2023 Woarabeba Tweii Festival celebrated in grand style

The 2023 Woarabeba Tweii Festival came to a spectacular close on October 15th, 2023, after a week filled with festivities, cultural showcases, and a vibrant celebration of community. 

This year's edition of the annual festival, held from October 9th to October 15th, witnessed a remarkable coming together of people from across Ghana, making it an extraordinary and memorable event.

Organized with the combined efforts of the Chiefs of Woarabeba, Challenging Heights, and Nyce Media, the festival had a multi-fold purpose, including promoting sustainable fishing practices, raising awareness about climate change, exploring alternative sources of income for the Woarabeba community, and highlighting the unique culture of Woarabeba and its residents. One of the key objectives for 2023 was to gather funds for the construction of a school building within the Woarabeba community.

The festival presented a diverse range of activities to entertain and educate attendees, such as traditional durbars, a thrilling beach football tournament, a seafood bazaar that delighted food enthusiasts with a variety of fresh seafood dishes, a captivating beach movie night under the stars, and electrifying live band performances.

The festival commenced with two days dedicated to community clean-up activities, demonstrating the commitment of Woarabeba residents to environmental stewardship. This was followed by a regatta-canoe race, where participants from various groups vied for a prestigious trophy. The Tweii fishing competition showcased the remarkable fishing skills of the indigenes, while the "Kweku Rasta" procession displayed the Woarabeba god in a vibrant street presentation.

A highlight of the festival was the beach masquerade carnival, featuring stunning masquerade groups with elaborate costumes and dance performances. The beach movie night provided a unique cinematic experience, complemented by relaxation on the beach. The Tantamina float, featuring vibrant music, got the youth of Woarabeba and all festival-goers dancing through the streets. A beach fun fair with games and music offered enjoyment for all ages.

The climax of the festival was the highly anticipated grand durbar, which unfolded on Saturday, October 14th, 2023, at the Woarabeba Community Center. The event was graced by numerous dignitaries, including traditional leaders, political figures, and heads of government institutions within the municipality, alongside other esteemed guests.

Nii Kwakupon, Noryaa Mantse, Okushiabiade, presided as the chairman of the occasion and commended the Chiefs of Woarabeba and Challenging Heights for orchestrating a remarkable festival. He expressed hope that future celebrations would build upon the successes of this year and urged all stakeholders to rally together in unity to drive development within Woarabeba. Nii emphasized the pivotal role of collective strength in fostering progress.

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Mr. Bismark Odum Sackey, General Manager of Nyce Media and the Project Manager for the festival, on behalf of the organizing partners, underlined the vast potential of the Woarabeba Tweii Festival. “We have been doing this for three years, and I promise you that by the fifth year, this community will be too small to contain all patrons. Our focus is to bring development to this community through festival and we will surely get there with your support.”

 He further stated, that the potency of festivals to generate so much revenue, gives room for the call on government to invest more into tourism and culture as this sector has the potential of racking in a lot of revenue for the country.

He added that the area of tourism has become so lucrative to the extent that, other countries have now largely rely on their tourism sector to run their economies. “…other countries have done it, and Ghana can also do it. Government only needs to be conscious and deliberate with efforts to make Ghana the hub of tourism in Africa through the creation and promotion of festivals” he added.

The festival concluded with the beach soccer finals, which saw eight teams fiercely competing from the group stages. Nyame Na Aye Showboys emerged victorious, claiming the championship title.

In retrospective, the 2023 Woarabeba Tweii Festival stood as a testament to its success, with a remarkable turnout and enthusiastic participation in its diverse activities and performances. The festival not only celebrated tradition and culture but also served as a vibrant platform for community unity and growth.

The organizers and participants alike look forward to building upon the festival's accomplishments in the years to come, further enhancing its cultural significance and the positive impact it brings to Woarabeba and beyond.

Woarabeba is a fishing community in the Effutu municipality of the Central Region of Ghana, sandwiched between the Ayensu river and the sea.