President of the Ghanaian community in Ivory Coast, Nana Kyeremaa Abrafi-Koto, and President of Ga Traditional Council, King Takie Teiko Tsuru II, have
initiated moves to promote the culture and tradition in West Africa.

They believe an effort in that direction, would continue to provide beneficiary communities and the people within the sub-region with a sense of identity, community networking, and a sense of belongingness.

Cultural tradition, the two traditional rulers noted, can also be a source of comfort and strength in times of difficulty and therefore must be harnessed for development.

They emphasised that cultural tradition, once neglected, in essence, would destroy the heritage and history of communities within the sub-region.

"But, once maintained, the purity would provide the people working and living in the sub-region, with that sense of unity, peace, stability, and cohesion as more and more avenues would be created by traditional leaders for the people to build shared trust, instigate growth, and ultimately development", they added.

Invitation to Homowo

As part of the effort to promote culture and tradition, the President of the Ga Traditional Council invited the leader of the Ghanaian community currently serving as the Queen Mother of ECOWAS nationals, working and living in Ivory Coast to witness this year's edition of the Homowo Festival.

Homowo, or 'Mocking Hunger' is a huge public event in the Ga communities of the Greater Accra Region and elsewhere along the coast of the Greater Accra Region. Therefore, during the celebration of this historic festival, various programs and events are paraded along the principal streets of Accra, Ghana's capital city.

Homowo events

There are various durbars and lots of street revelry organised by the Ga people during the Homowo festival to kick against hunger and usher in the new harvest season (new year).

In recognition of the Ga state as one of the oldest Kingdoms in the West African subregion, the Queen Mother of ECOWAS Nana Kyeremaa Abrafi-Koto led a delegation of twenty people made up of Ghanaian traditional rulers, representing various tribes and ethnic groups as heads of Ivory Coast to participate in this year's Homowo festival.

The delegation witnessed the performance of the famous twin festival as part of the Homowo activities that inundated all the Ga communities in the past few days.

The delegation, also paid a courtesy call on the Ga Mantse and his elders at the palace where a mini-traditional durbar was organised in honor of the visitors.

The traditional priests at the palace used the occasion to pour libations in honor of ancestors and to also bless the Queen Mother and her delegation for initiating cogent steps to connect the Ga traditional area with the subregion in terms of promotion of culture and tradition.

President of the Ga Traditional Council

At the colorful durbar, the President of the Ga Traditional Council and Ga Mantse welcomed the Queen Mother and her delegation to his land.

He used the solemn occasion to offer her the chieftaincy title Naa (Queen Mother) Kyeremaa Abrafi-Koto and assured her of his determination to cement the beautiful relationship cultivated by the two interested parties.

He assured the Queen Mother and her delegation of his anxiousness, and commitment to reciprocate the kind gesture.

He commended her for the visit and solidarity shown to the people of Ga by the Queen Mother and her 20-man delegation.

Consequently, he announced his willingness to participate in the 2024 edition of the Festival National de l'Afrique (FENA) in Ivory Coast.

It is one of the most patronised festivals being organised by the Queen Mother to celebrate African nationals working and living in the Ivory Coast.

On Sunday evening, King Takie Teiko Tsuru II hosted the Ivorian delegation at a private dinner as part of the hospitality characterising the celebration of the Homowo festival.

President of Ghanaian Community in Ivory Coast

On her part, Nana Kyeremaa Abrafi-Koto, President of the Ghanaian community in Ivory Coast, expressed extreme joy and satisfaction for the warm reception received by her delegation following their visit to Ghana.

She said the relationship between the two interested parties, would further advance components of the African culture.

These would include the values system, beliefs, and norms, as part of the general development of the cultural heritage in the sub-region.

She said she would want the cultural nuances, which hitherto were far-reaching and could overshadow individual beliefs and ideologies to be revived within the sub-region.

"One of the main reasons why culture is so important is due to the stability it provides for so many people", she said.

The Queen Mother who has carved a niche for herself in the traditional circles in the West African sub-region, also assured the Ga Mantse and the people of Accra of strategic steps she would take to promote business collaborations to further strengthen the beautiful relationship being developed.

As President of BID Group, a company working in real estate, waste management, and investment consultancy in Ghana and Ivory Coast among others, she promised to partner with the right organisations and individuals, to promote investment drive in Ghana and Ivory Coast.

She also assured the people of her commitment to promoting social networking through her foundation in collaboration with other civil society organizations working in the Ivory Coast and Ghana.

Signing of books of condolence

The Queen Mother also used the opportunity to sign the books of condolence at the Ga Mantse palace and the Ga Traditional Council in memory and in honor of the late father of Ga Mantse who passed away and the late Queen Mother of the Ga Traditional Council who also passed away respectively.

The Queen Mother and her delegation subsequently left Ghana on Tuesday, August 22, 2023.