People of La to celebrate Homowo this year

Accra, April 8, GNA - The La Reconciliation Committee, set up to look into a protracted dispute among the chief and some members of the La Traditional Council, on Saturday, launched its report at a colourful ceremony at the Trade Fair Site at La-Accra.

The ceremony significantly closed the ranks of the factions, the chief and the La Traditional Council on one side and the breakaway members of the Council on the other side, to pave way for a restart of the annual traditional Homowo festival, which was last held ten years ago, and also to foster a rapid development of the La community. The ceremony was attended by high profile government personalities, including the Chairman of the Council of State, Prof Daniel Bekoe, former Speaker of Parliament, Mr Ala Adjetey, Presidential Advisor on HIV/AIDS Prof Fred Sai; Ga-Dangbe traditional chiefs, priests and the clergy,

Mr Ala Adjetey, a native and the Guest Speaker said the day was a day for rejoicing, since peace had been elusive to the community for the last decade.

Glorifying God for the achievement, Mr Adjetey said God himself had spoken the peace for the people, and urged the factions not to make the event a nine-day wonder, endorsing forgiveness and putting away all differences in the interest of the larger community.

Mr Adjetey reminded people of La that, the fight for their natural right was their own responsibility, and called on the clans to forge a common front to redeem all lost heritage of the community, including lands, to their own benefit and that of their progeny.

The former Speaker said dispute between the elders and the chief only engendered disunity, and underlining that, the elders of the clans to co-operate with the chief to ensure fair and orderly society to chart the town's development.

Nii Tsuru, the La Mantse, identified dispute over land as the main cause of the conflict, and his attempt to defend the land and ensure sanity in its administration was what brought him trouble, adding that, all involved in the dispute had erred and genuine reconciliation would only come, if the people would forgive one another.

Nii Amasah Namoale, MP for La Dadekotopon, asked the people to be prepared to make sacrifices in the interest of reconciliation, with a caution to miscreants to avoid derailing the peace process for the parochial interests.

Prof Bekoe, who chaired the ceremony, called for hitches to be handled amicably.

All the clan elders, who had been party to the feud, signed the 69-page report, which prohibited any faction in La, either in the minority or majority to celebrate Homowo with the other or the other. 8 April 06