Your Ghana, My Ghana: Can the firing of Asafotu muskets spark development?

Asafotufiami, the ‘divisional firing of musket’ festival, commemorates historical battles and victories of the Ada people.

Held annually during the first weekend of August, it is one of Ghana’s largest festivals, frequently attended by the sitting president. 

It showcases the rich cultural heritage and resilience of the Ada people, making it a significant national event. 

War festival

Essentially a war festival, the great victories celebrated are the Katamanso War of 1826 and the Adidome-Todzie War of 1865-66. Many lesser battles were also fought during 200 years of warfare between the 17th and 19th centuries.

Attacked repeatedly by the Akwamus, the Adas were forced to move from Lorlorvor, near Asutsuare, to Okorhuem and then to Big Ada. There, they settled but found new aggressors in their Anlo neighbours, who sought to dislodge them from fishing waters on the Volta River and trading with European merchants.

As detailed in COC Amate’s book, The Making of Ada, in all their battles, the Adas found allies in the Gãs, Osudokus, Akuapems and Akyems. By contrast, the allies of the Anlos were the Akwamus and the Asantes.

The upshot of these historical wars, and defections to the Ada side, is that the people of Ada (Adali) are a mix of Dangmes, Akans and Ewes. Of the 10 Ada clans, four are Dangme, while the founding fathers of three clans are Akan and the remaining three are Ewe in origin.

Long weekend festivities

The long weekend Asafotu festivities begin with the Thursday ‘Homecoming’ of Adas, symbolising the return to Big Ada of the asafo (divisions) after each battle.

On Friday, symbolic fighters take part in a procession amid drumming, dancing, singing of asafo songs and the firing of muskets.

This ends with the washing of feet at Kponkpo Panya on the river, representing the cleansing of misfortune experienced by the warriors and the expulsion of the evil spirits of war through the estuary of the Volta at Azizanya into the Atlantic Ocean.  

Ada ingenuity

Among these reenactments of past glories, a powerful symbol of Ada's ingenuity is the Mystery Basket, fabled to have been used by a resourceful asafoatsɛ to fetch water from the river and quench the thirst of his battle-weary fighters, who would otherwise have perished on their way home.

The climax of Asafotufiami is the Saturday grand durbar of the 10 clans of Ada, led by their chiefs, some dressed in kente, others in the batakari battle dress worn by warriors in the past.

The chiefs ride through the streets to the durbar ground in palanquins, amid drumming, dancing and the firing of muskets. At the durbar ground, the major wars are invoked during the swearing of an oath of allegiance to the paramountcy and the Paramount Chief of Ada.

Women, who were active in some of the battles of old, beat drums as they participated in a march-past of Ada bands and associations, including youth groups and occupational groups.

After Sunday’s open-air thanksgiving service, a Christian nod to the traditional commemorations, Monday's entertainment includes riverside activities featuring canoe races, a tug of peace women’s competition, beach parties and football matches.

After-party

The after-party draws entertainment companies from Accra, who vie with each other to mount temporary venues, alongside existing local night spots in Big Ada, now the district capital of Ada East Constituency.

This year’s big catch was popular musician, Medikal. A HydOut Pub stage and entertainment area were constructed for him on the Big Ada high road, drawing a big crowd.

But though the decibel levels from the sound boxes grow louder and more insistent each year, the after-party can only be extended for a day or two and after 87 years of Asafotufiami, the jobs for the youth are still fleeting.

Symbolism or development?

So, beyond the symbolism of the festival, can the fighting resistance on which Adas pride themselves be channelled towards development?

This is a question I put to the Paramount Chief of the Ada Traditional Area, Djetsɛ Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III. The longest-serving paramount chief in Ghana with 47 years on the throne, Djetsɛ Akuaku III is also the President of the Ada Traditional Council.

Speaking through his representative, Nene Tsatsu Pediator V, Asafoatsɛngua of the Kudzragbe Clan, Djetsɛ’s response was insightful.

“These wars are no more. But today, we have other battles we equally are fighting towards the maintenance of peace and the development of Ada. What are these battles? Education, health, youth development and infrastructure.”

Traditional governance

As to how traditional leaders see the problem of governance in our body politic today and what role they can play in development, Nene Pediator V conveyed the following:

“Djetsɛ, as Paramount Chief of Ada, has chiefs in all the towns and villages of Ada and they are all responsible and accountable to him because he is the overlord who ensures that there is peace and unity and development.

“There is a system already in place and it’s not new, where the 10 clans of Ada have their asafoatsɛmɛ (commanders), the wetsoyi (clan head), their queenmothers who have responsibilities of overseeing the development and maintenance of peace within their clans.

“If for any reason any chief, any queenmother or any leader in the various communities, be it a village or a town, is not able to ensure that there is peace, unity, development, he or she is summoned to the Paramountcy and is queried on the behaviour or misbehaviour, and through that, we are able to ensure that local governance is well executed at the various levels in Ada,” Nene Pediator V, on behalf of the Paramount Chief, said.

The attendance at this year’s Asafotufiami of several GãDangme paramount chiefs, including guest of honour, Gã Mantse, Dr Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, was considered a great success.

But the event, held in an election year, saw a notable absence. Neither President Nana Akufo-Addo nor his Vice-President attended. This contrasts with last year’s visit by the President. The absence somewhat weakened the message on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flag bearer Mahamudu Bawumia’s campaign posters that “it is possible” to wrest the two Ada constituencies from the NDC.

NDC stronghold

Once a CPP heartland, Ada has been an NDC stronghold since former Head of State, Flt Lt JJ Rawlings, brought pipe-borne water and electricity to the area, making him a darling of the Ada people. He is also credited with taking action on sea defence, the dredging of the Volta River, bilharzia control, the tarring of the Kasseh-Ada Foah road and the easing of conflict over the Songor Salt Lagoon.

The late leader, who had a weekend retreat at Vume up the river, was a lover of water sports and his daring display of boating skills around the estuary together with his electric appearances at the Asafotu durbar grounds also endeared him to the Ada people.

The current MP for Ada East, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe-Ghansah, has held her seat since the 2012 elections, when then Vice-President, John Mahama, became the flag bearer following the shock death of President John Evans Atta-Mills, barely three months before the elections. Cudjoe-Ghansah is also currently Deputy Chief Whip in the Parliament of Ghana. 

MP-DCE rivalry

However, the constitutional power of the president to appoint district chief executives (DCEs) means that the NDC MP must work with NPP-affiliated DCE, Sarah Dugbakie Pobee.

Such challenges are faced in many of Ghana’s 275 constituencies. Even in political party strongholds, the fear that a DCE from a rival party may harbour an ambition to overthrow a sitting MP can affect the pace of development.

The rivalry can mean, for instance, that roads are neglected for the now predictable eight years while a hostile government holds the presidency.

Challenges and solutions

In Ada, the complexities of Ghana’s electoral system of musical chairs looms over epochal challenges such as the worsening erosion of the seacoast at Azizanya, where the majestic Volta enters the ferocious Atlantic, and lingering inter-clan disputes over who owns what share of the Songor Salt Lagoon, which has been a mainstay of the Ada economy for centuries.

Alongside these challenges, the unsustainable level of youth unemployment cries out for attention, threatening to replace the traditional firing of muskets with a far more explosive time bomb. It may take the old ingenuity of the traditional Ada State together with greater cooperation between the political parties to achieve a lasting solution to the seemingly intractable contemporary problems.