Pouring of Libation facilitates development - Chief

Accra, June 1, GNA - Nii Ashitey Kwaobotswe, a Kingmaker of Teshie, has noted that pouring of libation plays a significant role in national development and therefore it must be preserved.

He said no attempt whatsoever should be made by any government for the cessation of the aged-old rite, which is part and parcel of the customs of the people, which promotes their advancement.

He said the pouring of libation is a sacred prayer or a communication through the ancestors to God.

'We the traditionalists know and believe that the ancestors are intermediaries like the angles of the God Almighty.'

Nii Kwaobotswe made the observation in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, to express his happiness about the restoration of pouring of libation at national functions by the Mahama Administration.

This year's Independence Day was celebrated with the performance of the rite by the Osu traditional leaders in Accra.

The State Protocol in 2011 truncated the long-held practice of Ghanaians during Independence Day with no apparent reasons, which raised a lot of concerns among the citizenry.

Nii Kwaobotswe said as humans, we have one God, but the difference is the way we communicate to Him.

'As Africans our communication to God is through pouring of libation and therefore there is the need to maintain it for the development of the people.'

The Kingmaker said traditionalists believe that everyone who lives a righteous life and die turns into an ancestral spirit through which they connect to God.

'We cannot pour libation in English; it is a very difficult thing to do.'

Nii Kwaobotswe urged Ghanaians to uphold and continue to pour libation as a heritage left for them by their ancestors who are ever present in everything they do in spirit.

GNA