Accra: One-month ban on drumming and noise-making starts on Monday 

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has announced that this year’s ban on drumming and noise-making will be in effect from Monday, May 12, to Thursday, June 12, 2025, as part of preparations for the annual Homowo Festival celebrated by the Ga people.

In a statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs, Gilbert Nii Ankrah, the AMA said the directive applies to all residents, communities, and institutions within the Assembly’s jurisdiction. The ban is being enforced in the interest of peace, harmony, and national security.

Some areas covered by the ban include communities around the Accra Metropolitan Assembly Head Office, Gamashie, Ablekuma West and Kasoa.

The period marks a sacred time of reflection, solemnity, and spiritual preparation leading up to the Homowo Festival, which holds deep cultural significance for the Ga community.

“The ban represents a sacred period of solemnity, reflection, and spiritual preparation for the upcoming Homowo Festival,” the statement noted.

As part of the enforcement guidelines, churches are to conduct services strictly within their premises without the use of musical instruments. The use of loudspeakers outside churches, mosques, pubs, and during roadside evangelism is strictly prohibited for the duration of the ban.

The AMA also emphasised the need for tolerance and mutual respect among religious and traditional communities, urging all groups to refrain from making derogatory or inflammatory remarks about each other’s beliefs or practices.

The Ga Traditional Council (GTC), in support of the directive, has further imposed a ban on funeral rites and all related activities during the same period.

To ensure lawful and respectful enforcement, only a designated task force made up of AMA personnel, members of the Ghana Police Service, and accredited representatives from the Traditional Councils—who must wear official identification—are authorised to carry out enforcement duties. The statement warned that no unauthorised individuals or groups are permitted to enforce the ban.

The AMA called on all residents, including those in towns and villages within the Ga Traditional Area, to comply fully with the directive and contribute to a peaceful and successful observance of the ban.

The annual Homowo Festival, celebrated by the Ga people, symbolises the triumph over hunger and is marked by rituals, feasting, and thanksgiving. The period leading up to the event is traditionally observed with reverence and quietude.

Read the full statement below;