Using tradition to achieve national goals: Homowo and noise making

The culture of a people is an important set of practices which has far-reaching significance to their identity.

The practices are transferred ancestrally to the present generation and are expected to be continued over time. 

These activities or rituals are the emotional glue that binds these people, dead or alive, together.  Modern trends or realities may appear to render some of these practices irrelevant but their significance goes beyond the physical especially to the people engaged in it.

The sustenance of our culture is not only the responsibility of traditional rulers but that of the government as well. 

Getting a balance between the performance of our cultural practices and modern trends will be a smart move for any government.

The Homowo festival of the Ga people in Accra is an annual event that starts in May.

The Ga people celebrate Homowo in the remembrance of the famine that once happened in their history in pre-colonial Ghana.

Within this period, the Ga traditional leaders announce a ban on noise making which unfortunately results in confrontation with the vastly metropolitan Accra community.

Greater Accra and other metropolitan areas are awash with both commercial and religious activities making a lot of noise on a daily basis.

The authorities have clearly failed to ensure the right amount of noise is observed without infringing on the right of others. Using the period of the Homowo festival to enforce the laws on noise making will be a good start.

Activities to educate and conscientize people of laws on noise making and the acceptable decibels will over time create a society of people who are law-abiding especially on noise making.

I urge the government to consider making the month of May as a month for the education on noise making.

This will not only ensure peaceful coexistence between the indigenes of Accra and the large metropolitan population but also be a step in creating a healthy community.