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| Osie Adza Terkpor VII |
The 4th edition of the Amu (Brown Rice) festival of the chiefs and people of the Avatime traditional area dubbed ‘AMUFEST, 2013’ has been launched on Saturday and is expected to take place from November 3-10, 2013, at Avatime Dzogbefeme in the Ho-West district of the Volta region.
The theme for this year’s event is “Unity and Development in Avatime through Rice Culture and Eco-tourism”.
Launching the festival, the paramount chief of the area, Osie Adza Tekpor VII, said the AMUFEST which was reinstituted in 2010 is celebrated on rotational basis to stimulate development in the seven major communities that constituted the traditional area.
The reinstituted festival was first celebrated at Avatime-Vane in 2010, followed by Amedzofe in 2011 and Biakpa in 2012. The other communities are Gbadzeme, Fume and Dzokpe.
A sod was cut as part of the launch for the construction of an ICT and a library complex to promote quality education in the area and Funds raised from the festival would be channelled towards that project as well as the expansion of water and sanitation projects for the Dzogbefeme community.
The festival, according to Osie Adza Tekpor VII would also be used to showcase and promote the nutritional value of the local brown rice, which is a delicacy in the area and also promote the tourism potentials of the area.
‘We want to promote the consumption of the local brown rice, which is very nutritious across the region, the country and the whole world’.
He urged the people to sustain the cultivation of the crop for economic growth and called on citizens elsewhere to support their people to develop the area.
‘Citizens outside the area, use this festival as opportunity to take leave off your work and visit home to socialize and support the development of your area. It is your God’s given right to come from Avatime’.
The festival will be climax on Saturday, November 9 and it is expected to be graced by former president Rawlings.
