Interview with author and activist Samuel Asiama - Ghana's Akan People

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Traditional festivals in Ghana have roots that may be traced to the earliest ancestors we can think of. No wonder almost every ethnic group has its festival. The repository for these festivals is the older folk in our society. What follows below is a treatment of the Ohum festival of the Akyem Abuakwa as recounted by my grandfather Opanyin Owusu-Koranteng, popularly known as Teacher Owusu-Koranteng. It touches on why every year the Ohum festival is celebrated. The aim for writing this account is modest. It is intended to arouse and satisfy the interest of readers to see the VALUE and SIGNIFICANCE of festivals in Ghanaian society, by using the Ohum as a typical one. Special apology however goes for anyone or group of persons who may in one way or the other be offended by this publication. A factual history of Ohum better spelt “Ohunuu-mu” must to the author, be written because of some people’s worship of PREMPESUPREMPEH. This is the Biriem river god, whose shrines are at Akyem Tafo and Kyebi. Worshipping of gods is not peculiar to the Akyems, Ghanaians or Africans. The Romans worshipped and prayed to River Tiber in Italy, calling it, “Father Tiber.” (Refer Macaulay, C Days of Ancient Rome.) The Britons sing, and boast of being sons of the sea. (Refer the British patriotic song, “When Britons first at heaven’s command arose from out of the azure main etc. etc.) and several other citations that this narration has not enough space to portray. The author is a Christian, and do not advocate the worship of gods, but JEHOVAH-GOD. He has implicit belief in Jesus Christ and respects JEHOVAH’s command to his people in abstaining from idol and image worship as found in Exodus 20:3 in the Holy Bible. Nevertheless, this work is mere history which needs to be written for posterity.