The Fire festival which is traditionally celebrated annually among the four ethnic groups in the Northern Region. By the people, of Gonjas, Dagombas, Mamprusis, and the Na- Numbas, was observed yesterday, in Tamale, with a wake up call by all relevant stakeholders in the Tourism industry, to exploit the occasion in order to advance the socio- cultural and economic impact needed to boost the Tourism sector in the region.
The festival is linked to the Islamic Religion, which signifies the migration of the Holy prophet Mohammed from Mecca to Madina and has since been widely celebrated and patronised by these four kingdoms in the Northern Ghana.
At about 8:45pm, I was at Sawaba, a suburb of Tamale, precisely at the chief palace to monitor the ushering in and the commencement of what the people of Dagon called it “Bugum” festival where the festivity of the fire festival began.
The occasion started by lighting a thatch grass with fire, whiles chanting amidst drumming and dancing before the men in waiting joined by also lighting theirs, which was greeted with thunderous drumming and was later followed by somewhat a thick processing to the Sawaba Dam, where they throw their thatch fires on big tree just by the Dam and later return with the Nim tree leaves. Which I am reliably informed that the following day the Nim leaves would be used to prepare a concoction for a bath in every household that is sought to protect them from any befalling calamities and good health for the coming years.
I proceeded to the Dungu Junction, en-route to Lamashegu, just at the Village Water.There was another thick procession emerging from the Lamashegu second Round about, towards Dungu, drumming and dancing with the intermittent firing of locally made guns and musketeers.
Via to Lamashegu, towards the first round -about, on both shoulders of the road, spectators were at their best trying to catch a glimpse of the event. I made an abrupt stop there, where I interviewed Madam Suraiya Mumin, about her feeling of the the festival, which she said she is enjoying the celebration since it is part of their Dagbon Tradition.
At 10: 14pm, whiles going towards Kaladen Park, there was another procession which was also coming from the Dakpemas palace that stretched up to the Tuffour story building, displaying a lot of fireworks and visibly seen among the celebrants were some Foreign Nationals who were apparently white men and women having fun of the occasion.
When I got to the Dakpemas Palace, from the Tuffour building to the palace, there was another beehive of human activities chanting and drumming followed by the sporadic fireworks around the dual road.
Fortunately on my part at the Dakpemas palace, I chanced upon a sizeable number of police officers monitoring the situation and the Regional Police Commander DCOP, ken Yeboah, with some Senior Police Officers at about 10:57pm, reviewing the ongoing event.
In an interaction with him, DCOP, Ken Yeboah, said so far; the celebration has been peaceful across the length and breadth of the region. According to his checks on the ground he was enthused about the celebration, given that, one does not see the political colouration as the people went on with their celebration together.
He added that if it continues the way and manner they are going about the event it could be enhanced to serve as a tourism potential in the region.
Later in the day, in an interview with The Northern Regional Tourist Board Manager, Mr. Williams Ayambire, as to how his outfit could come in to make the occasion very attractive.
He said, that there is a possibility and that means that the organizers should pre- inform them such that they can come in, to package it more attractively.
The question then is who are the organizers? And who must initiate that move?
In an interview with the Public Relations Officer to the Tamale, Metropolitan Assembly, Mr. Issah Salifu Musah , to pick his informed opinion on the issue, He emphasised that they are on-going consultations on it and that all efforts are been taken to see how it could be realised to boost the tourism potential in the Tamale Metropolis.
On the sideline of the festivity, there were also side attractions by the young women in town who were beautifully dressed showing all forms of vital statistics and were given the men cultural and moral support in the fire procession within the Metropolis and have also added colour to the occasion.
From the hind sight, there is all available indications that if conscious efforts were made by all players in the tourism sector. There is every indication that the fire festival could boom as a tourism event in Tamale.
By Alhassan Abubakar Sadik, ISD Reporter in Tamale. Email sadiks64@yahoo.com
