By: Ewoenam Kpodo | Voltaonlinegh.com |
The Chiefs and people of Ve Traditional Area in the Afadzato South Dstrict of the Volta Region have celebrated their annual Dodoleglimeza to commemorate the historic escape of Ewes from the tyranny of King Agorkorli in Notsie in present day, Togo.
The grand durbar of 2018 Ve-Lukusi Dodoleglimeza chaired by Justice Senyo Dzamefe, an Appeal Court Judge was well attended and attracted government officials including Minister of Energy, John Peter Amewu, Deputy Minister of Information, Pius Enam Hadzide, Deputy Administrator of GETFUND, Joseph Denteh, tourists and visitors.
Addressing the durbar at Golokuati, the Minister of Energy, Mr John Peter Amewu urged the young ones to draw lessons from the history of their people in relation to the circumstances surrounding their escape from bondage and the hardships they endured in their sojourn to their present location.
He said these lessons should include the need for respect for human dignity, sense of unity, mutual respect for one another.”
“Also important are the lessons about the essence of being proud as somebody belonging to the Ve tradition, which by extension fits into feeling of pride of being a Ghanaian; to love one’s country and what belongs to one. These are the factors underpinning development of our nation,” he added.
On the theme for the festival, “Developing Local Industry: A Solution to the Rural-Urban Drift”, Mr Amewu described it as appropriate and “perfectly fits into our current situation where there has been an increase in migration of people especially the youth , from the rural areas to the cities and urban centres in search of non-existing jobs.”
He identified two major factors, lack of employment opportunities in the rural areas and concentration of development projects in the urban centres to be blamed for the rural urban drift.
The Minister disclosed that it was the reason the Nana Akufo-Addo-led administration had initiated policies including Free Senior High School (SHS), 1 District- 1 Factory, Nation Builders Corps in a quest to reverse the trend.
He explained these initiatives were meant to offer equal chances to children of both poor and rich parents access to SHS education, de-concentrate employment opportunities and provide for the huge number of unemployed youth in every part of the country.
Mr Amewu pledged to extend electricity to communities in the Ve area who are yet to be connected in addition to providing some streets lights to light up the principal streets in the area. He also promised to relay concerns of the people to the President for redress.
Chairman of Ve Lukusi Improvement Society (VELIS), Prof. I. J. Kwame Aboh in a speech said the problem of unemployment in the area which was gradually reducing the towns and villages in Ve to “ghost towns” informed the theme for the 2018 celebration.
According to him, “though the aim of the festival is to bring our people together annually to celebrate our freedom, it also presents us with a platform to get policy makers to explain government policy to us, and also see how our people can take advantage of such policies and liberate themselves from poverty with the hope of giving themselves a better life.”
In a welcome address read on behalf of the Paramount Chief of Ve, Togbuiga Delume VII, he commended the government for its initiatives aimed at alleviating the hardships of the citizenry.
He called on Ve-Lukusis to re-examine their lives in order to make the efforts of their forebears of defying all odds to liberate themselves worthwhile by being economically self-sufficient and liberated indeed.
He observed that to achieve that dream, there was the need for everyone especially the youth, to get involved and not sitting aloof expecting government to provide all the resources or drifting to the urban centres.
Of the various activities to herald the climax of this year’s festival was the symbolic wall-breaking ceremony (Gligbagba) which was re-enacted at a miniature village on Friday in Ve-Deme.
The ceremony saw women cook sumptuous meals while drumming and dancing went on till a time when a soft portion of the wall protecting the people was broken and with people walking backwards, passed through.
Source: www.voltaonlinegh.com
