Birifor communities in Wa West kick against Census exercise

Wa, Oct. 7, GNA - The Birifor communities in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region, are refusing to take part in the 2010 Population and Housing Census because they have been categorized under the Grusi ethnic group. The Birifors have been placed under the Grusi ethnic group, which comprises the Kasena, Mo, Sissala and Vagla instead of the Mole-Dagbani ethnic group. "We are refusing to be enumerated under the Grusi ethnic group. We belong to the Mole-Dagbani ethnic group", Mr Edward Sabo Laabiiri, President of the Upper West Birifor Youth Association said. Mr Laabiiri told the Ghana News Agency on Thursday that the people were not taking the matter kindly and were prepared to continue to keep census enumerators away from doing their work until the problem was resolved. He said people were very particular about their ethnic groups and would therefore resist any exercise that tended to separate them from their original ethnic group. "Census is very important and everybody will like to take part but under his or her original ethnic group", he emphasized. Mr Laabiiri, therefore, appealed to the Census Authorities to address the problem as a matter of urgency to enable the people to partake in the census exercise. 7 Oct. 10