CULTURAL NEWS
Monday, October 29, 2007
Bortianor gets new Mankralo
Story: RAYMOND BAXEY
THE Bortianor Division of the Ga State on Saturday witnessed a peaceful and colourful installation ceremony of the Bortianor Mankralo, Nii Kojo Mensah I.
Prior to the ceremony, Chiefs and Heads of families at Bortianor, accompanied by Asafo groups, had arrived at the ceremonial grounds amid drumming, dancing and firing of musketry.
At about 4.20 p.m. the Bortianor Mankralo, known in private life as Nii Ahene Kojo Mensah and the Chief Executive Officer of St. Joseph Company Limited, dealers in refrigeration and air-condition repairs, dressed in white apparel, with rich ornaments and a crown on his head, arrived at the durbar grounds amid cheers, shouts, drumming and firing of musketry.
A traditional prayer was said to signify the official introduction of the Bortianor Mankralo to the people of Bortianor and the entire Ga State.
After the prayer, the Dzaasetse of Gbese, Nii Dzasetse Kwa Fio II, poured libation and thanked god for the occasion. He then asked for blessings and peace for the entire Ga state.
Nii Mensah then took the oath of secrecy and swore to Nii Fio and promised to rule in truth and respond to the call of the chiefs and the people of Bortianor, among other things.
Nii Fio, in turn, swore to the Bortianor Mankralo to work in harmony with him and respond to his calls at all times.
After the proceedings, fraternal greetings were delivered by various chiefs of the Ga State to the Bortianor Mankralo, wishing him well during this reign.
In his address, Nii Mensah expressed his utmost gratitude to the people of Bortianor for supporting him during these times. He assured them of his commitment to working towards the progress and development of the entire Bortianor community.
“I am going to team up with the Chief of Bortianor, Nii Ogbamey Akunam I; the Gyasehene, Nii Akotey IV, Nii Fio, the plan for the betterment of the area”, he noted.
He indicated that one of the major concerns of his administration was to make sure the people of Bortianor, who were mostly fishermen and farmers, got the needed assistance to improve upon their living conditions.
Nii Mensah appealed to the government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to come to the aid of the people of Bortianor in terms of development, adding that they lacked a lot of social amenities, such as schools, clinics, drainage systems, good drinking water, a police station, a market, places of convenience and a post office.
He assured the people of Bortianor and the government that he was going to streamline the procedure for the sale and lease of lands in Bortianor as a means of generating funds for the provision of some of the basic amenities.
He, however, cautioned people who were involved in the selling of Bortianor lands without any authority from the chiefs and Elders to put a stop to the negative practice.
Nii Mensah thanked the government for the introduction of the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) and the School Feeding Programme and urged parents of Bortianor to take advantage of the government policy to enrol their children in school.
*Source:
Daily Graphic - Monday, October 29, 2007 Page: 20 |