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The chiefs and people of Battor Traditional Area in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region, under the leadership of their paramount chief, Torgbega Patamia Dzekley VII, have held a mini durbar at Adidokpoe, a suburb of Battor, to usher in their annual Hogbe festival.
Scheduled to commence from 7th to 23rd December of every year, Hogbe, a festival celebrated by the people of Battor, is in commemoration of the exodus of their fore-fathers from the tyrannical rule of King Agorkorli of Nortsie.
Like other festivals, Hogbe now serves as not only a social platform for family reunion, but also as a tool for raising funds for general development.
The mini durbar concept was in vogue a few years ago, when it was held in Accra to raise funds to organize the festival, but it fizzled out and the festival was celebrated straight away. It was, however, revived last year with Aveyime-Battor playing host to it.
Speaking at the mini durbar, Torgbega Dzekley VII said it was a means of encouraging Battor Towns and Communities to host it in turns, but on a request, and a part of net proceeds from the celebration will be donated to the host community for some of its basic development projects.
In a release issued by Bright Segbefia, a member of External Relations and Publicity Committee of the planning committee, the paramount chief used the occasion to pay homage to the fore-bears for toiling to make the Battor Traditional Area one of the giants in the Tongu area and the Volta Region.
Describing education as key to development, Torgbega Dzekley VII made an appeal to parents to give priority consideration to the education and wellbeing of their children, explaining that education was the best investment parents ought to make.
“If our town should develop at the rate we desire,” he said, “parents should not toy with their children’s education.” He advised children to eschew social vices and stay behind their desks after school and study for their future good.
He commended Torgbe Anyorgbor VI, Mama Kudienya IV, Dumega Kpeli and the people of Adidokpoe for the communal spirit exhibited towards their electrification project, describing their effort as a living testimony of the benefits of a-can-do-spirit.
He, therefore, called on all the communities within the Traditional Area to follow the worthy foot-steps of Adidokpoe in embracing self- help, rather than expecting Government to come to their aid in everything.
The Traditional Council, Torgbega Dzekley VII said, has since June, this year, instituted the organisation of funerals on a monthly basis, instead of bereaved families organising funerals at any time. The decision, he explained, was to help everyone to better manage time, money and energy towards a better future, hoping that the people will bear with the Council.
He announced that Dawlotu, an annual festival instituted and jointly celebrated by the people of Battor, Gbledie near Hohoe, and Tutu in the Republic of Togo, which should have been hosted by Battor, this year, has been called off until next year.
He lamented the effects of the outbreak of the Ebola virus on every aspect of the economy, saying that the fear alone was causing panic in countries which had not yet been hit by the virus.
This, he noted, was affecting productivity is all facets of our life, appealing to scientists to work around the clock to terminate the global disease.
Torgbega Dzekley entreated his people to observe personal hygiene to avoid getting cholera, adding that it was the people’s unwillingness to ensure environmental cleanliness that has brought about cholera outbreak in parts of the nation. He made an appeal to the people of Battor-Dugame in particular to clean up their surroundings ahead of the Hogbe festival.
The MP for the Constituency, Hon Samuel Ablakwa, who is the Deputy Minister of Education, told the people that the constituency had also benefitted from the government’s Community Day Senior High School project, adding that the one for the constituency was put up at Volo.
He hinted that the two Senior High Schools at Aveyime-Battor and Battor Dugame were earmarked to be expanded in 2016.
Talking about an electrification project underway for the people of Adidokpoe, the MP assured them that all was on course for the completion of the project sooner than expected and appealed to the people not to feel dejected at the delay.
The District Chief Executive of the area, Ms Fafa Agbai, said that the district, though very young, was making every necessary effort to achieve its goals. He entreated people of the constituency to have faith in the government.