By J. K. Nabary
Winneba (C/R), Jan 4, GNA – Nobles Number One Fancy Dress Masquerading Association, the 2024 Masquerade champions, have retained its position at the 2025 edition of the Effutu Masquerading Competition held at Winneba in the Central Region.
Nobles Number One Group, which gave birth to all the masquerade groups in Effutu, obtained 1,306 points to beat Egya No. Two, Red Cross No. Four and Royals No. Five masqueraders.
The event, on the theme: “Celebrating Peace, Unity and Development through Tourism,” was organised by the Winneba Masquerade Federation and powered by Navida and Tours.
The four groups were taken through disciplines such as inspection of costumes, march pass, slow dancing/blues, high-life dance and “adaha” (to wit speed or hot dancing).
At the end, Nobles No. One was adjudged the overall best performing group, taking home a trophy.
The second position went to Egya No. Two, which obtained 1,117, followed by Red Cross No. Four, with 1,017, and Royals Number Five, placing fourth with 996 points. They all received trophies.
Tumus Number Three Group fell out of the competition due to internal fighting over leadership position, which ended at the Winneba High Court, while efforts by stakeholders at Effutu to bring them together have failed.
Alhaji Zubairu Kassim, the Effutu Municipal Chief Executive, urged the Tumus Number Three Group and its supporters to embrace peace to foster cohesion for development.
“You must bury your differences to forge ahead as unified group to progress in the masquerade industry,” he advised.
He appealed to the stakeholders to desist from actions that could disturb the peace of the area and prioritise the interest of the Effutu State.
“Let us reconcile as one people and contribute our quota towards the total development and growth of Effutu and Ghana,” he stated.
Alhahi Kassim commended partners in Effutu, comprising the Clergy, Imams and scholars for helping with the reformation of the Masquerading Federation and prayed that Allah rewarded them abundantly.
The MCE, whose tenure ends on Tuesday, January 7, appealed to his would-be successor to continue to dialogue with parties in the Number Three Masquerading Group for amicable out of court settlement.
The Winneba-Charlottesville Sister Cities delegation from Virginia, USA donated GhC2,000.00 towards the event.
GNA