ANNUAL AZAMBENE FESTIVAL OBSERVED IN BONGO 13th October, 2018
The
Chiefs and people of the Bongo Traditional Area in the Upper East Region
climaxed their annual Azambene festival celebrations last weekend, with a call
on the people in the area to adopt environmental-friendly practices as well as
lend their support to government interventions geared at protecting the
environment.
Paramount Chief of Bongo, Naba Baba Salifu [Mic in Hand] Giving His Address |
Paramount
Chief of Bongo, Naba Baba Salifu A. Lemyaarum who made the call also revealed
that, the Azambene festival is celebrated annually by the chiefs and people of
the Bongo Traditional area in remembrance of the journey their great
grandfather embarked on from Nalerigu in the East Mamprusi District in the
Northern Region to their present location in Upper East several decades ago.
But
dwelling further on his call on the people to protect the environment, the
Chief stated that global warming was real thus the urgent need for all and
sundry to take effective measures that can sustain and improve the environment.
He noted that aside natural factors, man-made disruptions to the ecosystem can
cause extinction of many species of plants, animals and trees among others
which may in turn threaten human existence.
The
Paramount Chief observed that there is every reason to keep celebrating the
festival annually, as it also served as a platform for public education on
important issues of national and local interests, communal interactions and cohesion
amongst the local communities. The festival also serves as a home-coming for
sons and daughters from the area who are in the diaspora. Meanwhile, others see
it an occasion for families to re-unite and give thanks to God for a bumper
harvest.
The
BoNaba who also doubles as the Vice President of the Upper East Regional House
of Chiefs used the occasion to appeal to government through the ministry of
Education to as a matter of urgency, absorb Azeem-Namoo SHS, Bongo-Soe SHS,
Bongo-Beo Senior High Technical School, Balungu Technical Institute and Bongo
Community Development Vocational which are all community based schools. The
absorption he hoped, will give these schools better and adequate infrasture as
well as the neede human resource to function efficiently.
Acting
Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Frank Fuseini Adongo in his address,
reiterated governments commitment in providing the needed infrastructure and
equipping the technical schools with the necessary resources to enable them
function effectively and to produce the required man power for the country’s
development. He said government is also focused on establishing a youth
enterprise fund that will provide funding and tax incentives to young
entrepreneurs and business development services to encourage the youth initiate
start-ups.
Mr.
Adongo noted that the theme for the festival “Supporting Education and
Protecting the Environment through Culture; the Role of the Community”,
resonates with the chief’s call earlier on for the people to embrace education
and protect their environment.
He
said there is the urgent need for a strong re-orientation of the people
especially, the youth to appreciate the wealth of their own tradition and
culture as handed down from generations. The Acting Regional Minister stressed
that, “this is the surest way to preserve our culture from the seeming invasion
of foreign cultures and the erroneous impression that everything from the
western world was good for us as a people”.
Bongo DCE, Mr. Peter A. Ayinbisa Speaking At The Festival |
Meanwhile,
Bongo District Chief Executive, Hon. Peter Ayinbisa Ayamga in a statement
intimated that, the vision of the Nana-Addo led administration of building a
Ghana Beyond Aid cannot be achieved without the support of the chiefs, queen
mothers and other selfless stakeholders in the country. He reaffirmed
government’s commitment in investing massively in the country’s educational
sector and mentioned the Free SHS programme and provision of school
infrastructure as proof of this.
Mr.
Ayinbisa also revealed that, about 29 communities in the district have been
declared open defecation free while the rest of the communities in the district
were at various stages of the Community-Led Total Sanitation [CLTS] processes
to also get declaration. He called on the people to support the assembly’s campaign
for the achievement of open defecation free status.
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