A senor traditional Priest, also Akwasa Wulomo of Ngleshie Amanfro, in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, Numo Kankam II, has said special prayers for the Ga state for the ancestors and all deities of the kingdom to bring peace, harmony and togetherness in the Ga state.
He asserted that, the Ga state critically needs peace and harmony to ensure that the traditional legacies and national cohesion bequeathed to it from generation to generation is sustained and enhanced.
Numo Kankam II made these special prayers during this year’s annual Yam Festival at Ngleshie Amanfro.
He stated further that during the Ga special Yam festival which usually precedes the Homowo, special prayers are made by traditional priests for peace to reign among the people of the Ga state.
Numo Kankam II pointed out that, disputes and petty quarrels that usually take place among the people do not serve any useful purpose, hence his special prayers, also for progress and unity.
The festival involves mushed yam mixed with palm oil with eggs to match, and that was the meal served during the occasion as a ritual to their gods and ancestors.
He explained that, the festival and its traditional details are customs that are observed to offer traditional meal to their ancestors and stools annually.
Numo Kankam II noted further that, the yam festival is observed by various clans and families according to their individual norms, but the Homowo festival is jointly celebrated by the whole Ga state for unity and love and to hoot at hunger, which afflicted the state many years ago before a bumper harvest later.
He explained that, he is responsible for commencing the Yam festival at Amanfro as tradition demands, before other clans join later.
Numo Kankam II said further that, the Homowo festival cannot be celebrated successfully if the Yam festival is not observed first as a precursor to the Homowo festival.
Audience and invited guests were also served with the same meal after the traditional prayers as tradition demands.
Speaking to the media during an interview he was grateful to everyone and the nation at large for the patronage and interest in this year’s festival, making it a great success.
Touching on the similarities between Christianity and traditional practice, Numo Kankam noted further that, customs and Christianity are all important and same, since the idea behind both is the same, being to promote love and unity.
He stressed further that, the black race was indoctrinated to abandon our rich culture, describing the age old customs of our forefathers as fetish and anti-Bible.
Numo Kankam II stressed that, Christians usually suffer a lot in their everyday lives due to how they abandon our rich cultural practices bequeathed to us by our forefathers and rather embrace the culture of the white man blindly.
He asserted that, both Christians and traditionalists are from God, hence there is no need for discrimination against one another.
Adding that there is no need to judge one another, he asserted that, since God is the ultimate Judge, to him, Pastors have to respect traditional priests and vice versa for peace to reign.
