By Kingsley Mamore
Worawora (O/R), Sept 29, GNA – The Worawora Traditional Council has launched the 2026 Akwantutenten Festival with a renewed commitment to preserving the community’s cultural heritage while mobilising resources for sustainable development.
The festival, being celebrated under the theme, “Celebrating Our Heritage, Building Our Future Together,” was launched at the Worawora Durbar Grounds in the Biakoye District of the Oti Region, under the leadership of Daasebre Sarfro Baah III, Woraworahene.
Daasebre Sarfro Baah III said Akwantutenten, meaning “The Great Migration,” commemorated the historical migration of the people of Worawora from Kuntanase in the Ashanti Region around 1732, through Atibie, Akwamufie and Nkonya, before settling at their present location.
He said the festival had over the years provided an important platform for the people to reconnect with their ancestral history and cultural identity, while bringing together citizens at home and abroad to deliberate on issues affecting the development of the traditional area.
The 2026 celebration is scheduled for October 24 to November 1, 2026, with the Grand Durbar slated for October 31 at the Dwabrem Park, Worawora.
The Chairman of the Planning Committee said the Council had deliberately given this year’s festival a strong development-oriented focus, with funds expected to be raised during the Grand Durbar earmarked for selected community projects.
He said the projects included the renovation of the Worawora L/A Basic School and the construction of mini-bridges to improve access between farming communities.
He said the initiative formed part of efforts to use the festival as a platform to mobilise resources, partnerships and community support to address critical development needs within the traditional area.
The Council has invited Ministers of State, including Ms Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, as well as the Member of Parliament and District Chief Executive for Biakoye.
Corporate institutions, including Nestlé Ghana Limited and BB Energy Ghana, have also been invited, alongside Worawora citizens, friends and well-wishers from Ghana and abroad.
The week-long celebration will feature a series of cultural, social and community development activities, including a clean-up exercise, free health screening, homecoming activities, street carnival, youth and education forum, quiz and cooking competitions, the Ofie Bepo Mountain Climb, Grand Durbar and thanksgiving service.
Daasebre Sarfro Baah III called on sons and daughters of Worawora, both at home and in the diaspora, to return home, participate actively in the festival and contribute to initiatives aimed at advancing the development of the community.
He said the festival offered an opportunity for the people to celebrate their shared history and cultural heritage, strengthen bonds of unity and mobilise collective support for the future development of Worawora.
Nana Kwadwo Nyarko, Apegya-hene of Worawora, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the Akwantutenten Festival was organised to commemorate the migration of their forefathers from the Ashanti area to their present settlement at Worawora.
He said the celebration had therefore become an important occasion for the people to preserve their history and pass their cultural heritage on to future generations.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Kenneth Odeng Adade