This week, the Central region, Cape Coast, would host a staccato of activities as part of the commemoration of the 60 years anniversary of the Fetu Festival, which has been celebrated annually to bring the people together for the development of the area.
This year’s activities for the festival include a homecoming carnival and a drama night on September 1, a choral contest and drama night at the Cape Coast Castle today, 3 September, 2024.
Wednesday, 4 September, has been declared Youth and Kids Day. There would be a health screening exercise and visits to sights and sounds in Cape Coast (Tourism Day).
On Thursday, there will be the Royal Dinner and the launch of the Osabarimba Fund.
Key amongst the personalities who would grace the occasion is the Asante King of international influence, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II. The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has announced plans to confer an Honorary Doctorate Degree on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to nation-building, peace, and development.
The conferment ceremony is set to take place on the same Thursday, 5 September, at the New Examination Centre at UCC.
The festival will be climaxed on Saturday, September 7, with the grand durbar, followed by a highlife festival, and on Sunday, a thanksgiving service and football competition. On Saturday however, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is expected to grace the climax of the Oguaa Fetu Afahye, which he has confirmed he would be present.
The participation of the Asantehene in this event is a testament to the harmonious relationships that exist among the various traditional authorities in the country. It is also the first time an Asante king has visited the Central region is this modern Ghana.
On Friday, there will be the Orange Friday and the Oman purification rites.
77 deities of the land are believed to play critical roles in the protection and prosperity of the indigenes of the town, according to traditional rulers.
One of the key gods of the land, Nana Paprata, receives a sacrificial cow at the Papratem shrine as part of activities to mark the Fetu Festival.
The festival was referred to as “Black Christmas “by the white colonial masters in the pre-colonial times. It is held to mark a bumper harvest season and to thank the 77 deities of the Oguaa Traditional Area.
Orange Friday, known now as one of the world’s biggest street carnivals, is an add-on to the festival, with patrons dressed generally in anything orange.
The first Saturday is the climax of the festival. It involves a colourful procession of chiefs and queenmothers in their beautiful palanquins led by the seven Asafo companies (traditional militia) through the principal streets of Cape Coast to the durbar grounds where the leaders and the Paramount Chief will address the people.
The procession generates a lot of excitement as the chiefs and queenmothers are cheered on by their subjects. These seven Asafo companies are critical in the traditional set-up of Oguaa. They are the Bentsir, Anaafo, Ntsin, Nkum, Abrofomba, Akrampa and Amanful.
They have played very crucial roles in the development of communities, defending their people in wars and cannot be ignored.
Meanwhile, all through the week, there will be an expo dubbed “Afahye in the Park” near Lush on the Coast at Bakado. Welcome to Fetu Afahye, welcome to Cape Coast.
Cape Coast is one of the oldest and popular cities in Ghana. Many beautiful things would make you love this city. Firstly, Cape Coast is the city of firsts. It is the first capital of the country.
It has the first-ever basic school, the Philip Quaque Boys Basic; the first boys secondary school, Mfantsipim School; and the first girls secondary school, Wesley Girls’ High School.
It also has the first Methodist and Anglican churches.
For others, Cape Coast is the city of sumptuous stews. Fresh fish stew, known as Fantsi Fantsi or ntsitsiin, with kenkey or etsew is their speciality.
Also in Cape Coast stands the magnificent Cape Coast Castle, a scar of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, now one of Ghana’s most visited tourist sites.
The role of Cape Coast in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade is immortalised by the magnificent Cape Coast Castle where slaves were held in dungeons before they were shipped to the Americas. It was built by the Dutch and changed hands with the Swedes and the British in 1664.
In recent years, the Cape Coast Castle has attracted many people, including then President of the United States, Barack Obama, and his family who visited in July 2009, and current US Vice-President, Kamala Harris, who visited in 2023.
Source:inquirernewsroom.com