Acting President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Nana Kwesi Agyeman has appealed to traditional rulers in the country to use festival platforms to campaign for peace and unity in their communities.
The acting President, who is also the paramount chief of Lower Dixcove in the Ahanta Traditional Area, said development hinges on peace and unity.
Consequently, he appealed to the people living along the coast of the Western Region to use Kundum, a common festival among them, as the best platform to campaign for peace and unity in order to promote growth in the six coastal districts in the Western Region.
“We must use the Kundum festival to unite and pursue common development goals. This is required to promote social and economic activities in the Western Region,” he said.
Speaking at the launch of this year’s Kundum festival at Essikado, one of the traditional areas of Ahanta, the traditional ruler singled out the lack of peace and unity as the main cause of underdevelopment of communities in the oil region.
The campaign to reverse the trend of underdevelopment, he reiterated, could come from proper exploration of new ideas from festive gatherings such as Kundum, which usually occurs annually.
The chiefs and people of Nzema and Ahanta are two major traditional fronts observing the Kundum festival as part of activities associated with their history and heritage. These tribes can be found in all the five coastal districts in the region.
The paramount chief for Lower Dixcove, subsequently, reminded paramountcies along the coast of the region to be guided by the significance of the Kundum festival in all their endeavours.
He observed that one cardinal principle about Kundum is forgiveness. He, therefore, enjoined his colleague paramount chiefs to work together to make the region a great one. The Kundum festival is celebrated by the chiefs and people along the coast of the Western Region.
The celebration usually starts from Essikado, in Sekondi Takoradi, all the way to Sasandra, close to the border of Ivory Coast in the Jomoro District. The festival normally starts in July and ends in mid-December to crown the year.
Already, the torchbearers – Essikado – have performed a colourful ceremony to commence this year’s festival. The ceremony brought together traditional leaders from all over the region.
The paramount chief for Lower Dixcove, Nana Kwesi Agyemang (IX), who chaired the function, commended the chief and people of Essikado for sustaining the festival for the past four years after a long break.
He explained the significance of the festival, and was hopeful it will make all the coastal communities would stay united.
