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Damba Festival Very Peaceful2010-03-10 19:57:14This article has been read 132 times.  Damba Wariba
It attracted people from varied backgrounds, including their different political and chieftaincy affiliations.
The Denkyira Akwaboso Chief, Nana Adjei-Kopah II, and his retinue of elders, including the Queen, Nana Konadu Yiadom, graced the occasion.
Reports from the Police in Yendi, the traditional seat of the Dagbon Kinship, also indicated that the festival was marked at the Gbewaa Palace without any incident. Other towns and villages in Dagbon also observed the time-tested festival with pomp and pageantry associated with the event.
In Tamale, most tourists and visitors who could not resist the euphoria generated by the revellers joined in the dancing.
The week-long festival was climaxed at the weekend with a durbar of Chiefs at the Dakpema’s Palace. The day is referred to as “Damba Belli Kulisi” (Farewell to Damba).
The revellers were adorned in their colourful smocks of varying sizes and shapes as they responded to the throbbing beats from the gong-gong. Various youth groups, including their beautifully clad ladies, also paraded the streets singing and dancing.
The immaculately dressed sub-chiefs stole the show as they sat on their equally decorated horses and danced majestically to beats of the “Lungsi” drummers amidst shooting of muskets, which produced smoke that temporarily clouded the bright skies.
The joyous crowd accompanying the chiefs had to meander their way to the Dakpema’s Palace, which is the rallying point of the celebrants.
And by 5 p.m, almost all the sub-chiefs, accompanied by their respective retinues and ‘‘warriors’’ from the suburbs, had gathered at the palace to demonstrate the rich cultural displays associated with the festival.
The festival, which is a blend of Islamic and traditional event, is celebrated by majority of the Muslim-dominated communities in the north including Dagombas.
It is to mark the birth and subsequent naming of Prophet Muhammed (S.A.W), the Founder of Islam. It is used to offer sacrifices to show appreciation to Allah and also chart a new course for the coming year.
Earlier, the Dakpema, Chief of Tamale, Naa Mohammed Alhassan Dawuni, announced the establishment of the Dakpema Education Fund inaugurated in December last year to provide assistance to needy, brilliant pupils and students.
He appealed to corporate bodies, NGOs and individuals to contribute generously to the fund.
The Chief also urged the government to come up with innovative policies, including viable agricultural initiatives, to create employment opportunities for the youth.
“I would also like to advise the people to bury their differences and rather unite to fight poverty, disease and illiteracy, which are our common enemy: I am very optimistic that if all of us put our heads together, we can make Tamale, which is reported to be one of the fastest growing cities in the West African sub-region, a beautiful and peaceful place for all of us to live in,” he entreated.
source: graphicghana.com |
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