Ban On Noise Making Lifted as King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II Calls For Peace And Ahead Of  Homowo

The year’s ban on Drumming and Noisemaking in Accra and its environs, imposed as a prelude to the celebration of the Homowo festival on Thursday, June 10, 2021, was lifted after rites were performed at Abola and Gbese.

The Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II called on the chiefs and the people in Ga Traditional area to be thankful to the forefathers for their sacrifices that have brought the Ga State this far.

The Ga Mantse prayed all to see the celebration of the Homowo festival as a tool to ensure peace and unity among themselves and to promote socio-economic development.

The lifting of the ban paves way for the celebration of the annual Homowo festival to be held on 14th August, this year.

The month-long ban was to allow the traditional priesthood to meditate and pray for bumper harvest prior to the Ga Homowo festival, which is two months away.

Homowo meaning “hooting at hunger” has its historical antecedent in the migration and settlement of the Ga people in their present location when they experienced drought and famine.  After overcoming those challenges they marked the festival to commemorate their defeat over hunger.

Speaking in an interview with some senior journalists in Accra, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, stressed that pragmatic steps have been taken to ensure that the leadership of the Ga State meets all aggrieved groupings to iron out their differences.

He was optimistic that the factionalism that seems to have engulfed the Ga State would soon be a thing of the past.

"We have continuously extended a hand of friendship to all groupings. For us to survive as a State, we will need to see ourselves as brothers and sisters,” he said in an answer to what the Ga State was doing to reconcile all nagging issues.

He urged all and sundry to do away with negative tendencies that seek to retard progress, in the larger interest of the Ga State.

“I call on the citizens of the Ga State to love one another and desist from acts that will bring confusion and violence before, during and after this year’s annual Homowo festivities,” he further stressed.

He stated that prolonged divisions among the people of the Ga State was retarding progress and development in the Ga communities and appealed to them to bury their differences and join hands with one another as the Ga State celebrates Homowo this year.

King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II believes that the best way to move the Ga State forward was to celebrate their annual Homowo festival in “unity and peace"

He said development, which the Ga people have been craving for, can not be achieved if there was no unity of purpose.

“We have to settle our differences so that we can see meaningful progress and development for the benefit of our people,” the King added.

The Ga Paramount Chief thanked the chiefs and people for their support and urged the latter to continue to provide the necessary leadership to their people.

King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II requested all Ga Dangmes to let go of bad blood and forge ahead for the GaDangme State.

He emphasized that all houses/persons who have a role/position to play in making the Ga State what it must be should be ready to take their positions.

King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II noted that a true King of the Ga State is the one who is willing to work with all houses and without unification, this dream cannot be achieved.

The Dsasetse Nii (Dr.) Tetteh Kwei II and the Principal Elders of the Ga Paramount Stool Dsase who enthroned the legitimate Ga  Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, have vowed that their tenure in office will be the one to ensure that all Houses/Families are accorded their rightful places in order to ensure that the cardinal pillar of unifying all ranks in the Ga State by the King is achieved.

The King encouraged the young and the educated Ga Dangmes not to shy away from Royal positions rightfully within their families that are being offered them.

He called on the Ga people to also make the education of their children a priority to provide them with a solid foundation for the future.

He said nobody would come from outside to develop the area for them unless it is done by the inhabitant themselves.

He appealed to the government to find a lasting solution to the perennial flooding in the city which usually leads to loss of lives and properties.

His Royal Majesty King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II’s final words were very promising, “Ga Dangme, as an enterprise, is just about seeing its destiny glow in my tenure as Ga Mantse”.

  Freeman Koryekpor Awlesu Greater Accra Regional Correspondent