ABOAKYER CANCELLED (SPREAD, MAY 10, 2010)

THE chieftaincy dispute in the Effutu Traditional Area reared its ugly head over the weekend, leading to the cancellation of the celebration of this year’s Aboakyer Festival at Winneba.
The once cherished annual festival, which was celebrated with splendour and glamour for a bounty harvest of food and fish, suffered a setback as the two Asafo companies, the Tuafo and the Dentsifo, failed to go to their hunting grounds for fear of reprisals.
The one-week event, celebrated between the last week of April and the first Saturday of May, was postponed this year because the events leading to the deer catch coincided with May Day, the international labour day.
Information gathered in Winneba was that there had been a clash between the two Asafo factions, with rumours having it that 10 people had been killed. But that turned out to be false.
Unconfirmed sources said even though there had been a clash between the two Asafo companies, eight people were treated and discharged from hospital, while the other two whose cases were said to be serious were admitted at the Winneba Hospital.
Even though the town was agog with music from households which had mounted loud speakers, with various sponsors displaying their products, the durbar ground was empty because the Dentsifo Number Two Asafo Company, in defiance, had decided not to go to the hunting grounds and threatened to attack the Tuafo Number One Asafo Company if it dared go to its hunting grounds.
The security services had a hard time monitoring the situation for several hours, while a closed-door meeting was held with the municipal security committee and the Central Regional Police Command to review the situation.
The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, who arrived later, had to be ushered to the municipal assembly and after being briefed, she sent a delegation to the Omanhene of the Effutu Traditional Area, Nenyi Ghartey VII, for consultation.
Mrs Benyiwa-Doe was later escorted to the palace, where the Omanhene was also considering the security implications of the stalemate.
It was then that Nenyi Ghartey informed the regional minister that after assessing the security situation and the looming danger, he and his elders had decided to confine the rest of the rituals indoors to avoid any mayhem and bloodshed.
Mrs Benyiwa-Doe advised the people to take the necessary steps to resolve the dispute for the once revered festival to attract both local and foreign patronage.
Nenyi Ghartey lamented over the problem and its effect on tourism but said the traditional council decided to perform the rest of the rituals indoors in the interest of peace and reconciliation.