The year 2016 was a blessing and excitement with good memories concerning achievements, collaboration and partnership of GaDangmes in Europe.
As it is known to GaDangme people our cultural festival known as Homowo is celebrated each year in Greater Accra. This annual festival is celebrated to hoot and jeer at hunger. This festival is celebrated in August (Manyawale).
GaDangmes in Europe took it upon them this year to bring the culture overseas and also celebrate Homowo within themselves.
I personally witnessed this festival in three States in Germany. These celebrations were extraordinary and wonderful. There was also an Annual General Meeting in Amsterdam that had to do with issues concerning Greater Accra.
Looking back through the year 2015 GaDangme Kpee (Union) Rhein/Ruhr e. V. celebrated a Homowo festival. There were live acts like “Kpãa shimͻ” and cultural dance as well as libation pouring.
Taking a look at 2016 GaDangme associations in Germany, according to the Ga calendar the Homowo celebration commenced in Hamburg. On the 27th August 2016 GaDangme Community Hamburg celebrated the Homowo festival with a huge crowd. Other clubs like Osu Kpee, GaDangme Kpee (Union) Rhein/Ruhr e. V. and Ga-Ada Network Hannover were present. The present associations like GaDangme Kpee (Union) Rhein/Ruhr e.V. were very active during the programme and depicted an act known as Kpãa shimͻ as well as the traditional right known as “Soo bii” where GaDangme people arrived home to ceremonialize Homowo. There was a live drumming act from a cultural group situated in Hamburg that played local songs for the visitors. The GaDangme Community Hamburg showed live videos on how Kpoikpoi is prepared and how the Chief sprinkles it through the town. Kpoikpoi is the food eaten during the festival.
Again, Ga-Ada Network Hannover e. V. in Hanover, Germany also celebrated a grand Homowo festival on the 17th September 2016. On this occasion there were huge personalities like Nuumo Gbelenfo III and Nii Ahinsa Sasraku, chief of Tuba, Langma,…. . The youths of Hanover performed acts like dancing cultural dances like “Otofo”. Libation was also poured by Nuumo Gbelenfo III to open the programme. Other rights were performed by the high priest and sprinkling of Kpoikpoi carried out by the Chief Nii Ahinsa Sasraku.
In all these three celebrations that took place this year and last year GaDangme Community Hamburg, Ga-Ada Network Hannover e. V. and GaDangme Rhein Ruhr e.V. assisted each other to make the Homowo festivals in the States extravagant.
With this solidarity between these associations there was and there is still unity between them and with that the annual festival was commended wonderfully with lots of merriment.
GaDangme Europe an umbrella organization that heads all GaDangme associations in Europe held its annual conference on the 14th and 15th October 2016. Our Ga Chiefs namely Nii Acquah II of Ga Odumase mantse, Nii Quao Donkor II – Asere Tsoro manste Nii Osabu Abbey IV –Prampramseitse, Maanye Naa Marmakai Bortobli I, and Nuumo Gbelenfo iii- Osu, Haastoo and Pokuase Gua Wurɔmɔ III were present. The members reflected on issues concerning Greater Accra and how to move Greater Accra forward and keep Greater Accra stable, as it been the capital town of Ghana. GaDangme Europe came up with good projects like “Food Security”. GaDangme Europe has had good projects in the past and still has projects running in co-operation with Bokemei Foundation. This shows that GaDangme people outside Ghana are fighting hard to move Greater Accra to a higher level and enable the people of Accra to have a better standard of living.
Abongobi Media a GaDangme broadcast in Switzerland updates Ghanaians especially GaDangme people outside Ghana with news from and about Greater Accra. Everyone is allowed to come on air to give his/ her opinion, advice or solutions on issues been discussed on radio. Abongobi Media makes listeners feel at home by bringing rhythms of Ghana, Ga songs on air.
All in all I can say that GaDangme’s abroad really take issues that have got to do with Greater Accra earnest and are coming up with brilliant ideas that will help the youths and Accra as a whole. GaDangme associations have come up with good projects to enable Greater Accra to stand firm. With my observations I think GaDangme authorities in Greater Accra cannot really come up with dominant solutions to help solve issues. I think this is because they only see things from one side and always think or react on one goal and leave other important ones.
I would like to urge and plead with GaDangme authorities in Greater Accra to take complaints and suggestions from people of Greater Accra inside and outside Ghana intent because GaDangme’s have lots of ideas and bright suggestions but it is difficult in some areas to put these into action.