A book documenting the historical account of lineage in the Kwahu area of the Eastern Region has been launched as part of the 2022 Easter Kwahu festivities.
The rationale behind chronicling the lineage and succession is to help identify the rightful royals to ascend divisional stools and ultimately help do away with chieftaincy disputes in the Kwahu Traditional Area.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Saturday [April 16, 2022] launched the 2000-paged book entitled Kwahu State Book.
The compilation of the book was based on the findings of the Ghana State Book Project which gives vivid account of successions to the various stools in the country of which the National House of Chiefs, Centre for National Culture and the Bureau of Ghana Languages made inputs.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo speaking at the event expressed worries over how the National Security is spending huge sums of state resources on chieftaincy disputes across the country which he sees as a major national security threat.
According to President Akufo-Addo “There are lots of chieftaincy disputes in the country. Resources spent by the state and MMDCEs to resolve the chieftaincy disputes are worrying. I urge chiefs and families to buy the book and read well to be informed. Where you have a critical different view use appropriate means for redress.”
President Akufo-Addo noted that the state spends so much on resolving those disputes and therefore expressed the hope that the documentation of traditional state books will help resolve such issues.
Mr. Akufo-Addo is hopeful the Kwahu State Book would resolve chieftaincy disputes in the Kwahu enclave, adding that “I commend you for the initiative, I share in the view of the President of the National House of Chiefs, I do believe the book will help reduce chieftaincy disputes. Half of the monies spent at the National Security goes into managing chieftaincy disputes. I can recall Yendi, Dogomba among several others.”
He, therefore, lauded the Kwahu Traditional Council and the paramount chief of Kwahu Daasebre Akuamoah Agyapong II for the initiative, adding that the documentation of traditional council state books will help resolve chieftaincy disputes.
The 3000-page book depicts the history, culture, and customs of all the sub towns in the Kwahu land and also records the achievements of people who contributed to the development of Kwahu.
According to the Ghana State Book, similar books have been written for the Ofinso, Techiman, and the Senya traditional councils.
The National Coordinator of the Ghana State Book Board, Bright Botwe, says findings indicate that 65 percent of the National Security concerns emanate from chieftaincy disputes around succession.
The concerns informed the initiative of documenting the history of traditional state books.
Its first work came out in 2012 at the Offinso Traditional Council followed by Techiman and Senya later on. The Kwahu state is the fourth to be worked on.
The President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi, advised chiefs to stop wasting resources, which could be channeled into development, at the court and judiciary committee in settling disputes
Ogyeahohoo Yaw Gyebi II on his part also called on traditional rulers to resort to laid down procedures in resolving disputes and urged them to take advantage of the state book project to document their history.
