Chiefs and people of Kpikpira celebrate Danjuar festival
Kpikpira, (U/E), Feb 28, GNA – The chiefs and people of Kpikpira in the Garu-Tempane District have celebrated their 9th annual Danjuar festival at a durbar at Kpikpira.
The festival, which had as its theme “Promoting peace and unity in Bimoba communities and beyond for effective development,” also sought to remember the sacrifices of their ancestors and to thank God for a successful farming season, while seeking ancestral intervention for better years ahead.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Regent of Kpikpira, Mr Peter Dameri Kulbong urged all Bimobas to rededicate themselves to the spirit of unity, oneness and tolerance in order to bring development to the area.
He noted that Bimoba communities in the Garu-Tempane District were encountering myriad of challenges which had made life unbearable for them. Notable among them, he said were poverty, diseases, illiteracy and inadequate infrastructure.
He said it was important that the people adopted positive attitude in order to address the issues to bring meaningful development to the area.
Mr Kulbong appealed to the District Assembly and the Member of Parliament for the area to redeem their pledge of putting up a Danjuar Secretariat for the Bimoba community to enable leadership of Danjuar to organize activities in more formal ways.
He pleaded with government to help in the construction of dams and dug outs as well as in the development of the area to avert the exodus of productive youth to the southern sector in search of greener pastures.
“During the dry season, many youth idle about and our appeal is for a pragmatic and time bound policies aimed at getting a number of dams and dug outs sunk to ameliorate the precarious poverty situation, especially during the dry season,” he said.
He called on government to expedite plans to connect Bimoba communities to the National Electrification Grid.
He appealed to all Bimobas to maintain peace before, during and after the 2012 general elections and avoid the company of politicians who engage in insults and inciting language.
“I wish to entreat the leadership of the various parties to debate issues and campaigns based on policies and not to see the elections as a 'do or die' affair” he said.
Mrs Lucy Awuni, Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, said development could only take place in an atmosphere devoid of wrangling, conflicts and divisiveness, adding that, the most striking challenges facing northern Ghana, which draws back progress and development, were conflicts associated with chieftaincy.
She commended traditional authorities in Bimoba for charting the path of peace, unity and coexistence, which she said, were basic prerequisites for socio-economic development.
Mr Dominic Azumah, Member of Parliament for Garu-Tempane, said the government had elevated the Tempane Senior High School to a boarding status, adding that five others in the Upper East Region had received similar attention.
He said 54 communities in the Upper East Region would soon benefit from the government's rural electrification project.
Mr Azumah said he had obtained Gh¢ 850,000 to purchase 10 pickups to be distributed to health centres to help reduce maternal mortality and child deaths in the area.