According to him, the chieftaincy institution should not be allowed to die but strengthened to play the role that was expected of it.

“The role of chieftaincy today is as important as it was from its genesis. The chiefs are the rightful custodians of all that we identify ourselves with.

“They preserve our cultural heritage, otherwise today we cannot gather here in the name of Damba. They are the symbols of unity in our society. We must, therefore, hold them dear,” he stated.

Damba festival

Mr Ayariga made these observations at the annual Damba Festival of the Ghanaian Community in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States (US) last Saturday.

He appealed to members of the Northern Community of Georgia to, as a matter of great concern, project not only their culture but also development challenges that hampered Ghana’s quest to reach the level of first-world countries such as the USA.

As one of the traditional festivals of Ghana, he said, the Damba festival had transcended “our home borders and become a tourist attraction to the entire world through efforts of yours like this one here today”.

“Damba is a great festival and everyone, upon hearing the name Damba Festival, would always wish to grace it. It's highly recommended to any race in the world,” he mentioned.

Mr Ayariga commended the organisers for the initiative which aimed at selling one of the country’s rich cultural activities to the outside world.