DON’T SPRINKLE ‘KPOKPOI’ IN PUBLIC – POLICE

It, therefore, advised all parties involved in the celebration of Homowo to confine their activities to their houses or palaces.

A press statement issued in Accra yesterday and signed by the Accra Regional Police Commander; Mr. Douglas Akrofi-Asiedu, said intelligence reports reaching the command indicated that tension was mounting in certain parts of the city regarding today’s Homowo celebrate by the chiefs and people of Ga-Mashie.

“In view of that development, the command wishes to advise all parties involved in the celebration to confine their activities to their houses or palaces,” it said.

In a related development, the Ga Traditional Council has assured the public that today’s celebration of Homowo by the Chiefs and people of Ga Mashie would be peaceful, reports Kofi Yeboah.

The traditional council gave the assurance yesterday during a meeting with the National Peace Council ( NPC), a group including religious leaders, at Kaneshie  in Accra to discuss developments leading to the celebration of the festival that tend to threaten the peace of the Ga State.

The delegation, which was led by the Chairman of the NPC and Catholic Archbishop of Cape Coast, Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, sought audience with the traditional rulers to preach peace.

The visit followed a meeting held by the NPC on Thursday, August 9, 2007, to review what it considered as tension of the Ga Traditional Area occasioned by the celebration of Homowo.

In a statement issued later yesterday, the NPC appealed to all concerned to exercise the greatest restraint and ensure that there was reconciliation, unity and peace, which were the inherent values of Homowo, were upheld.

The traditional council, however, assured the NPC that there was no threat to the peace in Accra and that tomorrow’s Homowo would be celebrated in joy and with brotherly love.

Briefing the Daily Graphic after the meeting, the Ga Mantse, King Tawiah 111, said the traditional council appreciated the mission of the religious leaders but it assured them that the chiefs had not done, and would not do anything to foment trouble.

“We should all have the conviction that there would be no problem and we would celebrate the festival very well with their (religious leaders) blessings and our hard work”, he said.

King Tackie Tawiah said the Gas had gone through a lot of problems which did not permit them to celebrate Homowo in grand style in the past. But God willing, this year, the land and the people had been blessed and so there was every reason to be joyous.

He asked the people to bury their differences, remain steadfast and unite for the rebuilding of the Ga State.

King Tackie Tawiah extended his seasonal facilitations to the people and wished them God’s blessings and guidance in them to resolve to discover their past glory instead of engaging in acts that tended to divide them and undermine the progress of the state.

Asked whether he would sprinkle the festival food, “kpokpoi” today, the Ga Mantse said, “There is no chief who does not sprinkle during a festival. Without the sprinkling, there is no celebration of festival”.

He said the only time when “kpokpoi” was not sprinkled was when a chief was dead, but indicated that it had been almost three years now since the death of the late Ga Mantse, Nii Amigi 11 and every rite had been performed.

“Now, we are in a state of happiness and when you are happy you do joyous things. A festival is a time of happiness. The sprinkling is also a means of thanking the gods for ensuring peace in the state. And so we’ll sprinkle as usual”, he remarked.

When the Daily Graphic visited Bukom and some parts of Ga Mashie yesterday, the residents were making feverish preparations for activities to herald the occasion.

All types of music were blurring from giant speakers mounted in various open spaces while tents were also being erected at various places for activities to keep vigil for the festival.

Daily Graphic   -           Saturday, August 11, 2007                   Page:    19