All the 37 communities of Agotime in Ghana and Togo, last Saturday, rounded off their Kente Festival with a grand durbar at Kpetoe in the Agotime-Ziope District in the Volta Region.

The Kente Festival is a socially constructed celebration that highlights the social identity and heritage of the people of Agotime, as well as their values which transcend artificial colonial frontiers.

The international and multilingual status of the festival this year was evident in the presentations by the masters of ceremony who spoke eloquent French, English, Ewe and Portuguese during the durbar.

The large number of chiefs and people from the Togo side of the border also added to the grandeur of the occasion. The event was on the theme: “Repositioning the Kente heritage for inclusive development.”

The durbar, as usual, witnessed a lavish display of antique and modern Kente pieces and a splendid show of culture and tradition, while maidens of the land were paraded on the durbar ground to add romantic colours to the splendid exposition, amid vigorous rhythms from the various drumming and dancing groups.

The procession of chiefs and queenmothers, adorned in their brilliant Kente clothes, walking majestically onto the durbar ground, was another captivating aspect of the fun-packed durbar, which ended in the evening.

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin, in a speech read on his behalf, said Agotime had earned an esteemed international image from Kente, attracting people from far and near.This is more so with the regard to the fact that Agotime spans from Ghana to Togo, he added.

The Speaker said there were definitely bright and growing business and tourism development prospects in the area, not only from the iconic kente trade, but also from the rich cultural and historical heritage of Agotime.

However, he pointed out that the rapid reaping of the fruits of those prospects required unity of purpose among the chiefs and people of Agotime all the time.

Mr Bagbin, therefore, urged the people of Agotime to resolve all lingering chieftaincy disputes in their domain and set the tone for the area’s smooth and speedy development.                        

Diplomatic missions

Meanwhile, he suggested the vigorous involvement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the diplomatic missions in Accra in future celebrations of the festival, due to its international nature.

The arrival of Nene Akoto Sah VII, Chief Warlord of Agotime, at the durbar ground

The Speaker touched on the forthcoming general election and urged the people to take a firm stance to vote in peace.

The District Chief Executive, Emilia Adzimah, said the Kente Festival was by all means one of Ghana’s most prestigious festivals, which highlighted the economic and cultural significance of the Kente cloth.

She touched on the theme and said it depicted the power of cultural artefacts in creating a sense of belonging and a shared identity as a powerful tool for social progress.

“The festival serves as an opportunity to showcase the rich indigenous Kente cloth designs, customary use of the fabrics and portrays the history of the people, serving as a great tourists’ destination in the country,” Ms Adzimah added.

She maintained that investing in Kente training programmes with the appropriate resources would further enhance the skills of Kente craftsmen and enable them to make immense impact on the global market.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Agotime-Ziope, Charles Agbeve, urged Kente craftsmen to register their master pieces with trademarks to avoid imitations of the Kente cloth.

“Your Kente piece is your intellectual property and must not be toyed with by unscrupulous people anywhere in the world,” he said.

The international and multilingual status of the festival this year was evident in the presentations by the masters of ceremony who spoke eloquent French, English, Ewe and Portuguese during the durbar.

The large number of chiefs and people from the Togo side of the border also added to the grandeur of the occasion.

The Kente Festival is a socially constructed celebration that highlights the identity and heritage of the people of Agotime, and their values which transcend artificial colonial frontiers.