Story from Samuel Agbewode, Ho
The chiefs and people of the Agortime traditional area in the Volta Region have launched the celebration of the 2013 “Agbamevorza” (Kente festival) in grand style.
It is under the theme: “conserving Our Cultural Heritage”, which aims at using the festival to deepen the culture values of the people.
The significance of the Agbamevorza celebration, over the years, is the protection of the traditional values of the kente fabric, which forms an integral part of the culture practices of the people for the benefit of the present and future generations.
The launching ceremony, which took place at Kpetoe, was deliberately organized to ensure that the indigenes would fully participate to enable them have a feel of it instead of launching it in Accra.
Addressing a mini-durbar of chiefs and people of Agortime to launch the Agbamevorza, the Konor of the Agortime traditional Area, Nene Neur Keteku III expressed satisfaction about the festival, which has been celebrated over the past 13 years to help mobilize human and material resources in the traditional area for development.
The Agortime Paramount Chief pointed out that the importance of the kente cloth, locally called by the people of Agortime as ‘Agbamevor’, was gradually losing its traditional value which the annual festival was steadily restoring.
Nene Neur Keteku noted that the festival has over the years helped in re-defining the cultural practices and values of the people, particularly in the traditional way of dressing, which was discouraging the youth from adopting foreign culture.
He was, however, not happy with the development where people dressed in traditional attire are referred to as fetish in some parts of the country.
According to him, the Agbamevorza was fast uniting citizens of Ghana and those in the Republic of Togo, since the Agortime traditional area extends to Togo.
Nene Neur Keteku disclosed that the people of Agortime, particularly majority of the youth, do not rely on white colour jobs as the main means of getting employment because the traditional occupation of the area, which is weaving of the ancient fabric of Agbamevor, still remains the first class economic activity for the people.
The Planning Committee Chairman of the 2013 Agbamevorza, Mr. Prosper Ledi, said the chiefs and people of Agortime had gone far in protecting the cultural practices and values in the traditional area over the years, which had led to the peace being enjoyed in the area.
Mr. Ledi, therefore, appealed to Ghanaians to uphold the rich cultural practices and values in their respective areas to ensure the accelerated growth of the nation, adding that no nation could develop without upholding its culture values.
He pointed out that this year’s festival would showcase the ‘afutu’, a traditional dressing by the females, to promote the traditional way of dressing that had been preserved over the years, noting that young women would be dressed in variety of kente cloth during the festival, and some of these cloths age between 90 to 186 years.
The District Chief Executive of Agortime-Ziope, Mr. Michael Adzaho commended the chiefs and people of Agortime for instituting a festival aimed at preserving and protecting the kente cloth, as well as deepening the existing peace among the two traditional areas of Agortime and Ziope.
Mr. Adzaho stressed that the Assembly would continue to support the festival which had shown greater prospects of advancing the socio-economic activities in the area assuring the chiefs and people that the Assembly would play its role in making the festival one of the best in the region and the country in general.
Available statistics show that the kente industry alone has provided jobs for 3,200 youths in the traditional area and 4,600 individuals patronize the kente product both within and outside the nation since the festival was instituted.
The launching of the 2013 Agbamevorza was also used to award the winner and the first and second runners of the 2012 ‘Agbamevorza beauty pageant, which is organized annually at Kpetoe to educate young ladies about the decent traditional ways of dressing.
The winner of the 2012 Agbamevorza beauty pageant was Ms. Tracy Afari and she received a 21 inch flat screen television set, the first runner up, Ms. Precious Tenge and the second runner- up, Ms. Rosemond Sename all took home 21 and 14 inch television sets.
The winner of the 2012 ‘Agbamevorza beauty pageant’, Ms. Tracy Afari commended the chiefs and elders of the traditional area for the establishment of the annual festival.
The Paramount Chief of Agortime Traditional Area, Nene Neur Keteku III at the Launching ceremony at Kpetoe
District Chief Executive for Agortime- Ziope, Mr. Michael Adzaho
Some chiefs and people of Agortime traditional area at the 2013 launch of Agbamevorza
From (Left) the 1st and 2nd runner-up of the 2012 beauty pageant and (right) is the winner of the competition, MS. Tracy Afari