Tamale, Louisville Cities strengthen relationship with enskinment of Zosimli-Naa

Tamale City in the Northern Region and Louisville City in Kentucky, United States (US) have taken steps to re-engage and strengthen their Sister-City Relationship with the enskinment of a new Zosimli-Naa, a person, who promotes friendship.

Elders of the Gulkpe-Naa’s Palace (Paramount Chief of Tamale) performed the necessary rites at the palace in Tamale to enskin Madam Ife Bell Tipag'ya, a 43-year-old resident of Louisville, who is a leadership expert, and international thought leader, as the new Zosimli-Naa.

The colourful enskinment ceremony was witnessed by the Northern Regional Minister, Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive, some Americans from Louisville and a host of some residents of Tamale.

The Sister Cities programme is an initiative of the United States Department of State, which ensures a relationship between a city in the US and another city outside of the US.

Tamale, around 1979, established a Sister City Relationship with Louisville, and this relationship gave birth to a chieftaincy title called Zosimli-Naa.

The late Dr Susan Herlin, who was enskinned as the Zosimli-Naa of Tamale City, passed on in 2014.

Accordingly, the immediate past President, Alhaji Haroon Cambodia and the current Secretary, Osman Mubarik of Tamale-Louisville Sister Cities, both tasked the Co-Chair of Louisville-Tamale Sister Cities to find a replacement for the title.

This led to finding the new Zosimli-Naa, who was invited to Tamale to receive the Kola from N'yab Gulkpe-Naa, as a symbol of her acceptance of the title in accordance with the tradition and culture of Dagombas.

The new Zosimli-Naa expressed the need to come together to foster relationships to promote community development.

She expressed excitement at becoming the new Zosimli-Naa saying she was ready for the task ahead.