By Daniel Adu Darko
Akropong (E/R), Sept. 29, GNA – The Okuapehene, Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III, has appealed to the people of Akuapem to resolve longstanding grievances and support the area’s development.
He made the appeal at the 200th anniversary celebration of the Akuapem Odwira Festival, with a particular call to the youth of the Okereman, Benkum and Adonteng divisions to help promote peace.
Oseadeeyo Akuffo III said Odwira offered an opportunity to reflect on the past, renew relationships and address issues that could impede the progress of Akuapem.
“Whatever I do is for the interest of the youth of Okuapeman in particular because we are moving together in the years ahead of us,” he said.
The Okuapehene appealed to the youth to forgive him for anything that might have happened in recent years that had been detrimental to the development of Akuapem.
“I have to make sure there is peace in the land, and I need you, especially the youth, to instil peace and develop Okuapeman,” he said.
The Okuapehene said the festival enabled the people to cleanse themselves of challenges from the previous year, give thanks for the sacrifices of their ancestors and renew their commitment to development.
He expressed gratitude to the forebears who had preserved Akuapem’s cultural heritage and said he was pleased that the bicentenary was being celebrated during his reign.
Oseadeeyo Akuffo III also reaffirmed the historical relationship between Akuapem and Okyeman.
“Let me also make it clear that the Okuapeman and Okyeman are one people; this is not new,” he said.
Historical accounts indicate that the formation of the Akuapem State followed the defeat of Akwamu forces in the early 1730s, after Guan and Kyerepong communities in the Akuapem hills sought military assistance from Akyem.
Ofori Kuma, also known as Safori, an Akyem military leader and relative of the Okyenhene, led the Akyem intervention, while the Abotakyi political settlement of 1733 helped establish the political structure of the Akuapem State.
The Okuapehene also referred to the Battle of Akatamanso, fought near Dodowa on August 7, 1826, in which Akuapem, Akyem and other southern forces formed part of a wider coalition that defeated the Asante army.
The battle later became associated with the origins of the Akuapem Odwira tradition, which incorporates purification, thanksgiving, remembrance of ancestors and renewal.
The tradition holds that Odwira was instituted in 1826 during the reign of Nana Addo Dankwa I, the 19th Okuapehene, following the Battle of Katamanso.
Oseadeeyo Akuffo III said outstanding differences should be addressed rather than allowed to hinder the area’s progress.
“As we forge ahead as one state, we need to tie up every loose end and everything that pulled us back. Let us address it, and the things that we have not let go, let us leave them behind to forge ahead as one Okuapeman,” he said.
The Okuapehene also called for responsible leadership and a renewed commitment to service among chiefs and citizens.
“I am calling for good servitude for every Ghanaian and the people of Okuapeman and chiefs here present. As we celebrate the Odwira Festival, we should remember that we swore an oath of allegiance to serve,” he said.
Oseadeeyo Akuffo III invited people with outstanding grievances to come to the Palace after the celebrations to discuss their differences and seek lasting solutions.
“Okuapeman belongs to all of us,” he said.
The Okuapehene expressed appreciation to President John Dramani Mahama for sending the Eastern Regional Minister to represent him at the celebrations.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Daniel Adu Darko
Email: [email protected]