Effutu Traditional Area celebrates Aboakyer in splendour

The highly patronised annual Aboakyer Festival of the people of Effutu (Winneba) reached another level on Saturday, with a captivating display of rich cultural heritage, tradition, and vibrant festivities.

The annual event holds immense significance for the people of Effutu, drawing participants—mostly indigenes, festival-goers, tourists, and spectators from across the country and beyond—to converge on Winneba to be part of the celebration.

The cultural masterpieces are deeply rooted in the rich history and traditions of the Effutu people as symbols of unity, thanksgiving, and renewal.

The festival serves as an opportunity for locals to reconnect with their cultural roots and showcase their unique heritage to visitors.

The colorful ceremony was graced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, ministers of state, and traditional authorities from the Gomoa Akyempim and Ajumako Traditional areas, who were joining for the first time after many years of division.

Queen Mothers, in their beautiful regalia, sat gracefully in state, alongside Winneba Charlottesville Sister City Commission delegates from the United States and scores of revelers from across the globe, present to be part of history.

The celebration was themed “Promoting Tradition and Development through Aboakyer.”

The festival commenced on Saturday, April 27, with activities including cleanup exercises, a health walk, and the parading of the gods through the principal streets of Winneba.

Leading the procession were the Tuafo Number One and Dentsifo Number Two Asafo companies.

Also present were sub-chiefs, queen mothers, family heads, groups, youth groups, and hundreds of celebrants.

Heralding the procession was Neenyi Ghartey VII of the Effutu Omanhen Traditional Area, who was carried in a beautiful palanquin as he showcased his dancing skills in appreciation to God, the ancestors, and his people.

While many residents danced to wonderful renditions of frontomfrom drumming and contemporary Afropop music, others who were spiritually inclined chanted traditional war songs to the admiration of all.

The first catch of a live bushbuck from the ancestors' sacred hunting forest, which signified the peak of the event, was brought to the mammoth durbar ground by the Dentsifo Number Two Asafo group.

Later, the Tuafo Number One also brought their catch and presented it to Neenyi Ghartey to step on it three times, symbolizing the acceptance by the god Penkye Otu for further customary rites.

The history of the festival reveals that the vibrant coastal town, known today as Winneba (Effutu), unfolded as a mesmerizing tapestry woven with threads of ancient traditions.

Its genesis lies in the adoration and reverence for Penkye Otu, the principal deity, who guided the Simpa people from the historic land of Timbuktu, situated 20 kilometers north of the Niger River, to their present location.

The ancestors, throughout their arduous journey and settlement, annually propitiated their deity. A transformative shift occurred during the reign of King Bondze Enyinam in the 1400s.

He transitioned from the use of human blood to the symbolic sacrifice of a live bushbuck (Deer), called “Wansan” in the local dialect.

In effect, the Aboakyer Festival, marking the arrival of the bushbuck, was born, infusing the air with a spirit of celebration.