Malta's Foreign and European Affairs Minister joins Otumfuo for first Awukudae in 2023

The Minister of Foreign, European Affairs and Trade for Malta, Dr Ian Borg on Wednesday, 18 January 2023, joined Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to mark this year's first Awukudae at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

He was accompanied by the Maltese High Commissioner to Ghana, Jean Claud Galea Mallia, other officials from the High Commission, and businessmen from Malta.

Dr Borg is in the country with a delegation of Maltese businessmen to exploit business opportunities for mutual benefit and strengthen the ties between the two countries.

The festival is observed on Wednesday, and its recurrence could be after 40 or 42 days.

It is one of the two forms of Adae, the other one being Akwasidae, which is celebrated the third Sunday after Awukudae. The observance is an ancestral rite by the chiefs and elders of the Akan clan around Kumasi.

It is believed that Nsamanfoɔ (ghosts) and other ancestors are wandering around to see if this festival is being appropriately observed.

On this occasion, it is also a practice to give donations for charitable causes such as feeding the hungry and helping the sick.

On this day, the Akans traditionally consider travel dangerous and remain at home, as it is an emotional day for them.