Editorial: Chieftaincy disputes hampering development efforts

The world over, especially in developing countries, traditional festivals, apart from the pomp and circumstance and rich culture they exhibit, are used to champion development projects.

Fundraising events are held side by side the glitz and glamour of tradition and is attended by both indigenes and visitors, made up largely of tourists from other parts of the country and the world.

Over time, these festive periods have not only become associated with merrymaking, but they have also been used to cash in on the high influx of people from elsewhere who join in, to raise funds for much needed development projects. 

But all that is changing lately, due to the numerous disputes that have hit the chieftaincy institution. Although without a doubt we have more lettered chiefs than we used to have, the rancour has rather increased due to personal greed and factionalism.

Some of the disputes have become so pronounced that festivals that united the people of certain traditional areas through merrymaking and development projects have now become virtually dead.

This year’s Homowo (hooting at hunger) festival of the Gas has also suffered a relapse, due to a prolonged feud between chieftaincy factions, which has resulted in an injunction on the celebration.

We believe that once the chieftaincy institution has been tied to the traditional festivals, celebrations would always be in jeopardy, if there is a scuffle over who has the right to rule or which family has the right to choose a traditional ruler.

Much as the chiefs add a spectacular beauty to all the festivals when they parade the grounds adorned in their traditional regalia, the Daily Graphic opines that the time has come for the various traditional authorities to have in place neutral groups that would partner with the government to make such festivals national in character.

It is time to delineate chieftaincy from our festivals and let the indigenes collaborate with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, through the Ghana Tourism Authority and other key stakeholders. The traditional authority would also be part of such collaboration but must be devoid of factions.

We nonetheless urge the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs to assist in the eradication of the many disputes that have hit the revered institution of chieftaincy. We need a road map that would prevent particular royal families from entrenching themselves in power and also bring sanity to the revered chieftaincy institution.

The Daily Graphic urges respect for the traditional norms and practices where the enstoolment and enskinment of chiefs rotate among the families or gates entitled to occupy the position.

If all the traditional areas respect their own regulations, there will be no room for the disputes but even if they rear their ugly heads at all, they may be confined to the royal gates.