The Mystery Basket of Ada - Symbol of hope
The Asafotufiami festival of the chiefs and people of Ada in the Greater Accra Region is a commemorative event that seeks to honour the heroic achievements of the ancestors of Ada.
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According to history, some of the ancestors fought several wars to save Ada from being overrun and destroyed by enemies in the colonial era.
Throughout the history of Ada, the people have fought in several ancient wars and battles, including the 1750 Battle of Nonobe, the war with Anglos in 1769 and the famous Katamanso war around 1826, where the people of Ada were invited by King Tackie of Accra.
The people of Ada responded to the call, and together with other allies, marched to the Katamanso village near Dodowa to help defeat the Ashantis.
At the end of each war, surviving warriors who returned home were met at the outskirts of the town by joyous townsmen and relatives and carried shoulder-high to their respective homes amidst various merry-making activities.
Pride
Among the people of Ada, the mystery basket of Ada holds a historical pride of place in the community.
The indigenes of Ada re-enact how the basket was used to fetch water each year
The fighting had been fierce in one particular battle, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. Apart from the injuries sustained, the warriors of Ada were totally exhausted but knew they couldn't let their guard down.
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Oral history of the people of Ada has it that on one such return from a gruesome ancient battle, there was a desperate lack of fresh water. The survival of these warriors depended on the resourcefulness of their war captain, Asafoatse.
Faced with the daunting task of bringing his troops home safely, the Asafoatse needed to find a way to quench the thirst of the fighters and revive their fighting spirit.
However, there was nothing to fetch the water with, as the fighters were said to have discarded most of their belongings to aid their movement and speed.
In a desperate mood, the war captain looked for any receptacle that could hold water but all his hands could fall on was a basket woven with grass.
The area's recorded history indicated that one of the fighters questioned the Asafoatse on how a basket could hold water. However, the Asafoatse was said to be undeterred and rather placed a leaf inside the basket and instructed the doubting warrior to fetch water from the river.
Hope
The oral history of Ada has it that the basket with the leaf placed in it was able to hold water and became a beacon of hope for the dying warriors.
The Secretary to the Paramount Chief of the Ada Traditional Area, Djetse Abram Kabu Akuaku III, Jonathan Dokutso, who narrated the story to the Daily Graphic at the sidelines of this year’s Ada Asafotufiami festival, explained that since then, the Mystery Basket, the object that went to the rescue of the thirsty warriors, had come to represent a symbol of hope for the people of Ada.
Each year, during the celebration of Asafotufiami, the story is reenacted to remind the people of Ada and the rest of the world of the historical significance of the mystery basket.
“Today, the Mystery Basket may seem like an amusing or spiritual exercise to some, but it remains a powerful testament to the warriors who risked everything to shape the Ada State as we know it today,” Mr Dokutso said.
Writer’s email: Benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh
