Tumu Chiefdom commemorates 70th death Anniversary of Kuoro Wogorei Kanton II

Correspondence from the Upper West Region

The Tumu Chiefdom has, today, January 29, 2021, commemorated the 70th death Anniversary of the first Chief of the Tumu Traditional Council, Kuoro Wogorei Kanton II.

Late Kuoro Wogorei Kanton II died on January 29, 1951.

In an interview with the Chief Executive Officer of Action for Sustainable Development (ASUDEV) who is also a son of the royal family, Osman Kanton described the day as one of the "incredibly big" days for the people of Tumu and beyond.

He said from 1951 till date, Kuoro Wogorei Kanton II's passing together with other Chiefs of the Chiefdom has always been commemorated every year to celebrate his life as the first overlord Chief in the Sissala land.

"This is the 70th Anniversary since the passing of Kuoro Wogorei Kanton II on January 29, 1951. And from 1951 to date the people of Tumu have always marked this day because he was the first Chief and ever overlord in the Sissala land. So, his day of passing was incredibly a big day for the entire Sissala land," he said.

Other late Chiefs of the Tumu Chiefdom being celebrated include Kuoro Kanton Luri III (died on December 27 1973); Kuoro Luriwie Kanton IV (died in 2001) and Kuro Bajo Kanton V (died in 2009).

Consequently, the day was characterized by a lot of cultural activities including 'bayila'(a type of cultural dance), gunshot salutes early dawn, walking amid cultural singing and dancing through the principal streets of the Tumu town.

Kuoro Wogorei Kanton II has among other things contributed immensely to the development of formal education in the Sissala land.

According to Mr. Osman Kanton, during the colonial era when education was inaccessible in the Sissala land, Kuro Wogorei Kanton II initiated a campaign for communities to make contributions for students from the area to trek to attend school in Tamale and later Lawra which were the only nearby accessible places having schools.

He then later rallied the people to establish an elementary school block now Egala Basic School in Tumu to remove the barrier of long-distance students normally had to trek to access education at faraway places.