The Acting President of the Akuapim Traditional Council in the Eastern Region, Nana Otuobour Djankwasi II, has denied widespread media reports to the effect that this year’s Odwira Festival of the chiefs and people of Okuapeman has been canceled.
According to the Chief of Aburi who is also the Adontenhene of the Akuapim State, “This is completely misleading report and misrepresentation of the facts sent by the media practitioners to the Ghanaian public.”
Nana Otuobour Djankwasi stated that the Akuapim festival has not been put on hold and that “we are going to celebrate the festival in quiet without carrying various chiefs in the palanquins. So that does not mean that we are not celebrating the festival.”
“At normal circumstance, on the 3rd August Okuapeman, we will celebrate Adae festival then on the 14th September perform the necessary customary rites for Okuapehene, Queen-mother or Okoman to pave way for the Odwira festival.
“However due to the chieftaincy dispute, we can’t celebrate it in flamboyance. So this does not mean that we have canceled the festival as it was reported by the media practitioners,” Nana Otuobour Djankwasi explained.
The Aburi Chief, however, stated that the traditional and customary rites will be performed quietly.
“We have also asked Royal families and divisional chiefs to perform their customary rites in their homes to celebrate the festival. There will not be durbar and neither the carrying of any chief in palanquins.
“Because as customs demand, it is the Okuapehene who is to perform a traditional rite to open the Odwira festival for all other divisional chiefs to celebrate accordingly in their traditional areas before big durbar is held, but because of the pending case against the Okuapehene by the Queen-mother of the Akuapim Traditional Area, Nana Afua Nketiaa Obuo II at the national house of chiefs we can’t celebrate the festival”
According to him, the chiefs and other traditional office holders have decided to hold the Odwira Festival in a quiet atmosphere without carrying chiefs in palanquins, because of litigation on the legitimacy of Paramount Chief of Akuapim Traditional Area, Okuapehene Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III pending before the National House of Chiefs (NHCs).
According to him, the Paramount Queen-mother, Nana Afua Nketiaa Obuo II protested that she would not allow Okuapehene Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III to ascend the throne for which the case is currently being pursued by the Judicial Committee of the National House of Chiefs.
He explained that Judicial Committee have invited the two feuding factions this month for which they believe strongly that they are going to resolve the issue between the two parties but the committee had adjoined the case.
The development, he noted had prevented the Paramount Chief of the area, Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III to have full capacity to perform traditions and customs for the stool since his legitimacy was challenged.
He pointed out that the Okuapehene being the Paramount Chief of Akuapim is important that should legally secure his gazette from the National House Chiefs.
“This would give him the legal backing to head his traditional council, and since the chieftaincy status of the installed paramount chief of Akuapim Traditional Area was challenged by the Paramount Queen-mother and the case is pending before NHCs informed the decision of the traditional authorities of the area to elect him to be acting as the President of Akuapim Traditional Council.
He asserted that the traditional role he is performing now is the acting President of the Akuapim Traditional Council and that if the issue before the NHCs challenging the chieftaincy status of the Paramount chief of the area was resolved and the Queen- mother accepted him, he would assume his chieftaincy position.”
“So when all the matters are resolved and the Okuapehene Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III was accepted, he would now qualify as the legally, traditionally, and customarily installed Paramount Chief to represent the Akuapim Traditional Council in the NHCs and other state programmes,” he noted.
He pointed out that the chieftaincy position of Okuapehene Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akufo III was the highest but because of the pending issue on his chieftaincy status that was the reason they asked him not to be performing any traditional rituals which would land him into contempt.
He noted that when the traditional office holders in the area got the hint of the intended plan by Okuapehene Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akufo III to celebrate the festival they advised him not to do so.
“Because l know that the decision by the paramount chief to defy the court order on restraining him to perform any social events until the final determination of the case to celebrate this year’s festival is not in the right direction and it would surely land him into contempt,” he stated.
“So if we allow Okuapehene Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akufo III to celebrate this year’s festival in that way, it would show that the prominent elders of the Akuapim Traditional Area would be blamed that they refused to advise him to refrain from actions to celebrate this year’s festival.
“So when we went to Akuapim Traditional Standing Committee Meeting last Monday, the members of the committee decided that since the case is being pursued in NHCs, they cannot celebrate the festival in public gatherings for which the chiefs should be carried in their palanquins since Okuapehene Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akufo III who is our Paramount Chief would not be carried in the palanquin because of the pending chieftaincy case against him.
He mentioned that if in case it is not even next year or two weeks that the litigation against the chieftaincy status of Okuapehene Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akufo III was resolved in the NHCs and this celebration of this year’s festival has ended after this he can even organize his get-together party with the citizens of the area. If that time Okuapehene Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akufo wanted to be carried in Palaquin, he can be allowed to do so,” Paramount Chief said.
“I don’t know the reason why Okuapehene Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akufo III would be rushing to intend to defy the court to celebrate this year’s festival when there are rules and regulations in this country.
Recently, he pointed out the court has slapped Okuapehene Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akufo with contempt and that if not in the grace of God then they cannot hear good news.
“So when it happens like that it puts the names of the citizens of Akuapim Traditional Area in shame and ridicule.
In this regard, he called on Okuapehen Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akufo III to exercise to restrain saying that “we the elders, kingmakers and traditional office holders are not preventing him from celebrating the festival but since he was restrained he should respect that law and regulations.”
He pointed out it is their responsibility as the elders of the area to protect Okuapehene Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akufo III since he has been their Paramount Chief.
He stressed that the series of advise he has been offering to him attest to the fact he is protecting him.
Odwira festival, which commemorates the victory of the Akuapem people at the great Akantamansu war in 1824, also seeks spiritual purification, unity, cultural revival, community development, political stability, and promotion of tourism in the area.
BY Daniel Bampoe