Ohum – The pride of the East
This week, the people of the Akyem traditional areas in the Eastern Region celebrated the Ohumkyire festival to signify bumper harvest and prosperity.
The Ohum Festival is a traditional cultural festival celebrated twice yearly, known as the Ohumkan and Ohumkyire. Ohumkan is the main event and is celebrated in January while Ohumkyire is celebrated in September – October, depending on several traditional factors.
The purpose is to thank the creator for blessing their land with such magnificent natural and mineral resources paramount among them is the Birim River which flows through significant portions of the catchment area and is a source of valuable natural and mineral resources.
Such minerals and other resources such as the land and rivers are symbols used to remember their ancestors who struggled and persevered to keep the society intact.
The highlights of the Ohum festival include the journey led by the traditional leaders to the Gyempremo Shrine at Old Tafo to perform rituals and sacrifices to honour their deity.
These rituals are deeply tied to ancestral traditions, emphasising continuity and reverence for those who ensure the community’s well-being. A notable legend associated with the shrine suggests that anyone who trips and falls on the return journey from the shrine will not live to see the next year, adding a spiritual gravitas to the pilgrimage.
A ritual session at the Gyempremo Shrine, especially during the Ohum Festival, involves a series of traditional ceremonies that express gratitude and honour ancestral spirits. Key elements of the ritual include:
Preparation and Procession towards ensuing fruitful year. Here the traditional leaders and community members gather at the Gyempremo Shrine, carrying offerings to be sacrificed to the deity. Participants may also adorn themselves in traditional attire, symbolising respect and connection to their cultural heritage.
They also engage in sacrifices and offerings to the gods. Once at the shrine, offerings such as food, drinks, and symbolic items are presented to the deity. These offerings are believed to strengthen the bond between the living and the ancestral spirits, ensuring prosperity and protection for the community.
Through this, the priest of the shrine or the spiritual leader led the people to typically invoke the gods. Calling upon its blessings for the land and the people. The ritual often includes prayers, chants, and sometimes drumming or other forms of music.
A sacred atmosphere is maintained during the ritual, and certain actions are considered omens. For instance, during the return journey from the shrine, it is believed that anyone who trips and falls will not survive the year as mentioned earlier.
These rituals do only mark the passing of time but also renew the community’s connection to their heritage and spiritual traditions.
During the Ohum Festival, the people of Akyem pledge to continue the traditions passed down by their ancestors. This pledge is made during the rituals at the Gyempremo Shrine, where offerings are made to their deity, and the community expresses gratitude for the blessings of the land, especially the Birim River, which sustains the people both physically and spiritually.
The act of pledging symbolises a commitment to preserving the cultural heritage and values of the Akyem people, such as peace, prosperity, and respect for nature. The people pledge allegiance to their king, the Okyehene, as well as to their sub-chiefs and elders, reaffirming their loyalty and trust in their leadership to guide and protect the community.
Ironically the Brim River which has been the paramount symbol of the people has been direly polluted by the activities of galamsey.
This annual tradition of pledging ensures that future generations remain connected to their roots, honouring the perseverance and struggles of their forebears while maintaining the continuity of customs essential to their identity.
After two weeks of seeming silence over the traditional area, the leaders lead the people to embark on another significant activity of the festival which is the hooting of hunger. This activity is also paramount during some other festivals in Ghana and beyond especially that of Homowo of the people of the Ga traditional area
The “hooting of hunger” is a symbolic aspect of the festival which represents the rejection of hunger and the celebration of abundance after a successful harvest.
In the olden days the Akyems especially the people of the Akyem Abuakwa traditional area pride themselves as leading paramount producers of yam in abundance together with other food stuffs and therefore hunger had no place in the area.
Yams are considered a symbol of wealth and sustenance. The first yams harvested are typically offered to the gods before any community member can consume them. This act is meant to ensure that future harvests will also be plentiful.
So, the festival normally ends with this activity to “hoot” or ridicule hunger as a symbol of victory over it and also symbolising resilience and survival.
The festival also features drumming, dancing, and processions, where the people mock hunger, signifying the restoration of plenty and abundance.
This ritual serves as both a cultural memory of overcoming hardship and a festive celebration of prosperity.
The feasting aspect of the festival is perhaps the most cherished by many especially the youth. It is the time when the community comes together to prepare and eat a variety of yam dishes. It is a joyful time with singing, drumming, dancing, and other forms of cultural expression to celebrate the abundance of food and life.
Just as with the pledging to continue traditions during the Ohum Festival, the new yam harvest often includes pledges to maintain and preserve ancestral farming techniques, customs, and respect for nature.
This festival not only serves as a celebration of agricultural success but also reinforces communal ties and reverence for tradition, ensuring that these practices continue for generations.
The festival includes artistic and cultural activities such as drumming, dancing, colourful costumes, and regalia.
On Tuesday, the 8th of October, 2024, the Executive Secretary of the National Media Commission, George Sarpong (Esq) led a delegation of some of the members of the Commission and some Board Members of state-owned media houses to join the people of Ati near Tafo in the Eastern Region where the Board Chairman of the Ghana News Agency, Nana Kwasi Gyan Apenteng is the Apegyahene in celebrating the Ohumkyire with the chiefs and people.
It was learnt that the Ohum Festival has evolved over the past 400 years.
BY NANA SIFA TWUM (PHD)
