The Najianshi bii of Ga celebrates its annual Homowo today with a heavy heart. While acknowledging that urbanization brings progress, they are of the view that for people of Ga descent, it has come with a big price. For them they claim, their lot is retrogression. The impact of modernity on the Gas and their culture, they say, has created what might be called ?a besieged mentality? which is evoked by the symbols of modernity.
Also, they feel besieged and squeezed out of their own homeland. They are complaining of not only losing their land to government and others who have migrated to the capital for greener pastures, but also of losing their cultural identity and being given a raw deal from the government. ?This indeed is the price the Gas have to pay for being the capital of Ghana where all the forces of modernity that drive modern urban centre are depriving the Ga people of their cultural identity.? This was the sentiment that runs through three papers delivered by some notable Gas at the first Homowo lecture in Accra last Friday.
The lecture was under the topics; ?GaDangme; Challenges of Urbanization; Tradition and Modernity; Religion and Urban Experience; Implications for GaDangme Culture. According to Dr. Abraham Akrong who presented a paper on Religion and Urban Experience,? the Ga people are fast losing their traditional identity because of the culture of modernity, characterized by rapid social change, secularization, plurality of cultures and beliefs, separation of state and religion that allow for freedom of worship. He expressed regret that no special protection is being given to Ga traditional religion even when under siege.
According to him, the chiefs of Ga who are custodians of the land have virtually no power to exert at least some influence on the various communities. Dr. Akrong suggested that, ?it should be possible once in a year for a durbar to be held, where the various chiefs pay homage to GaDangme chiefs and gradually make them feel part of the Ga Communities in formal way with well defined rights and responsibilities.?
Rev. Dr. S.S. Quacoopome who presented a paper on Religion and Urban Experience called on the government to as a matter of urgency, pay attention to the plight of the Ga people who he said have been sadly marginalized as far as the development of the country is concerned. ?Our interests have not been taken into consideration,? Rev. Quacoopome said, adding, ?Government must be made aware that most of the things are not in the interest of the Ga people and must now begin to address our concerns.?
To him, the region has not benefited from the capital city status placed on it except to lose its identity and culture and its lands to government and private individuals and get pushed farther to the sea. According to Rev. Quacoopome, the way forward, is for government and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to cooperate with the Ga people to ensure that the interest of the indigenes are taken care of in making decisions that have direct or indirect impact on the people.
