Accra, Nov. 23, GNA - Nana Fanyinama III, Chief of

Wangara (Wangara Wura), on Tuesday urged government to help

promote traditional festivals to ensure that certain values and

morals were upheld especially among the youth. She said festivals were also a way of promoting domestic

tourism, saying, "it can promote national unity." Nana Fanyinama III said this when the Ghana Tourists Board

formally launched the celebration of the Kurubi festival, celebrated

by the Wangaras in Ghana. The Kurubi festival would be celebrated this year from

November 25 to 27 at Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo region on the

theme: "Using Festivals to Promote Tourism and National

Development." It starts on Thursday with a clean-up exercise, a home coming,

spiritual and cultural rituals on Friday and climax on Saturday with

a durbar and a "test for virginity." Nana Fanyinama III explained that during the climax of such

festivals, a wooden platform is mounted and young women in the

community are expected to climb the platform. "If a lady is not a virgin and she climbs the wooden platform it

will break and it will be a disgrace not only to her parents but will

also prevent men from approaching her for marriage', he added. She noted that wives are also encouraged to do the climb and if

the wooden platform does not break, it means she is a good and

faithful wife and the husbands are encouraged to love them more. Nana Fanyinama III said the Kurubi festival therefore helped

prevent promiscuity and reduce the spread of HIV and AIDS in

the Region. She urged Ghanaians to patronize the festival and also help

contribute to domestic tourism. Mr Julius Debrah, Executive Director of the Ghana Tourists

Board, said the Board was promoting festivals as part of its

mandate of promoting domestic tourism and encouraged

Ghanaians to "discover their own country" through the patronage

of such festivals. Mr Ben Anane Nsiah, Events Manager at the Ghana Tourists

Board, described the festival as an authentic Ghanaian cultural

event and said it offered another variety of the Ghanaian culture.