Regent of Dagbon commended his people for incident-free festival

Yendi, March 19, GNA - The Regent of Dagbon Kampakuya Na Abdulai Yakubu Andani has commended the chiefs and people of Dagbon for celebrating the Damba festival peaceful and incident free. He expressed his appreciation for the way adequate security was put in place throughout, for a peaceful celebration of the festival. He indicated that for the past seven years, Damba festival has not been celebrated in the area.

Kampakuya Na Abdulai Yakubu Andani stated that, the people nearly lost the Damba festival which is part of their custom and tradition. He said the whole Damba festival was peaceful in Dagbon because the people cooperated with the security forces and ensured that the festival was celebrated without any breach of the prevailing peace in Dagbon and Northern Region as a whole. He made the commendation when he met some of his chiefs and elders at his Gbewaa Palace in Yendi. Kampakuya Na Abdulai Yakubu Andani stated that customary and traditional rites for the festival which began on Sunday was performed in grand style with people coming from Kumasi, Accra, Tamale, Techiman, Babatukuma and the surrounding districts of the Eastern corridor of Dagbon.

He said this year's Damba festival indicated that the people of Dagbon are proud of their customs and traditions and also love peace. He said he was amazed about how visitors came in their numbers to Yendi, the traditional seat of Dagbon to join them to celebrate the festival. He said this shows the way the people cherish their culture. The Regent called on the people of Dagbon and Northern Region as a whole to use festivals to promote peace and also to attract tourists to the region. According to Kampakuya Na, he appreciated the way the Damba festival, which is a merger between Islam and tradition which is celebrated by majority of Muslims in Dagbon and some parts of Northern Region was successful. He expressed the hope that next year's festival will be more successful. He called on the youth to be disciplined because they are the future leaders and without peace there cannot be plans for development for their future.

He said their way of life are always measured by people, and will either affect or favour them in future when they are seeking positions. Kampakuya Na reminded the people of the area that since the Damba festival is to mark the birth and subsequent out-dooring of Prophet Mohammed, and to offer sacrifices to show appreciation to Allah and also chart a new course for the coming year, there is also the need for a peaceful celebration of the festival annually to show appreciation to God for what He has done for them. 19 March 09