The Western Nzema Traditional Council (WNTC), has placed a ban on the celebration of this year's Kundum festival by the chiefs and people in the Jomoro Municipality.

The ban follows a resolution by the Traditional Council at the second quarterly General Meeting of all the 46 chiefs of Western Nzema Traditional Council, who jointly agreed that the 2018 Kundum festival shall not be celebrated and same was unanimously confirmed at the third quarterly General Meeting at Beyin.

A Resolution signed by the Omanhene/President of the Western Nzema Traditional Council, Awulae Annor Adjaye 111 and copied to the Ghana News Agency, indicated that the ban would afford the council the opportunity to prepare adequately to celebrate the 2019 Kundum festival in a grand style.

He explained that palanquins to host the various chiefs in their respective communities were not available, hence the WNTC would redouble its efforts to procure more towards next year's celebration.

"The 2019 Kundum Festival shall be officially celebrated in every town and community with all Chiefs and Queens being carried in Palanquins. Funds raised in each community shall be used for specific development projects".

The resolution said "it is at the tail end of the celebration that Nananom shall converge at Beyin, the seat of the Paramount Chief to close the entire event".

It said the arrangement had become important because the annual celebration of the festival is losing its cultural vibrancy and impact on the various communities with much attention extended mainly to the celebration at the Paramountcy level.

The resolution cautioned that "this trend is not culturally healthy for the Western Nzema state which must stop" forthwith.

Awulae Annor Adjaye entreated all the chiefs to comply with the resolution to avoid any loss of life and property as it had occurred in the Ahanta area.

Kundum is an annual festival of the Chiefs and people of Ahanta and Nzema which is normally celebrated every year to usher in bumper harvest starting from Essikado through all Ahanta towns to Axim to Adoabo and to sub-stools and finally ending up in Beyin.

At the end of the Western Nzema celebrations, the migrant Nzemas in Grand Bassam in La Cote D'Ivoire also start and complete the grand festival.

Since 1990 when Awulae Annor Adjaye 111 mounted the Western Nzema Paramount Stool, this festival has continuously been celebrated with the active involvement of the Nvavile Family who mainly performs the rites for the launching and closure of the festival every year, unless there is a major disaster or otherwise.