Ohum Festival: A Reflection of Akyem Abuakwa Culture

Western civilization is spreading through Ghana at a very fast rate, and is being absorbed into the cultural life of the people of Akyem Abuakwa, thus threatening to erase much of its own culture. In spite of the significant strides by the government of Ghana to promote the artistic and cultural heritage of this country, there is little to show in the promotion of traditional festivals such as the Ohum of Akyem Abuakwa, of the Eastern Region of Ghana. In the past, the people of Akyem Abuakwa took great pride in the celebration of the Ohum festival. Today, this trend has changed. The current generation of the people are gradually loosing interest in the knowledge and celebration of this festival. Apart from this, very few authors and scholars have expressed interest on this subject, making it almost impossible to read about. While acknowledging the problem at hand, the researcher makes an assertion that the Ohum festival, despite its dwindling participants, reflects the artistic and cultural elements of the Akyem Abuakwa people. It also has certain aspects going through some modifications or changes to fit the changing times and these changes have brought a number of effects onto the people and their culture. The researcher proves this assertion by first studying and documenting the origin and celebration of the festival; she indicates how this festival reflects the artistic and cultural lives of the people, tracing changes that have occurred and the factors leading to these changes and the reasons why its participants now seem to be dwindling. The researcher makes use of the qualitative research methodology by giving a historical account, describing, narrating and documenting the data gathered on the field. Also, the researcher discovers that the Ohum festival, which is celebrated twice annually as Ohumkan (first Ohum) and Ohumkyire (second Ohum) has three main aspects. The first is to mark the mythical appearance of chief Okuru Banin I and his men from the river Birem and their migration from that area to their present settlement and also to mourn their past chiefs and elders of the land. The second aspect is to give thanks to the river god Agyempremu Kofi who is believed to be the protector of the people of Tafo (the custodians of the Ohum festival) and its environs. The third aspect is to usher in a new year and launch the eating of new yam. The festival shows the people’s abilities in drawing inspiration from their ancestors and protective spirits (practices that have been preserved and handed over by deeds and by word of mouth from generation to generation); and combining them with modern elements of their time to produce an entirely joyful event. The festival’s artistic and cultural repertoire includes exotic origin and history, religious activities, comprising rites and rituals, energetic drumming and dances and colourful costumes and regalia. The researcher concludes that the Ohum festival, for the past four hundred years, has evolved splendid cultural traditions, worthy of recognition on Ghana’s artistic and cultural landscape. The researcher came out with some recommendations on how to successfully tackle the issue of ignorance among the current generation of Akyem Abuakwa people and how both the government and stakeholders can develop this festival to promote Cultural Tourism in the Akyem Abuakwa traditional area and Ghana as a whole.

Source: KNUST