Education And Health Must Be Our Priority—Nii Armah Ashietey

Member of Parliament for Korle Klottey Constituency in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana has tasked GaDangme community in the Diaspora not to let their culture be a sign of remembering and reflection of what their forefathers fought for but rather should be a time to take stock of what kind of development activities they have to embark upon.

Nii Armah Ashietey, who until very recently was a minister of Employment and Labour Relations made the call at Liverpool, when he joined the GaDangme/Ghanaian community in North England to celebrate this year's annual homowo festival with the aim of promoting GaDangme culture in the Diaspora.

According to Hon. Nii Armah Ashietey, homowo is celebrated to remind the GaDangme people of their victory over a great famine which they experienced hundreds of years ago when they migrated from their ancestral homeland to occupy their present area of settlement.

When the famine came to an end and they had a good harvest, they hooted at the hunger for which they had suffered and in so doing at this present level we need to remind ourselves of how far we have got to in terms of education and health.

It is an obvious assertion that GaDangmes prior to and after independence were so influential in all sectors of the country administration but after 57 years of independence the people of Greater Accra especially the youth have back slide on the education ladder which he has launched a special crusade to see more GaDangmes at high level and urged GaDangme North England (Friends Benevolent Society FBS) to take interest in education and health promotion activities in Accra.

This year's GaDangme North England homowo celebration which took place at the Unitarian Church hall, 57 Ullet Road, Liverpool was chaired by Dr. Millicent Anim-Somuah Kwashie; a seasoned GaDangme medical consultant coordinated the fundraising event to raise money for health promotion activities in rural part of Greater Accra

Memory line on homowo

Homowo Literally means "Hooting at hunger” is an annual festival celebrated by the chiefs and people of GaDangme traditional area, in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Before the festival, a ban is placed on drumming, dancing, merry-making and any other form of noise making in the GaDangme traditional area. The ban starts with the "nmaadumo" and lasts for thirty days. Special rites are performed by the priest to mark the end of the ban

The GaDangme traditional area comprises of the Ga-mashi Accra Central, Osu, La, Teshie, Nungua, Prampram, Kpone, Ningo, Tema and Ada. The customary rites for sowing millet or corn (nmaadumo) begin in the Ga traditional calendar is to mark the preparation for the celebration of the festival. The sowing of the corn is done by chief priests (wulomo) of the traditional area.