Ethnic Groups In Northern Regions Urged To Sustain The Peace

The Leader and ethnic Mamprusis in Bawku have celebrated their annual Damba dance festival with a call on other ethnic groupings to marshal all available resources to sustain the peace and build on unity to bring the needed development to the area.

The Kusasis, Bisas, Kassim, Frafras and the Moshies among others are the various ethnic groups in Bawku.

The festival brought together sons and daughters of the Mamprusi ethnic group in Bawku home to contribute to initiate development projects including; education, health, and the socio-economic wellbeing of the people as well as preach peace to unite them.

The festival showcased the cultural heritage of the ethnic group to its young generation and inculcated in them values, norms and aspirations of their ancestors.

The celebrants processed the area with the Damba dance performed by the youth and some elders in heavy and large smocks and drumming and dancing on horses and sending messages of peace to people to join them to celebrate the rich culture of their forefathers.

Giving a brief history of the festival, Mr Salifu Bashiru, an opinion leader for the Natinga community said the Damba festival was celebrated by the descendants of the warrior King, Naa Gbewaa who established his kingdom by conquering the lands from Fadan Gurma in Burkina Faso through Togo, then called Yanga and to Pusiga where he settled and made Pusiga capital of the empire.

He explained that the dance was done in the last month of the year called Damba 'kyew' and said it was done majestically to show off the prestige and position of the dancer in society; and required that the dancers dressed gorgeously in well sewn smocks.

Dr Sam Bugri, Co-Chairman for the Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee who delivered a message on behalf of the elders charged the youth to be more responsible to themselves and society and not to allow irresponsible elders to use them in achieving their personal gains.

He urged the youth to form a formidable resistance force to resist activities of deviant youth who were destroying the future.

Mr Mohammed Tahiru Nambe, an opinion leader for the Youth in the area said peace was a cardinal point in the development of every community and urged all to make it a point to continue fostering peace in the area and called on other ethnic groups in the area to endeavour to harness peace to bring about the needed development as Bawku was the only place they could boast off as their home.