By Paulina Emefa Anani
Tamale, Oct 6, GNA – The Chiefs and people of the Northern Region have celebrated Damba, which is an annual festival to commemorate the birth of Prophet Muhammad.
The festival is simultaneously celebrated by the people of Dagbon in the Northern Region, the people of the Upper West, North East, and Savannah Regions.
The Chiefs and people in the Tamale Metropolis, who celebrated the festival, were dressed in well patterned traditional smocks in groups drawn from various communities and danced to songs played from drums and other musical instruments with various dance groups taking centre stage in turns, and a team of warriors displaying in musketry.
The Chiefs, who graced this year’s celebration, were the Kumbungu-Naa, Lamashegu-Naa, Dakpema-Naa and Sakasaka-Naa, who converged at the Jubilee Park in Tamale to commemorate the occasion.
The Chiefs who dressed in their tittle regalia and accompanied by team of warriors and other title Chiefs to the festival grounds also had some women from the various towns and communities singing appellations to them.
Dakpema-Naa Bawa Fuseini, who addressed the celebrants, called on the youth to be law abiding and avoid riding or driving recklessly on the streets of Tamale to avoid crashes.
He advised the people of Dagbon living outside home to take advantage of the tourism element in the festival to invite their friends to visit, whenever it is time to celebrate Damba and other festivals.
The Dakpema Naa noted that festivals were critical part of the people of Dagbon who held such occasions in high esteem, and advised Dagbon citizens to take activities around their traditions seriously.
He further advised the youth to avoid using illicit drugs, and said it was not only harmful to the body, it also misdirected them on how to live good and socially acceptable life.
GNA