Canoe races, traditional drumming and colourful pageantry marked the Oguaa Fetu Afahye Regatta on Tuesday, drawing thousands of residents and visitors to the coastal waters and beaches as communities celebrated the annual festival with renewed vigour. 

The annual Oguaa Fetu Afahye Regatta, a canoe race on the Benya Lagoon, heralded the start of the week-long festival as chiefs, queen mothers, traditional priests and priestesses, the elderly, youth and tourists lined the banks of the Fosu Lagoon to catch a glimpse of the ceremony observed with solemnity and joy.  

The regatta reaffirms communal bonds and ancestral traditions of the people of the traditional area. 

 This year’s competition saw three fierce 300 metre canoe heats with reigning champions, Nkum Asafo and challenger, Bentsir finishing on level points, producing an unprecedented deadlock for the title.  

Spectators cheered as canoe crews showcased expert seamanship and tight teamwork, while drums, horns and songs filled the air with Fanti pageantry that reinforced civic pride.  

Although Anaafo Asafo placed last, their spirited display and precise paddling drew praise amid intense competition, as each Asafo paraded their distinctive yellow, red and blue colours across the lagoon.  

The 130 metre by 58 metre Fosu Lagoon presented a vivid tableau of long canoes slickly painted in the colours of the Asafo companies in reds, blues and yellows, punctuated by the rhythmic beat of drums and the swelling shouts of supporters.  

Female dancers (Ntakuamba) in canoes, dressed in traditional regalia of rich Kente and silk headgear, executed powerful, exacting dances as singers intoned war chants and melodies that recalled the Asafo’s historic role in community defence and social order. 

Subsequently, the Oguaamanhen, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, led traditional priests to perform rituals to lift the ban on fishing, which is imposed a month before the festival.  

The Omanhen’s net was cast thrice in the lagoon and a good catch signifies that there would be a bumper harvest the next season, while a poor catch paints a gloomy picture. 

The fish was traditionally presented to the Omanhene and fishing is opened to the public.  

Symbolic prayers and libations were performed at the estuary to bless the fishing season as the community celebrated late into the night with dancing, singing, and shared feasts. 

Osabarimba Kwesi Atta, Omanhen of the Oguaa Traditional Area, and elders received a heavy catch this year and prayed for continued abundance in coming years to sustain the livelihoods of the fisher folks.  

He called for unity and support for accelerated development, urging everyone to celebrate the blessing in moderation.