Awake Sleeping Giant-Volta Region

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Category: Culture & Tourism

Created on Saturday, 02 July 2011 00:00

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Awake Sleeping Giant-Volta Region

When I was a young boy, I was fascinated by the talents and craftsmanship skills of the migrants form Volta Region who had settled at Anloga in Oforikrom-

Kumasi. Indeed, my late cousin, Nana Asamoah Boagyaa 11, Chief of Nkawiepanin had a big house at Anloga which he rented out to migrant workers. Some days, I watch in awe and fascination as these master craftsmen transform pieces of wood into fine art or logs into king-size beds.

Never in my wildest dream did I imagine that one day I will actually fall in love with the birth-place of Kofi Ato my father's long-time house help and member of our family or these wonderful craftsmen. Moreover, as a child when I was naughty, (daily) Kofi Ato will threaten to send me away to Sogakope - it is a shame he never went ahead with his threat.

Readers may ask why did you fall in love with the Region? Like majority of your readers, I was minding my own business in a pretty leafy suburb of Cheshire, UK, writing economic development plans and implementing regeneration policies for areas like Liverpool, Middlesbrough, and Knowsley. Thankfully, the Volta Region House of Chiefs asked me to write an Economic Plan for the Region and that began my journey of love.

Maybe a bit of history and background will help the reader to understand the place and people and why I have come to love it.

Who are the Ewes?

According to oral history, the Anlo-Ewe people settled at their present home around the first half of the 15th century. This was after a dramatic escape from Notsie, an ancestral federated region currently within the borders of the modern state of Togo.

Earlier settlements were established along the seamless stretches of white sandy beaches of the Atlantic Ocean, from what is now the international border between Togo and Ghana. However, the close proximity of the settlements to the sea offered little safety to the settlers who were prey to European slave traders.

The Keta lagoon became central to the early evolution of the Anlo-Ewe traditional state. Its shallow waters were not navigable by the large slave ships and provided a much-needed buffer zone between the settlers and the aggressive slave traders.

Most Ewe speaking people trace their origins from Abyssinia (in what is now Ethiopia). They migrated with other Ewes from Abyssinia to Oyo in Yoruba Land, Western Nigeria. They later moved on to Ketu in Dahomey (now Benin). From Ketu they migrated and settled down at Notsie (Togo) in the 12th century and finally moved on to settle down in Ghana.

Present Day Volta Region

The Volta Region is the most easterly region of Ghana, bordering on Togo, and in my view an area of extraordinary scenic beauty. The rolling hills and valleys, rocky outcrops overlooking Lake Volta, and lagoons, rivers and waterfall makes the Region one of nature's most attractive gift to Ghana.

The region stretches from the coastal plains on the Atlantic coast right up to the arid lands of the north. Its climatic conditions vary tremendously and stretches from the coastal plain, fringed by sun-dappled beaches and mangrove swamps, through moist deciduous rain forests in the central belt, where Mt. Afadjato at 885m is the highest point in Ghana, to the arid savannah of northern Ghana.

The Volta Lake

My favourite spot in the region is Lake Volta, on its western flank. The lake is a source of power, and much of the water for the region; it is the water highway to the north a great fishing lake as well as a popular recreational area. I invite readers to visit and breathe in the fresh, sea breeze of Lake Volta. The region is also famous for its festivals and ceremonies, of which the Hogbetsotso of the Anlo people in November and the Asogli State Yam festival in September are probably the most famous.

Most of the festivals and ceremonies of the region reflect the rich diversity of history and culture of tribal life in the region. The relics of European coastal forts and other structures still remain, while further north vestiges of the German colonial era are unmistakable. The main gateway to Togo is at Aflao, and hotels, guest houses and restaurants can be found in all the main centres, including Ho, Keta, Kpando and Hohoe.

Beaches

The beaches of the Volta Estuary are amongst the best in Ghana. Swimming is popular in some areas, although the sea is generally rough along the Atlantic coast. The only warning signs to Ashantis is please learn to swim before you set foot on the boat from Dambai-Kete- Krachi. New hotels are providing facilities for water ports and deep sea fishing. One can catch tuna, tarpon and barracuda if prior arrangements are made with local hotels.

The Volta Region is rich with distinctive cultural history and the regional museum at Ho is an ideal place to understand the background to the region's heritage. Hohoe is an important centre of herbal medicine, which is of significant and growing importance both in Ghana and the western world today. . Tourist Attractions in Volta Region

The region is blessed with many tourist attractions including the following:

? Lake Volta Estuary The estuary is an area of great scenic beauty with river and ocean beaches, and picnic spots shaded by palm tree. The sand bars are the nesting grounds for sea birds and endangered species of twitter are still found here.

? The Keta-Angaw Lagoon Basin Important wetland and breeding ground for migratory birds ? Tafi Monkey Village The sacred monkey sanctuaries around Tafi Atome, some 5kn away from the Avatime hills. ? The Waterfalls of the Volta Region Although some may be seasonal, all are set in attractive wooded or mountain settings. 1. Wli falls “ 20km from Hohoe, in the Wli nature reserve 2. Tagbo falls Liate Wote 3. Tsatsodu falls 10km from Hohoe 4. Aflambo falls Leklebi 5. Amedzofe  Abadzeme falls ? Kalakpe Game Production Reserve At Abutia, 15km from ho, the reserve has increasing species of migratory and indigenous birds life, buck, buffalo and monkeys ? Kyabobo National Park A newly designated National Park in the foothill of Mt. Djbobo, on the border with Togo.

? Grottos and Caves In the limestone hills, the grottos and caves are dramatic. Not to be missed are: 1. The ancestral caves of Likpe 14km form Hohoe 2. The grottos of Kpando Aghehoe and Aziavi 3. The caves of Nyagbo and Logba 4. Caves and iron mine workings Alepafu

Almost all the tribes in Ghana are found in the region. Sixteen (16) major languages and forty-one (41) dialects are spoken. All the different ethnic groups live peacefully, demonstrating unity in diversity. However, a word of caution particularly to single young men the ladies are very attractive, domesticated and well cultured - you may not return to your native homeland.

Ecology

The different ecological zones of the Region offer various tourist attractions ranging from golden sandy beaches, various water bodies, caves, waterfalls and industrial investment opportunities. The diverse ecology allows the cultivation of divers’ crops including tree crops, food crops, fruits and vegetables.

The Region has a very large track of fertile land that can be used to grow a large variety of crops including maize, cassava, banana, pineapple, mango, cashew, sunflowers, pear, orange, coffee, cocoa, teak, cocoa-yam, plantain, etc.

Investment Potentials The potentials of the Region are very numerous but have remained largely un-tapped. The agricultural, tourism and industrial potentials of the Region are also huge. These open wide doors for huge investment and trade opportunities. For example, there are huge investments Potentials/Opportunities in the following industry.

? Salt mining ? Ceramics ? Fish farming ? Kente weaving ? Agro processing ? Large scale crop production ? Keta Basin(exploration of oil) ? Hotel/Tourism ? Rice production

Conclusion

I hope by now readers will have caught a bit of glimpse of the region and I may have wet their appetite. I would also take this opportunity to encourage indigenes from the area both in Ghana and abroad to keep the region in mind when making investment decisions. The region is blessed with natural and human resources, and I will encourage all of us to get on board and help awake this sleeping- giant.

Akpee” and God Bless. Kufuor, Appiah-Danquah

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Chiefs Of Abudu And Andani Royal Gates Receive Training in Conflict Management

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Category: Culture & Tourism

Created on Thursday, 30 June 2011 00:00

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Chiefs Of Abudu And Andani Royal Gates Receive Training in Conflict Management

{sidebar id=10 align=right}A two-day training programme in conflict management for 20 chiefs and 24 elders from the Andani and Abudu royal Gates has ended at Yendi in the Northern Region.

It was organised by the United Nations Joint Programme on Human Security in collaboration with the Dagbon Traditional Council. Topics discussed included Human Security concept, conflict and causes of conflict, types of conflict and understanding conflict, escalation and de-escalation of conflict, conflict prevention - early warning signs, and the spectrum of conflict handling mechanisms, among
others.

The Programme Manager of UN Joint Human Security Programme, Mr Edward Adimazoya, stated that since December 2009 the United Nations (UN) system in Ghana and other partners had been implementing the joint Human Security Programme in selected communities in the three
Northern Regions.

Mr Adimazoya indicated that the programme which had the title “Enhancing Human Security Through Developing Local Capacity for Holistic Community-based Conflict Prevention in Northern Ghana,” was a joint initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), UNICEF, UNDP, UNIDO UNU and the World Food Programme (WFP) in close collaboration with the Government of Ghana, civil society organizations, academia and other partners.

He said the three-year programme was funded by the Government of Japan through the UN Trust Fund for Human Security (UN-TFHS). “The programme targets Bawku, Yendi, Tamale and Wa which have been identified as the four conflict-prone areas in the three Northern
Regions,” he said, adding that it sought to empower local institutions, communities and individuals to prevent and manage conflicts in Northern Ghana as a means to ensuring sustainable human security in the area.

Mr Adimazoya indicated that the programme adopted a multidimensional approach with international components in local capacity development, conflict prevention, income generation, food security and human security concept.

He said in the Yendi Municipality the priority communities included Nayilifong, Guntingle, Balogu, and Kumfong. The UN Joint Human Security Programme Field Specialist for Yendi, Mr Salifu Dammah indicated that the conflict management workshop for the chiefs of the two Gates was meant to equip them and their elderswith knowledge and skills for holistic community based conflict prevention and enable them to anticipate and respond constructively and sensitively to issues of conflict in their areas.

Mr Salifu stated that relationship building was no marginal activity but that it was the key in creating sustainable peace-building process. He said the theme for the training, “The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war,” was very appropriate. The Yendi Divisional Police Commander, Chief superintendent Charles Damanban, expressed appreciation to the chiefs from the two royal Gates for attending the training programme in the search for peace in Dagbon.

He thanked the UN Joint Programme on Human Security and the Dagbon Traditional Council for organizing the programme. In their recommendations, the chiefs appealed to the UN Joint Programme on Human Security to empower the chiefs of the two Gates to enable them to contribute effectively to the peace process.

They stressed the need for the two royal Gates in the Dagbon Crisis to tone down the blame game and to seek peace. They acknowledged that in the interest of building peace and trust, chiefs of the two Gates should exchange visits regularly to improve upon communications between the two sides.

The chiefs also called on the UN Joint Programme to create jobs for the youth in the conflict-prone areas to enable them to channel their energies into productive ventures.

Source: GNA

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Trokosi, Ewes And The Israelites - Part 3

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Category: Culture & Tourism

Created on Saturday, 02 July 2011 00:00

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Erverh (Ewe) Means Hebrew

{sidebar id=10 align=right}HOW THE NAME ERVERH (EWE) BECAME HEBREW As I pointed out in a previous article, the proper pronunciation of the name of my people is Erverh and not Ewe. Erverh is also the proper name of our ancestors, the ancient Israelites. The ancient Israelites were NEVER called Jews or Hebrews. How these names came about is what I will explain now.

Most people assume the ancient Israelites were called Jews. It may be surprising to people to find the literal word ‘Jew’ is not in the entire original text of the Bible. There is no name like that in either the Old or the New Testaments. The original Hebrew of the Old Testament uses the word ‘Yehudim’, meaning ‘Judahite’. The original Greek of the New Testament uses the word ‘Ioudaios,’ meaning ‘Judean.’ Earlier translations kept these original names. Unfortunately, the word ‘Jew’ has replaced them in recent times.

In fact, the mere fact that certain people identify by the name “Jew,” shows they are not direct descendants of the ancient Israelites. This is because the direct descendants of the ancient Israelites retained the name of their ancestors, which was Erverh (corrupted as Ewe).

The name, “Hebrew,” on the other hand is the English translation of the name pronounced Erverh. The Israelites wrote their name in Hebrew with symbols that are represented the letters “IVRI” in English. IVRI is pronounced Erverh. You can check this by doing a Google search on IVRI.

HOW IVRI (ERVERH) BECAME HEBREW

A direct translation of the name of the Israelites would read IVRI (pronounced Êrverh). However, in time, this true name of the Israelites took a backseat. What replaced the name of the Israelites is a great departure from the truth. To make matters worse, the name Hebrew comes from a double translation from the original name. Let me explain what I mean by all of that.

The name ‘Hebrew,’ is the English translation of the name pronounced Erverh from Latin. That means the first translation of the name of the Israelites into Latin was the first step. This first step dropped and lost the proper pronunciation of Erverh. With the proper pronunciation lost in translation, in came the second step, which is the new Latin name’s translation into what we have now in English as Hebrew.

The following is how it all unfolded. From the time of Abraham until the time of Jesus Christ, the world knew the Israelites as Erverh. In fact, Jesus and all his apostles were Erverh. This name became lost after the death of Christ, two thousand years ago, when the Roman Empire ruled the Middle East.

Around the time of Christ, Judea the home of the Israelites became a province of the Roman Empire. The national language of the Roman Empire was Latin; therefore, all the literature people wrote and read was in Latin. Available Books not originally written in Latin were all translated into it. Included in these translations were the Hebrew Scriptures. The name IVRI pronounced Erverh translated into Latin became, 'Hebraicus.' This name Hebraicus, as you can see yourself, is nowhere near the pronunciation of Erverh.

Some years later the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. He subsequently changed the religion of the entire Empire to Christianity – the birth of Christendom. For the next thousand years, Latin was the dominant language in Christendom and the Latin translation of the Bible was the de-facto book. If you did not read Latin, you did not know what you were missing. Salvation was in the Latin book.

The reformation in Europe, led by Martin Luther changed the status quo. Before then, only the small-educated minority who read Latin knew of what was in the scriptures. After the reformation, translation of the Bible began in other European languages including English. This opened up an unprecedented access to Bible information to anyone who could read his or her local language.

However, there was a problem. All these translations were from the Latin version instead of the original language.

Therefore, instead of using the original name IVRI (Erverh), the translated Latin name Hebraicus carried into the European languages, which included English. The name “Hebrew,” is the result of translating the Latin “Hebraicus,” into English. Thus, the name, "Hebrew" is the result of a double translation of the original name Erverh.

Had the translation been from the original texts with the name that is represented by the English letters IVRI (Erverh), you’d never have heard the name Hebrew. Instead the proper name Erverh is what people will know as the name of the Israelites.

So there you have it! The proper pronunciation in the native language of the ancient Israelites’ designation, commonly known, as “Hebrew” in English is “IVRI” pronounced Erverh (erH-VerH).

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If you are interested in reading more, the story continues at:

http://www.mawuvi.com/sample-pages

Source: Robert Barker(Ghanaweb,02 July 2011)

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Abu Jinapor : Kufuor would campaign massively for Nana Addo in 2012

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Category: Politics

Created on Wednesday, 29 June 2011 00:00

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Abu Jinapor : Kufuor would campaign massively for Nana Addo in 2012

An aide to Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, flag bearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP)

Samuel Abu Jinapor has rubbished claims by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) that there is tension between the flag-bearer and former President John Agyekum Kufuor.

“President Kufuor is an NPP leader and he will work for NPP in 2012 to ensure that we restore his legacy and Nana Akufo-Addo would continue with his good works” he added.

According to him, Nana Akufo-Addo would not have made former President Kufuor head of his Campaign Advisory Board for election 2012 if indeed they are at loggerheads.

The ruling NDC have argued that President Kufuor’s inability to criticise the Mills-led administration is because President Mills has performed exceptionally well in his effort to fulfil the Better Ghana Agenda he promised Ghanaians.

Describing him as a true statesman, some members of the NDC have said former President Kufuor is not comfortable entrusting the governance of the country in the hands of Nana Addo hence would rather prefer President J.E.A Mills to retain the seat in the 2012 elections.

Former President Kufuor earlier in an interview with Joy FM's Super Morning Show host Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah declined to comment on the performance of the Mills administration but rather preferred Ghanaians who voted the NDC into power do the assessment in election 2012.

But Abu Jinapor on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Wednesday stated that, contrary to suggestions by the NDC, President Kufuor would mount the campaign platform together with Nana Akufo-Addo to ensure the party is voted back to power in 2012.

He said considering Kufuor’s excellent performance as president for eight years on the ticket of the NPP, his role and commitment to the party is not in doubt.

Abu Jinapor observed that, with Kufuor’s credential as a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Busia administration between 1969 and 1972 and also a former Member of Parliament for Atwima Nwabiagya and his recent award by the Word Food programme, his expertise is greatly needed in the party’s bid to unseat the NDC in the 2012 general elections.

He expressed shock at the NDC’s sudden admiration for former President Kufuor whom he said the NDC's founder ex-President Jerry Rawlings accuses as corrupt and even likened him to a convicted, hardened criminal ‘Ataa Ayi’.

Abu Jinapor urged the NDC to solve the internal wrangling in the party ahead of their July 8-10 delegates congress in Sunyani rather than trying to make former President Kufuor their ally.

“For me President Kufuor is doing what every statesman ought to do. When we mount the political platform, you will see President Kufuor in full political regalia canvassing for Nana Akufo-Addo. The best always comes from the NPP”, Abu noted.


Story by: Adwoa Gyasiwaa/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

 

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