The Chiefs and people of Nungua in the Greater Accra Region have climaxed the three months long 'kplejoo festival' to commence the annual Homowo celebration with a call on other towns within the Ga Dangbe state to also celebrate the annual festival with the peace and unity it brings.

The Regent of the Mankralo Stool of Nungua, Nii Bortey Kofi Frankwa II speaking after the climax of the festival said the culture and tradition of the people was their identity hence the need to protect and project it.

He says litigating with festivals is the bane of the African identity and therefore urged the other states to not let these litigations disturb the peace and unity of their states.

He, therefore, called on the GaDangme people to unite to form a formidable state.

The Nungua people are said to be the first Ga Dangme group to arrive in present-day Ghana and are therefore the first to celebrate the Homowo festival.

About the festival

The festival began with rites to fill the pots of the gods with sacred water.

The rites involved the carrying of spring water from a particular location to the sacred Gborbu grove in Nungua.

This was followed by a pilgrimage to bring a scared corn from Oyibi to Nungua for the celebration of the Homowo festival in the entire GaDangme State.

The sprinkling of the sacred corn commenced an eight-week ban on funeral and its associated rites in Nungua and its environs.

On the seventh week, a one-week ban was further placed on noisemaking at areas under the jurisdiction of the Nungua stool. Cleaning of the path leading to the town and those of the gods was the next rites.

This rite was ended at the beach where special rites to invite Nii Borkete Laweh, founder of the town was carried out.

Eight priests participate

This year, eight priests were inducted into the holy Priesthood of the Gborbu Dynasty.

They had undergone months and years of training in the royal Priesthood. To climax the festival was the final Gborbu kple.

This is the most important aspect of the festival as the three Gborbu priests are expected to be possessed by the Gborbu deity to prophesy to the people, hundreds of the townsfolks gathered at the Town Square to catch glimpse of this all-important moments.

The place was set agog when the three Gborbu priests got possessed.

The Gborbu Labia, Nuumo Bortei Tieku Kuntso told the news team that if the opposite had happened the festival would not have ended.

The three Gborbu priests led the others to visit noble places in the town to cleanse and purify the place while blessing some.

They later danced to the Kple ensemble. Kple means omnipresent and it is performed to the gods to join the people to thank God for his presence in the GaDangme land throughout the year.