Oguaahen kicks off 25th anniversary celebrations

THE colourful, genial atmosphere that pervaded the Emintsimadze Palace of Oguaahen Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II last Saturday, January 20 was the kind usually witnessed at Fetu Afahye celebrations.

The occasion was, however, not one of those days when the famous coastal town of Oguaa, or Cape Coast, marked its age-old annual traditional festival. It was the 4th Osabarimba Royal Awards. 

The Omanhen was in a delightful mood on the day not only because of the opportunity to reward individuals and outfits he deemed working hard in the interest of Cape Coast. It was also his 84th birthday and the programme formed part of events marking his 25th anniversary as Oguaahen.   

Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, clad in white cloth, sat in state on his newly unveiled stool, flanked by members of the Oguaa Traditional Council. Music boomed from the Ayekoo Mbo Cultural Troupe and intricate moves were on display as everyone settled down for the main business of the day: the awarding of mementos to deserving folks.  

Occasionally tossing in bits of his often-acknowledged sense of humour, the Oguaahen welcomed everyone to his palace. To him, it would be a sign of ingratitude to close his eyes to the efforts of lots of people in different fields of endeavour, all helping Cape Coast to move forward. 

He said that was why he consulted with some of his elders four years ago to institute an awards scheme to show appreciation to such people. The Oguaahen mentioned Nana Obiri Aduama I, Nkodohen of the Oguaa Traditional Area and General Manager of Ridge Royal Hotel, as one of the key persons that helped flesh out and got the Osabarimba Royal Awards going. 

“There are still areas not covered by the awards and we are looking at which new categories to include. So if it is kelewele you sell and do it well in a neat environment with good customer service, you could also be honoured. Everyone matters in this Oguaa space,” Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II added. 

More than 45 mementos were given out to winners from areas such as business, education, media, health, entertainment and more. The winners included Mrs Sati Ocran for supporting Adisadel College with a modern residential complex. Hutchland City also came away with the Most Popular Joint trophy and there was a special honour for well-known filmmaker and Bisa Aberwa Museum founder, Kwaw Ansah.

The programme at the Emintsimadze Palace on January 20 was actually the highlight of events drawn up as the 25th Anniversary Edition of the Osabarimba Royal Awards. Other components were a two-day business forum; a Night with Kwaw Ansah and a Movie Night, all held at the Ridge Royal Hotel.

Cape Coast, known in the annals of this country as the first seat of government, prides itself on many things, including being the citadel of education in this country. The reality is that it always bustles with a variety of business activities and planners of the 25th Anniversary Edition of the Osabarimba Royal Awards appropriately fitted in two days for business-related deliberations. 

Topics

 Topics discussed on January 17 were: ‘Harnessing Oguaa Traditional Area Market Opportunities and Challenges’ and ‘Sustaining and Growing the Customer Base.’ January 18 was for ‘Investing in Cape Coast,’ ‘Social Media Advantages for Business,’ and ‘Transforming the Mindset for Business.’

Madam Alima-Sadia Yussif, CEO of Alisad Enterprise near Pedu Junction, was an active participant in the two-day business forum. She said Cape Coast was a superb hub of all kinds of businesses and those involved needed to keep abreast of trends to take advantage of opportunities.

Cherishing Cape Coast as a place with superabundant cultural heritage, planners of the anniversary celebrations thought it expedient to invite somebody with solid understanding of Ghanaian culture for interaction with citizens and the lot fell on Kwaw Ansah.

On January 19, four documentaries of his and other aspects of his storytelling capabilities were shown and discussed in Conference Room 1 at the Ridge Royal Hotel. It offered an opportunity for the sizable audience to share ideas on matters relating to how Africans and Black people generally, could use culture as an empowering tool for self-enhancement. 

There was also a Movie Night on January 21 and Kwaw Ansah’s Love Brewed in the African Pot was shown. Different age groups were there to see the 43-year old film and interact with the writer/director. 

The Chairman of the eight-member Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II 25th Anniversary Planning Committee, Nana Obiri Aduama I, said there would be activities each month till after this year’s Fetu Afahye in September.  Some of the programmes planned for February include a Thanksgiving Service, Clean-up Campaign, Street Carnivals, Lunch hosted by the Oguaahen and Symposia. 

So it has been 25 years of being the overlord of Cape Coast for Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II. A quarter of a century of occupying a stool that always requires fair-mindedness and ability to seek the welfare of citizens. 

Different opinions would definitely come up if Cape Coasters were asked to pass comments on the past 25 years under the current Oguaahen. No matter how one sees it, Cape Coast is a beautiful place with potential for further growth and development. It is every citizen’s business to contribute what they can to see that manifest.