The chiefs, elders and thousands of residents of Senya Beraku in the Awutu Senya West District of the Central Region have protested against the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the Awutu Senya West District Assembly, Mr Joseph Aidoo and the Tufohene of Senya Breku Nai Ippi Kwao Bentum for wrong doing which has caused financial disaster to the chiefs and people of Senya Beraku.
They couldn’t fathom why the DCE has taken bilateral decision to write ill-fated letter to inform the Central Regional Security Committee (RESEC) to proclaim to the effect that the Senya Beraku is not safe and that the RESEC should advise President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo not to attend the festival which was scheduled to take place on Saturday August 20, 2022.
They pointed out that the President who has earlier declared his stance to attend their festival would at the last minute boycotted the festival due to the misleading information sent to the Central Regional Minister that the Tufohene of Senya Breku Nai Ippi Kwao Bentum has threatened to kill people in the area if they tried to organize the festival.
Following this development, the historical event didn’t happen on Saturday which made the chiefs and people to stage demonstration against the DCE and other government appointees of the district.
The chiefs and youth blamed the District Chief Executive officer (DCE) of the Awutu Senya West District Assembly, Mr Joseph Aidoo and the Tufohene of Senya Breku Nai Ippi Kwao Bentum.
The Senya Beraku Akumase festival is traditional farming processes that culminate into the August celebration of bumper harvest in August each year.
It is a festival that recounts the greatest historical famine that ever struck the community and how our ancestors were able to use systematic agricultural process to combat the affliction, eventually ending it with bumper harvest.
The festival is celebrated in the third week of August each year.
The celebration is spearheaded by the Nkyiew Anu patrilineal family, who are the custodians of the festival. All other patrilineal families also spearhead one ritual/tradition or the other, making the festival both dramatically splendid and traditionally colourful.
Meanwhile, the festival, being a systematic farming process, starts from mid-February by the performance of various farming rituals and minor festivals, and eventually ends with the grand celebration in August.
The Akumase festival also relives the victory of stories of our past and ushers in the new harvest, and it is also the period where the people display the rich tradition and culture with antique uniqueness.
