Klefe holds new yam procession in preparation for Yam festival

THE people of Klefe in the Ho municipality of the Volta Region last Sunday (September 7) took part in a carnival processing from the Galenkui Hill to Klefe-Demete to signify the hailing of the new yam.

The hailing of the new yam, known as teyuyru, paves the way for the consumption of the fresh harvests of yams in the season.

This year’s yam festival celebration is focused on raising funds to develop structures at the Klefe Technical Institute.

The celebration which is on the theme: Youth Employment – The Future of Our Community, will be climaxed with a grand durbar on Saturday September 27 at Klefe-Demete.

The chairman of the festival planning committee, Evans Kwami Buami, told the Graphic Showbiz the Vice President, President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, and the Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu were expected to grace the occasion.

“We are also expecting more than 10,000 people from far and near at the durbar,” he added. 

The yam festival is celebrated to express gratitude to the gods and ancestors for bountiful yields, while praying for continued prosperity, health, and cultural preservation.

The festival also serves as a homecoming event for the community, a platform for traditional music and dance, and a time to settle disputes, and renew social bonds.

The new yam is offered to the deities before the people can consume it.