Nii Martey M. Botchway
Accra, June 10, GNA – Despite being home to the Ga people, the national capital, Accra is also home to people of various tribes, ethnicity, and religions.
Over the years, urbanisation of the capital city has seen it grow into a cosmopolitan status with people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and culture.
However, the cosmopolitan status of the city, coupled with the social dynamics of urbanisation and demographic variables have impacted the Ga culture, and altered its values, traditions, and linguistic settings.
These alterations have resulted in the decline and seemingly demonisation of some cultural practices and values of the Ga people. A situation, Nuumo Blafo III, the Asere Wulomo (Chief Priest), and Ga Blafo, who acts as the spiritual liaison between the gods and the people, describes as worrying.
As part of measures to preserve what is left, there have been numerous calls, including the reintroduction of teaching the Ga Dangme Language in basic schools in Accra.
While there are calls on the government and its agencies to help preserve the Ga culture, the responsibility of passing on culture, including languages, to the next generation rests primarily on the shoulders of families, clans, and traditional authorities.
In a quest to find answers to salvaging what is left of the Ga culture, the Ghana News Agency’s (GNA), Nii Martey M. Botchway engaged Nuumo Blafo III, the Asere Wulomo to understand the dynamics of the situation.
Despite acknowledging that a lot of the Ga culture has been lost over time, Nuumo Blafo, who is also a reckoner of the Ga calendar and a trustee of Ga laws and customs, believes that measures can be put in place to salvage and preserve what is left of the Ga culture and tradition.
He says through traditional ceremonies such as festivals and cultural practices, including naming and funeral ceremonies, rites of passage, and a conscious effort of teaching the Ga Language at home, the Ga culture can be preserved and passed on to the next generation.
The Asere Wulomo says while the cosmopolitan status of the Accra and rural-urban migration resulting in the importation of other cultures, as well as religion can be cited for the decline and demonisation of the Ga culture, some indigenes cannot be absolved of blame.
“Our culture and traditions have come under threats because some of our own people are aiding those perpetuating this crime against us,” he says.
He says aside abandoning traditional practices and culture, including naming ceremonies, which are to be conducted at the paternal family house, with an elderly person of great repute and character overseeing the ceremony, the preferred medium of communication in most Ga homes today is nothing close to the native Ga Language.
Citing some cultural practices, including naming ceremonies and the ban on noise making, which are fast losing their relevance, Nuumo Blafo says during a naming ceremony, which is conducted early in the morning, the child is also given a taste of water, and locally brewed spirit as a medium of differentiating good from evil.
He says the child is brought out and shown to the early morning sun, traditionally known as “Tsootsobi,” with prayers said for the newborn. The practice, he says, is to formally show the newborn to the world and protect him or her from all forms of evil.
On the ban on noise making, Nuumo Blafo explains that aside being a vital part of traditional Ga culture, the age long tradition serves as a period of spiritual connection between the gods and the people.
“It is also a period of rest for the people, and of rejuvenation for nature. During this period, the Ga State fasts and prays for rainfall, a bountiful harvest, and good tidings, as all synthetic sounds are halted for reflection and renewal,” he says.
“These cultural practices were not instituted overnight. They date back to our ancestors, shaping and guiding our customs as a people.”
Appealing for conscious efforts to be made at the family, clan, and community levels to revive, restore, and protect the customs, culture, and traditions of the Ga State, Nuumo Blafo says: “We risk raising an entire generation who will know nothing about our culture and become strangers on our own land.”
Nii Kortey Boi II, the Ofankor Mantse and member of the Ga Traditional Council, says the Ga State must as a matter of urgency begin training Gas who are willing and ready to learn, to preserve and pass on the values, culture, and traditions of the land to the next generation.
“We are at a crossroads, but all is not lost. If we put our hands to the wheel, we will not only preserve what is left, but also restore what is lost,” he notes.
“There must be some deliberate efforts, including the teaching and learning of the Ga Language especially at the basic school level.”
Stating that the national language policy be vigorously enforced, Nii Kortey Boi holds the view Ga textbooks must be brought back into circulation with more Ga teachers trained and posted to schools within the region.
During his vetting in March 2021, then Minister-designate for the Greater Accra Region, Henry Quartey, promised to grant scholarships to motivate students to study the Ga Language.
He says the scholarship will encourage more students to develop interest in the Ga Language.
Though Mr Quartey is no longer the Regional Minister, he holds a Cabinet portfolio, and for which reason the Ga State should explore his suggestion and hold him to his promise.
The Ga State must act fast to salvage the remnant of its culture.
GNA