Ghana holds annual festival to mark ancient culture

Engulfed in a mixture of noise and joy, Ghana's Asafotufiami festival reached to its climax on Sunday in Ada, about 70 kilometers east of capital Accra.

The festival, which is one of the biggest cultural events in the country, is celebrated annually in the first week of August to remember the prowess of the ancestors in their wars of conquest.

Big crowds of people from all walks of life flocked to Ada, the traditional capital, to witness the traditional celebrations in which both female and male members of the royal militia fired locally-manufactured muskets in the air to remember how their brave ancestors fought and conquered enemies.

There was an exhibition of various handicrafts such as traditional beads, hand-woven fabrics and sandals.

There were also folk dance groups on stage to display various dance and music forms, as well as occupations of the people.

The Paramount Chief of the Ada Traditional Area, Nene Kabu Abram Akuaku III, appealed to the government to seek investors to exploit the area's aquaculture and agriculture potentials to create jobs for the teeming youth in the vicinity.

Daniel McKorley, a business mogul, who chaired the grand ceremony, encouraged the youth to develop a great interest in the culture and tradition of the area in order to sustain the region's rich culture for generations to come.