Yaa Naa Abukari II
An interview with the recently enskinned Yaa Naa by a TV3 journalist has triggered outrage among members of the Dagbon Forum (DF) – a pressure group made up of an assortment of respected personalities from the ethnic group.
A statement issued swiftly after the interview by members of the DF said: “Dagbon Forum condemns in no uncertain terms the gross display of disrespect shown by Komla Klutse of TV3 when he interviewed Yaa Naa Abukari II at the Gbewaa Palace after the highly successful and historic coronation on Saturday, 26th January, 2019”.
The DF President, Dr. Abdulai Sulemana Mobson, who signed the statement, queried the interviewer for “repeatedly asking the King if he had taste for finesse as shown in his reaction upon seeing the Jaguar car donated by the government for the first time. He went further to hold the King’s hand, with emphasis on the Rolex watch he was wearing, again repeating the issue of his love for finesse”.
According to the DF, the journalist’s action was unprofessional and immature, showing total disrespect to the Yaa Naa.
The DF under the circumstances demanded an apology from the journalist and the withdrawal of the offensive footage from all media outlets.
“It is our fervent hope that future interactions by journalists with the King of Dagbon will be more circumspect and decorous,” the DF stated.
The TV3 journalist has accordingly apologized thus “I am sorry if, culturally, part of my interview with the Yaa Naa offended viewers in anyway. I did not set out to embarrass him nor offend the people of Dagbon”.
The DF is made up of an assortment of sons and daughters of Dagbons who have contributed in diverse ways towards the restoration of normalcy in what was by all standards a restive part of the country.
They continue to do so by engaging in behind-the-scene efforts as a formidable pressure group filling an important vacuum. The president of the DF like others in the grouping is a Dagbon royal.
Their non-aligned posture has earned them a wide appeal in Dagbon.
By A. R. GomdaYaa Naa Abukari II