The Governing Council of the Anlo State in the Volta Region has promised an exciting and re-energized Hogbetsotso Za this year.

With a new planning committee in charge, the week-long festival has seen the introduction of some new activities, expected to serve revelers the culture and tradition of the Anlos.

The Hogbetsotso Za is celebrated to commemorate the exodus of the Dogbo Ewe, now known as Anlos, from Notsie in Togo to their present settlement in southern Ghana.

The name of the festival translates as ‘the festival of exodus’ or 'coming from Hogbe, (Notsie)' and has since its inception formed a core part of the history and heritage of the Ewes.

It is annually celebrated to exhibit the unity, resilience, and deep-rooted culture of the Anlos, and also gives a platform to showcase the tourism potential of the area.

Speaking at the launch of the 2023 edition of the Hoghetsotso Za, His Royal Majesty, Dutor Torgbuiga Wenya III, said the festival would once again serve as a medium to unite the Anlo State and mobilize resources towards undertaking development projects.

He promised revelers and indigenes an exciting celebration and launched a fundraiser towards the completion of the Community Center and the upgrading of the Hogbe Park into an astroturf to make it fit for purpose.

“This year’s Hogbe Festival is having a new face so it is a new branding. It is not what we used to witness and so you will see that we have unveiled a new logo that marks a new beginning, the injection of new energy into the celebration.

"We are calling for development, so we are inviting everybody from all over Ghana and abroad to come and witness the richness of the culture of the Anlo people.

"Then we are also calling for support in terms of funding so that we can complete the community center project and then the Hogbe Park itself, it also needs an astroturf to make it beautiful”, he said.

He said the festival will experience new activities to portray the culture and traditions of the Anlo State, with a focus on the Food Bazaar, which would showcase a variety of indigenous Anlo cuisines.

“Another takeaway for this year’s Hogbe Festival is the ‘Food Bazaar’ that we want to organize. What it means is that we are going to showcase the Anlo Kitchen.

Of course, without mincing words, Anlo Kitchen is the richest in the whole of West Africa, if not Africa. Because if you take one produce, like corn, you can do about 45 dishes from this corn. That is how rich the Anlo kitchen is”, he stressed.

Mamaga Abui Buiekpor II was ecstatic about this year’s festival expecting Miss Anlo 2023 to once again exhibit the culture, beauty, and intelligence of women from Anlo State, while optimistic of a positive impact of the Women Empowerment Conference.

Chiefs Conference, Career Empowerment Clinic, Tech Day/ICT Training and Legal Clinic to provide legal education, are some of the new activities that have been injected into the annual festival.

This year’s Hogbetsotso Za would span between the 27th of October, 2023, and the 5th of November 2023.

The festival, which would be celebrated on the theme “Anlo arise in unity for progress and development” is expected to attract people from all walks of life in Ghana and beyond.