CULTURAL NEWS
Tuesday, February, 20, 2007
Freedom Flame begins journey from Wa to
Accra
Story: CHRIS NUNOO, Wa
POLITICIANS, Chiefs, the Clergy and excited school children in Wa yesterday gave an indication of the fervour with which the Freedom Flame, akin to the Olympic Torch, will undertake its 2,600-kilometre journey to connect the entire country to the Ghana@50 Celebration.
At exactly 10.30 a.m., the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr. Ambrose Dery, lit the torch, took a few steps with it and handed it over to the Dorimon Naa and Acting President of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs, Naa S.D. Gore II, who also passed it on to the Catholic Bishop of the Wa Diocese, the Most Rev. Paul Bemile.
The Freedom Flame will travel through all the regional capitals of the country and make its final berth in Accra on the eve of March 6 for the climax of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations.
The torch will be handed over to the President at the Independence Square on Independence Day to light the Perpetual Flame.
From Wa, its first stop is Bolgatanga, from where it will travel through some towns in the Northern Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Volta, Ashanti, Western and Central Regions before it finally arrives in the Greater Accra Region on the eve of the Independence anniversary.
Apart from the main players involved in the ceremony, the short but colourful event in Wa was celebrated by scores of schoolchildren, Heads of Departments, Chiefs and the General Public.
The flame later went through the principal streets of Wa in a procession of schoolchildren, amidst brass band music.
In an address, Mr. Dery described the ceremony as historic and stressed that it was the obligation of all to assist in the development of the country and bring hope to future generations.
He said the flame emphasized the unity and love for one another in the quest for national development.
Mr. Dery, therefore, urged the people to reflect on the achievements of earliest generations and reconcile with one another.
A representative of the organizers of the event said the lighting of the torch symbolized the revival of the freedom the country gained from colonialism.
*Source
Daily Graphic - Tuesday, February 20, 2007 Page: 3 |