Let's establish Dagomba-Konkomba annual peace festival — MCE

Alhaji Hammed Abubakar Yussuf, Yendi Municipal Chief Executive has suggested the establishment of an annual peace festival for the Dagombas and Konkombas to sustain peace within the area.

He said the area lacked development because of recurrent ethnic conflicts and perpetual suspicion and therefore the festival would forge unity and trust to enhance growth and development.

The MCE made this call during a day's joint Dagomba- Konkomba Peace Forum organised by Peace Centre at Yendi, a social wing of the Catholic Church in the Northern Region.

The 57 participants were drawn from Yendi, Zakali, Saboba, and Sanguli in the Tatale Sanguli District, Wapuli, Ugbenbord, Banda, Nakpache, Gnani, Jagrido among others.

The topics discussed included, 'Ways to build trust, reports from the ethnic groups, things that can hinder the trust building process, plenary adoption and way forward amongst others.

The Most Rev. Matthew Yitiereh, the Catholic Bishop of the Yendi Diocese said over the years, there was peaceful co-existence between the two ethnic groups adding that the major task of the Catholic Church was to promote peace as frequent conflicts in the area brought about the need to establish a Peace Centre in Yendi.

He said it was important to call the two ethnic groups to discard all types of rumours and advised them to refrain from violence and live in peace.

The Chancellor of Yendi Diocese Rev. Fr Gregory Dery said when there was rumours about conflict between Dagombas and Konkombas the members of the Yendi Peace Centre met them separately at different dates on behalf of Rev. Fr. Micharl Cobb in charge of the Yendi Peace Centre who had travelled outside Ghana.

He said during the meeting, the two ethnic groups said there was the need to build trust so they decided to meet them together to find way of building trust among them.

ASP. Benjamin Amoh Ayesu, the Yendi Acting Municipal Police Commander said reminded them that peace was absence of fear and if they did things legally they were at peace and thanked the organizers for bringing the two ethnic groups together to discuss peace.

After a group work, the Konkomba group in presentation indicated there should be openness and frank discussion, respect for each other's culture and tradition, empathy for each other's challenges and concern, encouraging inter marriages, joint ethnic convention and sensitization, honesty about their collective histories amongst others.

The Dagomba group indicated that the two groups should visit one another without fear, when there was rumours they should be able to communicate to each other, find solutions to rumours, smoke peace pipe between Dagomba and Konkomba chiefs.

GNA