Firing of live ammunition by the various Asafo groups and other entities has been banned by the traditional council of Gomoa Fetteh during the celebration of this year’s Ahorbaakese otherwise known as Atopa Festival.

This forms part of measures to ensure an incident free celebration of the festival.

The directives include a ban on use of motorbikes within the Gomoa Fetteh township during the festival. Police has also been charged to arrest anybody who’s spotted carrying and discharging live ammunition during the festival.

According to the traditional council the accredited asafo groups can only utilize gunpowder to ensure the safety of celebrants of the two-week festival.

The announcement was made during the performance of the Akwanbo rites which marks the official beginning of the festival.

The Akwanbo signifies the clearance of bushes along pathways for easy passage ancestral spirits and to also tidy up the area.

The Gomoa Fetteh Ahorbaa Kese is one of the exceptional festivals celebrated in the central region.

Celebrants climax the even with the traditional Akosolontoba dance which signified formal exchange of pleasantries in days of old.

But modern celebrants have corrupted that aspect and christened it the Atopa dance and the youth exhibit various dancing prowess as part of the celebration.

That part of the festival has over the years drawn several patrons including non-indigenes to the town.

Traditional authorities believethe community can capitalize on that to boost the tourism potentials of the town to spur economic development.

The youth has however been admonished to desist from indiscipline acts as well as help maintain the neatness of the town as well as the integrity of the festival. Traditional leaders have dispelled the notion that the Akosolontoba dance is an avenue for promiscuity.

By: Akwasi Addo | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana