Apoo festival
| Ethnic group | Nsawkaw  |
|---|---|
| Continent | Africa |
| Country | Ghana |
| Edey de administrative territorial entity insyd | Techiman Municipal District |
| Ein location | Brong-Ahafo Region |
De Apoo Festival festival be one festival wey dem dey celebrate every year for western Ghana, especially for Techiman den Wenchi. E dey last for one week for March inside plus April.[1] De festival dey mean to clean people dema spirits from bad things wey dey society insyd, plus e dey bring people plus families together. E get plenty traditional cultural activities for inside too. De word ‘apoo’ dey come from de word ‘po’, wey mean ‘to reject’.[2]
De festival get strong link plus de Bono people. E no be say dem dey do am for Techiman, wey be one of de most important towns for Bono people den dema old kingdom insyd. During de Apoo procession, people go throw insults, talk proverbs, sing songs, den share stories wey dey concern de Bono Kingdom. Plenty of de insults, proverbs, den songs dey target de Ashanti people, wey conquer de Bono Empire.[3]
History
[edit | edit source]Story wey old people talk from mouth be say de festival start during de time wey Nana Kwakye Ameyaw dey rule. He be strict leader, so de people for Techiman no fi talk dema mind freely. Since dem no fi question de authorities, dem go ask de local gods for help. De gods talk make dem choose some days wey everybody go fi come out den talk dema mind, especially to de leaders. Dat time, nobody go fi hold you responsible for anything you talk, no matter who you be. De people go talk say “Mereko po me haw”, wey mean “I dey go talk my mind”, wey na from der de “Apoo” festival start.[4]
Ein Traditions
[edit | edit source]E be belief say when people talk out de grudges den complains dem get, e dey help purify demselves den their souls from bad spirit. As part of preparation for de Apoo Festival den dis purification, women go clean house, utensils, den roads make dem no give chance to de bad spirit to come back. De area priests too go parade de streets before de festival start, as dem dey spiritually destroy any bad charm wey evil spirits hide for de community. Dis process dem dey call am 'Nnusin-tuo'.[5]
Another important preparation custom be 'Hyereko', wey mean 'de collection of white clay'. Women go gather dis white clay from Aponkosu River. Dem dey use am to decorate de local shrines before Apoo Festival go start. De priests den priestesses too go rub dis white clay for their bodies when dem dey possessed or when dem dey communicate with de spirits.[2]
Drums go knock to alert people say de festival don start. De Apoo procession dey lead by de Paramount Chief, village elders, secondary chiefs den de court.[3] As dem dey do de Apoo procession, people go talk about de wrong things others do, cast insinuations den express dem grievances.[1] Even de chief no dey escape from dis kind criticism. Dis be de time wey people dey encouraged make dem settle family beefs, den e be time for peace den reconciliation.
Early inside de festival, de procession go move go de grave of de last Bonohene, wey be de traditional leader of de Bono people. De Paramount Chief plus de village elders go gather around de grave as de Chief go offer sheep den pour libation. De rest of de procession people go remain outside till de rites finish. De banmuhene, wey be de caretaker of de Royal Graveyard, go prepare dish of mashed yam wey dem call eto, mix with oil den other spices. Dis eto dem go present give de ancestral spirits. De secondary chiefs go also pour more libation on de stools wey dey top de grave, while de banmuhene dey beg de ancestral spirits for prosperity den peace. Afterwards, dem go slaughter de sheep, drain ein blood into bowl, den place de sheep ein intestines on top de grave. Servants go then prepare de remaining parts of de sheep for de elders. De people outside too go get share of de eto. De other chiefs go continue dey pour libation, dey mention de names of de ancestors one by one, dey thank dem for blessings den dey curse people wey dey wish dem bad. After all dis, de priests den priestesses go knock drums den dance inside de graveyard as de crowd go dey sing.[6] De following days of de festival dey full with celebrations from morning reach evening. Families too go take de Apoo Festival host their family members den visitors, go spend big on food den entertainment give their guests.[5]
Dancing be big part of de Apoo Festival. De priests den priestesses go wear raffia skirts wey dem dey call doso, wey dem go decorate with talismans den charms, plus dem go paint their bodies with de white clay dem gather earlier. Before dem go start de dance, de priests den priestesses go talk incantations to sack evil spirits wey fit dey around.[7]
References
[edit | edit source]- 1 2 "Brong Ahafo Region". touringghana.com. 2016-02-24. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
- 1 2 "Apoo Festival". Archived from the original on February 6, 2021.
- 1 2 Asihene, E. V. (1980). Apoo Festival. Private Post Bag, Tema, Ghana: Ghana Publishing Corporation. p. 18. ISBN 9964 1 0233 X.
- ↑ Stories, Samuel Duodu's (2009-04-30). "SAMUEL DUODU'S STORIES: TECHIMAN TO CELEBRATE 'APOO' IN STYLE (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, PAGE 15)". SAMUEL DUODU'S STORIES. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
- 1 2 Asihene, E. V. (1980). Apoo Festival. Private Post Bag, Tema, Ghana: Ghana Publishing Corporation. p. 16. ISBN 9964 1 0233 X.
- ↑ Asihene, E. V. (1980). Apoo Festival. Private Post Bag, Tema, Ghana: Ghana Publishing Corporation. pp. 20–23. ISBN 9964 1 0233 X.
- ↑ Asihene, E. V. (1980). Apoo Festival. Private Post Bag, Tema, Ghana: Ghana Publishing Corporation. p. 38. ISBN 9964 1 0233 X.