Tengzug Celebrates "Golob" Festival in Talensi Naddam District.

Tongo (U/E) March 19, GNA - The chiefs and people of Tengzug in the Talensi-Nabdam District on Wednesday celebrated their annual "Glob festival" with a call on Ghanaians to co-exit peacefully to help promote peace, unity, love and development. The Chief of the Tengzug Traditional Area, Naba Zotentaar Suhba Zaa, explained that the main purpose of the festival, which is usually celebrated prior to the onset of rainy season, was meant to drum home the need for peace and to thank God for the previous year's bountiful harvest and to ask for blessing in the ensuing season. He said during the festival the gods of the land are invoked for peace, prosperity and blessing not only for the area but the nation and the world over.

Naba Zotentaar Suhba Zaa said two cows and two donkeys were sacrificed and traditional prayers offered before and during last year's election to ensure that peace prevailed. He said apart from the merry making during the festival, songs are composed to be sung against immoral acts including rape, murder, stealing and wife battering among others.

Naba Suhba Zaa appealed to the departmental heads in the district to get into partnership with the traditional council to contribute towards building the young district, especially in education. The heads assured the chief and his elders that they would work together to move the developmental agenda of the area forward. Mr. Shariff Billy, a Deputy Director at the Regional Coordinating Council who spoke on behalf of the Regional Minister, Mr. Mark Wayongo, thanked the chief and his elders for organising the festival since it is meant to prompt people to shun away from immoral and indiscipline. He assured the people that the government was committed to creating jobs especially for the youth and that was why it had granted mining concession to people in the area to engage the youth in employment. The government would also expand the agricultural sector in the region.

During the celebration of the "Golob" festival, a ban is often placed on marriages, funerals, fighting and shedding of blood, and people caught in such acts are made to pay a fine for the pacification of the gods.