Turn Kwahu Easter into festival — Ofosu-Bamfo
Once again it is Easter and the people of Kwahu are moving in their numbers to mark the occasion with various activities that have been lined up by the various communities along the Kwahu Ridge.
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Kwahu indigenes, including businessmen in Accra, are also heading for the Easter festivities at Kwahu, which is a never miss for most of them.
These businessmen include Mr Kwame Ofosu-Bamfo, the Chief Executive of Sikkens Company Limited and Chairman of the Ofosu-Bamfo Group of Companies, operators of the Alisa Hotels in Accra.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, he said: “Easter is the time to come back home. Kwahus are mostly traders. We are not at Kwahu and so Easter is the period we congregate for merrymaking.
The occasion has changed from being used for merrymaking to one for fundraising activities, during which time all the towns meet to plan for development.”
Mr Ofosu-Bamfo was of the belief that it was time the chiefs turned Kwahu Easter into a festival, during which families and communities will get to know one another better and raise funds for development, as Kwahus used to do during Easter in years gone by saying, “the celebrations can rotate in all the Kwahu towns”.
“I know most of the facilities on the Kwahu Ridge were built by the people or started by them before the government supported them. That self-help spirit should be back,” he added.
Many first timers toKwaku may be looking for attractive sites and things. Some of these attractions will be tiger nuts and the historic town of Abene.
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Tiger nuts
Tiger nuts, known in local parlance as “Atadwe”, are mostly cultivated at Aduamoa, a community a few kilometres after Kwahu Nkwatia.
Tiger nuts, which are known to possess some health benefits, are also noted for their milk. They are a major mainstay of the people, especially the young, who sell the nuts in Nkawkaw and elsewhere.
Many young people hawk “atadwe” to the commuting public at lorry stations and along the major streets in all major cities, including Accra.
The road to Abene
To the uninitiated, Kwahu Mpraeso seems to be the centre of everything on the Kwahu Ridge.
Yes, it was the capital of the then Kwahu District and now the Kwahu East District, but although the Kwahu Traditional Council has offices at Mpraeso, the seat of the traditional council is at Abene, a small community down the slope to the north of the ridge.
From Mpraeso to Abene is only about 30 minutes’ drive, but the rocky nature of the road makes it difficult to drive there, especially for the chiefs who have to swear allegiance to the Omanhene of the Kwahu Traditional Area at Abene.
It is one of the small communities on the ridge but the most powerful because politically, it accommodates the Overlord of Kwahu.