon and many were the celebrants who participated. They were in no way primitive or misguided. Prominent GaDangbes, including my own father, invited ministers of state, both from within and without Accra, foreign dignitaries, and high-level civil servants, to join them in celebrating the passage of another year and the advent of the new. I never thought I will be witnessing another onslaught on this spiritual celebration of good will, a celebration observed by every ethnic Ga group, irrespective of socio-economic status.

Today, we have a new cancer. The rapid proliferation of religious sects under the guise of Christianity, is threatening further our indigenous ways of life. They have called on their followers to defy the traditional laws and mores pertaining to the Homowo celebration. This has led to violent clashes between the traditionalists and the followers of the sects in recent times. Thanks to the law enforcement and the environmental protection agencies and their collaboration with the Accra Metropolitan Administration, this year?s celebration was peaceful, dignifying the celebrants. However, because they could not obstruct or interfere with the celebration, they resorted to using the media to malign the celebration by describing it as primitive.

We celebrate Homowo as an expression of our appreciation of who we are, where we come from, our gratitude to our maker as well as prayer for prosperity in the years to come. Homowo has become even more important today because of the siege under which the GaDangbe culture is currently being subjected to. The festival is not primitive, and it certainly is not practiced by primitive people. It is observed by proud people, who are aware of their origins and who aspire to greater heights in their development. It is observed by people who seek to preserve for generations to come traditions and practices that have been handed them by generations past. It is observed by people who see themselves as interim custodians of their culture and have a consciousness of preserving it for future generations. Homowo is our link to the past, to our ancestors and their great deeds; it is our link to the future, our children and generations yet unborn.

We shall therefore not be deterred by efforts from any section of the Ghanaian society to derail our resolve. Our culture shall endure; it will survive. Today Homowo is celebrated by the educated folk, the most cosmopolitan, who have realized their roles in preserving this great cultural practice. Today the mass of GaDangbe people, irrespective of socio-economic status, is banding to celebrate this great occasion again. To this I salute all GaDangbe for our timely realization of our place in preservation of our culture. Let us continue to uphold the values imparted to us by our forebears and the GaDangbe nation will be strong again. I greet you in the true Homowo spirit.

?oo wala, ?oo wala
Afi naa akpe wo
Kpaanyo anina wo
Woye Gbo koni woye Gbienaa h?
Wofee moomo
Wosee agbo bene wotara shi
Alonte din ko akafo woten
Naa nye see nyeyiwala donn
Kedzi ake mifee nyeten moko efon ko 'e, no 'e mii baa nye ni nye?o nyefa mi
Mihu miiha nyele ake mibe nyeten moko he efon ko.
Tswa Omanye Aba!

Nii Anang Quaye MD
Washington, DC

Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of Ghanaweb.