General News of Tuesday, 7 May 2002

Source:  

Ban on drumming, noise making in force in Accra

The GaDangme Council has appealed to the Christian community and traditional authorities to show respect for one another and restrain their members, supporters and subjects from making derogatory and provocative remarks about each other during the one month ban on drumming and noise making which began on Monday.

In a statement signed by its president, Mr K.B. Asante and issued in Accra, the council cautioned people to refrain from taking the law into their own hands and asked them to report all infractions of the law to the Joint Task Force on Nuisance Control as well as the law enforcement agencies.

The statement, therefore, urged GaDangme citizens, youth, wulomei, asafoiatsemei and asafoianyemei to exercise utmost restraint and tolerance during the ban. It said the council is hopeful that its call for cooperation will renew and deepen the mutual respect for each other's culture as an integral part of the Ghanaian culture.

It said it is the prayer of the council that all Ghanaians and residents join the GaDangme people to mediate and ask for God's bountiful blessings, peace, unity and prosperity for the nation. The statement urged all institutions and residents of the GaDangme region to work towards ensuring utmost peace and tranquility during the period of the ban on drumming.

It appealed to all residents to go strictly by the understanding reached between the Ga Traditional Council and the Christian and Pentecostal churches and follow the guidelines issued by the Conflict Resolution and Management Committee of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council.

It would be recalled that the enforcement of the ban in recent years has led to confusion and chaos with some youth arrogating to themselves the duties and functions of the security agencies that led to clashes.